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 wooden puzzle that is like a real life Tetris minus the screen time. This puzzle can be played over and over for some fun away from their tablet.
Reviewer's say this is a great toy for all ages — from 3 to 12.
Promising review: "I was pleasantly surprised with how popular this was! I just bought it as a side gift for a child just because it was cheap and it was a puzzle-type toy. However, this kept both kids and adults immensely entertained for hours. It was challenging for everyone but a fun challenge. I’m purchasing another so we can race each other to finish at the next gathering." —Mrs. Dinkleberg
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
2. A "Make a Fox Friend" kit for your little fashionista that will help them learn to sew. This kit comes with everything needed to make a stuffed fox and adorable outfits and accessories.
Promising review: "My daughter opened this on Christmas day and worked on it for hours. She could do most things by herself, or with a quick demonstration. She especially loves that she can change the fox's clothes and potentially make more herself, patterned from the ones included. Perfect gift for any fox-loving kid!" —VBB
Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (also available in a koala, bunny, and mouse version).
3. 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.
For ages 6 and up.
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.
4. The Dimpl, perfect for babies and toddlers, with five silicone bubbles for your child to pop over and over again. It has over 19,000 5-star ratings and will definitely hold your child's attention. Bonus: it's portable making it perfect to keep your kiddo occupied during car rides and doctor visits.
This BPA-free toy is recommended for babies and toddlers ages 10 months+.
Promising reviews: "I bought this toy for a long-haul plane ride (12 hours) with a 15-month-old child. It was the perfect toy as there were no parts to lose, and she loved it! It was just challenging enough to keep her occupied for small chunks of time. When we arrived at our destination, she continued to play with it. It's great for restaurants and at home. Once she pushed all the 'dimples' through to one side, she would turn it over and start again. It's also small enough to pop into a pocket or bag for transport. Excellent toy!" —EK
Get it from Amazon for $12.89+ (available in two versions).
5. 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.
6. A Melissa & Doug activity book with a pair of safety scissors so your kiddo can develop fine motor skills and tap into their creativity. This book is filled with mazes, puzzles, and hands-on activities that will keep your child entertained.
Promising review: "Scissors skills are important both in and of themselves and because it strengthens the hand muscles to be used for learning to write. My 4-year-old LOVES this book. We received it this week and she has used it for a couple of hours each day. Many of the pages are cutting things out and putting them together (four-scoop ice cream cone, pizza with pepperonis, the components to build a house or a car, puzzles). We've used tape or glue to put the components together. This book is interesting enough to have caught the attention of my older children as well, although I make them let her do the cutting. :D Would make a great gift as it is so unique." —Mom of 7
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. An LCD writing tablet for screen-free fun so your artist can get creative. Your little one can draw colorful and bright creations minus the mess.
Promising review: "This tablet has entertained my 4-year-old grandson for hours at a time. He loves that he can erase at will and that the drawings are multicolored. I highly recommend this item for 18 months old and up. I bought a pink one for our 18-month-old granddaughter, and she too is just enthralled with it and the 'power' she has to erase, create, erase, create! They loved them so much, that we bought another set of two different colors so that they would have them at home as well as at 'Grammy's.'" —Kindle Customer Red Heart
Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in four colors).
11. Or a scratch paper art set that works like magic to reveal colorful images that your child creates just by scratching the surface with a wooden pick.
12. 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).
13. A miniature baking set for your wannabe YouTuber who can't get enough of the tiny baking viral videos. Now your kiddo will be able to create mini treats like their fave creators.
The set comes with a storage tin, rolling pin, wee knife, pizza/dough cutter, mixing spoon, three wee spoons, mixing bowl, pizza/pie pan, pie server, sheet pan, silicone cake and cupcake molds, two silicone finger mitts, and 48-page recipe book.
Promising review: "This keeps my daughter busy for HOURS! My daughter saw this online somewhere, and she asked for it as a birthday gift. I expected it to be cute, but not useful. As it turns out, I was completely wrong. She has regularly made mini chocolate chip cookies, and she'll be doing mini calzones tomorrow. It's adorable and the recipes totally work. She and her friends LOVE it." —Elura C. Kish
Get it from Amazon for $23.99.
14. A Lego set so your dino-obsessed kid will be able to create three dinosaurs fit for Jurassic Park.
Promising reviews: "I purchased this for my 8-year-old son and his eyes lit up since he loves dinosaurs. It can be constructed into three different builds and keep him busy for hours. He loves it and its low price point makes it a great option for an affordable Lego gift." —Anthony T.
"Fantastic Lego set! Simple enough for kids to do with very little help but difficult enough to keep them busy for hours assembling it and playing with it afterward! I also love the fact that they can take it apart and choose to build another model as it comes with three instruction booklets." —SR
Get it from Amazon for $11.99.
15. 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.
16. A pack of Crayola Globbles so your kid can actually throw a "ball" in the house without getting in trouble. These squishy toys are soft and stick to walls without leaving any residue behind!
Promising review: "My 15-year-old asked for these after seeing them on TikTok. I got them as a stocking stuffer thinking they’d be tossed aside. Unbelievably he and his 17-year-old brother have spent time lying in the floor, tossing them up to the ceiling, and waiting for them to fall so they can catch them. I never expected them to get this much use. Bonus is they’re off their phones and in the family room with us." —Amazon Customer
Get a set of six from Amazon for $10.69 (also available in 16 count).
17. A foldable indoor slide, because rain shouldn't ruin your little one's day. This slide will come to the rescue if you need a fun indoor activity when you can't make 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 styles).
18. A Mattel Flushin' Frenzy game for laugh out loud fun. This hilarious game will become your kid's new fave quickly (probably yours too). The goal is for players to plunge the toilet, anticipating fake poop to fly out. Players will have to be quick and try to grab the flying poop before another player does first. TBH, I feel like I have an unfair advantage here because this totally sounds like something every parent has actually done before.
Promising reviews: "My 5-year-old niece loves it! What can be said really? It's a game where you use a toy plunger to make a smiling rubber poop fly through the air to be caught for points. My niece, like many little kids, is going through a phase where anything related to poop is absolutely hilarious, so I thought this game would be just the thing for her. She loves it! The game is very easy to pick up for 4- and 5-year-olds, the components are well-made, and the poop is...oddly realistic, except for its smiling face of course. This is without a doubt the cleanest option for playing with poop on the market. Your kids'll love it." —Brendan Williams
"This game is hilarious, my 2 1/2-year-old couldn't get enough of it. As a 44-year-old adult male, I had a great time playing it. I bought this into my work, some colleagues and myself had a good time playing this, I think it could make for a fun drinking game as well." —Buyer
Get it from Amazon for $21.99.
19. 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.
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).
20. An avatar doll so your kiddo can customize their own real life avatar. This doll comes with two outfits, a wig, and stickers so your fashion designer can choose their facial expressions and create a unique look.
The stickers are reusable and come with a sheet to store them on so your little one can switch up their doll's expressions as often as they like. And each box comes with a code to bring you doll to life in the Avastars fashion game app.
Promising review: "My two daughters love this Avastars doll! It comes with a blank doll base that you can dress up however you like. There are reusable face stickers and designs to dress up the clothes. It's a bigger size doll than expected and has two outfits, two sticker sheets, hair, and a sheet to place your stickers when not in use. We haven't tried it with the app yet but it's fun just as a doll too!" —KH
Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in two styles) or get another version with darker skin tones for $9.99+ (available in two styles).
21. A dancing cactus toy that will mimic what you or your baby says in a funny voice. It can also record and play back sounds and plays 120 songs.
Promising review: "I did not see a volume control but It was a huge hit! Everyone at the baby shower had to play with it and the kids loved it! Can't wait to see how the new baby likes it when he comes. Saw it on TikTok and it looked adorable. It is as described and packaged well." —Katje H.
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in 11 variations).
22. A musical doll, if your child is totally obsessed with Cocomelon and knows all the songs by heart. Now, they'll be able to jam along to their fave tunes with their new BFF!
Recommend for ages 18 months and up.
Promising review: "Bought this for my grandson as 'baby coco' is one of his fave shows and I’m so happy I did. Listening to him sing along to the song and watching him fall asleep holding it is the sweetest most adorable thing ever." —Crystal Smith
Get it from Amazon for $14.71+ (available in two characters).
23. And, a Cocomelon toy that can be used in three different ways to keep your kiddo entertained. It can move around so your little one can chase or crawl after it, it has a mode to play hide-and-seek, or your child can sit and play while listening to songs, phrases, and sounds.
Promising review: "My granddaughter started crawling just to chase it. She loves it! Initially, it would just go around while she was laying on her belly, but then she was able to get on her knees. And as soon as that thing starts to move she is working on crawling after it. It’s the only thing that she’s been crawling to get." —Mary M Espejo
Get it from Amazon for $26.49.
24. An InnyBin to challenge your little thinker as they try to push shapes through elastic bands and try to get them back out. It comes with six blocks in various sizes and textures to keep your child entertained. And, as a bonus, it builds fine motor skills.
Recommend for ages 6 months and up.
Promising review: "We purchased this gem for my then-12-month-old for Christmas and it’s absolutely one of her favorite toys! I like to hide some of her Sesame Street figurines in it too to encourage her to 'help them escape.' I love that it gets her brain thinking in how to get each toy out and then how to place them back in. It’s fun watching her challenge herself, and when she gets them out she’s so proud! Very engaging." —Online shopper
Get it from Amazon for $27.95.
25. A Gobble Monster game, because your kiddo will be able to face off against a silly monster in this fast-paced game. Players have to race the clock to save toys before the monster eats them with its retractable tongue.
Players take turns drawing cards to see which toy to save before time runs out. If they don't get the toy in time, the monster will gobble it up.
Promising reviews: "Very fun! Easy! Kids love it!" —Lynne Farr
"Such a cute game for toddlers. We have fun waiting for the monster to gobble attack! Highly recommend." —Michele1224
Get it from Amazon for $19.08.
26. A toy air fryer for your mini chef who has watched you create delicious meals with your own air fryer over and over again and wants to play along, too. This toy lights up, plays sounds, and the "food" changes colors to simulate cooking.
This toy includes an air fryer with a pull-out tray, two chicken nuggets, and four fries.
Promising review: "I have been looking for this toy for a year and finally found it. It’s great. I love it and the realistic look it gives. My 4-year-old loves 'making' chicken nuggets and fries for his sister." —Jamie Edwards
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
27. A Penguin On Ice game — it's the ultimate ~ice breaker~ when you suggest an activity instead of screen time. Not only is this game fun for the whole family, it will also help improve hand-eye coordination and it'll get your kiddo thinking. Players will have to be strategic and break away "ice blocks" without causing the penguin to fall off or making all the ice blocks collapse.
Promising review: "Game is fun to play, rules are simple and it’s an interactive way to get young children interested in board games/game night. This is now our go to game when trying to engage the toddler and respect taking turns." —Gigi’s Giants
Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in two versions).
Your child devouring the food they made with the mini baking kit:
