We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A Gravity Maze game to challenge kids to use spatial reasoning to solve the puzzles and figure out how to construct pathways to get the marble to drop to the final cube.
The game comes with 60 challenges that range from beginner to expert so it will hold their interest as they work their way up to the trickier ones.
Promising review: "Bought for 10 year old niece and it was a hit. We all played with it at Christmas. Would recommend." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
2. A Melissa & Doug loom perfect for that old soul in a young body to weave blankets, scarves or purses. *Oprah voice* You get a scarf, you get a scarf, you get a scarf!
The loom comes with an oversized wooden needle, craft materials, an illustrated design booklet, and 91 yards of rainbow yarn. Recommended for ages 6+.
Promising review: "It must have been a weaver who designed this little loom. Like every Melissa & Doug toy the quality is excellent. I purchased this to have a hands on for weaving with third and fourth graders and you really can't beat this. The instructions are well done, building it was simple and it will stand up to steady use. Plus it came with everything - no need to get anything else. All in all one of the best purchases I've made." —Kindle Customer
Promising review: "My 10-year-old daughter loves this loom. She made lots of coasters and blankets for her dolls. I bought her thick yarn once she ran out of the yarn that came with it. She also made a purse. Very happy with the purchase." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $30.99.
3. A Crayola light-up tracing pad to *illuminate* the imagination of the young Picassos in your life and get them excited to create mini masterpieces.
The tracing pad comes with the light-up board, 10 tracing sheets, 10 blank sheets, a graphite pencil, and 12 short colored pencils. (The set includes detailed pictures to trace but there are more templates online that can be downloaded for free.)
Promising review: "I bought two of these for my grandsons, one who just turned 10 years old and the other who was nine years old and both were completely excited to receive! They love, love, love the light up tracing pad and coloring with grandma! A big Christmas gift surprise!!" —Linda V.
Get it from Amazon for $17.42 (available in four styles).
4. An affordable drone because most kids have been probably begging for one for months. This will *propel* you to instant fave status.
Promising review: "Great for a 10-year-old. My 10-year-old son really wanted a drone, but he's prone to damaging and losing things so we didn't want to get him something really expensive. This is a great option for a kid his age whose just learning. It flys really fast and is actually pretty sensitive to the remote control. The colored lights are great because you can see it easily and it makes it exciting since there's not attached camera. Overall, a great beginner drone." —AR
Shipping Info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in two styles).
5. A shark bath bomb for any kid on your list who is into recreating the bloody shark attack from Jaws in their tub. Should you be worried? Probably. Will you wish you had bought one for yourself? Absolutely.
Soft Skin Bubbly Sins is a small biz based in Collins, Georgia.
Promising review: "I can’t wait to see the face my lil' brother makes when I give this to him!!! It looks so cool and I’m in love with the Fruit Loop scent. Plus, they sent another one as a gift, so he will have two just like I got his sister. 😭💕 I’m hoping he finds this bath bomb as cool as I do so I have an excuse to buy more of them because if he won’t use them, I will. 100% recommend them to anyone with little kids or just a fun personality!!!" —Patricia
Get it from Soft Skin Bubbly Sins on Etsy for $6 (available in 59 scents).
6. A mini Kodak instant photo printer so budding photographers can instantly print their fave photos to hang on their bedroom wall or mail them off to grandma.
Promising review: "10-year-old's favorite gift! My daughter received this for Christmas. She was able to set it up and do everything on her own with no help from an adult. She started printing pictures right away. She loves it." —Charity
Shipping Info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $130.99+ (available in three colors and with 8 sheets or 68 sheets).
7. A National Geographic geodes kit to blow any junior geologist's mind and give them an excuse to smash rocks with a hammer.
This science kit includes 10 natural crystal-filled geodes, one pair of safety goggles, three display stands, and one learning guide.
Promising review: "My daughter is 10 and this kept her busy for HOURS! She had so much fun and was excited every time she got a glimpse of what might be inside. A couple of them were pretty cool, while the rest were just white. She didn't care, she loves them all. She was so proud to gift them to her grandparents." —Michelle
Shipping Info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in four sizes).
8. A pair of waterproof wireless earbuds with 150,000+ 5-star reviews (!!!) that are a total AirPod alternative at a fraction of the cost. Now, you don't have to listen to Taylor Swift's Shake it Off on repeat all day long.
