Let’s be honest, Christmas can be stressful and expensive. We all want to give a gift our children will love and get enjoyment out of that doesn’t break the budget. The search for the perfect budget friendly Christmas gifts for children can be exciting, and challenging. It’s also about finding games that both adults and children can enjoy together and building bonding time. There is nothing worse than a child becoming obsessed with a board game that makes us cringe every time they say, “Can we play….?”.
So for these budget-friendly Christmas gift ideas for toddlers (aged 3 or 4+), we’ve curated a selection of options for preschoolers and parents who will enjoy them as well. From classic favourites to hidden gems, these games will not only delight the young ones but also provide valuable educational experiences and quality time spent together. These games are priced at $20 USD and below.
No preschooler’s collection is complete without the classic Hi Ho! Cherry-O. This timeless game, priced around $10, has been a beloved staple for generations, making it the perfect budget friendly Christmas Gift. Aged for children from 3 to 6 years.
Just how much of a timeless classic? The original edition—was designed by Hermann Wernhard and published in 1960 by Whitman Publishers. Of course, it’s been updated and modernised. If you want to check out the original box cover, head over to Wikipedia here.
How to play Hi Ho! Cherry-O
The objective is to be the first person to take 10 cherries from the trees, honing their counting and fine motor skills. This is achieved by spinning the spinner and plucking the number of cherries from their tree that corresponds to the number shown on the spinner. E.g., 1 cherry—take one cherry from the tree and put it into your basket.
However, like most games, there are always some trick cards. Spin a bird or a dog and take two cherries from your bucket to place back on your tree, and if you should be unlucky enough to spin a spilled bucket, place all the cherries back on the tree and start over.
How to Win
You need to be the first person to collect 10 cherries in your bucket, AND you must say “Hi Ho! Cherry-O.”
This is a great game to help with basic math and one for the whole family. Up to four players can participate in this game.
The spinner does not go beyond the number four, so if your child can’t count, this is an easy stepping stone for them.
Zingo, the fast-paced bingo-style game that’s perfect for preschoolers aged 4 to 8 years. This engaging tile-matching game challenges children to be the first to fill their cards by matching the images on the tiles. With its bright, colourful design and easy-to-understand rules, Zingo is an excellent way to develop essential skills such as matching, reading, speech, and reflexes.
How do you play the game Zingo?
Tiles are stacked into a zinger machine. You slide the zinger across, and two tiles will pop out the bottom. I, personally, love this part.
Next, be the first person to grab the tile that is also shown on your selected board and place it over the matching object. Fill up your board first to win.
The board has two sides, green for easy and red for a little bit harder. What are the benefits of Zingo? Zingo is great for prereading skills, sight word development, matching skills, word recognition, builds on language, math skills and letter sounding skills
What are other Zingo Versions?
- Zingo Bingo with a Zing – objects such as kite, cake, clock
- Zingo Word Builder—Fill in the gap. 3-letter words only. Such as B_G.
- Zingo Number Bingo 123 – Match a number. 2 levels of play, including counting and addition.
- Zingo Sight Words—e.g., in, my, three, come, went.
- Zingo Sight Words Boost – Additional sight words.
- Zingo Boosters 1 & 2 packs. Expansion to Zingo, new sight words in each set.Wh
Eye Found It takes around 15-20 minutes for 1-6 players. Aged for children from 4 years old.
The board game is priced around $20 USD, but shop around and keep an eye out for discounts, as it is worth it. And not only is this budget-friendly, but it also comes in a travel size if you want something a bit quicker and smaller for a stocking stuffer. The travel game is around $10 USD.
For the young explorers and observation enthusiasts, Eye Found It is a delightful choice. This game tasks players with spotting and identifying various objects hidden within a vibrant, illustrated scene. As they search for the hidden items, children will strengthen their attention to detail, visual processing, and early reading skills.
How do you play Disney Eye Found It?
Firstly, the board is large, like 6 feet long, so you do need to be able to spread out on the floor or a large dining table.
Each player chooses a character of their choice. Then competitors spin the spinner and move the corresponding spaces. If you come to a fork, you can choose which way to go.
However, if you spin a Maleficent, you move the Maleficent dial and hopefully don’t get to 16, or sadly it’s game over for you all.
If you land on a blue search space, you turn over a blue card. Everyone plays at this point. Turn over the timer, grab the Mickey tokens, and once you find the object shown on the card on the board, you place the Mickey token over it. Once the timer is up, you count how many items you found, and everyone moves their character that number of spaces. This step can also be taken if you land on the Mickey token space on the board. Everyone goes into search mode.
This is a great game for the family as it is a cooperative game where you all need to get across the line. Even though it’s rated 4 and up, most adults enjoy a good search game, so it makes for a great family game.
Looking for the Eye Found It?, check this one out.
For the young princesses in your life, the Wonder Forge Disney Princess Matching Game is a delightful option. This classic memory-matching game features beloved Disney characters and enchanting artwork.
How do you play Wonder Forge Disney Princess Matching Game?
As players flip over two cards at a time and hopefully find a match. If unsuccessful, turn them back over in the same spot. This is where you concentrate and try and remember where the cards where placed. However, if you were successful in getting a pair, put them to your side for counting at the end. AND you get to have another go, until you dont get a matching pair. The objective is to collect the most pairs.
Children, will not only enjoy the familiar faces but also develop important cognitive skills like memory, concentration, and visual recognition. Plus, if you take your time, you may just be able to sit down and finish that cup of tea.
How do you play Guess in 10—Junior?
A simple yes-and-no question game. Each player or team is dealt 3 clue cards. All game cards are shuffled and placed in the case. Firstly, you draw a game card and read out the first two buzzwords. You can ask up to 10 yes or no questions. If you have two wrong guesses, then the card goes back into the case.
If you are struggling, you can use one clue card. You place the card in the middle and choose 1, 2, or 3. This will determine what clue is read out. Get it correct and you keep the card, or you can choose to get the bonus question correct, which, if answered correctly, you get all 3 buzzwords read out on the next game card. Ultimately, the object is to win 7 game cards.
Educational Benefits
Your child will learn the following skills by playing this card game: social and communication skills, decision-making, problem-solving, and cognitive thinking skills.
Guess In 10 Junior Version?
- Guess in 10 Junior: Animal
- Guess in 10 Junior: Food We Eat
- Guess in 10 Junior: Inside My House
- Guess in 10 Junior: Disney Princess
So, as you prepare for the holiday season, keep these budget-friendly Christmas gifts—board games and card games—in mind. Guess in 10 is also ideal as a stocking stuffer gift, as it is just a larger deck of card size.
If you are looking for further options, check out our card games for families if traveling, as these are easy to fit into your luggage. Also check out the article about Educational Board Games for Children 3-5 years as most of them are budget-friendly too.
