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 wooden puzzle that'll help jumpstart your tyke's brain and encourage them to problem solve without having their eyes glued to a screen.
Reviewers say this is a great toy for all ages — from 3–12.
Promising reviews: "Excellent for learning! Must-have! Such a wonderful toy/puzzle! Similar in some way to tangrams. Great for stimulating thinking and problem solving. My 3-year-old's teacher was blown away by her working the puzzle so easily." —tigerhax
"This is completely gift-able. Quality. Let’s their little minds explore dimension depth etc… endless hours of fun. My kids fight over it." —cass
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
2. A geode-breaking activity from National Geographic that'll give you and your kids an excuse to pick up a hammer and smash rocks in half. The best part? The cracked-open rocks will reveal stunning crystal centers you can learn about together.
Promising reviews: "We bought this for our boys who are 4.5. They loved the goggles and the magnifying glass that came with the kit. Breaking open the rock was a little more difficult than I thought. My boys definitely couldn't do it. You will also need to make sure you have a hammer and chisel to break them open. The rocks we got looked very different, which is great! One was black on the outside and one was a creamy white brown color and the insides were very different as well. The lighter-colored one was also much easier to open. The rocks are so much prettier in person and they really sparkle in the sun. It comes with a nice picture book as well. Great activity! Definitely recommend!" —Martin
"My kids loved these, and they also learned a lot. The geodes are beautiful. This makes a great gift for the little scientists in your life!" —Xavier Virsu
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two styles).
3. A marble run set that'll help kiddos work on their problem-solving skills while also having an a-maze-ing time crafting endless structures for their marbles to race through.
Promising review: "So fun! Our 2-year-old loves it. He is too young to build his own run but I enjoyed building one and he loves to drop the marbles down and watch them go. I like that they are transparent so you can see the marbles easily. Great quality too. I think this will grow nicely with him as well considering that I even had fun with it as an adult." —Amazon Customer
"Bought as a Christmas gift and my son loved. Pretty easy to assemble and comes with lots of marbles. Fun for hours. Highly recommend." —Ariadne Lima
Get it from Amazon for $47.99+ (available in three styles).
4. A Melissa & Doug ice cream station to encourage kiddos to indulge in some imaginative play — they can stack up the flavors and toppings and offer sweet treats to everyone in the house...delish!
The wooden ice cream counter comes with eight ice cream scoops, six toppings, two cones, cup, scooper, tongs, wooden spoon, reusable menu card, and six pretend dollar bills. I gifted this to my son over the holidays and he loves it! It's great for practicing his organizing and stacking skills. So fun!
Promising reviews: "My newly turned 3-year-old daughter instantly fell in love with this set! She loves seeing how high she can stack the ice cream cones and pretending to serve Mom and Dad her creations. She's been obsessed with climbing things around the house and we *desperately* needed a distraction to get her to stop, and this is working so far — she plays with this thing for HOURS!" —West Family
"We gave this item as a gift to my niece and she loved making ice cream for everyone after she opened it. It’s made well too and should hold up to a lot of playing for a very long time. Thanks Melissa & Doug for another great toy!" —Lauren
Get it from Amazon for $31.49.
5. A light-up fountain bath toy you can count on to keep your kiddos entertained for a whale-y long time in the tub.
Promising review: "The Gigilli Baby Bath Toys are simply fabulous! With their adorable whale design, water spray feature, and colorful lights, bath time becomes a delightful and exciting experience for little ones. The automatic sprinkler function adds a touch of magic without any manual operation. Made with safe materials, these toys are a perfect gift for joyful and entertaining bath time. Upgrade your child's bath routine with the fabulous Gigilli Baby Bath Toys!" —Y Star
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three colors and in a rechargeable version).
6. An activity pad to show little ones how to correctly use scissors — a skill we *all* could likely work on, TBH. It comes with safety scissors (obviously) and a book filled with mazes, puzzles, animal art, sequencing activities, and more!
