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 set of dolls inspired by Ariel and her sisters in the new live action version of The Little Mermaid — because what kid wouldn't love making a squad of beautiful mermaids swim during their bath time or while playing in their kiddo pool?!
Promising review: "These are gorgeous. The details… wow. I mean, for kids toys, I was pretty surprised. And my daughter is in love, which is all that matters when you buy toys." —Katie Littrell
Get a set of seven from Amazon for $33.99.
2. A light-up fountain bath toy you can count on to keep kiddos entertained for a whale-y long time in the tub.
Promising review: "This toy is super cute. Once charged, it starts working immediately when you put it in the water. The light changes color and it spouts out water. It comes with various different parts that allow for different types of water sprinkles. And one even levitates the ball that’s included. Super cute and very exciting during first time use. Our 3-year-old loves it!" —JMiff
Get it from Amazon for $12.98+ (available in three colors and in a rechargeable version).
3. Melissa & Doug My First Daily Magnetic Activities Calendar to teach little ones about the day, month, year, season, and more! It comes with 80 magnets parents can easily store on the hinged dry erase board when they're not in use.
Promising review: "Loved this product! Super easy to use, especially with little fingers. Has tons of holidays and activities. My son is learning so much! He loves changing the date and weather every day. So kid friendly. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. So helpful with teaching my son in a fun and creative way. Definitely high quality, will last forever! Thanks again! A+++!!!" —Candace H.
Get it from Amazon for $21.99.
4. A giant bubble kit so enchanting, even the most angsty of kids won't be able to resist giving them a go.
The kit comes with the giant bubble wand, two pouches of bubble concentrate, and a booklet to help you become a skilled bubble creator!
Promising review: "Love this!! Easy for kids to use — my 6-year-old son figured it out pretty quick — and fun for adults as well (my husband and I might have played with it as much as our son did...) Makes amazing bubbles. The bubble mix it comes with is fantastic." —Thomas Durant
Get it from Amazon for $15.95+ (available in six styles).
5. Or a bubble machine that'll have kids scoffing at the old handheld bubble wands they're used to using — this one will take playtime to the next level without filling the house with extra noise.
See this bubble machine in action on TikTok here.
This bubble maker includes: bubble gun, two bottles of bubble solution, a rechargeable battery, a charger, and a plate to place the bubble solution.
Promising review: "I ordered this for my daughter's birthday and she has always loved bubbles! So when I found this bubble gun on TikTok, it was a no-brainer. The amount of bubbles that you get out of that is so fun and it lights up. It's easy to use and pretty inexpensive for what we wanted. Even the adults enjoyed it." —Tina
Get it from Amazon for $35.99+ (available in six colors).
6. An Encanto Fisher-Price Little People set complete with seven of the characters from the film — it'll give toddlers the perfect excuse to start belting out "The Family Madrigal" while introducing each of the dolls to whoever will listen.
My child is OBSESSED (truly an understatement) with Encanto, so I ordered these the moment I laid my eyes on them. He also adores the current Fisher-Price Little People he already owns, so I know these are going to get a lot of use! The set comes with figures of Mirabel, Luisa, Isabela, Camilo, Dolores, Antonio, and Bruno.
Get them from Amazon for $21.99.
7. Reusable water balloons made of eco-friendly material — sooooo easy to fill so parents will spend less time prepping and more time indulging in an intense water balloon battle alongside their kiddos.
Promising review: "The adults in this house love water balloons but not the mess…plus with toddlers around, it didn’t quite make sense to have water balloons but we saw a random video on TikTok and HAD to find reusable water balloons to try out. These were the first ones we bought to try out, and WHOA we were blown away! Super easy too for the 2- and 3-year-old to use, which means more fun for all of us!! Do not think twice or continue with regular water balloons, you’ll waste precious time cleaning up and filling that could be used to make memories." —Taurus
Get a four-pack from Amazon for $16.99+ (also available in packs of 6, 12, and 16).
8. A classic Little Tikes slide you may have had when *you* were a kid — it's extremely easy to set up and will provide your any little one with hours of fun (just wait until they discover they can climb back up the slide all on their own).
My son got this as a gift for his first birthday and he loooooves it. It took my husband literally 5 minutes (if that) to put it together, as it's only two pieces. It's been very durable in the few months we've had it outside and it's very simple to clean (we use the leaf blower to quickly get rid of any debris from the trees above). It's a simple toy but it brings my kid so much joy!
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
9. A set of sand castle molds that'll make a perfect gift for any kiddo with a summer birthday — they'll have the *best* time hanging out at the beach making homes for sand crabs.
Promising review: "So glad we bought these for our beach trip this year. My 5- and 2-year-olds had so much fun making multiple sandcastles using these. With the right amount of water and sand mixed, they were easy to use. Also great to use them as baskets!" —HS
Get a set of four from Amazon for $12.99.
10. And collapsible buckets parents will love because they won't take up precious cargo space in their trunk — which you and I both know is packed to the brim when you bring kids anywhere, let alone the beach.