Promising review: "My 10-year-old purchased these for himself because they were a quality and affordable option. Comes with different size silicone ear pieces, so he could find one that fit well. Sound quality is good and controls are easy to use. Also, really love that these are waterproof and that we can easily clean them and the case. His only complaint is that if he has to adjust it in his ear, he sometimes hits a control and changes a song or turns up the volume, but that’s easy to deal with. These are a good quality ear bud option and great for older child through adult." —Dennis
Promising review: "I purchased for my 10-year-old son and he loves them. Why buy AirPods when you can save a ton of money and get equal or better quality. I can’t speak on longevity yet but solid built with warranty so believe they will hold up. Fantastic!" —Anthony S.
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in six colors).
9. Phase 10, a Rummy-style game where players compete different types of card sets. Plus there are "wild" and "skip" cards to keep things extra interesting! The tin case also makes it a great game for taking on the go!
Recommended for 2–6 players, ages 7+.
Promising review: "I played Phase 10 all the time with my mom growing up. With us spending more and more time at home because of the pandemic we have started playing a lot more board/card games. This was a lot of fun to introduce to my kiddos. My 9 year old caught on quickly and the best part is I liked how it came in a tin which makes it nice to store." —Amazon Customer
Promising review: "We LOVE Phase 10!!! It has taken some time for my 12 year old to understand how to strategize but now he has the hang of it. My 12 & 16 year old ask to play every night after dinner. We also take it on vacation, restaurants, doctors appointment… EVERYWHERE." —Samantha
Get it from Amazon for $10.99.
10. A pack of hair chalk pens perfect for little ladies and dudes who are *dyeing* to experiment with colors without going permanent. Reviewers say these are not only easy to apply, but also wash out easily.
Promising review: "My girls absolutely loved this easy to use hair chalk! The directions were super easy to follow and my 10-year-old and 8-year-old were able to do this kit all by themselves! The colors were vibrant and fun. It worked great in my daughter’s dark blonde hair and my other daighter’s Medium brown hair. The chalk did not drip or stain anything or make any kind of a mess which made me super happy!!! It washed out perfectly in the shower and again did not cause any staining or mess! I absolutely recommend this fun and adorable hair chalk set!" —Jen
Get a pack of 10 from Amazon for $12.90.
11. A Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game because it'll have your 10-year-old (and the rest of the fam) in tears from *belly laughing* so hard.
Pass out all the cards to the players and keep all the stacks face down. Everyone takes a turn putting a card down in the middle, while saying "taco," "cat," "goat," "cheese," and "pizza," in that order. If the picture on your card matches the word that's said, everyone races against each other to slap their hand on the central pile of cards. Whoever is last must take the pile of cards and add them to their stack, and the person who runs out of cards first wins!
Promising review: "My 10-year-old's favorite game! We took it with us on a weekend away at a cabin and it was a huge hit! My 10-year-old and I literally laughed until we cried! Great family fun and good innocent fun, too, when friends come over! Her almost-12-year-old bff got just as big of a kick out of it as she did when she came over and played it with us. Highly recommend for laughs and fun and family time!" —designermomoftwo
Get it from Amazon for $9.84.
12. A rock painting kit where the artwork is only part of the fun. It's also a sweet opportunity to leave uplifting messages behind in the local park to spread a little positivity ❤️.
Each kit comes with 10 rocks, eight colors of waterproof paint, a paint brush, rock transfer designs, and tracking stickers.
Promising review: "My 10-year-old and I loved this! It was a fun and different way to spend the afternoon. It was simple to use. We are going to get more rocks because we are left with lots of paint and stickers. We are going to place the rocks along the trail next time we go hiking. I would recommend this product." —claudia
Get it from Amazon for $14.99 (available in seven versions).
13. A splurge-worthy rechargeable laser tag set that reviewers say will turn a yard or basement into an absolutely *epic* battle zone and have the whole fam running around at lightning speed trying to take each other out.
The set includes four rechargeable guns, four rechargeable vests, and one charging station. You can play approximately eight games per charge. The cool LCD screens on the vest keep count of how many lives you have and the vest vibrates when you get shot, aka tagged. Play with up to four teams and eliminate your enemies to win the game. Recommended for ages 8+.
Promising review: "Boys are 8 and 10 years of age and they love them. If you're looking to lose some weight though try these, I lost about 10 lbs with all the 'lets play like we are on Fortnite.' Needless to say I probably spent more time running than shooting, they have no mercy on me (Ha Ha). GREAT GUNS!!!!" —Kenya
Get it from Amazon for $199.99 — don't forget to clip the coupon for $50 off.
14. A Lego The Mandalorian building kit for any child completely smitten with "The Child". This collectible Baby Yoda toy with movable mouth, ears and hands will steal the show.