Promising review: "This adorable and super fun activity book with the child safety scissors really improved my daughter’s confidence with scissors overall. It also helped her to gain more control over her cuts by improving her hand/eye coordination which I love. The pages are brightly colored and the activities kept her interested and engaged and the cutout activities became more challenging so it never became too easy or made her feel bored. This activity book had her practicing cutting along directional lines and it has increased her awareness of staying inside the lines when she is coloring in coloring books too which is another plus. This activity book is fun and engaging and is a great educational gift for those learning to use scissors." —KayBee
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
7. Custom crayons that spell out a name, a gift guaranteed to bring a smile to any face *especially* if their moniker is unique and typically never found on items in stores.
Art2theextreme is a small business based in Indiana that sells customized rainbow crayons.
My coworker Tasia Bass bought these for herself and loves them,
"OMG, so I bought these for myself and I LOVE them. They are so cute and super reasonably priced. They come in this adorable box, in which the seller also stamps your name on it. The crayons are melted down and mixed randomly, so it does give this lovely rainbow effect when you do use them. Or you can be like me and keep them on your art desk as a form of decor. I think this is great for any artists or those who like unique gifts."
Get them from Art2theextreme on Etsy for $19.95+ (available in 1–13 letters).
8. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza — a card game you can play together on family nights or even at the beach. Hope your little ones are ready for endless giggles!
You deal all the cards out to your two to four players, and everyone keeps their mini-deck face down. Everyone takes a turn putting a card down in the middle of the table, saying one of the words "taco," "cat," "goat," "cheese," and "pizza," in that order. If the picture on your card matches the word that's said, everyone slaps their hand on the card in a pile as quickly as possible. The last person on the pile has to take the stack and add 'em to their cards, and whoever runs out of cards first wins! Additionally, this game comes from a small business!
Promising review: "OMG!! This is fun with lots of laughter! My granddaughter is 10 and my mom is 92 and we all play and have a great time! I have given it as a gift to several different couples and families that love to play games. Everyone says it is so fun. Going to gift it again at Christmas. The Christmas version. Their are others versions as well." —Linda
Get it from Amazon for $9.84.
9. Silly Poopy's Hide and Seek — which is pretty much exactly what you'd think it is. It's a rainbow, light-up poop-shaped toy littles can take turns hiding throughout the house. It'll shout out clues and play a song when it's finally found!
What Do You Meme? is a small business that sells card games/toys, plushies, and pool floats.
Promising review: "Of all the Christmas gifts, this was the surprising favorite. My 6-year-old grandson has started liking potty humor and loved the name. My 3-year-old granddaughter loves hide and seek. Once the poopy toy is hidden, you press a button. It will then make intermittent comments and laugh so the seeker can find it. Once found you press the button and it sings and lights flash. Definitely worth the cost." —karen collins
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
10. Crayola Globbles, a fun lil' toy kids can use to burn off some steam when they need a quick mental break from their homework. Don't worry, they won't leave residue on your walls.
Promising reviews: "I waited over two months to write my review! My daughter is 4 and plays with these DAILY! YES they do attract dirt and hair HOWEVER they are so easy to rinse off, it's not a big deal! We took these to a family gathering and ended up giving two away because they were SO loved! The two we gave away went to a 12-year-old and my 19-year-old brother. They discovered throwing them at the ceiling fan and watching them shoot across the room which was pretty entertaining! None of these have busted or ripped and they are definitely NOT gentle with them! I will definitely be buying more!" —Kindle Customer
"These are an amazing toy, gift, stocking stuffer or travel game. My kids love these and can entertain them for hours!" —Ashley Park
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $9.99.
11. GeoSafari kid binoculars they'll love using to get *up close and personal* with nature without actually getting all that close — a must-have for littles who are curious but a bit skittish about bugs and whatnot.
