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 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 $14.41 (available in 37 styles).
2. Silly Poopy's Hide and Seek — which is pretty much exactly what you'd think it is. It's a rainbow-colored, 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.
3. Crayola Globbles, a fun lil' toy they 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 review: "If you wanna keep children busy for hours, get these. You can’t beat this price for that many and they are reusable and washable. Just rinse them and rub them under the water and they are like new again. Our 1- and 3-year-old love them. Highly recommend these products." —E2j2c4
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $10.69+ (also available in a pack of 16).
4. 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: "My 1-year-old loves to touch the different animals and hear the book say their name and animal sound. He’s got a good vocabulary, but we’re working with him to encourage more and more words. His doctor recommended teaching him animals and the sound they make, so this is great to add to what we’re already doing. Great toy that is fun and also teaches. They learn through repetition — and this was just what I was looking for! I also love that this toy will grow with him. He using the name/sound mode right now, but is also has a mode that gives facts for when he’s older and also has Spanish! 10/10 recommend." —Jessica Grace
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
5. 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.
Promising review: "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
Get it from Amazon for $41.99.
6. A themed binder to store all of their precious Pokémon cards inside — it'll make toting them to trade with their friends so much easier (and, hopefully, you won't find cards lying all over your living room anymore).
Complete the little gift with a fresh pack of Pokémon cards while you're at it!
Promising review: "Great quality binder for price. Bought for my 7-year-old son to collect and start his Pokémon. He loved it. Upon opening first thing I noticed was how durable and soft to the touch the leather like material on outside was. Shipping was fast. Price was good and accurate description." —Sam
Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (available in four colors and two sizes).
7. A Craft-tastic "Make a Fox Friend" kit that'll teach budding designers the basics of sewing and help them create a wardrobe for their new stuffed pal. (And they also will craft it themselves!)
Each kit comes with six garments, eight accessories, kid-friendly plastic needle, thread, a fox, and easy-to-follow instructions. For ages 5+.
Craft-tastic is a woman-owned small business based in Michigan. All their products are focused on teaching kids new skills and limiting screen time.
Promising review: "This craft was a hit! The fox was very easy to put together and it turned out so cute! You have to make the tutu by tying a bunch of knots but other than that all of the clothes are ready to go and do not require sewing! The fox came with a little fabric bag to conveniently store it for travel. The materials in the craft are good quality and hopefully will last a while. My daughter loved this little cute fox!" —Olivia O.
Get it from Amazon for $19.26 (also available in mouse, bunny, and koala versions).
8. An affordable drone to take playtime to *~new heights~*. You might just find yourself reaching for the controller when your little tech-lover goes down for a nap.
Promising review: "Awesome, easy to use and learn drone that entertains me and my 2-year-old for hours. Very steady, fast, and with two long-lasting batteries with two chargers. I bump it into walls. Sometimes drops from 10-plus feet without issues. It goes pretty high outside without issues but I think it's intended as an indoor drone. Very sturdy. Bottom has soft plastic rubber pieces for soft landings and bumpers around blades help protect it. Love it!" —Laura Pena
Get it from Amazon for $31.98+ (available in three colors).
9. A set of Crayola Scribble Scrubbie pets little ones can use over and over — they can color the lil' creatures all shades of the rainbow, toss 'em in the toy tub for a good scrubbing, then do it all again!
The Peculiar Pets set includes: one dragon, one narwhal, one yeti, one unicorn, one sparkly scrub tub, one scrub brush, nine washable markers, one standing play mat, and an instruction sheet.
Promising review: "My daughter LOVES coloring, stickers, drawing, etc. so when I saw this prior to her fourth birthday, I thought she would enjoy it. It was a HUGE hit and it will regularly keep her occupied for an hour or so at a time coloring, cleaning, and coloring again (with only minor help when asked for more help cleaning and drying). Even my 6-year-old son who doesn't usually color or draw will join her periodically and seems to enjoy it. The markers are short and skinny, great for small hands." —a.b.
Get it from Amazon for $25.99.
10. 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 review: "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
Get it from Amazon for $8.99.
11. 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.
12. A ring toss set to help you all work on your 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 $24.99.
13. A hook and ring game that'll take up minimal space — if you don't have a huge area to work with you'll still be able to set up some outdoor fun for your kids.
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 $29.99+ (available in three sizes).
