These are our stockings, filled with loot from Santa! I took this picture last year just before the kids woke up.

We have some amazing stockings that my mother-in-law has made for each member of our family. They are treasures that I simply adore, my favorite thing to put up each year, because of the time she took to make them. She’s made them for every one of her children’s families, and we all love them!

Are you ready to decorate? I am more than ready, even though it’s not even Thanksgiving yet (but hey- it’s next week, so it’s not too early, I think!)

We usually fill our stockings with mostly candy for the kids. And we’ll throw in a few small toys as well. A friend of mine always sticks in a toothbrush and toothpaste into her children’s stockings (which she’s gotten with coupons LOL!) along with other small things, of course.

The stocking is always the first thing to be opened – well, dumped! – at our house. Here are some fun things you can put into your children’s stockings! And the best thing – they’re all EDUCATIONAL!

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Educational Stocking Stuffer Ideas

FREE DIY Crystal Christmas Tree Experiment – An opportunity to spend more time together as a family is one of the best gifts you can give! These directions for a DIY salt-crystal Christmas tree can get the whole family involved and teach everyone something new! 

DIY Push Light Planets – Create these amazing lights for your kiddo’s bedroom. Each light is decorated to represent one of the planets. To encourage planet recognition, even paint the names of the planets onto each pushable light!
Show Me the Kwan – Looking for a great, fun game for the whole family to play after all the presents have been opened? This clever and upbeat word game gets kids excited about vocabulary, word construction and more and is the perfect size for a stocking!
Matching Games for Little Learners – These handmade wooden matching games from Mama May I are a very sweet stocking stuffer for little learners. Choose from Zoo, Trucks, Vegetables, Space and more !
The Familia Craft Kit – This craft kit has all the tools for your kiddos to decoupage little wooden peg dolls to create their own story or to include in a new adventure! They come in a slim tube that’s easy to fit in a stocking! 
DIY Domino Set – This homemade domino set is one you and your family can play for years to come. To make this set special for the holidays, use green and red puff paint! 
DIY Pop-Up Alphabet Sponges – This simple gift is a low-cost way to make baby’s bath time fun and educational! Cut sponges into the shapes of alphabet letters and numbers. 
DigiPuppets – This adorable animal finger puppet acts as a touchscreen-sensitive stylus for phones and tablets. Use them on their own to keep kids engaged with digital learning tools, or head to the app store to download DigiPuppet’s educational games. 
 
Just Add Milk Science and Art Kit – This kit is filled with fun science and art projects you can do along with some at home ingredients, and it’s just the size of a milk carton! If your child is lactose-intolerant, don’t worry, the experiments work with non-dairy milk as well! 
DIY Telling Time Clock Pillow – Crafty family members can take a few hours to create this comfortable accessory for kiddos learning to tell time!
 
Clever Catch Math Balls – These inflatable balls make math-learning fun with active games you can play with 2 or more people. Just keep it deflated, and this blow-up Clever Catch is ready for the stocking! Choose from: Numbers 0-25, Money, Multiplication, Addition, or Subtraction. 
DIY Hopscotch Mat – Here’s a fun game you can make yourself, roll up into a Christmas stocking, and then play on Christmas Day and many, MANY days after that! 
DIY Bongo Rice Shakers – Use some household materials to make shakable, musical instruments for little ones to use while Christmas caroling on Christmas Day! 
 
Looking for more ways to make your Christmas stockings and holiday gifts extra special this year? Head to Educents’ Give the Gift of Education page for more ideas, tips, steals and deals!