Promising reviews: "I bought two of these as gifts. If your child likes the outdoors or looking for bugs, anything like that. Then these are a must buy. The children I gifted these to loved them and used them right away. They're a nice color, durable, and easy for little hands to hold." —melissa
"My Grandson lives these Kidocculars. He’s been outside watching everything, so cute. Great birthday gift🎂" —Emma P
Get them from Amazon for $11.29.
12. A set of 500+ puffy stickers the crafty kiddo in your life will squeal happily over — too bad for your friend who's about to have an array of sea creatures, dinosaurs, fruits (and more) decorating their furniture (but fear not, they actually don't leave any residue and unstick very easily!!!).
Promising reviews: "Gave to my grandson when I babysit him. Got a sticker book to put them in. He loves them. Liked them so much bought another set for my granddaughter as one of her birthday presents." —J. Reulet
"I bought these for a stocking stuffer gift for my almost 2-year-old. She played with them for hours. I taped a few pieces of construction paper on the wall and she went crazy. They didn't stick the greatest because she was trying to move them around a lot but the designs were super cute and lots of stickers for the price made a great value." —lizmomma1129
Get them from Amazon for $5.99.
13. A set of the entire Heeler family so kids can live out their favorite moments of the show right from their own play room.
Promising review: "Absolutely great gift for any toddler, it is a wonderful toy! My grandson was playing with it for whole day and this toy had to go with him to bed too! Two best friends for long time, for sure! The toy is very well built, as described and it’s worth for us every penny!" —Damir Ibrahimovic
Get it from Amazon for $14.79.
14. A splash-proof kids smartwatch with the ability to take videos, pictures, and selfies kids can customize with built-in funny filters. They won't be reaching for your watch anymore, now will they???
Promising review: "Bought this as a gift to my little cousin and he absolutely adores it, I love that it has a little camera on and is super easy for him to use and get used to. Love the extra features on it like the little fitness tracker and the little games that is has, and more importantly I like that it has the analog feature for the time to teach him how to read time that way (you would be surprised as to how many children have no clue how to read an analog clock)." —Mikhaela
Get it from Amazon for $36.72 (available in five colors).
15. A wooden grocery store play set kiddos will have no problem playing creatively with — just prepare to hear them say "sorry, we're all out of oat milk" or some other too-adult comment they've likely overhead already while you were food shopping. Oops.
Promising reviews: "This is such a fun set and my kids play with it constantly. I love the pretend play and no screen time fun they have with it. Highly recommend it! The quality is great and it looks so cute and perfect in our play room." —Lindsey Iskierka
"This is a great gift and one of the best gifted this Christmas. It does take some time to assemble, but the instructions were great and all of the pre cut holes lined up. Highly recommend." —LG
Get it from Amazon for $191.99.
16. A VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker tykes will have a blast with thanks to the toys on the front and its ability to help them run wildly throughout the house. Maaaybe get this for a niece or nephew instead of your own kid, hehe.
Promising reviews: "Great for babies learning to sit. Keeps them engaged and looking upward. My baby is now standing and trying to walk and loves to pull herself up on this thing! The wheels have a resistance setting so it doesn't go too fast. Best on carpet when they're starting out. The front comes apart too, so even babies who don't like tummy time can have something to look at if you detach the front and put on the floor for them! Best toy that will last for stages of baby development!" —Meet The Jacksons
"I’ve only had this thing for about a month and my baby stood up using it. (She’s 7 months) It worked! I hope next month she’s able to give a few steps with it. Anyway, she loves playing with it, I would say it’s one of her favorites. I’m happy with it and I would definitely recommend or buy again as a gift." —Natalia E
Get it from Amazon for $37.75 (available in four colors).
17. A "My First Magic Show" set complete with 25 different tricks and how-to videos so the child in your life can start training to become the next David Blaine.
Promising reviews: "I definitely recommend this magic set for beginners! Decent quality, age appropriate and reasonably priced. My son AND husband have really enjoyed this product." —M. Stevens
"I purchased this for my daughter's 5th birthday and she still pulls it out regularly months later. I love that there were some really basic tricks that she could master easily, but there were also some trickier ones that I could impress her with that she's going to love doing down the road. It's also been great watching her put her own twist on the tricks provided! Great gift for any curious kid." —Caitlyn Wallin
Get it from Amazon for $16.17.