14. 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: "Scissors skills are important both in and of themselves and because it strengthens the hand muscles to be used for learning to write. My 4-year-old LOVES this book. We received it this week and she has used it for a couple of hours each day. Many of the pages are cutting things out and putting them together (four-scoop ice cream cone, pizza with pepperonis, the components to build a house or a car, puzzles). We've used tape or glue to put the components together. This book is interesting enough to have caught the attention of my older children as well, although I make them let her do the cutting. :D Would make a great gift as it is so unique." —Mom of 7
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
15. A Bingo game that'll make teaching sight words to your kiddo a bit more fun-filled — they might even want to sit down and learn with you. (Can you imagine???)
The set comes with 36 playing cards, 264 playing chips, caller's mat and cards, and a storage box. This version is a fun twist on the classic, but instead of calling out numbers, the leader calls out words (there are 46 most-used words), players search their cards for a match and place a red chip on the match. Once a player has covered the spaces on their card needed to win, they call BINGO!
Promising review: "Getting my daughter to do sight words has been a nightmare lately, she pretends she has no idea what anything is and refuses to sit down and try. But, with this game, she wants to play for hours!!! I give her two cards and we all play together as a family, she thinks it is the best game and it really is helping her learn her sight words!! Finally something that gets her excited about learning!!" —Rebecca
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
16. A Grogu Tamagotchi your little Jedi will absolutely cherish — be sure to warn them about the heartache that typically comes along with attempting to care for one of these babies while also living your own life...😅 IYKYK.
Promising review: "This was an additional birthday gift for my Grandson, and I was surprised when it became his favorite gift. Easy to use and still a favorite among the pre-teen kids." —Bobby Kimbrough
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
17. An InnyBin for tots with an endless amount of curiosity — it comes with chunky shapes for them to push through the elastic bands and into the cube. (We love fine motor skills!)
Promising review: "I ordered this for my 2-year-old's birthday who has Down syndrome. He absolutely loves putting things inside of other things. This toy out of many he received for his birthday was the absolute best. He will literally play for hours with it!! He definitely enjoys this!! Great buy, great toy!!! Y’all did amazing on this!!!!" —Ruthie Brenneman
Get it from Amazon for $27.95.
18. Otrio, a twist on the classic tic-tac-toe that'll quickly be added into your family's game night rotation. From your tyke to your teen, everyone will enjoy getting involved in this one.
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: "Perfect game for all ages. My 8-year-old daughter, 12-year-old son, and 70-year-old mother enjoyed playing together for hours." —A. Rosen
Get it from Amazon for $19.98+ (available in three materials).
19. A solar-powered DIY robot kit, you don't have to send your kiddo to a fancy STEM camp to get the *gears* in their head turning. This one kit will let them make 12 different robots!
The kit includes190 pieces, a solar panel, and detailed instructions.
Promising review: "I purchased this as a gift for an 8-year-old boy. He loves to build, loves robotics, dinosaurs, and Godzilla. :) He LOVES this set! He sits for hours on end, which is an amazing accomplishment for any 8-year-old, playing with and building all the different robot toys. And, this isn't just for little boys. A friends 8-year-old daughter loves them, the 48-year-old parent loves them, and the 75-year-old grandpa loves them. Fun for the whole family!" —MBC
Get it from Amazon for $18.99+ (clip the coupon to save $3; available in two colors).
20. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza — a card game they can play together as a family. Hope their little ones are ready for endless giggles!
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! Additionally, this game is made by a small business!
Promising review: "The title says it all! You must buy this game if you’re looking to get your kids off their butts, computers, phones, or TV! My children sat for hours, five to be exact, just playing this and laughing. It was a lot of fun for my husband and I to hear them not fighting and doing something together. Loads of fun!! We even loved playing with them!! 🥰🤘" —Melinda Haiden
Get it from Amazon for $9.84.
21. A Disney princess necklace activity set tiny fashionistas will be so excited to get their hands on to create their own baubles — be prepared to give them your full attention when they're ready to show 'em off!
My preschooler is OBSESSED with making these necklaces and I love that it keeps her off the screen. She totes her creations around in the adorable carry case and enjoys making Mommy (and Daddy!) wear them.
