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.
Hey! While we’re doing our best to make sure the products we feature will arrive in time for Christmas, shipping times are especially tricky this year and can vary depending on where you live, which product you purchase, and more. Shop early and be sure to double-check the retailers’ websites for shipping information to ensure that your gift will arrive in time for the 25th!)
Under 1 Year Old
1. A Fisher-Price Stack & Slide Magic Mountain populated by a singing purple blob and sliding blue bear which combine counting and colors with problem-solving skills.
2. A hedgehog named Spike that helps build motor, counting, and sorting skills by fitting peg-shaped pieces into its back. Just don't ask him if he knows Sonic.
3. A Fisher-Price Rollin' Rovee with four play modes as the baby grows from an infant to a toddler to a preschooler teaching the alphabet, counting, opposites, and how to follow directions while busting out 190+ sounds, songs, and phrases.
4. A "gravity-defying" stackable set of Fat Brain Toys Tobbles Neo that'll balance baby's first lessons in physics with training for future family Jenga tournaments.
1+ Years Old
5. A Buckle Toys Blu Whale with snaps, clicks, and, well, buckles for teaching all sorts of math, coordination, and motor skills. Plus its mouth doubles as an easy-to-zipper hidden pocket.
6. A 112-piece "Build-a-Flower" toy set, because any aspiring botanist or florist needs to start somewhere especially when tracking dirt into the house is never the preferred parental option.
7. An easy-to-assemble, indoor/outdoor, three-piece space astronaut play tent with a castle tent, crawl tunnel, and square tent so kids can reenact your favorite scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey or, you know, use their own imagination for playtime. Totally their call.
8. A Little People version of Elsa's Ice Palace for your children to re-create the story of an imperial with terrifying superpowers and self-control issues who nearly destroys her kingdom by nearly plunging it into a state of permanent winter. That's the plot of Frozen, right?
9. A 10-pack of Play-Doh that there was no way in hell that you'd ever be able to avoid buying. Fortunately, it's all nontoxic, nonirritating, nonallergenic and the packaging is recyclable. But, yeah, it still smells like Play-Doh.
10. A Hape "My First Blocks" 80-piece set made from "child-safe materials and nontoxic finishes" to help little ones recognize colors and shapes and eventually get that engineering degree.
11. A battery-powered, ride-on Kid Trax "Real Rigs" recycling truck with moving windshield eyes and front bumper mouth for teaching about the importance of recycling and, well, trucks. Says over 100 phrases and sound effects, which could very well qualify as trash talking.
12. A light-up "LeapFrog Pick Up and Count" vacuum with bouncing balls to teach your toddler to pick up after themself while making it seem like "fun."
3+ Years Old
13. A three-chord Loog Mini acoustic guitar so you can start teaching your little punk kid the entire Ramones catalog. Comes with flashcards with chord diagrams and full access to the Loog Guitar app. Hey! Ho! Let's go!
14. A solar-powered Pretend and Play calculator cash register which makes a "cha-ching" noise every time it opens and will introduce concepts of math and finance to your kids as well as soon-to-be-outdated-in-their-lifetime concepts of cash and coins.
15. A 78-piece Learning Resources "Alphabet Acorns" activity set with a small toy inside each one to help kids with their vocab on animals, plants, and other common words. Just don't let the squirrels in the backyard see these.
16. A Little Tikes Rescue Tales "Scrub 'n Groom" bathtub playset that really works! Kids can practice giving the plush Chocolate Lab an actual bath (with water) and a working shower head. Best of all? No wet dog smell!
17. An "itsy pack" of Clixo building toys combining origami, magnets, and building blocks for a completely new and unique way for kids to create and play.
18. A five-piece Matryoshka animals Russian nesting dolls set made from natural materials from natural materials and water-based paints and lacquers, to develop motor skills like stacking while revealing the tiniest little hedgehog you've ever seen.
19. A set of Sesame Street Cookie Monster's Shapes Magnatiles with multiple configurations including an oven (full of cookies, of course) and a birthday cake (also made of cookies).
20. An 18-piece Fisher-Price "S'more Fun" campfire play set to trade all the danger of wood-chopping, roaring-fires, and grizzly bear attacks for kid-friendly wood accents and soft fabric. Plus no marshmallow and chocolate stains!
21. A FurReal "Moodwings" baby dragon interactive pet toy with flapping wings and eyes and a tummy that changes color depending on its mood. So yes, this dragon is indeed a mood.
22. A Tok Tok voice-changer robot which repeats and even records whatever your kid might say in three different voices. As a bonus for parents, this might remind you of that He-Man character Man-E-Faces from Master of the Universe.
23. A construction vehicles playset that includes a gantry crane, a pickup truck, a tow truck, a logging truck, a magnetic crane vehicle, and forklift as well as a bunch of road signs, barricades, barriers, and safety cones. The only question is how much time can this keep the kid occupied for?
5+ Years Old
24. A 70-piece Plus Plus Triceratops construction puzzle set which can be turned into anything your child can imagine and also be combined with other sets to make even bigger creations. The best part: the pieces don't hurt when you step on them.
25. An Educational Insights "Circuit Explorer Rover" for exploring the world of simple circuitry through buildable space-based vehicles and playsets. if your kid shows any interest in engineering or NASA then this is a must-get toy for them.
26. An 89-piece Playmobil Advent calendar packed with 24 surprise items including a snowman and the big guy himself, jolly old St.Nick!
27. A Learning Resources Botley The Coding Robot 2.0 activity set, because it's never too early to get the kids into coding. Botley can be programmed to follow a sequence of up to 150 steps including following plotted courses and avoiding obstacles. The best part, it's all screen-free!
28. A "Speak & Spell" electronic game that can only be described as a "retro-tablet from the '80s" for teaching kids how to spell. The best part is the old school speech synthesizer that's been used in quite a few song samples (looking at you Beck!).
29. A Grouch Couch game for teaching children the importance of never losing the remote control! But seriously, they're going to love this seat (get it, love seat!).
8+ Years Old
30. A 360-degree-rotating 3-in-1 LED globe, constellation map, and night light to illuminate your child 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.
31. 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).
32. 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 nightlight display.
33. A talking, joke-telling Bucky the Stag Deer Pong game sure to take parents back to their college drinking days but still fun for the whole family. Bounce or throw the balls into the cups while Bucky trash-talks and try not to call your children "bro" while playing.
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