18. A set of massive bubble wands so enchanting that even the angstiest of kids won't be able to resist giving them a go.
The set also comes with instructions on how to make the BIGGEST bubbles possible! It's great for kids of all ages.
Promising reviews: "The wand is awesome, but even MORE awesome is that I just used regular bubble solution (way cheaper, found anywhere) and it worked just as well. Maybe better. Some people in reviews have said that you must use the packets that come with the wand, but I gave it a shot anyway with regular bubbles and it worked just fine, with no noticeable difference." —Lauri
"Great gift and great for backyard fun, picnics and BBQs. The children and adults loved making bubbles." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $15.95.
19. A glow-in-the-dark fort-building kit that'll put the blanket forts you built as a kid to shame. It'll also encourage your kid's imagination to run wild.
The set comes with 53 rods and 28 spheres. It's recommended for kids 4 and up.
Promising review: "Great gift for kids of all ages. My 8-year-old loved getting this for Christmas! She played with it all day while more expensive gifts sat under the tree...LOL. We built so many different structures and most of them she did on her own. Will probably buy a second one to expand her designs and creative thinking. I recommend highly!" —awalker
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
20. An arts and crafts library chock full of everything and anything to inspire your little one to create something fantastic and totally hang-on-the-fridge-worthy.
The set includes fuzzy sticks, pom-poms, wood pieces, felt, craft sticks, sequins, wooden discs and beads, plastic beads, jewel stickers, googly eyes, thread, scissors, and glue for endless crafty combinations! Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Promising review: "My 5-year-old granddaughter absolutely loved this gift from her old grandpa. Thoroughly entertaining, this 'library' provides many hours/days of critical thinking skills and creativity. She loves it — it was an excellent decision." —Brent
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
21. An old-school game like Battleship that'll give you an excuse to shout "I SUNK YOUR BATTLESHIP!" at your pal's kid with delight.
This updated version also include a bonus plane to try and hit as well! Battleship is recommended for kids ages 7 and up.
Promising reviews: "This such a great game. Kids and adults alike can be entertained for a long time. There's just something appealing about trying to avoid being discovered, while seeking your opponent's ships. This new version includes one more 'ship,' which is actually a plane. Great fun!" —KDD
"I ordered this version because of the addition of the jet planes and its a wonderful gift for all ages. This game is well made and comes with a good amount of pieces." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
22. Jenga to test concentration and dexterity skills. Be gentle or the whole tower might come tumbling down!
Promising reviews: "This is a great game that can be played by all ages and either alone, with someone else, or with a group. There are so many possibilities. This is definitely a great game for game night. This game builds on your critical thinking skills, as each move has to be well thought out or you can lose in a blink of an eye. So, it is challenging, fun, and competitive all at the same time. Basically, each player builds upon another player's move until the blocks come crashing down. The person who makes that last move loses." —QT
"Great fun game for family and friends. Blocks are durable, thick and easy to use. The game is easy enough to be enjoyed by youth and would make a great gift." —harrietthehanky
Get it from Amazon for $9.97.
23. A balance bike that'll leave any little one grinning from ear-to-ear — hope you're prepared to run after them though because they're going to be zoooooming away in no time.
Promising reviews: "It’s the cutest little bike. Comes with the tool needed to assemble. Super easy to assemble. Took my husband like 5 minutes. We got it for our grandbaby's first birthday. She can’t reach the ground yet nor is walking but we just push her around and are excited that she’ll grow into it. Her first bike." —Lisa
"Great color well made easy assembly. 100% satisfied the best gift I have bought all year period." —Terry B
Get it from Amazon for $52.92 (available in 10 colors).
24. A durable digital camera, because kids are definitely bored of being the one in front of the camera all the time. This will let them switch places with you for once and snap some cool pics of you instead.
