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 rechargeable bubble machine that'll ~blow away~ any bubble wand in sight. Parents, you will no longer have to huff and puff or lose your breath blowing bubbles again! And, it's a fun activity that'll keep your kiddo busy for a long time.
This bubble maker includes: bubble gun, two bottles of bubble solution, a rechargeable battery, a charger, and a plate to place the bubble solution.
Promising review: "I ordered this for my daughter's birthday and she has always loved bubbles!. So when I found this bubble gun on TikTok, it was a no-brainer. The amount of bubbles that you get out of that is so fun and it lights up. It's easy to use and pretty inexpensive for what we wanted. Even the adults enjoyed it." —Tina
Get it from Amazon for $35.99+ (available in two versions and three colors).
2. Or a giant bubble wands kit for some outdoor fun the whole family will enjoy. The huge bubbles are all thanks to the two-handle wand design, which has been used to set big bubble world records!
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: "Fantastic product!! My 8-year-old son played outside with them for two solid hours...unplugged...happy as can be! I definitely recommend and will buy again!." —Pxysis
Get it from Amazon for $15.95+ (available in five styles, a family pack, and a deluxe seven-piece version).
3. An electric bumper car if your little one doesn't quite meet the height requirement for the ones at theme parks and carnivals. Now, your tyke will be able to ride around in style at home and around the neighborhood. This bumper car comes with a remote control, it lights up, and it can spin 360 degrees. Your mini driver will ~cruise~ right through their summer vacay.
You can control this with a remote and when your kiddo is old enough, they can drive it on their own, though you should always supervise. And it includes a rechargeable 6V battery for one to two hours of riding fun. Battery charging time is about five hours and 18 hours when charging for the first time.
Promising review: "TikTok made me buy it lol. It’s great. Babe got it at 6months old and was scared of it but now at 9months loves it so it was definitely a great investment! It’s a bit loud but functions as it should." —Jasmin Rose
Get it from Amazon for $139.96 (available in 10 colors).
4. Or, for older kids, a ride-on toy your thrill-seeker will be able to race around the neighborhood on all summer long. And, although it's electric, they'll have to use their weight to turn and maneuver around — what I'm saying is, they'll get all of their energy out.
FYI: This is recommended for kids six and up and can support up to 110 pounds. Children should wear a helmet while operating this. Parental supervision is recommended at all times.
Promising review: "If your kids love to play outside like mine do, I would highly suggest buying this product. My child loves this thing and can be on it for hours and not want to do anything else. It gives her so much reassurance that she is not going to tip over because it has guards in place on both sides. It also helps her balance with her two feet up as she says." —Devin A
Get it from Amazon for $149.99+ (available in three colors).
5. A foldable indoor slide so rain or a heat wave will not ruin your little one's day. This slide will come to the rescue if you need a fun indoor activity when your kiddo is on the verge of crying out "I'm bored!" but the weather isn't ideal for a trip to the park.
Promising review: "I got this for my 2-year-old daughter's birthday and she LOVES it. She is a little nervous on the playground and she took to this right away. It folds down easily and sets up easily — the design is brilliant. It was actually so easy that I watched the 30 second set up video just to be sure I got it right lol. My 8-year-old son got on it too and it held up. We live in an apartment so this is something that she can climb on safely without taking up a ton of space. Love this product!!" —jenna
Get it from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in three designs).
6. Or a Montessori indoor play gym if you need your child to play inside when it's just too hot to trek outdoors. The best part? Your kiddo won't scorch their bum sliding down one of those overheated metal slides at the park — ouch!
Good Evas Kids is a small biz based in NY that sells wooden children's play sets, climbing walls, and bookshelves.
Promising review: "This product is amazing! I did so much research regarding quality and cost before purchasing one and this was the best one! My baby absolutely loves this! It is very sturdy and strong. It came with everything you need and the website has the instruction videos which made it so easy to follow and put it together. Also, customer service is so quick to respond and very caring! I love that you can adjust the height and angle of the triangle ladder. You can also move around the 4 products and change it up so you can have different set up which i like!" —teni240
Get it from Good Evas Kids on Etsy for $99+ (originally $198+; available in seven variations and two colors).
