Stocking Stuffers for Children with Special Needs

I adore stockings. For some unfathomable reason they are my favorite part of Christmas. I love searching for special little things to fill them - whether its a favorite candy or a memento from a trip. I love the little treats; this is not about a big splurge like hidden jewelry. It's about being thoughtful and remembering things the person would have liked or could have used during the year. I start the search months before Christmas, carefully stashing things out of sight in my closet.  I try to keep the contents for each stocking under a total of $25-30.

Stocking stuffers are extremely hard to find for Amanda. With limited fine motor skills crayons, markers, etc. are not good options. Cognitively she's not ready for flashcards or card games. Over the years we have exhausted most of the standard stocking stuffers typically suggested for kids with special needs. In no specific order these are:

• Fidget toys like Tangle or Koosh balls
• Maracas, egg shakers, wrist jingle bells or hand bells
• Sour candy spray like Warheads or QuickBlast
• Chewies and chewelry
• Bandannas (for drooling/ chewing)
• Bubbles
• Curly straws
• Travel cup

Don't forget that some classics are appropriate for kids with special needs. Almost every child has one or two types of candy that they like. Amanda likes gummies and marshmallows.  Children on the autism spectrum may prefer crunchy foods. Consider small bags of chips, 100 calorie packs of cookies or even individual sized boxes of cereal.

Lots of kids with special needs enjoy manipulating office supplies like stickers, post it notes, tape and bubble wrap. Hair ties, barrettes, a comb or brush and a new toothbrush are all stand bys. To add a little pizzazz (and oral motor stimulation) consider buying a musical toothbrush or a Spinbrush. Socks, slippers, hats and mittens are all good fillers. Expect a child with special needs to be about as thrilled with these items as any child would be (in other words, not at all.)

Now we move into the more expensive small gifts.  Computer games, Wii games, CDs and DVDs are the right size, but more than I typically like to spend.  Target has a section of $5 DVDs (Scooby Doo, Thomas, Barney, Strawberry Shortcake, etc.)

Other ideas in the $5-10 range include:

• Hog Wild Animal Poppers (they shoot foam balls - great for developing grip strength)
• Light up wands and spinners - distraction and fine motor
• MP3 player (lots available for under $20)
• Gak (gooey stuff) or Slime/Noise Putty from Dollar Tree- sensory
• Floam or other play foam (non-drying molding compound) - sensory & fine motor
• Crayon Rocks (Danielle loves them! ) recommended by Handwriting Without Tears - fine motor
• Liquid Motion timer (we got ours from Amazon) - fidget toy
• Jacob's Ladder (a classic wooden toy) or WhatzIt fidget toy
• Light up balls - fidget toys
• Small push button musical keychains (we have several that play songs from High School Musical)- sensory & fine motor
• Magic Loops - I had this as a kid and still love it - sensory & fine motor
• FindIt tube - can be bought (expensive!) or made inexpensively
• Echo microphone - I saw these at Dollar Tree last week! - communication
• Rainstick
• Stickers, tape, character bandaids - fine motor
• Small packs of chips or cereal - oral motor
• Spinbrush  - oral motor
• Harmonica or whistle - oral motor

This year Amanda's stocking will contain:

• a Mickey Mouse light up spinner from our trip to Walt Disney World - distraction toy
• inexpensive, folding headphones (not earbuds) $3 from Fry's
• a new $5 DVD
• A rolled up magazine
• Livesaver Gummies
• Christmas marshmallow Peeps
• Mini Ipod speaker (from Michael's for about $5 with coupon)

Other helpful posts:
http://www.playworks.net/special-needs-toys.html good explanation of types of toys
http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/10/100-stocking-stuffer-ideas-of-play.html has a whole section on sensory play
http://www.constructiveplaythings.com/cgi-bin/s.sh/2.0/category.htm?dept_id=Special%20Needs
http://unplugyourkids.com/2009/07/05/rice-find-it-jar-game/ making a find it game tutorial DIY
http://funandfunction.com/oral-motor-chewies-c-65_107_110.html

http://mommasbacon.com/2012/10/24/product-review-crayon-rocks-christmas-special-toddler-stocking-stuffer/