The best stocking stuffers for kids: Small LEGO, Pokémon and toy gifts that get played with

Every Christmas has the same small puzzle: the big gifts are sorted, and the stockings are empty. A good stocking stuffer is small, quick to open, and still played with in January. A bad one is plastic that nobody remembers by New Year’s.

In our house the small gifts go into an advent calendar rather than a stocking. We fill it ourselves, and the rule is the same for both: we choose from the brands we trust for the big gifts: LEGO, Schleich, Playmobil, Bruder and Mattel’s Jurassic World line. Their small sets are as well made as their big ones, which cannot be said of every brand. Many of the picks below come from our own kids’ wish lists, which this year include LEGO City, Pokémon, sharks and dinosaurs.

For the facts we stick to the manufacturers’ descriptions and age ratings. The live price of each pick sits in its product box, because prices move a lot through Black Friday week.

Small LEGO sets

NINJAGO Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack (71851): The best small LEGO set

The LEGO NINJAGO Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack (71851) is our favorite small LEGO gift for a six-year-old. It has 85 pieces and three minifigures: Kai, Sora and an Earth Monster. The dragon mech has posable legs, large wings, claw hands, a cockpit and an upper body that rotates 360 degrees. Three minifigures in a set this small is a lot of play: a hero, a sidekick and a villain.

If your child is new to NINJAGO, our NINJAGO for beginners guide explains the theme and the next sets to buy.

NINJAGO Kai’s Motorcycle Speed Race (71838) and Jay’s Dragon Mech Fight (71853)

The LEGO NINJAGO Kai’s Motorcycle Speed Race (71838) is the vehicle version: two bikes with spinning wheels, Kai’s race bike and a ghostly demon bike, and two minifigures. It is rated 6+ and a natural choice for a child who prefers wheels to wings.

For a four- or five-year-old, the LEGO NINJAGO Jay’s Dragon Mech Fight (71853) is rated 4+, has 107 pieces and a Starter Brick that helps young builders get going. Two mechs, Jay and a Mutation Monster, and four weapons to swap.

NINJAGO Lloyd’s Green Forest Dragon (71829): The one in our house

The one NINJAGO set in our house is the LEGO NINJAGO Lloyd’s Green Forest Dragon (71829), rated 6+. It is a posable dragon over 24 cm long with a saddle, Lloyd, a Dragonian Scout and a small golden baby dragon. It is a little bigger than the battle packs, so it works as a small main gift or a generous stocking stuffer.

LEGO City Tractor (60498): For the farm fan

The LEGO City Tractor (60498) is rated 6+ with 204 pieces: a farm tractor with four big rubber tires, an opening hood, a removable cab roof and a farmer minifigure. It is a set a six-year-old builds in one sitting, which is exactly what you want on Christmas morning. Our LEGO City guide for kids ages 5 to 7 has the bigger City sets.

LEGO City Off-Road Mountain Truck (60447) and Creator Cute Hamster (31376)

Two of the smallest LEGO sets on our son’s list this year are perfect stocking size. The LEGO City Off-Road 4x4 Mountain Truck (60447) is rated 6+ with 221 pieces, a quick truck build for one sitting.

The LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Cute Hamster with a Flower (31376) is rated 7+ with 166 pieces: a hamster that sits up or stands, a hedgehog with a flower, or an eagle with a nest and an egg.

LEGO Creator Playful Puppy (31382) and Disney Simba (43243)

For animal fans, the LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Playful Puppy (31382) is three gifts in one: a posable puppy that rebuilds into a squirrel or a duck. It is rated 8+ with 336 pieces. The LEGO Disney Simba cub (43243) is rated 6+, small and sweet: a buildable Simba with a turning head and movable legs and tail, plus a leaf with four bugs.