7. A kids' selfie camera so your little influencer can become a savvy photographer and snap pics of their OOTD. You don't want to keep their followers waiting!
Promising review: "I gave this to my granddaughter for her 4th birthday. She had been asking for a camera of her own for a little while. The camera itself is of great quality for a kiddie camera, the parents appreciated that it was digital and not Polaroid and my granddaughter was actually able to use independently with ease, after we taught her how. I would purchase again, and I highly recommend it to others." —The-Way-I-C-it
Get it from Amazon for $31.44+ (available in six colors and two versions).
8. A wireless karaoke mic, because you can say yes to an impromptu concert without having to whip out a heavy karaoke machine and a bunch of wires. Your little singer will be belting out tunes all summer long.
Promising review: "My 8-year-old daughter loved this birthday gift. The only problem is that my 6-year-old and 12-year-old daughters love it too, so now I have to purchase two more." —Carl Fowler
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in 11 colors).
9. An Orbeez Challenge playset with 2,000 beads that soak up water and expand. This set comes with all the necessary tools so your child can satisfy their need to make a (contained) mess! They can roll, shape, and crush the Orbeez for endless sensory fun!
My daughter has been asking for this set for a long time but I was nervous to get it for her because it just seems like a messy toy that will require a lot of cleaning afterwards. She received it as a gift, and I hesitated when it was time to finally open it up. I'm happy to report that not only is this set SO much fun, but if you use the included container, it keeps all the messy stuff contained. And this set will definitely keep your child entertained for a long, long time. We love it.
Promising review: "My son loved the sensory play with these Orbeez rainbow beads — we were both shocked by how large they grew in water! They provided hours of creative play for my 8-year old and eventually he ended up putting them in a glass vase as decoration! He will still pour them out every week for some play time and has enjoyed them in the bath as well — just be sure to properly scoop all the beads out b/c they should not go down the drain! Great gift for kiddos with lots of hands-on play!" —Sara Ahmed
Get a set of from Amazon for $12.99.
10. Some reusable water balloons made of eco-friendly material that can be reused over and over. No need to turn down a water balloon fight because you'll never run out (and these are better for the planet). Go ahead...throw a few of these, I know you want to.
Promising review: "The adults in this house love water balloons but not the mess…plus with toddlers around, it didn’t quite make sense to have water balloons but we saw a random video on TikTok and HAD to find reusable water balloons to try out. These were the first ones we bought to try out, and WHOA we were blown away! Super easy to for the 2- and 3-year-old to use, which means more fun for all of us!! Do not think twice or continue with regular water balloons, you’ll waste precious time cleaning up and filling that could be used to make memories." —Taurus
Get a four-pack from Amazon for $15.99 (also available in packs of six, 12, 16, 18, and 20).
11. A butterfly garden, because it's a fun and educational activity that'll keep your curious scientist captivated. With this kit, your kiddo will be able to observe caterpillars as they transform into butterflies in a safe habitat.
FYI: This kit includes a reusable, pop-up mesh habitat, perfect for butterfly, a feeding dropper, instructions, and a journal to take notes. It also includes a voucher you can use to redeem live caterpillars.
I purchased this kit for my daughter and she absolutely loved checking on the caterpillars every day. It was a fun activity for the whole family. It took about three weeks for them to go through the whole process. It was so cool to witness the transformation and my daughter really enjoyed it. I recommend this kit to everyone looking for an engaging, fun, and educational activity.
Promising review: "This was a really fun project with my 4year old last summer. She loved every part of the process and looked forward to looking at what was happening every morning." —Melissa
Get it from Amazon for $24.99.
12. An inflatable pool center that reviewers say provides hours of entertainment, is easy to inflate, and kids and adults enjoy it. It includes a water slide, sprayers, two wading pools, an inflatable strawberry floatie, and and six balls.
Promising review: "So much fun! The kids completely love to play in this pool, and I love how much you get for the great price! It's beautiful and colorful, quick to inflate, and the details are perfect like the little landing pad at the bottom of the slide. There's even a drain built in so if you attach the hose to the sprinkler part it won't overfill. Huge win!" —Hanabi
Get it from Amazon for $64.59.
