Latest news with #CrayolaGlobbles
Buzz Feed
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Toddlers Are *Expensive,* So Save Some Money With These Toys Under $25
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. Half the time kiddos would rather play with the boxes they came in, so there's truly no need to spend an arm and a leg on toys. 1. A pack of Crayola Globbles so your kiddos can finally throw something at the wall because that's its purpose, not because they are full of rage. Or for those that are ~calmer,~ these are also super fun to stretch and squeeze. Plus they won't leave behind any nasty residue for you to deal with. Check out a TikTok of the globbles in action. Promising reviews:"This is great to keep in the diaper bag for on the go— restaurants or airplanes. My toddler has asked for these 'sticky balls' daily since we got them. They are super easy to rinse with water and make them sticky again! Definitely recommend for toddler age!" — Kelly " 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 u s." — Amazon Customer Get a set of six from Amazon for $9.85 (also available in 16 count). 2. A pack of popping tube sensory toys that are super fun to stretch, shrink, and build into letters, numbers, shapes, and everything in between. Recommended for ages 3+. Promising reviews:"Cheap and toddlers love! My grandson loves these lol. Cheap plastic makes noise and is flexible bending etc. Great for bath time or whenever." — Leita C. "These are fun for kids of all ages. My grandbabies love them because they can hold them in their baby hands. They are brightly colored and flexible. Unlikely to hurt anything. Older kids like them for the noise they make when they are stretched or closing. They create long chains (they attach to each other) and wild twisty things. All in all, a good toy for this grandma to have in her house." — Katy Get a four-pack from Amazon for $5.99+ (available in three sizes and two quantities). 3. A pack of Playfoam Pals made with super satisfyingly squishy sensory foam that's unbelievably fun to mush around without creating a horrible mess (like that fan-favorite, sticky slime). Annnd each pack is hiding an adorable little pet that'll be their new BFF. Promising reviews:"Happily surprised that the positive reviews about this product are true! Only play foam my toddler and I can both enjoy. He loves how easily foam keeps shape, the fun colors, and surprise inside every case. I appreciate that the small foam balls rarely separate or dry out. Great creative gift for children. A win for all!" — MissKrissy "These are amazing for creative sensory play! I love that the foam is non-toxic and that it doesn't stick to everything. My kids have left it out numerous times and it never, ever dries out. And the little pet pals are just the cutest. The kids were so excited to see which ones they got and literally spent hours playing with them and the foam. These would be perfect for stocking stuffers!" — NYMommy Get a pack of six from Amazon for $23.99. 4. A *magic* Crayola watercolor set which is made to ~only~ work on the special paper included, which means they can go full Picasso and you won't end up with bright orange and yellow marks allll over your carpet. The kit comes with a paintbrush, 18 special pieces of paper, and six clear paints that change colors when they hit the paper. The brush lights up to indicate what color is currently on the brush. Promising review: "I saw this everywhere and wanted to get it for my kids. My kids love this magic light brush paint set. It's perfect for toddlers who want to paint but you don't want the whole mess. The only problem I found was the yellow after a few swipes wouldn't make yellow anymore no matter how much I rubbed the brush on the palette. It would be an orange-brown color. It wasn't a deal breaker for us. Overall, it's fun, and the kids love it." — Ashley Get it from Amazon for $24.49. Also available in a fun finger-painting version! 5. A bestselling Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes musical toy with an easy-to-grasp handle, mesmerizing twinkly lights, and catchy, classical melodies (by Mozart, Vivaldi, and other masters). Your baby is gonna be entertained; ~music~ to your ears. Promising review:" I LOVE this thing! I bought it before my daughter was born because of high reviews. It's a reasonably priced toy, and my daughter has been using it since birth. Whenever she's having a meltdown, I break it out of the diaper bag, and she's all better. :) I actually memorized the songs and order, and they're pretty catchy. Not annoying and overbearing like other toys. I don't know what I would do without it!." — uhhdorkable Promising review:" The best baby distractor EVER! Every person with a child must have this toy! I had about five tucked in various places in case one got lost. My son loved them from basically birth and sometimes it would distract him for hours of non-crying! (Heaven for a new mother) Of course, in the beginning, you have to keep pushing the button for them, but compared to swinging him in his car seat, that was easy! Then, when he got older, he would spend entire car rides just playing with this one toy. I give it to everyone I know who has a baby." — NH-Mommy Get it from Amazon for $8.88. 6. A wooden puzzle that is basically just Tetris except without the screen time so they can also practice their tactical skills. They can also work their imagination to make different shapes and designs. Reviewers say this is a great toy for all ages — from 3–12. Promising reviews:"I got this for my 5-year-old for Christmas and she really enjoys trying to figure it out. Colors are vibrant, wood isn't too thick or too thin, and it's a nice size as well. She was thrilled when she finally figured out a combination to complete the puzzle. Great gift for a kid especially given all the screen time kids have now. Gets their brains working!" — lr "I was looking for stuff that will keep my kids entertained without electronics and this is one of the things I got them. From my 5-year-old to my 10-year-old, they've all sat down and played around with it. It'll be a great road trip game as well. Small. Compact. Has a bag to carry the game." — MGS Get it from Amazon for $8.99. 7. And a wooden geoboard so they can create fun and unique shapes and designs out of rubber bands (maybe a tree, boat, or some mittens), and if they need a little help getting started it comes with 35 pattern cards for inspiration! Amazon, Promising reviews:"This item was exactly what I needed for some of the younger children because handling the rubber bands helps develop their fine motor muscles. It also encourages imagination and creativity and counting. They make designs and love it. For older ages there are cards with designs for them to try and duplicate. Young children can also make shapes and letters thus developing math and literacy skills. This is a sturdy, well-made geoboard." — Kathleen Loden Barbuti "Bought the geoboard for my 4-year-old grandson who enjoyed making his own pictures and designs. As a retired math teacher, I can tell you that geoboards are great hands on learning tools for children of any age. My seventh-grade students loved when our lessons involved 'playing' with geoboards!" — anne porter Get it from Amazon for $19.99. 8. A sight word Bingo game to keep your little one entertained in an educational way. Next thing you know they're going to be begging you to play another round. The set comes with 36 playing cards, 264 playing chips, caller's mat and cards, and a storage box. This version is a fun twist on the classic, but instead of calling out numbers, the leader calls out words (there are 46 most-used words), players search their cards for a match and place a red chip on the match. Once a player has covered the spaces on their card needed to win, they call BINGO! Promising reviews:"Me and my toddlers had a ball playing sight word bingo. It definitely helped my kindergarten with her sight words and made her more comfortable. Would recommend." — Ali coker "Getting my daughter to do sight words has been a nightmare lately, she pretends she has no idea what anything is and refuses to sit down and try. But, with this game, she wants to play for hours!!! I give her two cards and we all play together as a family, she thinks it is the best game and it really is helping her learn her sight words!! Finally something that gets her excited about learning!!" — Rebecca Get it from Amazon for $11.69. 9. A Silly Poopy's Hide & Seek game perfect for any kids who are ~obsessed~ with potty humor. It gives silly clues while kids try to fit it, and even has a fun reward song for the winner. 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. 10. A pair of GeoSafari Jr. binoculars so they can see all the creatures they've been studying in books up close in real life! Plus these are specifically designed for little ones so there's no focusing and the eye pieces are much larger and more comfortable. Amazon, Promising review:" These are absolutely the best for preschooler aged children. There is no need for adjustment. You just look into the binoculars and see a clear image. My son used these this past summer for getting a closer look at the hummingbirds at our feeder. We also took these with us on nature walks. He really enjoyed using them and after a full summer's use, they are still in great shape. Anything that makes a child curious about nature and the environment gets a A+ in my book." — Rachael P. Get it from Amazon for $9.69+ (available in two colors). 11. A Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game that'll get the whole family involved and lead to laughing harder than you have in a while and memories you'll never forget. 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! And it's made by a small biz! Promising reviews:"What a great game for all ages! My toddler could understand how to play with her siblings! So much fun! We keep coming back to it!" — rainsmiles "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. 12. A DIY puffy sticker kit to create beautiful and squishy handmade stickers your crafty kids will love. From pre-designed art to black and white stencils they can color themselves, your kiddo's creativity has no limits. Amazon Promising reviews:"Gave as a gift to a 4-year-old. She loved coloring her own and was able to use the 'puffer maker' just fine on her own. Gave a few hours of fun to the whole family!" — Colleen A Frawley "Great solo kit for my 8-year-old. I went on a craft kit spending spree when they closed the schools since I must continue working (I work from home everyday already) and do not want video games raising my 8-year-old for the next several weeks. So far this was the BEST kit of the ones I purchased. Here is why. She can work at the desk beside me solo (as in without interrupting me every few minutes for help, as with some of the other kits we have tried). She got the hang of how to assemble and cut these out by herself with minimal instruction, but with lots of fun and spent a good amount of the day working on them. I am happy with the time to money investment ratio." — MamaJJ Get it from Amazon for $19.99. 13. A Melissa & Doug activity book with a pair of safe scissors so they can work on their cutting and fine motor skills in a controlled (and fun!) way. They can cut out delicious treats like ice cream and pizza, animals like fish and walruses, and even cars and boats. Amazon, Promising review:" My 4-year-old was starting to cut everything it seemed like in the house. I ordered this activity book that came with scissors and it was a hit; she would sit quietly and cut her pages, and after we would put the puzzles together or hang them on fridge. 10 /10!! ✂️." — Miss Tracie Get it from Amazon for $5.49. 14. A miniature baking set to put the Easy Bake Oven lightbulb cooking to shame. Create delicious (yet tiny) treats while learning all the science behind baking. Maybe they can whip up a few treats for your dinner spread! 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 reviews:"My 3-year-old granddaughter loved these! She uses them to roll out, cut and serve tiny portions." — Claudia Grandy " 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 $22.99. 15. An upgraded Lite-Brite similar to the one you might've had as a kid, but this has a bigger screen and more pegs so their imagination can really ~shine.~ Amazon, It comes with six design templates to follow, including a boat and unicorn, but obviously your kiddo can use their imagination to create designs of their own! And don't worry, the LED bulbs are designed to not get hot. Promising reviews:"I wasn't certain how my 4-year-old grandson would react to an old fashioned light brite compared to his tablet and high tech toys. He was intrigued immediately upon opening and loves it! This classic is still a winner!" — twilla "Y'all, talk about a throwback gift! I got this for my daughter for Christmas in 2019 — and within the first day she and I both played with it for hours! To say it's her favorite might be an understatement. And it totally takes you back to your childhood. Get it you won't regret it!" — Danielle Lavender Get it from Amazon for $14.35. 16. An LCD writing tablet that is basically the modern day version of those scratch to reveal drawing books from my childhood, except with this there is no mess AND the screen can be cleared with the press of a button. 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 $13.99+ (available in two sizes and four colors). 17. Or, if you fancy yourself a traditionalist, a scratch-paper art set so you can stick to the classics and your little ones can experience art the same way you did as a kid. These black sheets of paper have a matte coating that they can scratch away to reveal the rainbow design underneath. This set comes with 50 sheets, five wooden styluses, four colorful stencils, and one brush. Promising review:"I can not give these enough stars! These are the best thing ever, they keep my 5-year-old entertained for hours!" — turbo1795 Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (available in two versions). 18. Banzai Bump N' Bounce Body Bumpers perfect for those kiddos who have soooo much built-up energy and always seem to want to wrestle someone. Now they can do it in a safe way (that also just so happens to be *incredibly* entertaining to watch.) I'm gonna go ahead and recommend wearing helmets too! Promising reviews:"Great buy, fits the grandkids, great gift for toddlers who never sit still, she ran into walls with no harm just good fun with lots laughs." — Melissa M Murray "Absolutely hilarious to watch! I got these for my kids (7 and 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 these! 😅" — Sky Get a pack of two from Amazon for $19.79. 19. A pack of parachute toys designed to provide hours of entertainment without ever getting tangled! Amazon, Promising reviews:"My toddler loves these, they work very well and keeps her busy for a good hour." — Yasmine S. "My 5-year-old nephew wanted a parachute so bad, but we didn't want him jumping off the roof of the house, so I found these toys and he LOVES them! The boys have contests and make up games on who's chute goes farthest or highest and they play play play! It's awesome!" — Amazon Customer Get a pack of four from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in three styles). 20. A two-pack of super-cool foam gliders equipped with LED lights so they can toss them around all day and night. See how far your kiddo can run to catch the plane before it lands. Amazon Promising reviews:"My 3-year-old loves to play with his airplane in our backyard. It's become an almost daily activity. These are great airplanes. Well made and we love the way they do loops" — Sarah Y from Atlanta "Wow!!! These things REALLY work as advertised!! To be honest, my expectations were pretty low. But I was very pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong! The looping mode is so awesome, the kids and adults were giddy with excitement! It's also very durable — can handle hitting the ground pretty hard without taking any damage. Definitely best airplane toy I've ever played with." — kliles Get a pack of two from Amazon for $9.49+ (available in two colors and different quantities). 21. Or a pack of flying rings, which TBH are wayyy better than traditional Frisbees. These are 80% lighter and have a hole in the center, which makes them much easier for little hands. Plus they are designed to fly straighter, aka you don't have to warn everyone in the vicinity that they are potentially in the danger zone. Promising reviews:"They are great for young kids, especially toddlers to learn to throw a frisbee and the they don't hurt as much when you get accidentally hit with one. Recommend for all ages." — Karina "I got these to help my grandson burn off some energy and we have such a great time with them! They're easy to use and glide so beautifully through the air. We have fun trying different ways to throw and catch them." — phausner Get a pack of two from Amazon for $14.99 (available in seven color combos). 22. A Stomp Rocket launcher that can launch up to 200 feet (!!) making it super fun to blast rockets up *and* watch 'em come down. Amazon, This set includes four high-flying stomp rockets and an adjustable rocket launch stand. Stomp Rocket is a small business creating fun blaster toys that are powered by kids! Promising reviews:"We got this for our toddlers (1- and 3-years-old) and they both love it so much. They are both able to assemble and play with it by themselves which is a huge bonus. Perfect toy for the price." — Nash "The assembly is EXTREMELY easy. The rockets launch well above my two-story home that I have to make sure it's not too close so one doesn't land on the roof. It's actually fun for the adults as well. My son loves to watch me really launch one. This is a great outside activity for any boy or girl. You don't have to chase the kids around and they get plenty of exercise running to get the rockets after they've landed. Fun for everyone. Well worth the 20 bucks I spent on it." — Geno Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in four versions and rocket refill packs). 23. A scavenger hunt designed to keep your toddler entertained for more than 10 minutes while you send them on a mission to discover all kinds of treasure (aka books, toys, clothes, and other random stuff around your house). Amazon Mollybee Kids is a small, family-owned small business based in Pennsylvania. Promising review:" A must-have. My 2-year-old son is obsessed. Always asks to play 'find you' game LOL. Then we play it and every option on the game he actually thinks really hard then says, 'Come on, Mommy,' and runs me through the house to find the object. Highly recommended from a mom of four." — Britney bansley Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in three versions). 24. A Disney Princess necklace activity set so your future fashionista can get a headstart on designing their very own custom jewelry. I think the main question here is which Disney princess will they let you flaunt?! Amazon, This comes with supplies to make five necklaces — five charms, five necklaces, and 150 beads. Promising review:"My 4-year-old daughter and I just opened this up and made EVERY necklace, with plenty of beads to spare. May I just say how wonderful of a surprise this was. This is a great activity to have that special mommy-daughter time." — Jessica Richardson Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in 15 other versions). 25. A foam pogo jumper safer than a traditional pogo stick, but still just as fun!! Your kiddos will love bouncing around from room to room, and you'll love them burning off all their pent-up energy. Amazon, It can hold up to 250 lbs and can be used both indoors and outdoors (though reviewers note if you are going to use it outside try to stay away from concrete). Flybar is a small business that creates fun toys and activities for kids. 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 $12.99+ (available in 16 colors). 26. A flower-building activity set with fully interchangeable pieces to create limitless flower arrangements to test their creativity and imagination. 💐🌷🌹🌸🌻 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 $14.98+ (available in five versions/sizes). 27. A construction-themed folding play set complete with kinetic sand, a dump truck, working crane, and brick molds so they can build, dig, and demolish alllll day long. (And without the mess that would happen if they were demolishing your house!) Amazon Promising review:"My two toddler boys LOVE this set so much! The container helps keep the mess contained. It's really cool how the dump truck has slots to make bricks with the sand. It's a great toy that has given my two boys endless amounts of joy." — Sophia Get it from Amazon for $22.49. 28. A two-pack of LED hover balls so your kiddos can finally play soccer inside with less risk of injury or breaking something. These easily glide across the floor like an air hockey puck and have built-in bumpers to protect your baseboards. Let Loose Moose is a small business creating fun toys and activities for kids. Promising reviews:"I recently purchased a set of two of these for my rambunctious toddlers. Let me tell you it has done wonders to tire them out, save my poor white baseboards, and overall provide some entertainment for the whole family. Honestly at first I did not have much hope for these in regards to durability or the foam on the outside but I am pleasantly surprised! Also a two-pack at just under 19 bucks? I couldn't take more than one kid to the movie theatre for that let alone only get 1–2 hours of entertainment out of that! Worth every penny." — Joshua " These are so fun! This is the perfect toy for my high-energy 8-year-old boy, he loves getting to play soccer in the house and I love that nothing gets broken. These work really well and are definitely a good value; it's great that you get two with the purchase." — Britni Get a pack of two from Amazon for $19.99 (also available as a one-pack and a deluxe version). The reviews used in this post have been edited for length and clarity.
Buzz Feed
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
If You Know *Nothing* About Kids But Have To Buy One A Gift, Check Out These 33 Parent-Approved Ones
1. Silly Poopy's Hide and Seek because your nibbling is currently in their potty humor phase. Let them delight in finding a rainbow-colored fake poop that gives seekers clues to its whereabouts. Know any parents in desperate need of some alone time? You very well may earn yourself a "~Holy crap~ this gift is amazing text!" John Mihaly / BuzzFeed Promising review:" My 6- and 3-year-old are OBSESSED. They play for an hour at least! Played with daily since we got it. When it's my turn to hide, I make it tricky enough that I can actually be productive until it's my turn again." — Cara Lentz Get it from Amazon for $12.99. 2. A miniature baking set for the tiny chef with a big love for whipping up delicious treats in the kitchen. It even comes with a 48-page recipe book that also shares the science involved. 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 a 48-page recipe book. Promising review:" My 9-year-old daughter LOVES this — OK, more like is obsessed with this! Everything holds up and is durable. The recipes are so simple to follow. She takes over the kitchen and does everything by herself. She makes us delicious cinnamon rolls, apple pies, pizzas…everything! Everything is written and geared to have a child be able to do it. We have told all her friends, and now they all have this, too! The kids on the street all come to our house just so they can tiny bake! Every kid needs one of these!" — Summer Get it from Amazon for $19.99. 3. A pack of Crayola Globbles to keep kiddos busy sticking, squishing, squeezing, stacking, and slinging without you or their parents worrying about sticky residue on ceilings and walls. Promising review:"A huge hit with my children. We bought them for one child with autism, and he's obsessed with these. Christmas morning has been pure joy for him playing with these, and all of us joined in on the fun. They are not exploding on us nor are they 'peeling' our ceiling paint or plaster off. Overall, I would absolutely buy these again and recommend them to anyone else. Especially anyone who has a special needs child or child with sensory issues."— SamSurgany Get a set of six from Amazon for $10.04 (also available in a pack of 16). 4. A National Geographic geode kit that'll make for a ~smashing~ gift. Now hand me those goggles, please! Amazon It comes with 10 geodes of varying sizes, as well as goggles and a display stand. Promising review:"My 9-year-old niece gets these every year for Christmas. It is a new gift every time! She loves to put on safety glasses and swing that hammer! The geodes are always beautiful. She also loves the element of surprise! This is a wonderful gift that will engage even kids who are not into the sciences. Every year she takes pieces in to share with her class. She also loves to give pieces away as little gifts or mementos. Nat Geo never disappoints!" — Kristin D. Get it from Amazon for $29.45. 5. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, a fast-paced card-slapping game so they can destroy their family and friends at the next game night. Amazon Promising review:"This game is a hit! My 5-year-old is obsessed, and my teenage sisters were fighting over who got to bring it to camp, so I had to buy two copies! It's such a fun party game, it is guaranteed to bring the laughs." — Jennifer Simms 6. A working mini Dyson vacuum because — believe it or not — parents swear by this pint-sized picker-upper. It's great for kiddos who are obsessed with copying their parents, and it even has a little suction power so they can help clean *some* of the messes they make. You'll need four C batteries. Promising review:"Easily my 15-month-old grandson's favorite toy. He's learned how to press the buttons to turn the motors on and off and really enjoys pushing this around, just like the big people do with their vacuum :) It's well-made, durable, and survives frequent drops. No small or sharp parts. It really does vacuum, there is a small dirt container to empty it's not really that powerful. It's a great toy though. Your kids/grandkids will get a lot of enjoyment out of it." — Chuck over in Wisconsin Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in three colors). 7. A laser tag set for what will be undoubtedly be some competitive fun for the whole family! You'll get four guns, four vests (front and back), and one charging station. Promising review:"This set was perfect for my grandkids ages 7, 11, 14, and 17. Even we adults played. They had so much fun. We set up obstacles to hide behind, such as: patio furniture, foldable table, ice chest, etc. Very easy to set up and play. Was definitely worth it." — Debbie L. Get it from Amazon for $199.99. 8. An educational and fun Gravity Maze logic game to challenge their critical thinking skills through 60 levels that increase in difficulty. They'll have so much fun testing they won't even realize they're learning at the same time! Amazon, Promising review:" My 10-year-old son is obsessed with this game. He loves figuring out each maze. It makes him use problem-solving skills and logic. This is a great toy for an only child whose parents can't entertain the child every minute. He chooses this over video games! Now that is saying something." — Amy P. Get it from Amazon for $21.99. 9. Or a marble run toy that they'll spend hours with, exercising their creativity and critical thinking skills and devising ways to get their marble from start to finish. This innovative toy works on a variety of surfaces (windows, smooth walls, appliances) without leaving behind sticky residue. And it won't take up the entire living room floor! Amazon Promising reviews: "We recently gifted this to two 7-year-old boys, and both have loved it. Different than you typical marble run, and they love the flexible ramps." — KS "Open-ended play, fun, easy to use, and hours of imaginative play and thought. A must for the little engineers in your family." — Carmen Petru Tudosa Get it from Amazon for $25.75. 10. A reviewer-loved Sol de Janeiro hair and body mist so you can pretend you're social media literate. This stuff is all over TikTok and will def score you points with a teen! Promising review: "I bought this as a present for my daughter's eighth-grade graduation. She loved it! I didn't know before buying that this was something she had seen on TikTok and had been wanting to get. It was a great gift!" — alexis armstrong Get it from Amazon for $25 (available in seven scents). 11. A splash-proof kids smartwatch if your kiddo is obsessed with your smartwatch but you're not about to drop $200 on a watch they're bound to break. This kid-friendly smartwatch can take videos, pictures, and selfies they can customize with built-in funny filters. There are even built-in games, like Monster Detector, which allows the child to experience AR and "catch" monsters in the real world. Amazon Promising reviews:"I got this watch for my 8-year-old for her birthday, and she loves it! She takes pictures, videos, and plays the games." — YaYa "Super cute and easy to work for my 5-year-old. He loves that he can match Mom now! It has games already installed and can take pictures, exercise, and lots more. Entertainment for HOURS!! And you can even change the watch face like an Apple Watch! So cool!" — Brittany Get it from Amazon for $22.04+ (available in five colors) 12. A TikTok-famous 1,000-piece puzzle from The Magic Puzzle Company because there's more to it than meets the eye! Not only is the illustration so beautiful that they'll probably glue and frame their puzzle when it's completed, but it also features 50 Easter eggs throughout *and* a magical twist that reveals itself once the puzzle is finished. Amazon Promising review:"I bought this for my teen daughters and they loved it! Excellent quality pieces with a fun twist. They loved it so much I bought them a second one by this company. Highly recommend!" — L. STEVENS Get it from Amazon for $22.97. 13. A pack of tangle-free parachute toys for both entertaining (and maybe tiring out) some rambunctious kids. They'll have a blast seeing their colorful parachuter flutter to the ground and maybe they'll actually exhaust themselves running up and down the stairs to drop 'em. (One can hope!) 14. A lightweight LCD writing tablet to give a mini Matisse an outlet for their isn't a white wall. This portable and reusable canvas is mess-free — great for road trips, entertaining your little one at a restaurant, etc. Promising review:" I purchased this gift for my just turned 2-year-old daughter, and she is obsessed — and so am I! It is mess free, nontoxic, endless coloring fun! She will scribble to her hearts desire, and with one push of a button, she has a clean slate. This clearing function also has a locking feature to prevent erasing, but she hasn't used it yet! Highly recommend!" — Helen Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in four colors). 15. Or a nostalgic scratch paper art set that'll remind *you* of when you were a kid. It comes with 50 scratch papers, styluses, and stencils for plenty of screen-free fun. Amazon Promising review:"My kids are obsessed with these things. They can make their own design. Plenty of papers." — Sierra Get it from Amazon for $9.99. 16. An extra-extra long plushie so stinkin' adorable and absolutely ridiculous you may order one for yourself. Whether you're shopping for someone who's 8 or 18, you can't go wrong with this cutie! Promising review: "My kids love these long cats. And now we buy them as gifts for all their friends. It is unique and fun especially if you struggle with gift ideas. It's perfect." — Ali M. Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in five lengths and 11 styles). 17. A set of magnetic building tiles if the parents are asking for a gift that's both educational and will keep their kid entertained. Ding ding ding — we have a winner! The magnets make it so easy to build with and the bright colors are just so fun! This isn't a gift that they'll forget within a few days or play with the box more than the actual toy. Promising review:"A friend bought these for my son when he was 2 and he played with them more than anything else for a couple of years solid. We loved them. Perfect thing to take a few to a restaurant or family gathering to help keep the kids entertained. As he's gotten older, we found tons of ideas online for things to build, too. I just bought a set for a friend's daughter's birthday." — rae malm Get a 60-piece set from Amazon for $25.99. 18. An absolutely adorable "Make a Fox Friend" kit because it's two gifts in one! They'll learn sewing basics and *and* create a fox friend complete with mix-and-match clothing and accessories. Craft-tastic is a woman-owned small business based in Michigan. All their products are focused on teaching kids new skills and limiting screen time. Each kit comes with six garments, eight accessories, a kid-friendly plastic needle, thread, a fox, and easy-to-follow instructions. For ages 5+. Promising review:"This craft was a hit! The fox was very easy to put together, and it turned out so cute! You have to make the tutu by tying a bunch of knots, but other than that, all of the clothes are ready to go and do not require sewing! The fox came with a little fabric bag to conveniently store it for travel. The materials in the craft are good quality and hopefully will last a while. My daughter loved this little cute fox!" — Olivia O. Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (also available in a bunny style) 19. A mini Waving Inflatable Tube Guy for gifting them their favorite roadside attraction. (Me too, buddy!) This lil' guy wiggles and shakes just like the ones at the car dealership. Promising review:"My youngest loves seeing these guys everywhere we go. When we drive around and she sees one outside, she yells, 'Look, it's a (color) guy!' So we got her this little one. She is just obsessed with how she has one of her own! It is so cool. Made of awesome material. The fan is strong, and it waves around just like the larger ones you can put in your yard." — Joe H Get it from Amazon for $8.58. 20. A colorful wooden puzzle to bring Tetris to life and keep their little brains and fingers busy sans screen. They can build shapes (like trees, flowers, and robots), or they can try fitting every piece on the board. Reviewers say this is a great toy for a wide range of ages — from 3 to 12. Promising review:"My kids are getting older, and I needed some unique little items to keep them busy on a long trip. This seemed attractive, lightweight, and fine for teens and younger. As it turned out, the three of us had fun challenging each other with it. We played with it in front of Grandma, and then she wanted one to keep her mind sharp! There are different challenges you can do (like timing yourself to finish it) and I love the artsiness of the wood. At $10, definitely a good buy and nice little gift." — C-Reader Get it from Amazon for $8.99. 21. A Bluey 3-in-1 playset so you can wow them with a Bluey toy they don't already have. It transforms from a plane to a boat and resort, allowing for hours of ~paw-some~ fun. Amazon It comes with 15 play pieces and, of course, if you're gifting this to a big Bluey fan, they can use their existing Bluey toys with this set. Promising review: "I was looking for Bluey stuff my son DIDN'T already have, lol, for his birthday and came across this little diamond in the rough. It's amazing; it's literally like getting three toys in one big toy. And if you have the extra figures, even better. It comes with all kinds of little extras, like luggage and several other items you'd see in the show. It's not made cheap at all. This one was definitely a good find. ❤️" — Molly Get it from Amazon for $69.99. 22. A value pack of 500+ puffy stickers if you're looking for a little somethin' somethin' to round out their gift. The stickers feature letters, numbers, vehicles, butterflies, deep-sea life, animals, fish, dinosaurs, and more. Promising reviews:" My 1.5-year-old is obsessed with these. Not sticky enough to do any damage but can also be reused a few times" — Katie Merkatoris " I love that they are removable. They don't leave marks on your window. You can even place them back on the plastic sheet and use them again. I have a busy box for my toddler, and these stickers are in there. She peels them off and puts them on the lid of the box and then peels them off again and puts them back. She creates scenes with them. She puts them on windows at home. I peel them off and put them back. They really are fantastic stickers." — Elizabeth A. Zapf Get a pack of 20 sheets from Amazon for $5.99. 23. A Disney necklace activity set because they can make and remake necklaces as fast as they switch their answer to the question of who their favorite princess is. Amazon, Promising review:" My 4-year-old is so obsessed with this particular product that she has made me five or six different things already. She really loves what she's doing. Great product for the price. Especially if your child loves to be creative." — John Bartley Get it from Amazon for $12.99. 24. A set of washable and fast-drying (yep, they dry in just 90 seconds) tempera paint sticks for gifting a child hours of creative fun *and* gifting parents mess-free entertainment. Promising review: " These are my favorite art accessory ever! My girls are obsessed, they work on We can't get enough." — R. Ras Get a pack of 24 pens from Amazon for $22. 25. Uno Minecraft to surprise a gamer with Minecraft -themed cards, including a special Creeper card. If you didn't recognize a single one of those words you just read, just know that millions of kids (and adults!) play Minecraft, so this is pretty much a surefire hit. Promising review: "My 7-year-old grandson is obsessed with all things Minecraft, so this was a fun and logical choice. He had fun explaining the names of all the characters because I didn't know any of them. Go figure! We love all the UNO play sets. Would recommend." — Valerie K. Get it from Amazon for $10.99. 26. A pair of GeoSafari kid binoculars that'll almost definitely trigger many cries of, "Look! Look! Look!" Amazon, Promising review:" I got a set for my girls (3.5 and 1.5), and they are obsessed. We use them on hikes and at the zoo. I did end up tying the string together because the anti-choke clasp just kept coming undone too easily, and I was constantly fixing it. Yes, it is only a simple magnifying view, but that's all they need at this age." — Eliza Get it from Amazon for $9.69+ (available in two colors). 27. A whale bath toy so even the must reluctant bather will be excited for bath time. It lights up and sprinkles water from its spout — what's not to love? Promising review: "We got this for our 5-month-old since he loves to try and hold/catch running water. He LOVES this! In the tub, it gets him sooo excited. We have even taken it outside in his small, shallow splash pad, and it still works. He loves catching the water and picking it up. And in the tub likes to try to sneak a sip haha. He is now almost 8 months old and is still obsessed. There are sensors on the bottom that, when it hits the water, will turn it on, and when it needs to be charged, the water does not go very high or will just shut off. A definite bathtub fave for sure!" — Jo Edith Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in five styles). 28. A wireless Bluetooth karaoke microphone if they love pretending their bedroom is the American Idol stage. Connect it to your phone, tablet, TV, or speaker; pull up the lyrics; and belt out that Taylor Swift. It can also connect to their device via cable. Check out BuzzFeed's full write-up on this karaoke mic. Promising review:"Oh my gosh, I love this! I got mine in the mail yesterday and ended up playing with it for about five hours last night, LOL. It connects via Bluetooth, so you can connect it to your phone — the music and your singing come out of the microphone's speaker. It has a volume control for your voice and for the music and also an echo feature. You can put an SD card into the bottom of it and record yourself, or connect it with an audio out to record on one of those karaoke apps on your phone. Between this and being able to find just about any song on karaoke via YouTube, you could easily have your own karaoke parties at home!" — Ferretocious Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in 15 colors). 30. A 17-piece Melissa & Doug wooden fruit set for rounding out your their play kitchen. This set not only helps children develop their fine motor skills "cutting" the fruit, but it also helps teach them the concept of part and whole. Amazon Promising review:"My first and third grader really love these pieces of fruit. The pieces are nicely weighted, and when you 'cut' them, the insides are beautiful, just like a real fruit would be. The kiwi and orange is particularly pretty, realistic." — robin vaughan parler Get it from Amazon for $14.99. 31. An at-home scavenger hunt to save parents when it's too snowy or cold to make a trip to the park. This toddler-friendly stack of double-sided cards encourages children to find fun in common household objects. Mollybee Kids is a family-run small business creating high-quality toys that promote learning, staying active, and, most importantly, fun! Promising review:" A must-have. My 2-year-old son is obsessed. Always asks to play the 'find you' game, LOL. Then we play it, and every option on the game, he actually thinks really hard, then says, 'Come o,n mommy,' and runs me through the house to find the object. Highly recommended from a mom of four." — Britney bansley Get it from Amazon for $12.99. 32. A pair of glowing lightsaber chopsticks that'll bring that spicy tuna roll from their plate to their mouth with all the skill of a Jedi. Buy this, you must! "My favorite gift, this is!" they'll say. Emma Lord / BuzzFeed, Amazon My colleague Emma Lord bought these and loves them. In her own words: "I bought these for myself, and I love them to pieces. TBH, I use them as decor every bit as much as I use them to eat. Sometimes I just keep them in my work area to light them up during the day to feel fancy. They toggle back and forth between a bunch of different colors, like red, blue, yellow, purple, and multicolor, so you can either make them match *or* have a red and blue one together and bring ~balance~ to the Force." Promising review:"I bought these for my son, who likes to eat his ramen with chopsticks. He absolutely loves them. They are well-made, and the different lights are amazing. I also love that each chopstick has its own button so you can choose the colors for each, and it doesn't have to be the same color" — Jackie H. Get them from Amazon for $11.97+ (available with clear or frosted tips). 33. An interactive scissor skills activity pad so they can practice their cutting skills while feeling like they're playing a game. Amazon
