Anonymous wrote:Great ideas, op. I have boy/girl about those ages and I vote for nerf football for the boy and the messenger bag craft for the girl. But you can't go wrong with either those or the legos!

That's good to hear. I'm actually planning to get both, since I budgeted for around $20-$25 each kid. I hope that's an OK price range, because at the moment that's about as much as I can do. I've only ever exchanged gifts with immediate family and my boyfriend, so it is rather fun shopping for young kids. I'm grateful for everyone's advice about what sort of things to look for, and I hope the kids like the gifts.

Great ideas, op. I have boy/girl about those ages and I vote for nerf football for the boy and the messenger bag craft for the girl. But you can't go wrong with either those or the legos!

Those look good.

You already know this, but it's the thought that counts. You are being very sweet to put so much time and effort into this.

Thanks for the ideas everyone. I need to have the presents by Sunday, so ordering online is out. I have to make a Target run on Saturday anyway, so I decided to take a look there. What do you think of the following?

For 9 year old boy: Star Wars Lego Kit $11 and nerf football $11

http://www.target.com/p/lego-star-wars-republic-troopers-vs-sith-troopers-75001/-/A-14278681#prodSlot=_1_5 and http://www.target.com/p/hasbro-nerf-sports-weather-blitz-football-orange/-/A-14280669#prodSlot=medium_1_5&term=nerf

For 7 year old girl: Messenger bag craft set $9 and Lego Friends sports car set $12

http://www.target.com/p/cra-z-art-my-look-color-your-own-messenger-bag/-/A-13781951#prodSlot=_1_1 and http://www.target.com/p/lego-friends-emmas-s-sports-car-41013/-/A-14586876#prodSlot=_1_5

Feedback and final thoughts would be great. If you can think of something better feel free to keep sharing ideas. I won’t be able to make it to the store until Saturday afternoon so I have until then for a final decision.

For the boy, roughly in that price range:

A small Lego set. A Star Wars or Lego Movie set would be great.

Warriors book (series about cat clans)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid book

Nerf indoor hoop and ball (you can even get these at grocery stores sometimes)

--mom of almost 9-year-old boy

Girl: http://www.amazon.com/Lettering-Crazy-Cool-Quirky-Style/dp/157054428X/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1417625807&sr=8-9&keywords=klutz+craft+kids

http://www.amazon.com/Klutz-Cats-Cradle-Book-K536/dp/B001E01RY8/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1417625919&sr=8-18&keywords=klutz+craft+kids

http://www.amazon.com/Kahootz-01002-Spirograph-Design-Tin/dp/B009VE38D2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417625958&sr=8-2&keywords=spirograph

Boy:

http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Chain-Reactions-amazing-machines/dp/0545703301/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1417625807&sr=8-16&keywords=klutz+craft+kids

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043ANEEW/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&colid=1IMAHPRTOR0LG&coliid=ISX05GTL1RDEF&me=


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PWFRDQW?psc=1

My daughter loves these pillows: http://www.plush-craft.com/

Easy for kids to do on their own and really cute.

Alex also has fun crafts: http://www.alextoys.com/product/giant-knot-stitch-pillow/?pcat_id=1051

for the girl-- duct tape crafts, lego friends, or the headband kit mentioned by PP
For the boy- legos, nike elite socks, nerf football
for either-- games like pictionary, trivial pursuit kids -vs- parents, game of life, uno, stratego, clue

For the 7 yo I would get a "make your own headband" kit. Cute, crafty and less than $20.

I'm participating in a gift exchange with a few families at church, and I'm completely stumped for gift ideas so hoping the parents on here could help out a bit.

The kids are a 7 year old girl and a 9 year old boy. I know the girl likes crafts, but I know very little about her other interests and have no idea for the boy.

I would greatly appreciate any gift ideas you may have for each of them. I don't have kids yet* or really know any kids in that age range, so I'm completely clueless for what to look for.

Criteria:
- around $20 each
- something fun they're going to enjoy without it making their mom hate me -- i.e. probably no paint or glitter, or whatever else a parent would find obnoxious.
- small. It should fit in a reasonably sized gift bag, and I walk to church so I have to be able to carry it there.
- not food. I don't want to worry about concerns with allergies or dietary restrictions I may not know about.

Thanks for any ideas!

*I found the DCUM forums when I started considering raising kids in the DC area and wanted to do some research about schools and stuff. If I'm not welcome here as a non-parent, sorry and please ask moderators to delete this thread if you like, but I'm hoping some of you will be willing to help me out with this question.