The Top 10 Children's Birthday Gifts Under $20

The best gifts are those that have stood the test of time. The following ten items have been proven safe and fun and have generally not gone up in price over the years (they’re all under $20). Buying kids something that was dear to you will also connect your childhood experience to theirs:

• Mr. Potato Head : $5.99. The timeless Mr. Potato Head is a childhood icon with an inexplicable magnetism that causes everyone to light up when they see him. Extra parts store conveniently in his potato body and additional accessories make for great follow up gifts. 
• Finger Paints and Paper: $18.00 . One day if the little artist becomes the next Jackson Pollack, you might get a free print. In the meantime, your refrigerator will never go naked again.
• Where the Sidewalk Ends: $12.91. There’s a reason so many people quote author Shel Silverstein in their high school yearbooks; his poetry combines childlike simplicity with sophisticated themes that appeal to readers of every age. Only a timeless imagination could come up with the line: “I am writing these poems from inside a lion.”
• Lite Brite: $14.99. Even with all the technological wonders of the modern world, there is something magical about the way these things light up. And Lite Brites come in cube form now so up to four kids (of any age) can play simultaneously.
• Hugg A Planet Earth: $19.95. Kids (among others) love squeezing stuffed things. While teddy bears are always nice, a stuffed globe will teach our youth to love our fragile planet, as well as educate them about where to find places such as South Dakota and Fiji.  
• Baseball Glove: $14.99. Baseball is one of those sports that you don’t have to be a natural athlete to play (though it does help). Even, if you’re not on a team, you can still use your glove for a good old-fashioned American game of catch.
• Blue Translucent Luminoculars: $15.95. There may be no better way to get in trouble than with binoculars that can see in the dark. This version comes with precision-polished acrylic lenses, a flashlight that projects a beam up to 100 feet, and a built-in compass so all voyeuristic amateurs know which way to run if they get caught peeping.
• Rainbow Kite: $9.95. Flying a kite doesn’t involve competition, complication, or commotion, making it the perfect gift. The colorful diamond shape is bright enough to hold its own with more elaborate varieties, and watching it soar will give the entire family a well-deserved sense of accomplishment.   
• Chia Pet:  $19.95. “Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia.” We all know the jingle, and those of us that actually owned a Chia Pet know how cool it is to watch it grow. Not only is this a great classroom show-and-tell object, but it also teaches the little ones about delayed gratification. 
• Rare Currency: $2 and up. A $2 Bill, a dollar coin, or a half dollar is something the recipient will never grow out of (I still have the rare coins my Uncle Herman gave me when I was a kid). The downside is that the parents will know exactly how much you spent.