Promising review: "My 3-year-old twins loved it, entertained for hours which is rare and so worth $7. Perfect for teaching coordination, color patterns, encourages creativity. The necklaces are a soft, stretchy material with a safe breakaway clasp but that also stays on well. I wore a necklace for hours around the house & didn't fall off. The beads are cute and a good variety of colors. Overall great project, loads of fun for toddlers." —Lyss
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
22. 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 review: "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
Get it from Amazon for $13.98.
23. An Uno Minecraft card game because it's the *one* thing that'll get your kids excited about game night and taking a break from their screens.
Promising review: "My sons (7 and 4) love Minecraft! I purchased this for my 7-year-old as a birthday present and we play almost every day. So easy to play that my 4-year-old can play too and doesn’t need to ‘be on a team.’ Hours of fun for such a simple game." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $8.90.
24. A remote control stunt car with the ability to spin 360 degrees and zip across carpet, hardwood, grass, dirt, or gravel — your kiddo is going to be shocked when you present them with this fun activity.
Promising review: "My 6-year-old son plays with this every day since we opened it up! He has brought it to the neighbors to show it to them and everyone thinks it's such a fun little toy with all the tricks it can do. I am quite impressed with how easily it glides from concrete to the grass, and over obstacles without getting stuck. Hours of fun! —Rebecca A
Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in two colors; clip the coupon on the product page to save 20%).
25. 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 kit comes with the giant bubble wand, two pouches of bubble concentrate, and a booklet to help you become a skilled bubble creator! Also, Wowmazing is a small business.
Promising review: "Fantastic product!! My 8-year-old son played outside with them for two solid hours...unplugged...happy as can be! I definitely recommend and will buy again!." —Pxysis
Get it from Amazon for $15.95+ (available in seven styles).
26. 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 review: "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
Get a pack of 24 pens from Amazon for $23.03.
27. A pack of oversized sidewalk chalk they'll be *so* excited over they might just forget to pester you about extra screen time — encourage them to create all kinds of art in your driveway or leave funny messages for passersby.
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 four other packs).
28. A set of 500+ puffy stickers any crafty kiddo would squeal with delight about — 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 $5.99.
29. An arts and crafts kit chock full of everything and anything to inspire your little one to create a fun paper plate animal friend to hang with (so you can get some chores done, finally).
The set comes with 12 cute animal pattern cards, 12 colored paper trays, and 144 double-sided foam adhesives.
Promising review: "This craft kit is easy for a toddler to manage and creates cute animals. The double sided adhesive works very well." —Beachy1
Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in three styles).
30. Handcrafted, nontoxic constellation blocks you and your mini-me can use to learn the symbols, names, hemispheres, and scale of magnitude for 16 constellations in the night sky. Will I pressure my kids into learning about their horoscopes? Yes, yes I will.
Uncle Goose is a small business!
Former BuzzFeed editor (and father of two) John Mihaly has these blocks:
"These are perhaps the most beautifully designed and interesting set of wooden blocks that's I've ever encountered. I liked them so much I bought them way before my kid would even be able to use them. Having nearly failed my astronomy course in college, I figured this would be a great way for us to learn all about the constellations together as I pretend to know what I'm talking about. So when my kid asks, 'Dad, where is Orion's belt?' I won't have to answer, 'Around his waist.'"
Get a set of 16 blocks from Amazon for $27.
31. A foam pogo stick that'll give you an extremely good reason to introduce "Jumpin', Jumpin'" by Destiny's Child into your kids' lives.
It can hold up to 250 lbs and can be used both indoors and outdoors (though reviewers note if you are going to use it outside try to stay away from concrete). Flybar is a small business.
Promising review: "My 4-year-old loves it. She uses it inside and outside and hasn’t managed to hurt herself or break anything in the process. She’s fairly lightweight for her age, so it doesn’t squeak every time she jumps. This works out perfectly for us as it’s an additional challenge for her to make it squeak. She plays with it often! I’d give it 10 stars if I could." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $15.99 (available in 17 styles).
32. A Disney Animators' Collection Elsa play set for the kiddo who simply has never been able to "Let It Go" when it comes to their love for Frozen.
Get it from shopDisney for $24.99.
33. And a plush frog prince with the cutest little grin on its face — so squishy and cuddly you might find yourself giving it a lil' squeeze after your kids go to bed for the night.
Promising review: "I love him so so much. He’s been crowned the frog king and he is under shared custody with all of my friends every few days. I love him so much. He is also such an amazing pillow." —Terri Sena
Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in four colors and three sizes).
Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.