1. A mini digital camera perfect for exploring all kinds of portraits since it can also take selfies. You might just have a young Annie Leibovitz on your hands!
2. A pack of six squishy Crayola fidget balls that they can stack, stick, or sling! The best part is the balls won't leave behind any residue. Whether they're being used as stress balls or as a wall ornament, these fidget balls are a ton of fun!
And when the balls lose their stickiness, just clean them up with soap and water for them to feel like new again!
Promising review: "They are beyond great! My son likes to throw them on the ceiling and wait for them to fall and then catch them. My nephew who is a toddler loved them so much I had to buy him some too! He liked watching them roll down the wall. I have never had one break and they are easy to clean." —Yvonne1011
Get it from Amazon for $10.69.
3. A mini sports center if you have a little athlete on your hands! They can play basketball and soccer with this interactive toy whose functional LED scoreboard will make their games feel even more real.
Promising reviews: “Got this for my 9-month-old grandson and he loved it. He is now 15-months-old and still loves it. He has learned how to slam dunk the basketball.” —K. Love
"Purchased this for my grandson’s first birthday and of course he loved it. His 5-year-old brother loved it more and wouldn’t stop playing with it." —Priscilla Hope
Get it from Amazon for $44.99 (available in two colors).
4. A toy construction site with 2 pounds of kinetic sand they can play with and mold into bricks. They'll even have the help of a dump truck and a working crane! And its contained play space means less cleanup for you.
Promising review: “This set is so cool. I bought it for a 3-year-old, and he absolutely LOVES it. It comes with some sand but I wanted to fill both ends up so I bought another bag. Now two people can play at the same time. The crane works very well and the scooper is very cool. The dump truck makes three blocks at a time which is fun. I 10,000% recommend this. It’s not messy if you keep everything in the container and when you are done you just close it up.” —Kyle Smile
Get it from Amazon for $23.99.
5. A 36-pack of Play-Doh so they can create models of the creatures and shapes living in their imagination.
Promising review: “I have to stock up on Play-Doh because my kids can go through it. I loved how these had multiples of the same color but also a large variety. My son always wants the color his big sister has so it’s nice to not have to worry about that issue with these.” —Carrie
Get the 36-pack from Amazon for $23.05.
6. A super cool Jeep Wrangler because they've got places to go and people to see. You can control how fast your little one goes so you don't have to worry about them getting involved in any high-speed crashes.
Promising review: “Got this for my 4-year-old son for his birthday and he is OBSESSED with it! The first thing he does in the morning is ask me if we can go outside to ride his Jeep. If you have a toddler who loves Jeeps/cars, you cannot go wrong with this!” —Danielle Comins
Get it from Amazon for $286.05+ (available in nine styles).
7. Kid-sized binoculars if your little one is a burgeoning bird watcher. Support their self-propelled learning and curiosity with these!
8. A talking kids' microscope for learning about biology and botany. It comes with 60 full color images on slides that can be observed under the microscope with shares facts about what your little one is seeing.
Promising review: “My 4-year-old granddaughter loves this! She can look at the slides and listen to the explanations by herself.” —Perry Moseley
Get it from Amazon for $33.99.
9. A reusable LCD writing tablet if your little artist loves to draw but you don't want to use countless pieces of paper to support their hobby. To get different colors, all they have to do is adjust the amount of pressure they're using!
Promising review: "This has been the best product and my son loves it. He is in preschool and with all the schools being shut down because of the pandemic getting him to sit down and practice writing his name and alphabet has been a challenge. Since this came he will not put it down; he thinks it’s the coolest thing." —Justin
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four colors).
10. A funny hide-and-seek game — just place this little poo somewhere in your home and watch as your kids have fun trying to find it! This Silly Poop will even give them clues, and it plays a song that'll have them dancing once it's been found.
What Do You Meme? is a small business making fun, and funny card games/toys, plush friends, 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.
11. A foam pogo jumper so they can not only develop their hand-eye coordination and balancing skills, but also have jump-tastic fun while they do so. And because the jumper is made of foam, it's a safer alternative to your more classic pogo stick. Oh, and it makes a squeaky sound with each bounce!
Promising review: "Our 4-year-old loves this toy! It's really fun for her and great for developing balance and large motor skills. The fact that it burns off some of her boundless energy is an extra plus. There's a built-in squeaker (which kids enjoy and adults learn to block out). Nice that it's an indoor/outdoor toy! Definitely a good value for the money." —L J Wessling
Get it from Amazon for $19.49+ (available in four colors).
12. A colorful DIY rock climbing wall set because your future mountain climber needs all the practice they can get. Not only can these mountable rock climbing grips hold up to 225 pounds each, but they can also be used indoors or outdoors.
The set includes 25 hand and foot grips, two climbing handles, and a knotted climbing rope.
Promising review: "My girls absolutely love this! We’ve been wanting to give them some things inside the house to climb and jump on since it’s cold here and we’re stuck in the house most days. We haven’t installed the rope yet but plan to do so soon. The climbing holds are very durable and seem pretty sturdy. They are also a good size, making it easy for my girls to hold on to. I would definitely recommend this to as it’s a lot of fun!" —KKL—L&L’s Little Shop of Goodies- Living Life RV Rentals
Get a set from Amazon for $42.99.
13. A Lego flower bouquet building kit if they're too much of a liability when it comes to living plants. These gorgeous and immortal flowers are not only fun to put together, but they're fun decoration all year long.
Promising review: "I bought this for my kid and I to do together. We have been building with Lego for about 10 years now, but he moved beyond needing me to help him about five years ago. This was a nice throwback to when we would do this together. We both loved it and now I have an everlasting bouquet to remind me of the bond we have." —heidi leah ring
Get it from Amazon for $49.99.
14. A pair of child-safe scissors and activity book with 20 pages worth of fun shapes for your kid to cut. These plastic scissors were designed to encourage correct form so you know your little one will be OK when they eventually graduate to adult scissors.
15. A super cool flying orb that'll either hover in the air or boomerang back to the thrower depending on the angle it's thrown. They can play catch with others or by themselves!
Promising review: "This is one of the coolest toys I have ever bought. It seems almost magical the way it floats from one person to another — perfect for indoor play. It is enough fun that my kids will use it instead of playing on their computers, which is the highest praise I can bestow on a toy." —Jill B
Get it from Amazon for $33.99+ (available in seven colors).
16. A custom puffy sticker maker so they can decorate their belongings with custom creations. Some of the stickers are pre-colored but others require coloring, so make sure to have markers handy!
You can use any markers with these, though you might wanna try some fine point markers to get more precise coloring!
Promising review: “My kids (ages 6 and 10) had a blast making these puffy stickers. I purchased this for them to do while we were on a long RV trip. It was a lot of fun, not messy, and held their attention. Even my 17-year-old got involved!” —Tomel
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
17. A self-balancing hoverboard designed with kids and beginners in mind. With built-in LED lights and a Bluetooth speaker, this hoverboard will make getting from point A to point B so much fun!
Promising review: "My 6-year-old daughter loves it!! Her brother had one and she had to have one too! We thought she would be too young and were afraid she would get hurt herself but she got on just fine and had good control of her balance and rolls around like a pro! The Bluetooth is perfect for her rock and roll style too! Just keep it charged at all times and you’ll never be unhappy! Oh, and we always make sure she wears her helmet. Safety first!! :)" —Barry Isenhart
Get it from Amazon for $169.99 (available in three colors).
18. A big body bubble because what kid wouldn't want to go bowling and be the bowling ball? This splurge-worthy bumper ball has two handles and two shoulder straps to keep you safe as you bounce and roll around!
These come in two sizes: 4 feet or 5 feet. And they are suitable for kids between 3’9’’–6'3'' who weigh between 60–250 pounds.