LEGO Pokémon SMART Play: The small sets, with one warning

LEGO Pokémon SMART Play is the big LEGO story of the year, and the small sets are tempting stocking stuffers. Before you buy one, know how the system works: only two of the twelve SMART Play sets contain the SMART Brick that makes the figures light up and make sounds. The other ten are Compatible sets, with SMART Tags that the brick reads. Without a brick in the house, a Compatible set builds and plays like a normal LEGO set, but stays silent.

So the small sets are perfect stocking stuffers in two situations: when a SMART Brick is already in the house, or when the main gift under the tree is one of the All-in-One sets with the brick. Our LEGO Pokémon SMART Play guide explains all twelve sets.

Charmander and Geodude’s Cavern Clash (72157): The youngest pick

The LEGO Pokémon SMART Play: Charmander and Geodude’s Cavern Clash (72157) is rated 6+ and has 198 pieces and two SMART Tags. Charmander is one of the Pokémon every child knows, and the cavern battle is a good, compact scene.

Berry Bash with Bulbasaur and Bidoof (72155)

The LEGO Pokémon SMART Play: Berry Bash with Bulbasaur and Bidoof (72155) is rated 7+ with 240 pieces and two SMART Tags. It is the gentler set, a berry feast rather than a battle, for a child who likes Bulbasaur.

Schleich figures: The classic stocking stuffer

If we had to name the single most reliable stocking stuffer, it would be one Schleich figure that adds to a collection the child already has. Schleich figures are small, solid, detailed and have no batteries, so nothing breaks or runs flat. And they are rated 3+ (animals) or 4+ (dinosaurs), so they work for young children too.

For an ocean fan, the Schleich Wild Life Great White Shark (14809) is the classic. Our son has been sea-animal-mad for years, and a shark is on his list again this year.

The small animals are where Schleich is a true stocking stuffer, and our son’s list from the toy store had plenty of them. The Schleich Armadillo (14874) and the Schleich Meerkat (14935) are among the smallest and most affordable Schleich figures. The Schleich European Tree Frog (14882) is one of his favorite Schleich animals, and the Papo Hedgehog is a small figure from Papo, the French maker in the same realistic style.

For a dinosaur fan, the Schleich Ankylosaurus (15023) with its clubbed tail is a good pick. For a younger child who prefers small, friendly animals, the Schleich Sea Animals Discovery Set (42742) has a starfish, a clownfish, a seahorse and a crab in one box. Our dinosaur toy guide and our guide to ocean animal toys have the bigger sets.

Playmobil, Bruder and Jurassic World

Playmobil Giant Shark with Pirate

The Playmobil Giant Shark with Pirate is a monstrous shark with a pirate holding on to its net, sword drawn. It is rated 4+ and combines with any Playmobil pirate ship, so it is a good stocking stuffer when the ship is the main gift.

Bruder Linde H30D forklift (02511): For the construction fan

Most Bruder vehicles are too big for a stocking, but the Bruder Linde Forklift H30D (02511) is the exception. It is about 11.4 inches long, comes with two pallets, and has a double lifting mast and one-handed lifting and tilting. It is rated 3+ and works with every other Bruder vehicle. Our Bruder guide has the tractors and combines.

Mattel Jurassic World Distortus Rex Lab Sensory Playset

The Mattel Jurassic World Distortus Rex Lab Sensory Playset is a fold-up lab case with eight mini figures, a clay mold for two more Distortus rex figures, and spinning and popping fidget features. It packs up small, which also makes it a good toy for car rides after Christmas.

For toddlers, and one for the whole family

LEGO DUPLO Blue Police Motorcycle (10471): The smallest DUPLO

For a younger sibling, the LEGO DUPLO Blue Police Motorcycle (10471) is the stocking stuffer we know from our own house. It has 11 pieces and is rated 2+: a motorcycle and a police rider, built in a minute and then driven everywhere.

HEX BOTS Wall Crawler Gecko: The one that climbs

The odd one out on our son’s list is the HEX BOTS Wall Crawler Gecko, a remote-control gecko that climbs walls. It has LED eyes, a silicone tail and limbs, and a remote with a range of up to 25 feet. The gecko charges over the included USB cable, but the remote needs two AAA batteries, which are not included.