The Kidizoom is a real digital camera that has photo and video capabilities, as well as a wealth of filters and games! It has 256 MB of built-in memory that is expandable with a MicroSD. Recommended for ages 3–9. Don't forget the batteries!
Promising review: "I got this camera for my 5-year-old as a birthday gift and he LOVES it. It's so much fun. You can take 'selfies' and it has fun stickers and filters (kind of similar to Snapchat). It also has games on it, so when he's not taking pictures, he is still getting used to the buttons by playing the games. It really helps kids get familiar with cameras and exploring creativity. I would highly recommend this for any kid! I'm planning on purchasing more for my other kids." —StoneySmurf
Get it from Amazon for $53.18+ (available in three colors).
25. A crystal-growing kit any wannabe scientist will be blown away by — I mean, look at the results! They'll have the best time ever watching their majestic crystals grow before repurposing them into a night-light.
The kit comes with materials to grow crystals in eight colors, four silicone growing chambers, and a light display for five crystals. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Promising review: "This kit takes a bit of effort but WOW the results are stunning! I bought this for my 6-year-old daughter for Christmas. We set up the first four crystals per the directions and let them sit for 10 days. We had fun looking each day to see how big they were. After they were done, I removed the crust from the edges of the cup, poured off the liquid, and eased the crystal out of the cup. They came out easily. To get the seed rock out, I used a razor blade, went around the edges and flaked off the crystal growth to expose the edges, then used the corner of the blade to pop the rock out. I was veeeery careful and all four crystals came out intact! It takes patience but totally worth it, the resulting night-light is a treasure she will probably keep for life." —Gapeach
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available with six crystals or eight crystals).
26. A Magna-Tiles set that'll surely be a big hit with any budding architect. They can use it to build all kinds of cool 3D structures, then knock 'em down and start again the next day.
The set comes with translucent magnetic pieces to build 3D creations all day. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Promising reviews: "I have a 4-year-old daughter who likes to build things and I want to encourage that. One review recommended Magna-Tiles, so I took a shot in the dark and got these. They were an instant hit! I never could imagine my kids would have liked a toy this simple. My daughter doesn't have the greatest fine motor skills so building toys that need tools would have been frustrating for her. With Magna-Tiles, you just hold pieces next to each other and they snap together! They have great balance, too. She's made pretty skinny 3D towers out of triangles and they get pretty high before they fall apart. Now I just have to get a bigger set to add on! :D Try these, you'll love them!" —Green
"These magnets are great for independent toddler play! My 3-year-old loves building and creating with these. I suggest you buy a larger set. We have a set with over 100 pieces, but I bought this set as a Christmas gift! He is always wishing he had more pieces to finish his masterpieces." —Kayla M
Get it from Amazon for $49.99 for a 32-piece set or $119.99 for a 100-piece set.
27. A unicorn slime kit with over 28,000 5-star reviews that essentially prove kids and parents alike are big fans. Glitter, foam beads, and a gloopy substance — what could go wrong?!
The kit comes with everything they'll need to make their own slime! It's recommended for kids ages 7 and up.
Promising review: "This is the best slime kit I’ve come across. I saw it last minute before my daughter’s birthday (11) and thought I’d get it as an add-on to her presents. It ended up being her favorite gift! Her brother (8) joined in and made slime with her and she still has enough to make more of all types." —Elizabeth & Rick
Get it from Amazon for $26.99+ (available in three versions).
28. The Book with No Pictures by The Office's own B.J. Novak that'll leave you and your mini-me giggling past their bedtime.
The book is recommended for ages 5–8.
Promising reviews: "Our 4-year-old is always pestering us to 'let me see the pictures' of her books every night, making storytime drag on forever, so I thought this would be great to chill her out at bedtime. NOT! She laughs so hard she gets the hiccups and has tears rolling down her face by the time we're two thirds through the book! What a perfect idea!" —Straight Outta the Suburbs
"As a teacher I love this book. I’ve gifted this book so many times to ages 3-6 and everyone who’s ever sat to read it can’t help but laugh when your child’s giggles away. Truly a fun book to read. Highly recommend!" —lauren kane
Get it from Amazon for $9.90.