15. An adorable crystal glass butterfly necklace because what kid doesn't love a tiny bit of bling? You won't be able to resist buying one for yourself to match your mini BFF.
INDV Apparel is a small biz based in Los Angeles whose mission is to promote individuality through apparel.
Promising review: "This necklace is just lovely. I bought it for my kid, who is little but wants to "be cool like the 8th graders" she sees at school. Shipping was super fast." —Jazzbaby0206
Get it from INDV Apparel on Etsy for $18+ (available in 14 colors).
16. A backpack that'll basically blow any Fortnite-obsessed kiddo's mind and will have them *actually* looking forward to Monday so they can show off their cool new gear to classmates.
Promising review: "Christmas gift for my 10-year-old Fortnite lover. He was over the moon excited! Basic backpack no frills but is made with nice sturdy material." —Amazon Customer
Shipping Info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $34.99 (available in nine styles).
17. A squishy scented pillow because it literally smells like yummy s'mores. They won't be able to resist snuggling with it all winter long.
18. A Buddha Board that'll become their go-to canvas after a rough day at school — they can doodle away to release negative energy and watch their artwork (and worries!) evaporate.
Promising review: "10-year-old granddaughter loves it! We first saw the Buddha Board on display at a local boutique in our little downtown shopping area while waiting for the yearly Christmas parade to begin. My 10-year-old granddaughter and a couple of her girlfriends were using it and just loved it. It is simple, it’s just water and a brush, and when it dries the image disappears. All three girls immediately put it on their Christmas list. My granddaughter who has a painting easel at home and more than enough items to paint with, hasn’t stopped talking about this Buddha Board. Yes, of course I bought it for her for Christmas, I love surprises." —Anne C.
Shipping Info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $37.95.
19. A wooden puzzle equivalent to playing Tetris but in tactile form that'll ~exercise their brain~ without any screen time.
Reviewer's say this is a great toy for all ages — from 3 to 12.
Promising review: "My 5-year-old and 10-year-old absolutely love this puzzle. It's like a tangible form of Tetris. They also like making little figures or robots out of the shapes. We take it to restaurants, etc. I'll be ordering a second one." —HappyCamper
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
20. A pack of stretchy fidget noodles for helping soothe anxiety as they twist, pull and twirl these to their heart's content.
Promising review: "I purchased these for our 10-year-old son with ASD. He absolutely loves them and definitely recommend them!" —Connie McElwain
Promising review: "Very durable, lasts a long time. My 10-year-old uses it for her anxiety and it really helps." —Holli Ciresoli
Shipping Info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get a pack of five from Amazon for $9.99.
21. An organic beeswax lip balm that comes in delicious flavors like watermelon and cotton candy if they keep trying to steal your lip balm. These are made with nourishing coconut oil and shea, mango, and cocoa butters *and* come in eco-friendly packaging.
Happy Plant Oils is a small biz based in Upper Lake, California, that specializes in organic, natural, and eco-friendly skincare products.
Promising review: "Bought it for my 10-year-old nephew, great quality and he loved the smell" —Anna Maria
Get it from Happy Plant Oils on Etsy for $5 (available in 29 scents).
22. A Razor scooter because it'll appeal to little daredevils who would love nothing more than to zip around the block and show off stunts.
Promising review: "My 10-year-old daughter got an electric scooter for Christmas last year. This year she wanted a manual one. We live in New England. Have had a relatively mild winter so far, but she has kept the scooter inside. All three of my kids ride it in circles around our first floor! (My oldest is 16.5!) BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER! It was very inexpensive, but its rugged. Well made. Can't believe they are all getting so much use/fun out of such a simple toy. I will actually miss it when they have to take it outside. (Once it goes outside, it stays outside!) GREAT scooter!!" —Heather Adamson
Get it from Amazon for $39.59+ (available in six colors).
23. A friendship bracelet maker that might just stop pre-teens from scrolling TikTok aimlessly and instead creating cute wrist candy for their inner circle of besties.
Promising review: "I bought this as a birthday gift for our 10-year-old granddaughter. She's having lots of fun making friendship bracelets and keychains. It sits nicely on a flat surface ( doesn't slide around excessively), helps her to keep the floss strands tight, and also helps to keep her place when she wants to take a break for a bit. She has felt more comfortable starting out with six strands instead of ten. The keychains she's been making are 30 rows...so she timed herself and it took her one minute and 10 seconds to do two rows (with six strands she does three colors with two rows of each color)... so she figured it takes her 30 to 45 minutes to make one keychain (including breaks...lol). 30 rows is also a good size for the friendship bracelets she's been making for her younger cousins too. I'm pleased with the quality and she's having fun...so it's a keeper and I recommend it." —KSH
Get it from Amazon for $22.99+ (available in six colors).
