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 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.
2. A rechargeable kids' karaoke microphone with four voice effects (high pitch, low pitch, chipmunk, and echo) for young crooners to sing along with their favorite songs (via Bluetooth connecting with a music app) or to 30 included Motown hits (like “Superstition”!).
3. A "magical" CMY cube (cyan, magenta, yellow) that can be an easy anxiety reliever for kids (and adults) as they twist and turn the geometry to create new color combos.
4. A Moving Creations with K'nex building kit for young STEM enthusiasts who'd love nothing more than to build working rockets, catapults, and multiple science-based experiments (that won't result in any damage to the home).
5. An Educational Insights Circuit Explorer Rover for exploring the world of simple circuitry through buildable space-based vehicles and play sets. if your kid shows any interest in engineering or NASA then this is a must-get toy for them.
I had a chance to see this play set in all of its glory earlier this year at Toy Fair and I've been anxiously awaiting its release. It reminds me so much of space-related toys I grew up with like Robotix or Starcom. But these sets are next level and teach the very basics of building a circuit and, well, making things go! Can't wait until my son is old enough to play with these!
Get it from Amazon for $25.99.
6. A two-pack of Pop Fidget llama sensory toys that kids will literally decompress in order to, well, decompress themselves if they're feeling stressed or anxious. Such a simple (and helpful) solution.
7. A glow-in-the-dark Crayola light-up tracing pad with 100+ traceable images so aspiring artists (and inkers) can hone their artistic skills via the medium of colored pencil.
8. A ThinkFun Gravity Maze falling marble logic game because kids love marbles and adults love when marbles are contained and aren't spilling out all over the floor.
9. An augmented reality interactive globe for exploring 1,000+ world facts (via an app) spread across categories like animals, cultures, monuments, inventions, maps, and cuisines of the world.
10. A ThinkFun Dog Crimes logic and brainteaser game with 40 canine-themed mysteries to solve, like "Who ate the homework" and "Who took a massive...," well, maybe not that one.
11. A 5,500-piece bucket of Perler beads — pieces of which you'll be finding around the house well into the kid's teen years — but hey, nothing combines arts and crafts with ironing quite like this.
12. An indoor/outdoor hanging seat hammock to give kids a peaceful place to escape to while enjoying the soothing swinging sensations from their own little above-ground nook.
13. A National Geographic Mega Crystal Growing Lab that makes chemistry fun and colorful for the kiddies. Grow blue, pink, red, purple, green, orange, yellow, and teal crystals and make them glow with a night-light display.
Promising reviews: "My 6-year-old loved this. It's a great opportunity for hands-on science and teaching basic lab safety and techniques. We made one to two crystals at a time and improved our processes along the way. One batch we left for four weeks and they were a lot larger than the 7–10-day crystals so let some grow longer if your kids allow! Also, it comes with some sample gems and a small book on gems. My 6-year-old found it really interesting and brought the book and gems to school to share with her class. Great set. Highly recommend." —Sarah
Get it from Amazon for $29.71+ (available in two sizes).
14. A kids' origami kit that inlcudes 54 different paper projects (and luckily 55 pieces of paper) for nimble little fingers to learn the fine art of paper folding. Just be prepared for the migration of cranes that will soon be landing all over your home.
15. A vintage-style personalized initial cap with wool lettering because the kids are still young enough not to have the lifelong pain of your personal sports fandom fully inflicted on them just yet. "But daddddd, the Mets suck!"
16. A Popdarts suction cup throwing game to encourage players young and old to put down the screens and engage with some good old-fashioned family fun (and competition). There's no more satisfying sound than hearing on of these darts stick to a surface!
17. A pair of foldable, pop-up soccer nets with a carrying case so no matter the pitch, the kids will be able to practice or play some footie. Goallllll!
18. A five-pack 3D coloring puzzle set that's equals parts calming and chill (the coloring) and problem solving (the puzzling). And instead of putting the puzzle back into the box, kids can display their colorful works of art in their rooms.
