This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.
Listen, video games are fun and good, but sometimes you just want to give a kid something else as a gift. There are a lot of fun things out there, too, so your search is not for nothing. It might seem difficult to keep a kid’s attention these days, but all you need is a return to the basics to spark their imagination. Card games, Lego and more are great for that.
Lego sets are usually a fantastic choice if you know the child will enjoy playing with them. Card games, another option, are better when played with two or more people, as the game really is just a ruse to develop memories with each other. And what could be better than making memories?
Cyber Monday 2021
Our choices are really inexpensive and fit the criteria for being interesting, engaging and diverting a child’s attention away from a screen (if that’s what you’re going for). But these aren’t the only deals available; have a look at our other gift suggestions to discover something that suits you.
With just 103 pieces, this Lego kit shouldn’t take long to assemble, and it’s designed to be simple enough for smaller kids (ages 4 and up) to construct with some assistance. If they enjoy Marvel movies (and who doesn’t?), this is a fun way to recreate the excitement of the later Avengers movies.
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<a href="https://shop-links.co/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Ffox-in-the-forest-game%2F-%2FA-79396211&publisher_slug=cnet&article_name=7%20great%2C%20cheap%20kid-friendly%20gifts%20that%20aren%27t%20video%20games&article_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fnews%2Feach-of-these-7-great-gifts-for-kids-costs-20-or-less%2F&exclusive=1&u1=cn-___COM_CLICK_ID___-dtp___OPTOUT___" data-omitnoreferrer data-component="leadsTracker" data-leads-tracker-options="{"appendCreditCardParams":false,"numNodes":1,"fireTrackingPing":"true","fireProductViewed":false,"trackingData":{"asid":"","assetguid":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","contype":"review","destUrl":"https:\/\/shop-links.co\/link\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Ffox-in-the-forest-game%2F-%2FA-79396211&publisher_slug=cnet&article_name=7%20great%2C%20cheap%20kid-friendly%20gifts%20that%20aren%27t%20video%20games&article_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fnews%2Feach-of-these-7-great-gifts-for-kids-costs-20-or-less%2F&exclusive=1&u1=cn-___COM_CLICK_ID___-dtp___OPTOUT___","devicetype":"desktop","ctype":"cpc","isCreditCard":false,"leadcpc":"","ltype":"manual","merid":"","merchantName":"Target","pageId":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","pagetype":"","pid":"","productId":"fd1f4297-6cf2-442c-89f9-9cb8ccd7dc74","rsid":"cbsicnetglobalsite","siteid":"1","text":"
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Amazon
This isn’t a gift for a small child; it’s best for kids aged 10 and up who enjoy fantasy, magic and folklore. It’s a trick-taking card game for two players where the person with the highest card wins the round.
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<a href="https://assoc-redirect.amazon.com/g/r/https://www.amazon.com/Slinky-60100-Original-Brand/dp/B00000IZKX/ref=zg_bs_toys-and-games_48?tag=cnet-buy-button-20&ascsubtag=___COM_CLICK_ID___%7C___VIEW_GUID___%7Cdtp" data-omitnoreferrer data-component="leadsTracker" data-leads-tracker-options="{"appendCreditCardParams":false,"numNodes":1,"fireTrackingPing":"true","fireProductViewed":false,"trackingData":{"asid":"","assetguid":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","contype":"review","destUrl":"https:\/\/assoc-redirect.amazon.com\/g\/r\/https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Slinky-60100-Original-Brand\/dp\/B00000IZKX\/ref=zg_bs_toys-and-games_48?tag=cnet-buy-button-20&ascsubtag=___COM_CLICK_ID___%7C___VIEW_GUID___%7Cdtp","devicetype":"desktop","ctype":"cpc","isCreditCard":false,"leadcpc":"","ltype":"manual","merid":"","merchantName":"Amazon","pageId":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","pagetype":"","pid":"","productId":"1b4865b3-4c29-467a-805d-a8b5ffb0076e","rsid":"cbsicnetglobalsite","siteid":"1","text":"
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Amazon
Yes, this classic is still around, bouncing and “walking” the way it always has. And it’s dirt cheap, to boot.