Promising review: “The bumper balls have been so much fun for our family to burn energy in our basement during the winter. We brought them out for my daughter’s birthday party and they were a huge hit! My children are 14, 12, and 9 and can all use the larger ones. My husband and I use them too! I use an electric air pump and can have it filled in about seven minutes. They are durable (just avoid sharp objects obviously) and the straps and handles are good quality.” —djackson513
Get it from Amazon for $139.99+ (available in seven colors).
19. Or smaller body bumpers so your littler ones can get in on the bouncy action.
Recommended for kids ages 4–12, these body bumpers measure 25 inches L x 25 inches W x 23 inches H.
PSA: Make sure helmets are worn during bump-offs.
Promising review: "Absolutely hilarious to watch! I got these for my kids (7and 8) because i thought it would be a perfect way to blow off steam and get out some energy...it was great! They ran at each other pretty hard, but it didn't pop and no one got hurt! If your kids do a lot of bickering like mine do, get these! 😅" —Sky Moran
Get two from Amazon for $17.60.
20. An ice cream–making kit that'll not only teach them how to make their favorite flavors, but will also teach them about the science behind the cooking (or freezing) process.
This kit comes with: a set of measuring cups, measuring spoons, jars, towel, scoop, whisk, a "Lab Notes" notebook, and a recipe book. Food ingredients are not included.
Promising review: "This crate was so fun for all ages in our house! Each piece was well thought out and my kids loved learning how different ingredients reacted to make ice cream." —Sydney
Get it from KiwiCo for $34.95.
21. A DIY solar-powered robot kit so your little engineer can build any of 12 different robots!
22. A portable and foldable trampoline sure to encourage your tots to be more active. It has a built-in bar they can hold onto so they can be safe while they have fun.
Promising review: “My son is a ball of energy and this trampoline has helped us burn energy right in the comfort of our home. Highly recommend.” —Mariama Bah
Get it from Amazon for $59.99 (available in two colors).
23. An easy-to-fly drone perfect for indoor use. They'll feel like the next high-tech maverick with this affordable drone! And don't worry about the propellors; they each have a guard to protect from injury.
Promising review: "We bought this for the grandkids to play with when they visit. Our 5- and 7-year-old grandsons had no problem flying this immediately with very minor instructions. It's very easy to use indoors. Lots of fun." —Chris Davis
Get it from Amazon for $39.99.
24. A kid's gardening tools set because they've been wanting to help you grow your vegetable patch but never had age-appropriate tools to use. Now they can plant their own seeds and watch them grow!
This set includes an apron, gloves, a rake, a shovel, a fork, a sun hat, a magnifying glass, and a spray bottle.
Promising review: "Our toddler loves helping us in the garden and these are amazing. We actually use them to plant too." —Minnesnowta
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
25. A remote control stunt car so they can zoom across the race track, make 360-degree turns, and cross the finish line in first place. This car can even drive over carpet, grass, or gravel!
26. A giant bubble wand kit to fill the sky with delightfully cool floating blobs! They can create the biggest bubbles you've ever seen with the two-handled wand.
This kit includes: a giant bubble maker, two pouches of WOWmazing bubble concentrate, and a tip and tricks booklet.
Promising review: "It was a birthday present for my 6-year-old grandson. Everyone in the family including his 3-year-old brother used it and had so much fun. Our bubbles even went up over the hill behind their house. Great fun for all. Simple to use also." –Lory S. Lemon
Get it from Amazon for $14.95+ (available in six styles).
27. An anatomy book and human body model for the aspiring doctors out there. This comes with 21 removable and squishy organs, bones, and muscles for them to identify and study. They'll have fun as they learn the literal ins and outs of the human body.
Promising review: "Perfect for my little surgeon!! My 5-year-old loves this and it is pretty neat that it comes with a book and poster that tells him about each part. I recommend this for anyone that has a future surgeon on their hands :)" —Tiffany lee
Get it from Amazon for $24.99.
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.