Children's Souvenirs

Gosh, that's a tough one! I think you could do $10. Keep your eyes open. Check out some of the street markets. You might check someplace like Target (Monoprix in Paris) for coloring books. They wouldn't have them "forever," but I doubt whatever you got would be forever. Good luck!

When I went to Italy a few years ago I brought my little nephews back small Italian firetrucks and police cars. They are about the size of matchbox cars or a little bigger. They loved them!

Thank you! My husband says just give them a piece of chocolate or candy lol but he's a cheapskate!

Pinocchio puppets made of wood? I have seen them in all sizes. The pointy noses might be a hazard for the youngest.

I found wooden puzzles to be relatively
Inexpensive in Italy.

I'm with your husband on this. When I was teaching, I brought my students back candy and/or cookies from every trip to Europe I took and it was always a big hit. Something tasty and yet packaged in "exotic" wrappings with "exotic" words written on the wrappers! Lollipops were the favorite. I have also brought back small books of familiar stories (3 Bears, 3 Little Pigs, etc.) written in (to them) unfamiliar languages. They loved those, too. These kids were all (barely!) schoolage so still fairly easy to please.

I think your budget and ideas will be workable. Traditional markets are fun and I'm sure you'll use your sense of what is child-safe. If your group is traveling on a tour bus, you'll be surprised at what's for sale at a highway rest stop. Not particularly hand-made things in that case, but some that will be specifically Italian. (Or maybe not everyone wants a squeaky rubber pig in Italia football colors.)

I'm not seeing how many kids you would be buying for. If more than just a few, I can't imagine buying something as bulky as wooden cars.

Different coins -- the under-€1 ones that you end up with in the bottom of your purse and don't want to carry back on another trip because they weigh so much in relation to their buying power. (Although I tend to save the €0.50 coins as bathroom money for the next trip.) Or keychains/refrigerator magnets in the €3 range, found at souvenir stores all over. Add something like that to an Italian chocolate bar, and the kids will be just as excited as if you spent €10 on a special gift.

I love the idea of little books of familiar childhood stories written in Italian.

When we were in Paris a few months ago a street vendor was selling those teen/adult oriented coloring books with gorgeous Paris-scapes for 3 euro (they were marked 15E on the back). I bought a couple of those and they were a big hit.

Hello Trica
When we traveled to Italy last year, I bought my 5 yr old granddaughter chap stick and the 9 yr old granddaughter lip gloss. They were fascinated with their "Italian lipsticks". I also bought my grandson a wooden puzzle, he is 3 and he loved it.

I too have shopped for kids presents in Italy and like many of the suggestions you've already received, especially shopping at the outdoor markets. In addition to those ideas, I'd like to suggest collecting an assortment of various colored tiny gelato scoops and having a "gelato" tasting party for your kids once you are home. You could take a few pictures in Italy of the beautifully arranged piles of gelato and make it into a display for the kids. Some teachers in k-3 grades even use taste tests/preferences as a simple statistical exercise for kids. Have fun with it. It's so nice to think of others as you travel!

Thank you all SO much for the suggestions! It has helped me get a few ideas to look for. And it has eased my anxiety about whether I will have enough euros for each child a gift! And I already listed their names in my travel book to make sure I don't skip anyone! Thanks again!

I also recommend little Italian picture books. I brought little books from various countries back for my granddaughters for years, and they have loved them (although now they're older and I've moved on to purses).

What I looked for was books with just a few words on each page, and then I came home and translated the books with the girls. We used Google translate and some of the results were hilarious. We would write the English words on sticky notes on each page, so as not to ruin the book. I don't know if you would have time to do this with your daycare kids but maybe their parents would. Books are easy to pack and lightweight and easy to find under $10.

Plus, it's fun to wander through bookstores in foreign countries.