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What a year! The holidays are finally here! And while we’re doing our best to make sure the products we feature will arrive in time, shipping times are especially tricky this year, so we suggest shopping as early as you can.
Stock and shipping times can vary depending on where you live, which product you purchase, and more. So order earlier than you think you need to and be sure to double-check the retailers’ websites for shipping information to ensure that your gift will arrive in time for when you need it.
1. A flying orb with flashing lights that'll float in the air and boomerang back to you leaving everyone in the room asking "what is this sorcery?"
2. A marble run set to provide 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.
3. 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.
4. A Lego BrickHeadz Nutcracker Building Kit with a cool moveable mouth that'll add all the Christmas feels when you assemble and display these with your kiddos.
5. A magnetic shape-shifting puzzle cube to keep kids (and adults) mesmerized with its psychedelic patterns and challenge them to manipulate it into over 70 shapes. It takes origami to a whole other level.
6. A Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game that'll have the whole family in tears from *belly laughing* so hard.
7. An inexpensive Pop2Play foldable indoor slide which LITERALLY pops up in minutes to instantly turn any room into a playground when it's raining outside. Plus, it folds down flat for easy storage once playtime's over.
8. A rainbow puzzle ball where the end *goal* is to match all 11 balls to their corresponding color rings by pressing and sliding the balls through the open slots. Basically, a heck of a workout for kids' brains and hands.
9. And a wooden puzzle equivalent to playing Tetris but in tactile form that'll ~exercise their brain~ without any screentime.
10. A remote control race car with three removable driver figures that any toddler fixated on cars (and the TV remote) will love.
11. A National Geographic geodes kit that'll blow any junior geologist's mind and give them an excuse to smash rocks with a hammer.
12. A set of safe-to-chew-on pastel silicone stacking blocks to encourage shape and number recognition in little ones. These will make any playroom look Pinterestworthy.
13. A pack of Lucky Fortune collectible bracelets that comes with four 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?
14. Pixicade mobile game maker for turning screentime 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.
15. A Zero mood light just the right amount of ghostly cute to win over fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
16. A Learning Resources Gears! Gears! Gears! 150-Piece Building Set if you're looking for building toys that aren’t Legos (but will keep them busy for hours!)
17. A Craft-tastic "Make a Fox Friend" kit that comes with 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.
18. A Lego movie activity kit to unleash any kid's creativity and allow them to make short stop-motion videos using the gazillion Lego sets they already own.
19. Air Hogs Super Soft Jump Fury, a beyond-cool remote car that jumps up to 22 inches high but lands super soft — meaning it'll keep kids enthralled with its epic jumping action without damaging walls or furniture.
20. A sports center that's a *slam dunk* for MVP toddlers, who will have a blast shooting baskets or goals. Bonus points because the LED scoreboard, gears, and buttons teach 50+ songs, sounds, and phrases.
21. And 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.
22. A Magna-Tiles set because studies have shown it'll hold any kid's attention wayyyy longer than most toys. JK, but seriously, any parent who has bought this cool building set will attest that it's worth.every.penny.
23. An LCD writing tablet that'll encourage future Einsteins to practice their numbers and letters. They might even consider trading their iPad for this cool gadget.
24. A sturdy fort-building kit to *seriously upgrade* the forts the kiddos are currently fashioning out of living room throws, pillows, and furniture. It will allow future architects to use their imagination to construct forts, castles, tunnels, and even igloos — creativity is their ~forte~.
25. A Dyson Ball toy vacuum with actual ~working suction~ because believe it or not, toddlers actually *enjoy* cleaning the house.
26. A 360-degree-rotating 3-in-1 LED globe, constellation map, and night-light to make it possible to explore the world and stargaze from the bedroom.
27. 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.
28. Otrio, a twist on the classic tic-tac-toe sure to become a game night favorite with all ages — from your 8-year-old nephew to Grandpa Joe.
29. A scratch paper art set that'll make you nostalgic for your childhood when nothing was more satisfying than drawing on the surface to reveal the rainbow colors underneath.
30. A Stomp Rocket launcher because they'll have such a *blast* as they jump on the launchpad, countdown to liftoff, and watch the rockets shoot up to 200 feet high into the air.
31. An itty-bitty Baby Yoda Bluetooth speaker to clip onto their backpack or blast fave tunes in their room. But don't be fooled — reviewers say what it lacks in size, it makes up for with some serious out-of-this-galaxy sound.
32. A set of Crayola Scribble Scrubbie pets that can be reused over and over again (unlike one-and-done sets). This will keep budding artists busy coloring the cute pets, scrubbing them, and coloring all over again.
33. A construction-themed folding play set with kinetic sand, a dump truck toy, and a working crane with wrecking ball and bucket attachments so they can dig, build, and crush to their heart's content without making a colossal mess indoors.
34. Banzai Bump N' Bounce Body Bumpers so adults can referee (or participate in!) impromptu battles in the yard or living room that'll elicit nonstop silliness and laughs.
35. A flower-building activity set — a STEM-based toy (literally and figuratively) to make the imagination of horticultural enthusiasts blossom while creating bouquets and gardens.
37. A National Geographic crystal-growing kit perfect for junior scientists who also happen to like ~blingy things~. Bonus: Kids will love admiring their stunning crystal collection with the included light board.
38. A 100 Words Book that'll interact with budding scholars and help build their vocabulary in English and Spanish.
39. A necklace activity set (under $15) so mini style mavens can mix and match colorful beads, necklaces, and character charms to create their own chic bling. It'll make any child feel like true royalty.
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.
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