Favorite Fish Extender Gifts for Kids

[dhardawa]

I know what I'm doing for the adults and teens, but I'm stumped on the kids. Part of the problem is the large age range (2-11) and different genders. What have your kids' favorite gifts been?

 

[To the honeypots]

My 5 year old son loved the pirates' booty he got on pirate night.

 

[ajo]

Our kids have loved receiving character lanyards, mini Tsum Tsums, notebooks/pens, glow sticks, and pretty much anything with their name on it. But really what they love is checking the FE to see what's inside and it doesn't matter what it is because it is a surprise!

 

[CesD]

on ebay they sell individually bagged ( in sets) of mini figures. they have marvel characters. it is not Lego brand though.
disney character inspired hairclips also sold in bulk on ebay.
dollar tree had disney hand sanitizers.

 

[DisneySunPrincess]

My DS (15 at the time) loved decks of playing cards and packs of gum. He also got a cool disposable camera. My DD (8 at the time) seemed to enjoy the sundae kits and character toys like puzzles, etc.

 

[raven0855]

My sons favorite (5 yo) was a clipboard that had been painted with velcro they stuck a pencil pouch on the back, they included a few markers...Total hit for in the car!!
A sand pail for Castaway.

 

[firepuppy]

I have given hair bows, cars, fingernail polish, gum, and ice cream toppings. All are easy to pack and still don't hurt your budget.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Glow sticks were mentioned in another thread.

 

[Iamaplanner]

One of the cutest things my daughters received was a duck tape little purse. It was incredible. The duck tape had a Disney character pattern. I know that doesn't cover the whole age range you mention and a purse is likely more something for girls (although perhaps a wallet would be more generic). I have no idea how complicated it is to make something like that but just to say that it was a memorable gift and still enjoyed two years later!

 

[spinnerblt]

Curious with the FE how do you do the sand buckets? Do they fit or put on the door? New to all this FE stuff.

 

[cruizincathi]

Ice cream toppings(mini M&Ms, sprinkles, etc) in individual se vines to use with Eye Scream on deck. Great for kids of any age!

 

[rmsept81]

You can never go wrong with candy. I read on another blog that the movie size candy from Walgreens was popular so you don't have to buy it going into the theater.

 

[TestingH2O]

Here is my most recent favorite:

Full instructions and list of parts are here.

Just to add my two cents (well, four actually) here are my best tips for FE gifts. These aren't ideas exactly but maybe they will help as you plan.

• Avoid anything breakable and elaborate packaging
  This takes up too much room in your suitcase and often gets crushed in transit.
  
  
• Keep 'em small
  Each gift needs to easily fit into the pockets of different types of fish extenders. And, again, remember the luggage space situation. You need to get them there and your FE families need to be able to get them home.
  
  
• Put a gift tag on every gift
  While they are optional, we are big believers in using gift tags. We love to know who the gifts are from. You can make simple labels or use gift tag templates that are out there. If you want
  
  
• Don't load up with candy or Dollar Store junk
  (Or Oriental Trading for that matter.) We say, if you’re going to do this, do it right! Put some thought into it. Make it fun for your recipients.

First, that Lego ship is super cute.

Second, having not done an FE yet, I still think your first 3 points are good ones. However, I kind of disagree with 4. I'm sure we will get plenty of dollar store or OT stuff, but my DD will love it just as much as anything elaborate. In fact, if trends continue, she will love it more. Ha!

I'm going in to FE with the expectation that it is all about fun and games and not about acquiring a certain amount of quality stuff. However, this feeling that people are setting limits and expectations of the quality of gifts adds stress to what I think is supposed to be a fun process.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

one FE that my kids recieved and is still used at least weekly (10/28/15) cruise is a tic tac toe board. It had those little gemstones with two different designs glued on and a little bag with the tic tac toe board laid out on front that pieces are carried in.

 

[jeepnjudy]

Curious with the FE how do you do the sand buckets? Do they fit or put on the door? New to all this FE stuff.

My son got one of these and the giver just placed it near our door...No big deal and my son loved it!

 

[4HppyCamprs]

How cute! Would love to see pics if you still have them

Will try to find them. We just bought a new house and everything is still in a bit of chaos from moving... Maybe I have pic stored online...

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

These are for the young girls in our group. 2 pairs of earrings and a hair bow.

These towel/Sarong clips are part of the cabin gift

These bags are for the teens and women in our group, I added the ribbon, bow, button center and anchors on the zipper

These are for the boys in our group, it's a Pirate Themed tic-tac-toe game with the game board made to look like a treasure map and the x's and o's are skulls and crossbones. They are all in a velvet pouch with the 'map' rolled up and tied with a gold band.
This is the game open

I thought I had more photos, but I guess not! The other cabin gift is a Finding Dory plastic folder with brad clips in the center of it, I added 4 sheets of plastic page protectors in there for every stateroom to be able to put their navigators in and keep them dry if they take them to the pool. They also have pockets for other info they want in there. I also have highlighters in the folder for people to highlight any activities they are interested in.

For the men I have a flat wallet multi tool that is the size of a credit card and comes in a clear pouch, I just stuck a Mickey Sticker on the pouch.

 

[Dug720]

^ Hopefully the girls all like girlie stuff... Not all girls are into earrings and hair bows - my sister and I would have pitched them...and been upset if we saw the boys' things as we were far more into pirates. If I was doing FE stuff, I'd go gender-neutral.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Wow...oh well. My daughter is grateful for whatever she gets and even though there have been things she did not like before, she saved them and gave them away back home to friends. Everyone knows they may not like all that they get but it's the thought that counts.

 

[RatherBeInAK]

These are for the young girls in our group. 2 pairs of earrings and a hair bow.

These towel/Sarong clips are part of the cabin gift.

These bags are for the teens and women in our group, I added the ribbon, bow, button center and anchors on the zipper

These are for the boys in our group, it's a Pirate Themed tic-tac-toe game with the game board made to look like a treasure map and the x's and o's are skulls and crossbones. They are all in a velvet pouch with the 'map' rolled up and tied with a gold band.
This is the game open

I thought I had more photos, but I guess not! The other cabin gift is a Finding Dory plastic folder with brad clips in the center of it, I added 4 sheets of plastic page protectors in there for every stateroom to be able to put their navigators in and keep them dry if they take them to the pool. They also have pockets for other info they want in there. I also have highlighters in the folder for people to highlight any activities they are interested in.

For the men I have a flat wallet multi tool that is the size of a credit card and comes in a clear pouch, I just stuck a Mickey Sticker on the pouch.

These are AMAZING! I'm sorry you got a negative comment because these are really incredible gifts. If my daughter got that seagull hairbow and "mine" earrings I would be thrilled for her (and jealous). Where did you find them??? You obviously put a lot of time and thought into these gifts and it shows.