19. A Roblox Ninja Legends deluxe play set that puts the online gaming world of Roblox in the hands of lil' ninjas to build their favorite characters exactly how they want with an array of mix and match accessories.
20. A Whirly Board spinning balance board made from Canadian maple skateboard decks topped with grip tape for fun agility training (for kids and adults), especially for those future skaters of America!
21. A waterproof pair of walkie-talkies that includes two compass bracelets and 22 channels that work up to a 3-mile distance. This is a great "get-them-outdoors" type of prezzie. Over and out!
22. A durable, light-up-the-sky RC-controlled quadcopter drone with protective guards (no fingers getting sliced by the propellers) and one-click takeoff/landing so newbies can get a handle for flying/hovering right out of the box.
23. A vinyl Organauts figurine to teach curious children about the organs of the human body with super fun (and kind of gross, but cute-gross) characters like Captain Aorta Hart (heart), Mr. Cortex (brain), Nom (stomach), and more!
24. A portable basketball hoop with a shatterproof backboard to defend against "Shaq attacks" that adjusts in increments of 6 inches from 7.5 to 10 feet to grow with the game and height of little hoopsters.
25. A soap and bath bomb making kit to save a trip to Bath & Body Works while teaching some chemistry to the kids. Mix citric acid, baking soda, Epsom salts, baby oil, coloring, and fragrances into molds to create some DIY bath time fun.
26. A KidKraft x Nerf Scout Geo Strike headquarters to create an actual base (or in this case, a geodesic dome) for all those backyard blaster battles. Potential bonus for parents: getting all those Nerf darts out of the house (for now).
27. An Uno "Nothin’ But Paper" card game made from fully recyclable materials (for the first time ever). Now kids can get as much enjoyment from helping Mother Earth as they do from dropping a Wild Draw Four card whenever they play.
Ages 7+
Promising review: "Soy-based inks, recycled content paper, no harmful chemicals and no plastic (well, except the Amazon envelope it came in — sadly). Exactly what we wanted for our family to play with!" —Borys & Lindsay
Get it from Amazon for $7.68.
28. A flying-off-the-shelves-faster-than-we-can type-this Squishmallows Food Squad plush stuffed toy that might become the modern-day version of Beanie Babies (so you can totally relate to a child's obsession with super-soft cuteness).
29. 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.
30. A 3D light up dinosaur water bottle certain to make them say "raaaawr" out loud every time they take a sip of water.
31. A cat-shaped night light because every kiddo deserves a *purrfectly* cute bedside pet. Bonus: This one won't throw shade — quite the opposite.
32. An affordable drone probably because most kids have been begging for one for months. This will *propel* you to instant fave status.
33. 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.
34. A "Silly Poopy's Hide & Seek" game that involves hiding a fake rainbow-colored poo that says "yoo-hoo" and gives other hysterical clues about it's hiding place. Kids who delight in toilet humor will get a total kick out of this.
35. A Craft-tastic "Make a Fox Friend" craft kit if your child wants to learn the basics of sewing while putting together a full wardrobe of clothes and accessories for this fantastic (and fabulous) little fox stuffie. No special tools or additional supplies to buy makes this a great all-in-one gift!
36. A Lego dinosaur set because your kid wants to bring Jurassic Park to life in their living room. It comes complete with an-easy-to-build airport, helicopter, buggy and T. rex figure that'll set the scene for their imagination to run wild as they go on a ~raw-ring adventure.~
Get it from Lego for $49.99.
37. A Hape Quadrilla Super Spirals building blocks set for all the marble madness and Rube Goldberg goodness a kid could possibly enjoy.
38. A Crayola Inspiration Art Case packed with 64 crayons, 20 colored pencils, 40 washable markers, and 15 large pieces of paper for creative kiddies to bring their art and imagination to the world. But why does daddy look like he's crying in all these drawings?
39. A hilariously adorable Shrek-shaped toothpaste cap that'll actually have your kiddo begging to brush their teeth. 😂
Casual Chicken is a small business based in Irvine, California, that sells an array of unique 3D-printed items.
Promising review: "I highly recommend. I gave it to my little brother and he loved it!" —Country Pickle
Get it from Casual Chicken on Etsy for $9.99.
40. A giant bubble wands kit to keep kids enthralled thanks to the two-handle wand designed to help 'em make the most ~ginormous bubbles~ they've ever seen.
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: "My daughter loves it! She can make really huge bubbles for her siblings and friends. Makes for great entertainment."—Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $15.95+ (available in seven styles).
41. 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 you 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 $17.49.
42. 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: "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." —JMiff
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in five colors).
43. A rock painting kit so they can enjoy a little art *and* leave cute positive messages around their outdoor space.
Each kit comes with 10 rocks, eight colors of waterproof paint, a paint brush, rock transfer designs, and tracking stickers.
Promising review: "My 7-year-old grandson loved this! He loved making his own designs and adding the stickers that were included. It is a great arts and crafts activity and doesn't require a lot of supervision. It made a terrific Christmas gift." —Deborah Lee
Get it from Amazon for $9.45+ (available in seven versions).
44. A glow sketch pillowcase that'll make any 7-year-old say, "WOAH THIS IS AWESOME," as they turn off the lights and doodle cool illuminated sketches before bedtime.
Illuminated Apparel GB is a small biz based in the UK that has developed a bespoke luminescent ink to create unique interactive clothing and pillowcases for children.
The set includes a machine-washable pillowcase and a glow pen for drawing. Glow Sketch is an interactive pillow case that brings out creativity and imagination at night. Draw by charging up the unique luminescent ink on the pillowcase. Then as the glow fades the artwork will magically disappear leaving a clean canvas to create a whole new masterpiece — no mess, just fun!
Promising review: "Huge hit with my 11-year-old, noughts and crosses every night before bed!" —Victoria Henderson
Get it from Illuminated Apparel GB on Etsy for $22.34.
45. A book of 642 Tiny Things to Draw with stimulating prompts to get your young doodler excited about sketching lil' objects.
Promising review: "This book is awesome! My 7-year-old loves to draw and has gotten super creative on a lot of drawings. There are some prompts that need to be explained a little to her but she is willing to give it a go. Great for car trips — perfect alternative to backseat screen time." —DANIEL GARIEPY
Get it from Amazon for $9.95.
46. A pack of Crayola Globbles because they can toss, roll, and stick these lil' colorful balls to a bunch of surfaces *and* not get bored.
47. A screaming goat figurine that'll let out a loud bleat whenever it's pressed — you may not like to hear this creature all the time, but your kiddo will enjoy playing with it!
It also comes with a 32-page illustrated booklet all about goats. Not gonna lie, you're probably going to regret this purchase after listening to a few hundred bleats. 😂
Promising review: "My 11-year-old granddaughter loved this! She used it during conversations when she couldn’t think of anything to say. Our sides hurt from laughing so much." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $7.46.
48. And a shark bath bomb for any Jaws fan — drop this sea creature into the tub and watch it change colors in minutes. They'll probably love bath time so much more now...
Soft Skin Bubbly Sins is a small biz based in Collins, Georgia.
Promising review: "I can’t wait to see the face my lil' brother makes when I give this to him!!! It looks so cool and I’m in love with the Fruit Loop scent. Plus, they sent another one as a gift, so he will have two just like I got his sister. 😭💕 I’m hoping he finds this bath bomb as cool as I do so I have an excuse to buy more of them because if he won’t use them, I will. 100% recommend them to anyone with little kids or just a fun personality!!!" —Patricia
Get it from Soft Skin Bubbly Sins on Etsy for $6 (available in 62 scents).
The reaction you'll when the kids open their gifts...
