I know it's a little early for x-mas shopping however I would really like to get this over with as I need to plan ahead so I can make sure I can budget & have time to shop.
Anywho my 2 daughters are in a gift exchange, my 1st DD picked a girl & my 2nd DD picked a boy (both 5 yrs old).. Now both these kids have every toy imaginable & the $ limit is $20per child.
Any ideas on what to get? I would really love to get good gifts that they will actually enjoy... Parents to both the children are teaches as well so they are pretty stocked in the craft department as well...
I just really don't want to give them money or a gift certificate

Any thoughts are apreciated

Well you could get them maybe a childrens music cd and a book. That would probably add up to about $20. That way it's good for both girls and boys. Plus the parents might appreciate this more since it's not toys. I know that my kids have about 700000000000 toys and my kids would love to get music. They are the type that like to dance and sing. Another idea would be to get them a crayola set. They have a whole bunch of those color wonder sets in the stores. I know my kids go through those like crazy. Plus I love them because they don't make a mess!! Good luck on finding something for them. HTH.

well what about getting each one a nice warm fuzzy winter outfit? Whatever is "in" for that age group around christmas time dora, barbie, cars, etc. ... not having young kids myself I wouldn't really know but I do know that some of those fleece sweatsuits out there are really comfy lookin' especially on those cold winter days!!

My kids are in that age range and have every toy imaginable as well. I love it when they receive books. A nice hard cover, well illustrated, colorful book can cost almost $20.

Movie and concession passes are another option.

Themed pajamas and bubble bath is a nice gift too.

Im with adonis on this one too, I really like the book idea. Or the pajama idea. I have two little boys, and you can never have too many of these things!!

Most little boys really like dinosaurs, and girls are usually into dolls and "cute things". That might be something to go on!! Or maybe ask their parents what their favorite shows are, and get a video of that show.

art supplies. you can get lots of them for $20. crayola model magic is great stuff. and since they're not your kids, finger paint!

Dress up stuff! If you can wait until the day after Halloween, you can score some good stuff, and give them a dress up box!

My almost-5 year old LOVES dress up, and she is *very* fortunate that she has two older siblings, and I have saved every costume we ever had. AND I picked a bunch up at WalMart last year when they went 90% off! I got a cute giraffe, penguin, lion, Dorothy...they play with them all the time! It looked like an extravagent Christmas gift, but it cost me about $10 for three costumes.

One of my favorite things is a blanket... You can never have enough (and this has been a pretty good consensus so far)

My second favorite thing is a book, you can get some pretty decent ones for a good price. And what girl doesn't love princesses, and what boy doesn't like bulldozers or dinosaurs?

Check out Barnes and Nobel, Borders, Wal-mart, Target.... just about anywhere you will be able to find some good books, expecially in the clearence areas. Right now is a good time also, as most of these stores are trying to clear out things that didin't sell this summer so in the next month they will have room for all of the christmas items that are coming in.

I'm all for the book idea. One can never really have too many books, right?

If they were a year older, I'd have suggested a watch and kids' watches are usually inexpensive...but 5 is probably a little young for being able to tell time and responsible to keep a watch. It was a great present for my (at the time) 6 year old though.

How about a couple of kids CD's. My 4 1/2 yr. old loves the Curious George soundtrack, The Crazy Frog, The Wiggles, Dan Zanes, and the Laurie Berkner Band.

Sam's Club has some nice, big Disney Princess coloring/sticker books, too. Or maybe a kiddie cookbook.

She also loves her Fur Real Friends pets. The small ones are like $12 at Walmart.

If you want to spend like $25-$30 and know they have a Bitty Baby or American Girl doll, you could get them outfits or accessories for their dolls.

What we have started to do is have the child create a gift certificate for an activity at a future day. The activity could be anything the zoo, the park, a museum, a movie, or just a playdate. I have found this is appreciated more than another toy most of the time. The anticipation is almost as good as the activity. I usually try to call the parent ahead of time to insure that it will be okay.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. They are all very helpful
Well I got the gift for the girl, I ordered a princess/tiara craft kit book for $10 & I thought th idea of the mitts, hat & scaft would be a good idea for the other $10.

Now for the boy, I'm having a little difficulty thinking of as I only have girls
However I like the idea of the model magic & the fingerpaint, I was also thinking "Floam"?
He has a lot of books, so it will a bit hard finding one he doesn't already have.... Maybe I'll include a gift receipt if I do find a neat book...

Thanks a bunch everyone

If you know what he is interested in learning, a nonfiction book can be good. Also games like "Guess Who?" that involve some thinking are appreciated. (My 4 year old son LOVES that one. ) I also like the idea for the gift certificate for an activity later.

How about going to a place like Bath and Body Works and getting some of that fun bath stuff? Like the soap that foams up like mousse? Bathtub paint/soap? It's been a long time since I've shopped for a little kid but my kids used to love that stuff.

Good Luck!