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<a href="https://shop-links.co/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Flego-star-wars-mandalorian-battle-pack-shock-troopers-and-speeder-bike-building-kit-75267%2F-%2FA-76555819%23lnk%3Dsametab&publisher_slug=cnet&article_name=7%20great%2C%20cheap%20kid-friendly%20gifts%20that%20aren%27t%20video%20games&article_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fnews%2Feach-of-these-7-great-gifts-for-kids-costs-20-or-less%2F&exclusive=1&u1=cn-___COM_CLICK_ID___-dtp___OPTOUT___" data-omitnoreferrer data-component="leadsTracker" data-leads-tracker-options="{"appendCreditCardParams":false,"numNodes":1,"fireTrackingPing":"true","fireProductViewed":false,"trackingData":{"asid":"","assetguid":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","contype":"review","destUrl":"https:\/\/shop-links.co\/link\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Flego-star-wars-mandalorian-battle-pack-shock-troopers-and-speeder-bike-building-kit-75267%2F-%2FA-76555819%23lnk%3Dsametab&publisher_slug=cnet&article_name=7%20great%2C%20cheap%20kid-friendly%20gifts%20that%20aren%27t%20video%20games&article_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fnews%2Feach-of-these-7-great-gifts-for-kids-costs-20-or-less%2F&exclusive=1&u1=cn-___COM_CLICK_ID___-dtp___OPTOUT___","devicetype":"desktop","ctype":"cpc","isCreditCard":false,"leadcpc":"","ltype":"manual","merid":"","merchantName":"Target","pageId":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","pagetype":"","pid":"","productId":"2633ec9f-2dcd-4c0e-a6ed-4f66eeaff29b","rsid":"cbsicnetglobalsite","siteid":"1","text":"
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Amazon
If a kid you know loves Star Wars, they’ll love building and playing with the blasters from this 102-piece set as they create their own stories from the hit Disney Plus show in a galaxy far, far away.
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If you don’t ease young children into Jenga, it’s one of those games that can lead to a brawl (at least in my family). So, not just playing but also teaching strategy will help make this classic game fun. Stack as high as you can go, and the last player who removes a block without the tower toppling, wins.
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<a href="https://assoc-redirect.amazon.com/g/r/https://www.amazon.com/Family-Sturdy-Storage-Travel-Friendly-Exclusive/dp/B07P6MZPK3/ref=zg_bs_toys-and-games_41?tag=cnet-buy-button-20&ascsubtag=___COM_CLICK_ID___%7C___VIEW_GUID___%7Cdtp" data-omitnoreferrer data-component="leadsTracker" data-leads-tracker-options="{"appendCreditCardParams":false,"numNodes":1,"fireTrackingPing":"true","fireProductViewed":false,"trackingData":{"asid":"","assetguid":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","contype":"review","destUrl":"https:\/\/assoc-redirect.amazon.com\/g\/r\/https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Family-Sturdy-Storage-Travel-Friendly-Exclusive\/dp\/B07P6MZPK3\/ref=zg_bs_toys-and-games_41?tag=cnet-buy-button-20&ascsubtag=___COM_CLICK_ID___%7C___VIEW_GUID___%7Cdtp","devicetype":"desktop","ctype":"cpc","isCreditCard":false,"leadcpc":"","ltype":"manual","merid":"","merchantName":"Amazon","pageId":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","pagetype":"","pid":"","productId":"0da73ae6-83d2-4a1b-82f2-710fe0b2496c","rsid":"cbsicnetglobalsite","siteid":"1","text":"
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Amazon
There are two ways to play Uno: the regular way, and the way my family grew up playing it, where even the children got intense. If you want to gift something that gets everyone revved up for fun, this one is easy to learn and always fun for groups.
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<a href="https://assoc-redirect.amazon.com/g/r/https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Marvel-Panther-Building-Avengers/dp/B08YPCK9HX/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?tag=cnet-buy-button-20&ascsubtag=___COM_CLICK_ID___%7C___VIEW_GUID___%7Cdtp" data-omitnoreferrer data-component="leadsTracker" data-leads-tracker-options="{"appendCreditCardParams":false,"numNodes":1,"fireTrackingPing":"true","fireProductViewed":false,"trackingData":{"asid":"","assetguid":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","contype":"review","destUrl":"https:\/\/assoc-redirect.amazon.com\/g\/r\/https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/LEGO-Marvel-Panther-Building-Avengers\/dp\/B08YPCK9HX\/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?tag=cnet-buy-button-20&ascsubtag=___COM_CLICK_ID___%7C___VIEW_GUID___%7Cdtp","devicetype":"desktop","ctype":"cpc","isCreditCard":false,"leadcpc":"","ltype":"manual","merid":"","merchantName":"Amazon","pageId":"26f9bc58-4475-4165-be08-9e5238030274","pagetype":"","pid":"","productId":"10761bcd-05ee-4a7c-9710-e9fd93f15950","rsid":"cbsicnetglobalsite","siteid":"1","text":"
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Amazon
This set, recommended for ages 8 and up, is a nice change of pace from many of the ones we grew up with thanks to its more diverse figurines. Black Panther, Shuri and an evil Chitauri warrior (Thanos’s minion) are all available, along with a 202-piece dragon flyer that a kid can build on their own (if they’re old enough) or with assistance from an adult.
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