29. A Crayola light-up tracing pad, perfect for young artists who want to learn how to draw their favorite characters but aren't quite skilled enough to freehand them.
The tracing pad comes with the light-up board, 10 tracing sheets, 10 blank sheets, a graphite pencil, and 12 short colored pencils. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Don't forget the AA batteries!
Promising review: "I bought this as a gift for our 6-year-old. Our son immediately used the tracing pad as soon as he opened the box. As a mom who cannot draw, this item comes very handy because I don't have to trace on my computer, LOL. Now my son can do his own tracing. It came with drawings that he actually traced and choices of clothes and accessories to draw on the character. This tracing pad is absolutely not just for the kids but also for the kid at heart." —Samproad11
Get it from Amazon for $26.99+ (available in five colors).
30. A Dyson Ball toy vacuum with the ability to actually suck up the crackers your kiddo crushed into your carpet — it's about time they started helping around the house. 😉
Promising review: "Our son is absolutely obsessed with our Dyson (the real one). Which is why we purchased this toy Dyson vacuum for his birthday. He's 2-years-old and he is really enjoying having his on 'working' vacuum cleaner!!! He seriously plays with it for hours during the day. Turning it on and off and pushing it through the house just like we use our real vacuum. I would buy this again! It was his favorite gift!." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in three colors).
31. A pack of parachute toys they'll love tossing from the second floor and watching float down over and over without pestering you to help them untangle them — a win for you both!
Promising reviews: "I bought these for my 4-year-old nephew and 2-year-old niece for when they come to visit. Right out of the box, they were excited and loved tossing them up in the air and watching them fall. I was amazed as to how long it kept their interest and the different ways they played with them. They dropped them off the stair landing, off the couch, in the yard and held them behind them to expand as they ran. My niece liked 'dancing' with them and twirling it around. Good colors and very well made. Hours of fun and the best $7 I ever spent on a toy!" —hiker0811
"I gave these to my grandchildren at Christmas. They loved them. They couldn’t stop playing with him. A very simple gift that doesn’t need batteries or help from adults; all it needs is a child who wants to play." —cj
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two colors).
32. A LeapFrog 100 Words Book that'll interact with your eager-to-learn little one and teach them all kinds of useful words in both English and Spanish!
Promising review: "This thing is so cute and my 10-month-old loves it . My niece also got one and she is 3 and loves it as well. My som loves books, just holding them and turning the pages while looking. So his face lit up when he was able to point to the pictures and it read to him what he was pointing at. Also they are high quality and don't feel breakable or flimsy. I will be gifting these to all my friends who have babies or toddlers!" —Taylor
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
33. Family Feud: Disney Edition, filled with 400 Disney questions for the family who is constantly arguing over who really deserves the title of "Biggest Fan." Think you're ready to take on everyone and anyone? Survey says... yes!
Promising reviews: "We love this game! Gave it to my sons for Christmas and played with family on Christmas Day. We had the best time ever! Laughed non stop. Hands down one of our favorite games." —DM
"Easy to learn, great price, it would be a great gift for a Disney fan and would be a great addition for family game night as a quick game, or hours of fun." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $22.
34. A Little People Toddler Play set Disney Princess featuring lights, sounds, two characters and a whooooole lot of magic to keep your kiddo entertained.
My son has a ton of Little People figures, so we were thrilled to get this castle as a gift. There's zero discrimination — everyone from the Disney Princesses to construction workers and tractor drivers get to hang in Noah's castle 😉. There is literally zero set up (a parent's dream!) so your kiddo can start playing immediately. Noah loves putting different characters at the top of the castle and pushing them in the tiny swing. The Princess details throughout the toy are *so* fun and adorable. We love this toy, simple as that.
