1. A 494-piece Lego Dreamzz Crocodile Car building set from their newest line (which also has its own TV show) with two out-there building options. These sets are really pushing the creativity level by producing some unique new parts. Plus, they're all really weird in the best ways possible.
2. A Kanoodle 3D brain teaser puzzle game where players start with a design from the included puzzle book that is missing pieces. The object is to figure out which colorful connected beads finish flat patterns or stacked pyramids. Your kids will get hooked on this game — plus it travels well. Spread the word!
3. An easy-to-operate Disney Princess Carriage RC car that drives forward, backward, and even spins in "magical circles." As a bonus, it will fit any similar-sized doll to the Disney Princesses. The multiversal crossover opportunities are endless!
4. A Bitzee interactive digital pet you can actually touch and feel as it responds to swipes, tilts, shakes, and pets. These creatures start as babies and require care and attention to grow, taking the concept of the Tamagotchi to the next level.
5. A Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game (a personal favorite of mine) where players take turns calling out the words taco, cat, goat, cheese, and pizza (in that order) until the word matches the card. But watch out for those gorilla, groundhog, and narwhal cards!
6. A VTech Switch & Go 2-in-1 "Spino Speedster" because what kid wouldn't want to spend some quality time transforming a light-up spinosaurus and a pterodactyl into a fireball-launching four-wheeler?!
7. A Numberblocks "Super Secret Step Squad" headquarters playset to take your kids' love of counting and learning all about numbers from the beloved TV series while giving them some hands-on playtime with their favorite numeral-based characters.
8. A Paint By Sticker book of zoo animals that sounds exactly like what it is: fun craft time that's a little sticky but not nearly as messy as breaking out the paints. That's a win for parents right there!
9. A Learning Resources Noodle Knockout game to teach little hands fine motor skills by choosing cards, picking up a pair of chopsticks, and building a bowl of ramen with noodles and all the other necessary ingredients.
10. A Lite-Brite set that comes with more templates and pegs and is bigger and brighter than the classic 1980s version. This gift might be the most affordable time machine money can buy for kids and, in all likelihood, adults.
11. A bracelet maker with 170 Beads and storage for making and remaking one-of-a-kind friendship bracelets with an easy-to-use pop-on bead system.
12. A Rubik’s Coach Cube to master the original fidget toy by using the eight-step "peel-to-reveal method" along with a step-by-step guide and videos. Increase the difficulty by peeling off the black numbers to expose the classic colors until you can solve the puzzle like a pro.
13. A 38-piece KidKraft wooden play kitchen for some of the most realistic but still imaginary culinary play out there. Knobs turn and click. The oven and microwave doors open and close. And it literally comes with the kitchen sink.
14. A Schleich Western Riding Horse playset, which happens to be one of the most popular lines of the brand's massive collection of articulated figurines and playsets. Don't like horses? Don't worry — if there's an animal your kid prefers, they probably make it!
15. 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.
16. An eight-pack of Sproutlings natural soy and beeswax crayons for drawing the day away or coloring 'til the (purple, maybe?) cows come home. Also available in a "first grasp" size that's 30% bigger than average crayons.
17. Or a Crayola HD coloring kit with 30 colored pencils and 20 black and white pages that are shaded, which means kids can take their coloring to the next level and look totally profesh!
18. A classic Bop It! game where the objective is to, well, bop it, but also twist it or pull it, depending on what the game commands (at three different volume settings).
19. A Tangle fidget toy made of 18 connected and twistable soft, latex-free rubberized pieces designed for maximum tactile pleasure and sensory play. Trust us, this is a hard one for anyone to put down.
20. A Monster Jam ThunderROARus Drop playset that measures over six feet tall, is packed with lights and sounds, and comes with an exclusive truck, which can be fired in three different launch modes with a turn of the stunt dial.
21. A Throw Throw Burrito card game that combines all the fun of a food fight without any of the mess or waste. Collect matching sets of cards while flinging and dodging "squishy airborne burritos." And if you work up an appetite while playing, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to order.
22. A 40-piece Magna-Tiles Dino World construction set featuring four fully magnetic dinosaurs ruling over a volcanic terrain. Pairs perfectly with any other Magna-Tiles sets.
23. A Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Ultimate 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!
24. 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+ and includes wooden postcards and stamps, envelopes and invitations to mail, a double-sided puzzle, a 10-piece wooden memory game, a gift box, a shipping pouch, and a reusable activity magazine to personalize with three sheets of reusable stickers.
Promising review: "This is a cute toy with lots of options for open-ended play, which is what I have grown to love about so many of Melissa & Doug's toys. My twins are three years old and immediately broke into imaginative play, creating letters for all of our family members who live far away. My only complaint was the mailbox was a little hard for them to open on their own, but they are on the younger end, so it might not be hard for older children." —April
Price: $19.39 (originally $26.99)
25. A Connect 4 Spin Game that takes the classic game (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, and challenging; you take your pick, maybe all three.
For ages 8+
Promising review: Promising review: "My first grader and I enjoy playing this. It adds another level to a great game." —BunBubsBenBo
Price: $17.23 (originally $21.99)
26. A STEM-learning Educational Insights Pyxel pet for getting kids into coding and for parents not quite ready for a real puppy in the house. Pyxel has built-in Wi-Fi, which means it will connect to devices without an internet connection (safe and secure). Code 30+ cool tricks and watch as Pyxel changes color, reacts to sounds, and expresses emotions!
27. A falling marble logic game because kids love marbles and adults love it when marbles are contained and aren't spilling out all over the floor.
28. A teaching cash register that makes a "cha-ching" noise every time it opens and will introduce concepts of math and finance to your kids as well as the soon-to-be-outdated-in-their-lifetime concepts of cash and coins.
29. A 12-in-1 solar robot toy kit for the kids to learn a little bit about renewable energy while constructing bots that move on land (buggy, turtle, zombie!) and water (rower or surfer). The best part? No batteries are necessary. Thanks, sun!
For ages 8+
Promising review: "You have the option of building 14 different kinds of robots from this one kit. So you could build one a day for two weeks before you have built them all. The package says 10 and up, but I think for 10- to 13-year-olds, there should be some adult supervision. Overall, things went pretty smoothly. Lots of little stickers. But you could get by without them. It was fun and did not take us a long time once we figured out the process. No written instructions, just lots and lots of pictures. Once you have the power plant and drive train built, you do not have to take them apart to build the other robots; those are used for all of the robots, along with the head. Our lamps were not enough to power the robot, but a battery was provided to run the robot. We are going to try it out in the sun tomorrow." —Jeff C.
Price: $24.99
30. A big, 'ol, 111-piece, made-in-the-U-S-of-A tin of real maple wood Lincoln Logs that were actually invented by the son of Frank Lloyd Wright and not by our 16th president. So you're giving the gift of American architectural history as well!
Promising review: "When I saw these, I had to buy them for my 5-year-old son. I remember playing with them for hours when I was a child. He has not opened them yet because they are a Christmas present, but I know that he will have tons of fun playing and building with the Lincoln Logs. I also have to admit that I will be right there bonding and taking myself back to childhood with him!" —Chris
Price: $68.94