13. A roller coaster for kids so you can save some money and skip a trip to an amusement park while still giving your kiddo the thrill of a ride. This can be used indoors or outdoors, so it can be used rain or shine. And, reviewers say it's easy to assemble and to store.
Promising review: "So if you're like me, you've come to the reviews to talk you into or out of buying this. Well no further scrolling is needed. Buy it. Just do it. It's worth every penny I spent on it. My son LOVES it. It's easy to put together and to take apart when you want to move it. Its built really well and shipped faster than expected. It's hours of fun indoors and out." —Mariah Manley
Get it from Amazon for $139.99+ (available in three styles).
14. A fairy garden kit that comes with everything your little one will need to grow their own magical garden. This set includes a cottage that doubles as a flower pot, soil, seeds, a bridge, two lady bugs, a butterfly, a fairy, and a frog.
Promising review: "I bought this for my daughter who loves to garden. She is in love with her fairy house and after planting the seeds, two days later they sprouted! It has been a week now and the mustard and pea sprouts are huge! We will have to keep everything trimmed of course because the peas will vine out and get massive. Overall, this is an amazing gift and my daughter loves it! I just ordered a different fairy garden for her to attach to this one so she can make her own fairy village. Super cute!" —noelle neill
Get it from Amazon for $21.94.
15. A two-tier water table — it includes so many activities, your child will have hours of fun playing with it. And, you can attach it to a hose for a sprinkler and waterfall effect. It also includes an umbrella for protection from the scorching sun.
Promising review: "Best purchase of summer! This has become my daughter’s favorite toy! She loves playing in the water. Love the attached sprinkler and umbrella to offer shade on hot sunny days." —Crystal Libby
Get it from Amazon for $159.99.
16. A DIY kaleidoscope kit so your nature lover will be able to collect items while on a walk or at the beach to create their own pattern. Your kiddo will be able to add leaves, flowers, sea shells, and more inside a magnetic lid. Then, they'll be able to rotate and view objects as they create kaleidoscope images.
Dreamer Kids is a family-owned small biz that sells unique wooden toys for kids.
FYI: This kit requires some assembly and includes 10 plastic flowers.
Promising review: "We love it! We enjoyed the plastic flowers that came with the kit, but had the most fun when we started putting in natural objects —flower petals, tiny ferns. Lots of creative play ahead." —martharich3
Get it from Dreamer Kids on Etsy for $57.68 (available with custom text or with two quote options).
17. A glow-in-the-dark fort building kit for your soon-to-be architect or engineer. Your little builder can create anything they can think of like a castle or rocket. The best part is when you shut the lights off, their creation will glow.
Promising review: "Got this for my niece who was 4 and she could play this for hours. She put her blanket over it, made flags, turned it into a wand, and bunch of other versatile ways to play. It’s a great buy if you want to keep the kid busy for hours. It’s a bit challenging at times to get it dissembled but it was super fun for her. Easy to store back in the bag or box." —S Cheung
Get it from Amazon for $59.97+ (available in two styles).
18. A Melissa & Doug ice cream station so your kiddo can run their own ice cream shop (minus the sugar rush) and dive into pretend play. Your child will love taking your order and scooping ice cream into cups and cones.
The wooden ice cream counter comes with eight ice cream scoops, six toppings, two cones, cup, scooper, tongs, wooden spoon, reusable menu card, and six pretend dollar bills.
Promising review: "My newly turned 3-year-old daughter instantly fell in love with this set! She loves seeing how high she can stack the ice cream cones and pretending to serve Mom & Dad her creations. She's been obsessed with climbing things around the house and we *desperately* needed a distraction to get her to stop, and this is working so far — she plays with this thing for HOURS!" —West Family
Get it from Amazon for $54.99.
19. An affordable drone, because kids (and adults) are just amazed by this. I won't tell that you basically bought it for yourself and just lend it to your kiddo every once in a while to keep boredom at bay.
Promising review: "Awesome, easy to use and learn drone that entertains me and my 2-year-old for hours. Very steady, fast, and with two long-lasting batteries with two chargers. I bump it into walls. Sometimes drops from 10-plus feet without issues. It goes pretty high outside without issues but I think it's intended as an indoor drone. Very sturdy. Bottom has soft plastic rubber pieces for soft landings and bumpers around blades help protect it. Love it!" —Laura Pena
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in two styles).
20. A Gravity Maze game to challenge your little brainiac to use spatial reasoning, planning, and engineering to figure out how to get the ball through the maze and on its target. Sounds super technical, but it's learning that feels like fun.
The game comes with 60 challenges that range from beginner to expert so it will hold their interest as they work their way up to the trickier ones.
Promising review: "What a great combination of construction, puzzles, and games! My 5-year-old and 8-year-old niece were able to challenge themselves to some of the levels (the 8-year-old was was more capable of solving them on her own). The adults also found themselves fixated on playing the different levels as well! It was challenging and fun! We love marble runs and games so this was a perfect fit. This is one of the few games that everyone asks to play and it's perfect when we have guests of kiddos over and keeps everyone busy and engaged for hours!" —Crystal Brown
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (also available in three other versions).
21. A Stomp Rocket launcher that your kids will have a *blast* with (while learning a thing or two about physics). These rockets launch up to 200 feet high when your child jumps or stomps on the launch pad — no need to stock up on batteries.
Promising review: "I purchased this as one of my stepson's birthday presents this past fall. He just turned 8, and I was trying to get some more outside toys to play with. I thought that he'd enjoy it, but I had no clue how popular this freakin' toy would be. All of our kids, ages 2–8, LOVE this thing and so do all of the neighbor kids. It is played with every single time the kids are outside, sometimes for hours. I have never seen my kids play with ANYTHING for hours, but they sure do with this. Taking it out guarantees that every kid under the age of 12 will appear in our yard." —TheLeeFamily
Get it from Amazon for $14.97+ (available in six variations).
22. A solar-powered DIY robot kit, a STEM activity where your child can build 12 robots that can move with the power of the sun!
The kit includes 190 pieces, a solar panel, and detailed instructions.
Promising review: "I purchased this as a gift for an 8-year-old boy. He loves to build, loves robotics, dinosaurs, and Godzilla. :) He LOVES this set! He sits for hours on end, which is an amazing accomplishment for any 8-year-old, playing with and building all the different robot toys. A friend's 8-year-old daughter loves them, the 48-year-old parent loves them, and the 75-year-old grandpa loves them. Fun for the whole family!" —MBC
Get it from Amazon for $24.99.
23. A hilarious Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game that isn't as complicated as its name, I promise. Not only is it easy to play but it's also fun for the whole fam. Reviewers warn that you may laugh uncontrollably.
Pass out all the cards to the players and keep all the stacks face down. Everyone takes a turn putting a card down in the middle, while saying "taco," "cat," "goat," "cheese," and "pizza," in that order. If the picture on your card matches the word that's said, everyone races against each other to slap their hand on the central pile of cards. Whoever is last must take the pile of cards and add them to their stack, and the person who runs out of cards first wins!
Promising review: "The title says it all! You must buy this game if you’re looking to get your kids off their butts, computers, phones, or TV! My children sat for hours, five to be exact, just playing this and laughing. It was a lot of fun for my husband and I to hear them not fighting and doing something together. Loads of fun!! We even loved playing with them!! 🥰🤘" —Melinda Haiden
Get it from Amazon for $9.84.
24. A Disney Princess necklace activity set to help your little one stay out of your jewelry box and create their very own one-of-a-kind necklaces.
This set comes with a carrying case, five Disney Princess rubber charms, 150 beads, and four silicone necklaces.
Promising review: "My 3-year-old twins loved it, entertained for hours which is rare. Perfect for teaching coordination, color patterns, encourages creativity. The necklaces are a soft, stretchy material with a safe breakaway clasp but that also stays on well. I wore a necklace for hours around the house and didn't fall off. The beads are cute and a good variety of colors. Overall great project, loads of fun for toddlers." —Lyss
Get it from Amazon for $10.
25. A flower-building activity set so your *budding* genius tap into their imagination and build amazing flower displays. This STEM activity comes with hundreds of pieces for endless possibilities.