Promising review: "Perfect gift! My toddler loves it. A bonus is that it makes a wide variety of music and magical noises when they move certain things so it keeps their interest and the variety of sounds is wide enough that it won't irritate parents. Comes with two princesses, Jasmine and Cinderella, and is compatible with all the Little People figurines if you want to buy more." —H.O.
Get it from Amazon for $44.97 and if you're looking for similar toddler-approved items, my son also has and loves the Little People Car Wash!
35. Or a Minnie Mouse "Bow-tel" Hotel with so many exciting features your little one won't know what else to do but squeal with joy — seriously, it has four levels, a slide, lights, and sounds.
Promising review: "Super cute, great for children who aren’t old enough to play with houses that have tiny pieces. My niece loves Minnie Mouse and was super happy to open it for her Christmas present." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $52.99.
36. A flower-building activity set they can use to create a beautiful garden of their own even if it's absolutely dreary outside — and they can do it without going near any soil (a parenting win, TBH).
Promising reviews: "I bought this flower garden as a gift for my 3-year-old daughter. She absolutely loves it! She has always enjoyed blocks and this is something different that has kept her engaged for hours! We highly recommend this product to others!!" —Ashley Petersen
"My kids love making different gardens. This was one of the most used Christmas gifts from this past year. Allows for creativity!" —Amanda Mudd
Get it from Amazon for $8.98+ (available in two sizes).
37. A handheld card reader for kiddos who are eager to learn new words — all you have to do is turn it on, slide a card in, and let the machine read it aloud. There are two words per card, so your little one will be chatting up a storm in no time!
My son has this toy and has, honestly, learned SO much from it. Animal and vehicle sounds make noises after the word has been read out (his favorite is firetruck, of course). It's so simple that little ones will easily pick up on how to maneuver the machine on their own. It's a very basic toy, but my toddler loves it more than most of his others! Additionally, my best friend is a speech-language pathologist and uses it with her students.
Promising reviews: "Wow! That's all I have to say! The technology behind this toy is fantastic! My daughter is learning by the day and she loves this toy! It teaches her, keeps her entertained, and helps her pronounce words correctly. I recommend all parents to purchase this!!!" —Jon monterrosa
"Makes a great gift for toddlers. My nephew was having trouble pronouncing words and after a month of using it he started pronouncing words clearly and started to talk more." —Jennifer
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in eight styles).
38. A fan favorite reversible octopus that'll become your child's favorite companion while also encouraging them to be open about how they're feeling at any given time. Fingers crossed they're smiling when you present them what you made for dinner tonight...
TeeTurtle is a small business! Reviewers noted that it's a great item for anyone who is nonverbal.
Promising review: "This was a gift for my sister, and she loves it! The little guy was soft and squishy, but also felt durable as well. I’ve had many plushes myself, so I know good stitching/fabric when I feel it. For the price point of this guy, you’re getting a good product that will make whoever gets these happy for a long time. An excellent reversible friend!" —Emily Mitchell
Get it from Amazon for $13.59 (available in 45 styles).
39. A set of satisfying tempera paint sticks you'll love as much as your toddler because they're *so* easy to paint with and they dry super fast. A win for everyone!
The Pencil Grip is a small business!
Promising reviews: "Best invention almost ever (there’s still sliced bread). I mean how can you go wrong with paint in a stick?!! I mean certainly a toddler can go wrong with it. A toddler can go wrong somehow with a spaghetti noodle!!! But seriously, I saw these paint sticks at one of our local art galleries and it was an immediate MUST HAVE!!! Vibrant colors and they fit in little hands SO well!!! My kiddo loves them and so does her Momma!!" —RNinMD70
"I love using these with our family or giving them as easy birthday gifts. They work on so many different kinds of materials, like paper, rocks, cardboard, pumpkins, etc. and most colors wash pretty easily out of clothes. A much easier option than traditional paints, but a similar effect." —Carolyn
Get a pack of 24 pens from Amazon for $23.99+ (also available in larger quantities).
Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.