That battery detail is exactly the kind of thing to sort out before Christmas morning.

Stocking stuffers by age

For three- and four-year-olds, stay with things that need no building help. A Schleich animal from the Wild Life range is rated 3+ and is ready to play the moment it is unwrapped. The Bruder forklift is rated 3+ too, and the Playmobil Giant Shark from four. If the child has started with LEGO, Jay’s Dragon Mech Fight (71853) is rated 4+ and its Starter Brick keeps the build short and successful. For a two-year-old sibling, the DUPLO Police Motorcycle (10471) is the smallest LEGO there is in a stocking.

For five- and six-year-olds, small LEGO sets become the best stocking stuffers, because a child of this age can build them alone on Christmas morning. Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack (71851), Kai’s Motorcycle Speed Race (71838), the LEGO City Tractor (60498) and the Off-Road Mountain Truck (60447) are all rated 6+. A Schleich dinosaur or the Charmander SMART Play set (72157) fits here as well.

For seven- and eight-year-olds, the slightly bigger sets work: the Berry Bash SMART Play set (72155) and the Creator Cute Hamster (31376) at 7+, and the LEGO Creator Playful Puppy (31382) at 8+, which gives three builds from one box. The Distortus Rex Lab is a good choice for a Jurassic World fan of this age who likes to fiddle and create.

For older children and teens, small sets tend to disappoint. A better stocking gift for them is often a single display piece they will keep on a desk, or something that adds to a hobby they already have. Our LEGO gift guide for teens has the display sets, including the small Disney Simba cub.

How to fill a stocking well

A good stocking has one main small gift and a few tiny things around it. The main gift is the set or figure; the rest can be the things children need anyway, like a book, a pair of socks or a snack. Three habits help.

First, add to something the child already has. A shark for the shark collection, a Compatible Pokémon set for the SMART Brick, a forklift for the Bruder farm. A small gift that connects to a bigger world gets played with far longer than a small gift on its own.

Second, choose things that can be opened and used on the spot. Christmas morning is not the moment for a 1,000-piece set. A small battle pack that is built before the other presents are open is.

Third, check batteries. Most of the picks here need none, which is part of why we chose them. Where a toy does need batteries, buy them with the gift.

What does not belong in a stocking

A Compatible LEGO Pokémon set on its own, if nobody in the house has a SMART Brick. It builds fine, but it stays silent, and that is a disappointment on Christmas morning.

A set far below the child’s age. A 4+ set for a nine-year-old is over in five minutes, so match small gifts to the age as carefully as big ones.

And anything bought only because it fits. A small gift from a brand the child already loves, in a world they already play in, is always the better choice.

What is a good LEGO stocking stuffer for a 6-year-old?

Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack (71851): 85 pieces, three minifigures and a dragon mech with a rotating upper body, rated 6+. The LEGO City Tractor (60498) is the pick for a vehicle fan.

Do the small LEGO Pokémon SMART Play sets work without a SMART Brick?

They build and play like normal LEGO sets, but the lights and sounds only work with a SMART Brick, which comes in the two All-in-One sets. If there is no brick in the house yet, a small Compatible set is a quiet gift on its own.

What is a good stocking stuffer for a 4-year-old?

LEGO NINJAGO Jay’s Dragon Mech Fight (71853), which is rated 4+ and has a Starter Brick, or a Schleich animal figure such as the great white shark, rated 3+.

Are Schleich figures good stocking stuffers?

Yes. They are small, solid, have no batteries and last for years. A single figure that adds to an existing collection is one of the most reliable small gifts we know.

What is a small gift for a child who loves construction vehicles?

The Bruder Linde H30D forklift (02511) with two pallets, rated 3+, or the LEGO City Tractor (60498), rated 6+.