24. A Lego Minecraft set if you've ever asked yourself, "What is the appeal of Minecraft?" TBH, this might not answer the question but the combo is sure to be a hit with die-hard fans.
Promising review: "Actually as pictured, and my 10-year-old has enjoyed putting it together! I would recommend this to Minecraft fans who also love Legos… it's the best of both worlds!" —Genna Pocham Reddy
Promising review: "I bought this as a birthday gift for a 10-year-old boy. He was wearing a Minecraft T-shirt and I realized I made the right choice. He was so excited so I bought another one for my grandson for Christmas. He said 'grandma why didn't you get one for me, I love Minecraft!!'" —tracy weiland
Get it from Amazon for $16.39.
25. Otrio, a twist on the classic tic-tac-toe that'll become a game night fave with all ages — from your 10-year-old nephew to Grandpa Joe.
To win, players must get three circular pieces of their color in a row in either ascending or descending order; get the same sized pieces in a row; or get three concentric pieces in the same space, but beware of other players attempting to block you!
Recommended for two to four players ages 8+.
Promising review: "Super fun game! My mom wanted to get this game for my niece, who is 10-years-old. I was skeptical at first, but we all enjoy playing it. It is easy to learn and yet a challenge to win. It is definitely a strategic thinking game of tic tac toe! Highly recommend." —gunniwolf
Promising review: "I got this for my sister-in-law’s family. Her kids, 10- and 8-years-old, love it, and Mom and Dad enjoyed playing it with them as well. Great gift." —M. Harvey
Get it from Amazon for $26.70 (also available in plastic).
26. A water bottle decorating kit they can bedazzle to the max with sparkly glitter gem stickers — basically the 10-year-old equivalent to J.Lo’s blinged-out Starbucks cup.
The kit comes with everything they need to create their own personalized water bottle including a BPA-free water bottle, seven sheets of rhinestone stickers and a carabiner to hang the bottle once it's done.
Promising review: "This was a great gift for my 10-year-old granddaughter. It's creative and practical. She loved decorating her own water bottle. There were enough stick-on decorations that she used them on a few other other items as well. She was thrilled!" —Kathleen Donndelinger
Get it from Amazon for $11.99+ (available in three styles).
27. Speaking of water bottles, a vibrant and clever paracord handle designed for hydroflasks that'll make toting water to school, while lugging a 20-pound backpack, sooooo much easier.
This clever little strap has a built-in compass and whistle and also comes with a carabiner.
Merkle Shop is a small biz based in Hacienda Heights, CA.
Promising review: "Perfect fit! We got this to coordinate with our Nathan water bottle and it’s been a hit with my 10-year-old who uses it for school." —Amy Cook
Get it from Merkle Shop on Etsy for $4.99 (available in four colors).
28. A rainbow-colored saucer swing guaranteed to add a pop of color to any room and become the kiddo's fave ~hangout~ spot in the playroom or yard.
Promising review: "I bought this and was a little skeptical about its quality since this sells for double on amazon under different brands. It’s the same quality and size as others. Two big kids fit comfortably and was and awesome gift for my 7- and 10-year-old daughters." —Michael K. Hansen
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in two colors).
29. A pack of parachute toys ingeniously designed not to tangle despite being tossed excitedly from the top of the stairs or a balcony over and over.
Promising review: "My 10-year-old nephew has hours of fun with these tossing them off the deck. They hold his attention. Very durable! Solders have landed in trees, on brick, in the bird feeder, in the pool, in a rose garden and once behind enemy lines (our neighbors yard with a big dig) no damage yet, not even from rose thorns or the enemy dog!" —JoAnne Smith
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $8.99 (available in two styles).
30. A mini jar of unicorn whipped body butter topped with a hint of glitter that'll not only soak into the skin decadently (no greasy residue!) but will also add a sprinkle of magic dust to any child's day.
Sun Basil Garden Soap is a small biz based in Middletown, Delaware, owned by a mom who specializes in spa gifts.
Promising review: "This was the perfect addition to my cousin's at-home nail spa... one very happy 10-year-old!" —Nichole Griep
Get it from Sun Basil Garden Soap on Etsy for $6.50+ (available in three sizes and in larger quantities).
For more toy and gift ideas for different age groups, check out these guides...
Best Toys And Gifts For 1-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 2-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 3-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 4-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 5-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 6-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 7-Year-Olds
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.