11. A set of adjustable mesh "sea shell collecting" bags tykes can use to gather all the exciting treasures they find while strolling along the beach or, honestly, even in their own backyard!
Promising review: "I bought these for my kids to use on vacation where we'd be camping and doing lots of outdoor activities. They used them to collect rocks and other interesting finds. They held up well and several months later with use at home there are no rips or tears. The mesh was convenient when collecting rocks on the beach, and we wanted to hose everything down before bringing them inside. They have an adjustable strap and very easily fit all of my kids ranging from 2–10 (could fit older kids, too). I highly recommend!" —a_bennet
Get a set of three from Amazon for $11.84+ (available in two sizes and four color combinations).
12. 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: "My daughter's been really into cutting up her coloring books lately so when I saw this I knew she’d love it. The concepts of the different pages are very cute, some are slices of pizza, some are ice cream cones with scoops of ice cream, a windy snake, all very cute and she really has fun with this." —Emrogers
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
13. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza — a card game they can play together as a family at the beach as the weather warms up again. Hope they're all 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!
Promising review: "This game is so fun! My kids, 8 and 6, love to play and they caught on quickly. It always makes us laugh and we also get competitive. Its a great game to teach kids to be gracious winners and losers because its so fun and silly. Quickly became the one they ask to play the most often (and one I don't hate saying yes to)." —Sarah
Get it from Amazon for $9.84.
14. 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: "This game is HILARIOUS. My kids love playing with it and taking turns hiding it (8, 6, and 3 years). They all think poop is funny and run around yelling 'Silly Poopy, where are you?' It keeps them busy for at least half an hour at a time and they leave me alone. Also? It's pretty durable. I found it outside in my garden in the 20-degree winter weather. I guess my 8-year-old left it out there for a few days. It also gets thrown down the stairs and Silly Poopy just keeps on giggling and having fun." —Adele
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
15. 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 review: "I bought two of these as gifts. If you're 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
Get them from Amazon for $11.99.
16. Crayola Globbles, a fun lil' toy they can use to burn off some steam when they need a quick mental break. Don't worry, they won't leave residue on any walls.
Promising review: "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
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $10.69.
17. 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 review: "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
Get them from Amazon for $7.99.
18. A "Mega Craft" kit filled with everything kids need to put together some exciting mosaic, pottery, and marbling crafts — it'll inspire them to create something fantastic.
The kit comes with 100 components that come together to create 19 pieces of art.
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
19. An old-school game like Battleship that'll give kids an excuse to shout "I SUNK YOUR BATTLESHIP!" 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 review: "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
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
20. A handmade stuffed animal with precious fairy-tale vibes unlike any other they own — each animal has a full backstory and an array of clothing to accessorize both the child and the doll with.
I'm actually obsessed with these dolls. My son has Owen the Fox and he looks so darn cute in his room. You can tell how carefully crafted each doll is and how much thought went into developing them into a full fledged character. Each item is handmade of organic materials — amazing. Hazel Village is a small business based in Brooklyn, New York.
Get an animal plush from Hazel Village for $44 (available in 21 styles) and check out the doll clothing options here.
21. A balance bike that'll leave any little one grinning from ear-to-ear — hope their parents are prepared to run after them though because they're going to be zoooooming away in no time.
Promising review: "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
Get it from Amazon for $54.99+ (available in 10 colors).
22. The Book with No Pictures by The Office's own B.J. Novak that'll leave parents and kiddos alike giggling past their bedtime.
The book is recommended for ages 5–8.
Promising review: "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
Get it from Amazon for $9.90.
23. 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 $17.48+ (available in five colors).
24. 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 review: "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
Get it from Amazon for $49.99 for a 32-piece set or $119.96 for a 100-piece set.
25. A Winnie the Pooh Lego set in which kids get to build his iconic home — complete with a "Mr. Sanders" sign and all of the memorable Hundred Acre Wood characters. Delightful!
26. A geode-breaking activity from National Geographic that'll give kids an excuse to (safely) pick up a hammer and smash rocks in half. The best part? The cracked-open rocks will reveal stunning crystal centers they can learn about.
Promising review: "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
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two styles).
27. Villainous, a must-have for all Disney fans who typically prefer the likes of Maleficent, Ursula, and Jafar. Hope everyone has their evil laugh prepared.
A round of this game is typically 50 minutes and is recommended for kids 10 and up.
Promising review: "I love board games, particularly more adventurous and more adult ones, but getting my wife to play them with me is like pulling teeth. This one is very easy to learn but a challenge to master, which makes it accessible for those who are casual board gamers but enjoyable for the more hardcore enthusiast. Each playthrough is different depending on what characters each player chooses, the strategy they apply, and the random draw of the cards. Can't wait until they release expansions with new villains." —Phil
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
28. A pack of oversized sidewalk chalk kids will be *so* excited over they might just forget to pester their parents about extra screen time — they'll encourage them to create all kinds of art in the driveway or leave funny messages for passersbys.
Urban Infant is a Chicago-based small business run by a brother/sister duo making unique and useful parenting products.