Promising review: "I bought this flower garden as a gift for my 3-year-old daughter. She absolutely loves it! She has always enjoyed blocks and this is something different that has kept her engaged for hours! We highly recommend this product to others!!" —Ashley Petersen
Get it from Amazon for $11.98+ (available in two sizes).
26. An interactive The Floor is Lava game that will get your kids off of the couch and off of their tablets. This is also the perfect rainy day activity.
Players spin a color wheel to determine which color tile they jump on next. The goal is to stay off of the lava (floor) and only land on tiles to get to safety.
Promising review: "My kids like to play the floor is lava with the couch cushions and after yelling at them for the 1,000th time to pick the cushions back up off the floor, we got this game. This game entertains my kids and keeps my couch intact. Good buy!" —Squishygrapes
Get it from Target for $16.99.
27. A rainbow-colored saucer swing, because rain or shine, your child can spin and swing without a trip to the park. This will be your kid's (or tween's) new *hang* out.
Maximum weight is 260 pounds.
Promising review: "Very, very sturdy and easy assembly. We had a reunion and this swing kept the kids busy for hours. I definitely will be buying another." —msbakwudhic
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in two sizes).
28. Or a sensory swing so your tiny acrobat will be able to swing and bounce up and down to channel all of that energy they have after a really good nap.
Recommend for ages 3 and up.
Rest Nets is a small biz based in Israel started by a mom who created these hammocks as a way to give parents "an extra pair of hands" for entertaining kids.
Promising review: "My 4.5-year daughter loves this swing! We have it installed in a French doorframe and has been very secure. She loves to swing while we are cooking or hanging out. I anticipate it will get so much love over the years. We love having it indoors during the winter since playgrounds aren't as practical. It was one of her favorite Christmas presents." —Chris Wiegand
Get it from Rest Nests on Etsy for $116 (available in nine colors).
29. Banzai Bump N' Bounce Body Bumpers so your energetic kids can have a silly sibling (or cousin) duel.
PSA: Make sure helmets are worn during bump-offs.
Promising review: "Great for the kids. The kids have been playing with this for hours. One of them even asked if they could sleep in it. It’s great for winter indoor fun. I highly recommend this product." —RyanAndFaith
Get a set of two from Amazon for $17.05.
30. A Wiwiurka wooden trapeze bar for your little gymnast, which can be used indoors or outdoors. They'll be able to climb, spin, and swing to their heart's content.
Recommend for ages 3 and up.
Note: Mounting hardware not included.
Wiwiurka is a Mexican woman-owned business located in Tepoztlan, Mexico that creates sustainable children's toys using water-based paints and non-toxic materials that are inspired by Pikler, Montessori, and Waldorf’s educational standards.
Promising review: "My kid won’t get off this trapeze! He loves it and he is getting so much better at his 'tricks' every day. When we ordered it we hopped it would keep him busy but we never imagined how much time he would spend on it. It’s beautiful, high quality and so much fun. I wished I would have had one as a kid." —Montserrat K.
Get it from Wiwiurka for $75 (available in three colors).
31. A Magna-Tiles set that parents are raving about (including myself) because kids and adults can't stop playing with them. Whatever your child creates will look like a work of art with these tiles.
The set comes with translucent magnetic pieces to build 3D creations. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Promising review: "Seriously the best gift we have ever gotten our son. He has these at his preschool and, since Christmas, at home too and he never tires of them. In fact he plays with these almost every day and his creativity astounds me. He learns so much about how to put things together and his imagination runs wild. He would play with these for hours if he could!!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $49.99.
32. A Montessori climber set, because your kiddo will get so much use out of this multifunctional play set. They'll learn how to climb, grasp, and balance while getting all of their energy out. Then, (when they're exhausted) simply flip it over and add a cushioned pillow to turn it into a rocker.
Kidodido is a small business that sells wooden Montessori toys, children's furniture, and nursery decor.
Promising review: "This toy is an amazing purchase! My son is 13 months old and loves climbing. He immediately climbed to the top of the arch and beamed at his dad and I. The pillow is also super comfortable!" —Katherine Hines
Get it from Kidodido on Etsy for $86.36+ (originally $127+; available in various sizes and configurations).
You, totally prepared to soak up the summer:
