We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A flying orb with flashing lights that'll cure cabin fever while the kids make it float in the air and boomerang back, leaving them wondering "what is this sorcery?"
Promising review: "The perfect toy for a nine-year-old. We have a lot of family fun with this. It works very well and is sturdy. It keeps us on our toes." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $32 (available in seven colors).
2. A miniature baking set perfect for the aspiring Dominique Ansel in your life. It's true what they say, "good things come in small buttery, gooey, sugary packages."
The set comes with a storage tin, rolling pin, wee knife, pizza/dough cutter, mixing spoon, three wee spoons, mixing bowl, pizza/pie pan, pie server, sheet pan, silicone cake and cupcake molds, two silicone finger mitts, and 48-page recipe book.
Promising review: "I got this for my 9 year old who loves mini baking videos. We have made a couple of the recipes so far and have had fun. I feel like two sets are needed so you have two bowls and spoons. But we make do. She really enjoys it!" —Chacey
Get it from Amazon for $23.84.
3. 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 son turned 9 and he absolutely loved his present! He had a blast breaking the stones open." —Jessica
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in three sizes).
4. A pack of Lucky Fortune collectible bracelets that comes with two individually wrapped fortune cookies. Crack 'em open to reveal an adjustable surprise bracelet with a charm and a paper fortune. Who wouldn't feel lucky to find these in their stocking?
Each package contains a fortune cookie shaped bracelet holder with a surprise Lucky Fortune charm bracelet and matching paper fortune. This pack includes two cookies and two bracelets.
Promising review: "My 9-year-old daughter got this today and loves them. She got the ultra rare lucky one. It was the first one she opened. The quality is really nice and I can see her wearing these for awhile." —ALUCARD
Promising review: "Birthday gift for my 9-year-old niece. She couldn’t wait to give one to her BFF. Surprisingly great quality. Not a throw away kind of toy. The bracelet was nicely made and the fortune cookie can be put back together. Very fun. Would definitely buy again." —William’s Mum
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $4.88.
5. A 12-sided fidget toy (aka a Dodecagon) with gears, buttons, a joystick, switch, stress balls, and more for keeping fingers (and more importantly the mind operating those fingers) unstressed and focused.
6. An animal bath-bomb making kit complete with a reusable mold, colors, and ingredients needed to make adorable fizzy bath bombs, so you can pat yourself on the back for a fun STEM activity (that took zero effort to plan). Plus, it'll also make bath time less of a struggle.
Kiwi Co offers craft subscription boxes and one-off boxes with all the materials and instructions included to make it easy for parents to pull off enriching science
and art projects with their children.
Promising review: "My kids (9 and 11) had lots of fun with this. I really love the press as it makes it much easier to make bath bombs. We have made several batches and plan to make many more." —LoriC
Get it from Kiwi Co for $19.95.
7. A Tamagotchi Pix, even cooler than the '90s version with futuristic features like a color screen, camera, and ability to *go on playdates* with your virtual pet by connecting to a friend's device.
Promising review: "My 7-and 9-year-old daughters love this. It is a cute throwback to the '90s Tamagotchi with some clever upgrades (color screen, camera, connectivity to other Tamagotchi, multiple animals, personalization of house, etc). My only complaint is that two AAA batteries will only get about 30-40 min at a time and then require a screwdriver to change. I wish it had the ability to plug in and charge but otherwise it is a cute and fun toy." —A. McArthur
Get the Tamagotchi Pix from Amazon for $39.60+ (available in six colors).
8. A rechargeable kids' karaoke microphone that'll connect to their phone via Bluetooth so pint-sized rock stars can sing along with their fave songs from apps like Spotify or YouTube. The best part? There are 30 preloaded Motown hits.
Promising review: "Fun and good quality microphone. I bought one as a gift for a 9-year-old girl. She said it was the best gift ever. Since she liked it so much, I bought one for my 5-year-old and she loves it too. Very easy Bluetooth connection." —Cris A
Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in six colors).
9. A Pixicade mobile game maker for turning screen time into a creative STEM activity by letting kids turn their own drawings and concepts into playable video games (build up to 1,600 video games). They can sketch the game on paper, snap a pic of it, and then play an animated version on their phone or tablet.
This game comes with washable markers, instruction and quick start guides, and three activity books that cover 50 game design concepts, 30 instructional activities, and over 100 example games. You also need to download the Pixicade app available for iOS and Android. The app only requires a camera and an internet connection. (iOS 8.0 and up, Android 6.0 and up).
Promising review: "My 9-year-old son loves this and it is so neat watching him create games and find out how to make it work. Such a fun idea and easy to use." —Bethany Amarone
Get it from Amazon for $17.68.
10. A Taco vs. Burrito card game (actually created by a 7-year-old) to turn game night into a food fight by adding "disgusting but adorable ingredients" (via cards assigned point values) to your favorite Mexican meals.
11. A paintable squishies kit that comes with paint, glitter and the most adorable unicorn, rainbow and narwhal — just asking to be bedazzled and squeezed.
The kit comes with four-slow rise squishies, four large bottles of paint, two quality paint brushes, sprinkles, color guide, and easy-to-follow instructions.
Promising review: "I bought these for my 9-year-old daughter's birthday and she loved them! The squishies are a very good size, and it came with a chart showing her what colors to mix to make other colors, how to apply the glitter, etc. It was very kid oriented, she was so excited to get painting. I would definitely recommend if you child likes to paint, be creative, and likes squishies, this is the perfect combination!" —ams24
Get it from Amazon for $17.99 (available in thee styles).
12. An inflatable Flybar pogo trick ball just like the one you had as a kid but better thanks to its stronger construction (holds up to 160 lbs.), built-in handles, and a free replacement of the bounce ball if yours does happen to break (like maybe when an adult tried it while the kids were asleep).
13. A marble run set for providing endless possibilities to build creative structures — all while developing their problem-solving skills. They'll be ~ah-mazed~ at the results when the marbles roll through the mazes they create.
Promising review: "My 9-year-old loves it. I got this game for my 9-year-old son who loves to build things and he put it together with ease! We all enjoy it as a family actually. I wished there were more base pieces so we could extend it more. The pieces haven’t broken easily as some reviews suggest. My son is rough on his toys so these have held up well to his antics, LOL! I will say those marbles will get lost quickly if you don’t watch out for them. Overall this is a great toy to keep your child occupied." —B. Christine
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in three styles).
14. A pack of Crayola Globbles so they can run around the house hurling these sticky globs at the wall or ceiling. Don't panic, parents, reviewers say they don't leave a sticky residue.
Promising review: "If you are thinking about getting these for the kids……do it! They will love them. They are so much fun. You can throw them and they will stick to the surface…..with no residue! They are lightweight and stretchy. Colorful and just the right size. If the stickiness starts to wear off you can renew them by washing with soap and water. My granddaughters (6 and 9) have a ball with them." —Clast
Get a set of six from Amazon for $10.69.
15. A Craft-tastic "Make a Fox Friend" kit because it has everything budding crafters need to make an adorable fox stuffie along with glam accessories (while learning basic sewing skills!). They'll especially love changing their foxy friend's outfits over and over.
Promising review: "My 9-year-old daughter has been given so many craft sets that are too hard for her to do alone, and even with help it's complicated (ehem...bracelet loom)...this fox craft is adorable and SOO easy, but she felt like she was really sewing. There are lots of outfits and accessories that go with the doll. So much fun, and a great gift to give as well." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (also available in mouse and bunny stuffies).