Promising review: "Our 1-year-old loves these. It was his first time using chalk and he had no trouble with them. They are pretty thick; doesn't matter how he holds them, there will be contact with the surface and there will be color!" —JW
Get it from Urban Infant on Amazon for $11.95 (also available in glitter chalk).
29. 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 their parent for once and snap some cool pics of Mom or Dad 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 $49.45+ (available in three colors).
30. A kids' bow and arrow with foam-tipped arrows, so tweens who just finished reading The Hunger Games for the first time can embrace their inner-Katniss and indulge in some (safe) target practice.
Marky Sparky is a small business crafting games you and your kid can play outside.
Promising review: "Our 5-year-old son loves to take this to the park with dad. Even dad loves to shoot the arrows! It attracts all of the other kids at the playground/ park so be prepared to share, haha." —J.
Get it from Marky Sparky on Amazon for $29.99.
31. Waterproof playing cards so kiddos can get a fierce game of Go Fish going without fear of the moment they'll inevitably spill their drink all over the table.
Promising review: "These playing cards are a HIT. I take them out with me for social events and when visiting people, even to the beach. We just play and play. So you can get them wet and they won't soggy up and tear it just become a little hard to shuffle. It is so cool that they look like you can see right straight through them but you can't." —Tabs
Get them from Amazon for $6.97.
32. A ring toss set to help the whole family work on their hand-eye coordination and encourage some ~friendly~ competition.
The set comes with five rope rings, five blue rings, five red rings, a sturdy wooden base, and a carrying case.
Promising review: "Great for the whole family. It's so simple, but good to get the kids outside having fun as a family." —Jessie Lee
Get it from Amazon for $18.62.
33. A 2-in-1 checkers and tic tac toe game with checkers on one side and tic-tac-toe on the other, a must-have for any family who would rather exercise their brain muscles.
The game mat measures 4' x 4' and is machine washable! It comes with a carrying bag and 24 jumbo playing discs (12 red and 12 black). The discs are made of non-toxic recycled EVA foam.
Swooc Games is a small business that makes fun games for family and friends. The company is committed to maintaining a net zero footprint by planting trees to offset 100% of its carbon emissions.
Promising review: "This 4' x 4' reversible game mat is great for indoor and outdoor fun! I love that you can play Checkers or Tic Tac Toe and all of the supplies fit in a portable bag that is perfect for storage and/or traveling. The mat is machine washable and the pieces are made of foam that is eco-friendly. The best part about this game set is how easy it is to set up and put away. I am looking forward to using this game with friends, family, and in my classroom." —Sixth Grade Teachers
Get it from Amazon for $39.99.
34. Flickin' Chicken will have families cackling from the first time they play. Players are encouraged to make up their own rules so you'll have a different experience every time.
Promising review: "So yes, the chickens bounce everywhere. But that's what makes it fun! Get creative and put a hula hoop around the target to create levels of points awarded. It really is impossible to get the chicken on that small red target so make a wider range. These are fun on the lawn or in the pool. They float and you can try to toss them into donut-shaped pool floaties. These chickens are all-around fun to play with and you can make a game out of them so many ways. The kids played with the chickens for hours and adults have fun with them too." —E. Barnes
Get it from Amazon for $23.99.
35. Twister Splash — because why bother settling for the original when you can take it to the next level an add *water* into the mix? Kiddos will be so happy to have this on-hand when the next heat wave rolls around.
The game comes with an inflatable splash mat, hose connector, waterproof spinner, and gameplay instructions.
Promising review: "Fun for all ages. Such a fun twist on an already loved game! This kept my 4- and 7-year-olds' attention for a while! Each spot you put your hand on sprays water, whoever stays up the longest wins! Even the adults had to try it out. I was a little nervous with the quality of the plastic, but it withheld adults and kids moving all around it without any holes." —Deborah Gaffney
Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (also available in a larger size).
36. A hook and ring game that'll take up minimal space — if they don't have a huge area to work with they'll still be able to enjoy some summer fun.
Tiki Toss is a small business that took a classic hook and ring game to the next level by creating several unique ways to play it.
Promising review: "We all love this game. Everyone who comes over cannot stop playing Tiki Toss. So simple and so fun. Quality and design of product is fantastic. Also makes a great gift." —jzek
Get it from Amazon for $21.43+ (available in three sizes).
37. A miniature golf set families can use to create a course right in their backyard — no need to spend a bunch of money taking the entire family out for mini golf. They can get crafty and set up all kinds of challenging obstacles to make it different each time they play.
Set comes with nine holes, four golf balls, and a dry-erase scorecard. To play at night like the reviewers above, grab some light-up golf balls. And don't forget clubs!
Promising review: "We tried to set it up in the grass, and that's not really ideal but on a patio or down a hall — it's so much better. The silicone molding is so lightweight and the little flag centers are marvelous to make you feel like you are more than a new learner! The set is complete with four foam balls and a score board that you use a dry-erase marker on. GREAT to use only a few of the pieces for a short game for kiddos or the entire set for a more competitive experience." —Momakookie
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
The birthday child enjoying every minute with their new gifts:
