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1. A Fisher-Price Meditation Mouse to help kids relax throughout their day. There's a guided daytime mode with stretching and breathing exercises, a bedtime routine mode that includes meditation time, and a soothing mode that plays music and sounds for 20 minutes. This mouse? Anything but modest.
2. A 12-sided Fidget Cube Dodecagon for not so idle hands to reduce stress and anxiety allowing the brain some greater focus. There are audible and silent sides, so it's OK for the classroom (or meeting room if you're an adult).
For all ages!
Promising review: "My son has been diagnosed with ADHD and as conventional medicines are not an option for him we're always trying out different ways to help him cope.This product is great! Bigger than your average fidget cube with more buttons to push/pull and manipulate keeping his hands busy and his mind on task. The seems sturdy enough to withstand the normal throwing of the backpack into a corner and sitting against it on the bus." —Charly F.
Get it from Amazon for $16.95+ (available in six colors).
3. A Play-Doh Kitchen Creations ice cream truck playset complete with a soft-serve machine, scooping station, and everything else a kid would need to create cool and colorful imaginary desserts. The cash register even cha-chings! And yes, of course, it plays an ice cream truck jingle too!
4. A Melissa & Doug Blue's Clues wooden mailbox because if there's one thing that all kids love, it's getting snail mail. (You might have to explain that there are no actual snails involved though).
For ages 4+.
Includes wooden postcard and stamps, envelope and invitations to mail, double-sided puzzle, 10-piece wooden memory game, gift box, shipping pouch, and a reusable activity magazine to personalize with three sheets of reusable stickers.
Promising review: "This toy does not disappoint! Everything is very sturdy. The mailbox may be a bit hard for toddlers to open, but it does keep everything stored safely inside, which is worth it. We got this for my 2-year-old for his birthday (he’s obsessed with Blue’s Clues) and he loves it. His 4-year-old (almost 5) sister has really enjoyed playing with it too!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $13.16.
5. A Cake-N-Bake Challenge game that challenges burgeoning bakers to "make those cakes as fast as they can." Kids get to ring a bell (they love that) and the winner gets to wear the chef's hat.
For ages 4+.
Promising review: "This is one of the best games I've ever bought! It's so fun to play with friends and family of any age and it left us laughing the whole time. The set up is a breeze, the instructions are succinct and easy to understand and there's no plastic packaging which is a ginormous plus in my book. The cake pieces are made out of foam so there's no annoying hard plastic clanking sounds when playing so the only loudness comes from the players cheering. I love that there are multiple levels of play depending on how difficult or challenging you want to play at, and I can see my family never getting bored of playing because of all the options." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $24.99.
6. A KidKraft Ultimate Spaceship wooden play set standing over four-feet tall so intrepid little space explorers can really get into that cosmic roleplaying. Lots of lights, buttons, and sounds but the best of them is the galaxy map projector shines onto ceiling. "To infinity..."
For ages 3+ and requires three AAA batteries.
Promising review: "Assembly was fairly simple. Absolute favorite for my 3-year-old who has a fascination with all things spaceships (Buzz Lightyear) themed play. Super cool light show to set the scene and encourages imitation play." —Kieren
Get it from Target for $329.99.
7. An interactive Fisher-Price Little People Barbie Little DreamHouse featuring 45+ songs (very addictive ear worms), sounds, and phrases, a working elevator, and a pool slide. Plus there's pizza in the oven! This house has it all!
For ages 1.5+ years.
Seeing my almost 2-year-old daughter play with Fisher Price Little People for the first time made me heart swell and somehow caused something to get in my eye (not sure what all that tearing up was about). Her eyes, however, lit up when I started putting this together (set aside a good 15–20 minutes, 30 if the kids are hanging off of you). And once it was all set she knew exactly what to do, all the parts are easy and intuitive for little hands. It's the first thing she plays with when I take her out of the crib in the morning and the last thing before she goes to sleep at night. Some very catchy tunes (but Barbie calls them "bops" just like the kids do these days). And yes, the toilet that makes a flushing noise is a hit!
Get it from Amazon for $52.99
8. A "Silly Poopy's Hide & Seek" game (from the makers of What Do You Meme?) that actually involves hiding a fake plastic poo that talks and gives clues to its whereabouts.
You know when your brain tells you, "This might be a bad idea!" but your gut tells you "Nah, this is going to be hilarious! Maybe." Luckily, my gut was right this time. Silly Poopy is beyond silly and not poopy at all. It is indeed a poop-ton of fun for the whole family thanks to its infectious song that sounds like it was taken straight from a 1970s game show. Best of all, my kid loves it and hopefully, this is the only poop he tries to hide around the house.
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
9. A Hot Wheels Skate Amusement Park playset where they, get this, put two fingers into a tiny pair of shoes and ride an equally tiny skateboard around doing all sorts of tricks. Weird? Yes. Fun? Most definitely.
10. A "Build 'N Race" slot car race track set compatible with "all major building block brands," which means kids can customize their rides (beyond the included car and truck) as well as parts of the track.
For ages 6+.
Promising review: "I set the track up and had fun with the kids which is what it's all about. We put little Lego people in the cars and made custom vehicles which is really fun. The truck was more top heavy than the car which made it a little more difficult to control, but you can pull that piece off and go custom. The track is not long enough to really need full speed or turbo for the most part. Expect to be returning cars to the track, a lot...Mastering the jump is tricky. I like that it has a few different pieces to add building blocks onto." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $45.94+ (available in three sizes).
11. A Buddha Board for painting rich, inky, water-based images onto a "canvas" that will slowly fade as the water evaporates. We don't know art, but we know it's not messy.
12. A Connect 4 Spin Game that takes the classic (you know, get four colored discs to line-up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) but adds the new challenge of having to literally spin each column every time you drop a piece. Family game night just got more fun, stressful, challenging; you take your pick, maybe all three.
13. And a customizable (with stickers) Thousand Jr. kids helmet that'll fit (and protect) your kid's head for at least a few years (and look really cool while doing so). These are certified for biking, roller skating, and skateboarding (basically any self-propelled with wheels that a rad kid would ride).
For ages 5+ and will fit any child’s head with a circumference of 19—21 inches.
This is the helmet my son wears when he's whipping around the uneven pavement of city sidewalks on his scooter (usually not looking where he's going). I love the way its fits him and the adjustability makes it easy to figure out if it's on his noggin just right. The chin strap clip is magnetic and takes a little getting used to. But let's talk about how cool it looks! The slightly extended brim almost makes it feel like a horse-riding helmet. We've got the white one with the red, white, and blue stripe down the middle that gives serious Speed Racer vibes.
Get it from Amazon for $60 (available in six colors).
14. A GooToobz sensory toy to relieve some stress or anxiety by pushing non-toxic goo (some of which includes sparkles) back and forth through a maze-like tube system for a truly soothing and calming effect.
For ages 5+.
Promising review: "Bought one for my son… we loved it so much we ordered both of the other colors too! He loves them, and so do I! I keep one in my office to play with while on conference calls…IYKYK! Highly recommend. Will be buying a couple more for gifts!" —aubs824
Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in five colors).
15. A Sanrio Hello Kitty purse pet with 30 unique sounds and reactions that also plays music, answers yes/no questions, and blinks! Kind of makes one question why adult purses don't do any of those things.
For ages 3+.
Promising review: "This purse was even cuter than imagined. It is sturdily made and cute as a bug! My 7 year old granddaughter loved it. The moving eyes and sounds make this a a perfect gift. It’s like a combo pet and purse." —Paul S. Hejl
Get it from Amazon for $19.60+ (available in four colors).
16. An 80-piece domino train set to speed up the slowest part of playing for beginners: actually lining up the dominoes. This little engine can do just that leaving perfect rows of dominoes just ready to be toppled.
For ages 3+.
Promising review: "Bought this for my 2-year-old grandson! I'd been spending a lot of time placing dominoes for him to knock down, now the train does the work! Reloading the dominoes is nothing compared to stacking them all and usually knocking down several times before they're all set up! We love all the different patterns it makes and enjoy playing with this very durable train! Would definitely recommend!" —Kim Barrett
Get it from Amazon for $19.99
17. An 87-piece Discovery "Mindblown" Early Engineers building set that ticks the STEM learning component but is also fun to use and easy on tiny hands and fingers still practicing those fine motor skills.
For ages 3+.
Set includes 1 ratchet, 2 cubes, 2 blocks, 2 screws with eyes, 4 wheels, 6 brackets, 8 three-hole bars, 8 five-hole bars, 16 two-hole bars, 16 nuts, and 22 screws allowing for some pretty unique builds beyond what's in the instructions.
As a parent, there's nothing I like more than a toy that comes with its own nicely-designed storage case (especially if there are a ton of small parts involved and there usually always are). What's great about this Discovery "Mindblown" set is that everything can be built with the one included tool (so don't lose it). This is a great beginner set for "early engineers" to really learn how to get their build-on.
Get it from Amazon for $20.99.
18. An Animal Planet dino storage head collection because there's certainly no cooler way to story dozens of tiny dinosaur toys (plus explorers, trees, vehicles, and tents) than in the mouth of a much larger dinosaur.
19. An one-touch transforming VTech "Switch and Go" dragon roadhog roaring with fun features like an LCD screen, which switches from race car driver to dragon while firing off 50+ sound effects.
For ages 4+.
I got a chance to play with this "Switch and Go" roadhog and this thing is a beast (and I mean that in the most complimentary of ways). I do qualify it as a robot because of its transforming feature (super easy too) and the fact that it turns from a car into a non-scaley and imaginarily metallic) dragon. Kind of like a Dino-Bot from Transformers! Classic "evil-character" colors but is maybe just misunderstood. Tons of fun to be had playing with the ro-beast!
Get it from Amazon for $29.97.
20. A Make Your Own Puffy Stickers sets because remember how cool puffy stickers were? Well, they're still cool but now your kids can color and create their own!
For ages 6+ months.
Promising review: "This is a great craft for my 7-year-old to do on her own! It's quick, easy to use and gives her hours of fun. So much that I ordered another one. I love how this craft kit is something she can do with no help. Yes the stickers are cheap to an adult but to a 7-year-old who colors and makes it on her own, it's magic." —Coop
Get it from Amazon for $17.97.
21. A 3-in-1 LED globe, constellation map, and night-light to illuminate kids about not only the world they live in but the stars in the heavens above. And if that gets way too scary (or deep) that night-light will sure come in handy too.
Promising review: "This is a wonderful globe. I bought this for my nephew and this is a fun way to give him the basics. He enjoys learning countries and he loves the night-light. The constellations are pretty cool in the dark. The size is perfect and the quality is amazing. The countries and regions are clear and they are easy to read. The base is strong and stable. It doesn't tip when spinning. The guidebook has more detailed information about the constellations and it's location. This globe definitely captured my nephew's attention and he is learning with interest. Overall, this is a perfect globe and can't go wrong with it." —Lucky10z
Get it from Amazon for $45.99.
22. A Rollplay Flex Kart XL pedal-powered go cart that grips the ground whenever its tiny rider grips the steering wheel. The best part? Folds and stores with the press of a button!
For ages 4+ and maximum 110 lbs.
Bucket seat adjusts into two positions to allow for growth.
Promising review: "Sturdy, good quality, and easy to assemble. One of the best I have seen compared to other competitive products. Got it for my two-year-old kid and even my six-year-old uses it too." —Varun
Get it from Amazon for $191.24.
23. A Craft-tastic "Make a Fox Friend" craft kit for kids 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!
24. 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.
25. A card-based Chicken vs Hotdog family action game in which the object of the game is to literally throw a suction-cupped chicken or hot dog in the air and get it stick the landing. There's more to it than that but we don't want to ruin all the extremely silly fun!
For ages 8+ and 2—10 players.
Promising review: "Played this game with friends recently and picked up a copy to gift the host of my holiday party. The game was easy to learn and we all had a blast. We had ages of 8-68 playing and having fun and the kids enjoyed using after the adults were done inventing their own flipping challenges." —Greg Fenske
Get it from Amazon for $24.99.
26. A D&D "Dragons of Stormwreck" Isle starter set to introduce future members of the Hellfire Club to the classic fantasy roleplaying adventure game. Ideal for newbies on their first quest but also fun for parental Dungeon Masters too. Alexa, play "In The Garage" by Weezer!
For ages 12+.
Includes a 48-page adventure booklet, 32-page rulebook for playing characters of levels 1–3, 5 ready-to-play characters (each with a character sheet), and 6 polyhedral game dice.
Promising review: "We have been playing D&D for years and we love playing new adventures. I found this starter kit and ordered immediately. After reading through and getting it set up to start, it will be very fun. One of our group always wants to talk to every new group or creature we come across. It's always fun and interesting how some adventures is more talking and some are more fighting and you never know what you are going to get...sorry no spoilers." —knightslady
Get it from Amazon for $19.82.
27. A Playmobil Knight Rider K.I.T.T. car if your kids show even the slightest interest in what was cool when you (the parent) were their age. There's voice clips, a front scanner light, and even flip-up headlights. It's the height of 1984 technology...today!
For ages 3+.
Batteries required. Set includes Michael Knight, Devon Miles, and Bonnie Barstow figures and other accessories.
This is definitely one of those toys that falls into the "kidult" category, meaning that it's fun for all ages but maybe a little more fun for the adults. But fun is fun, and boy howdy, this talking Knight Industries Two Thousand (voiced my Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World) is a ton of fun. Plus, let's not overlook the fact that you get an actual David Hasselhoff action figure! Listen, this isn't going to get your kids to watch Knight Rider (leave the memory alone) but make sure to play the theme song for them because it is still, to this day, a banger!
Get it from Amazon for $48.99.
Your kids trying to keep it together after receiving their super rad prezzies...
