Discover the Top Gifts for Kids

For all the little Picassos and Van Goghs, The Gohero Drawing Projector comes with all the tools to get your future artist into drawing. The drawing kit comes with eight slides, each with 12 images that are projected onto the base of the unit for children to trace over. Projected images include animals, sports, and fruit and vegetables to name a few. Although no paper is needed as the base is completely wipeable (an eraser comes with the kit) and reusable, kids can add paper to keep their drawings if they so wish. Ten colored markers and three stencils are included, as well as a pack of drawing paper. The whole unit folds up into a lightweight carrying case making it ideal for taking on road trips or vacations.

Children seem to love nothing more than turning the living room into their own personal fort. Instead of having to pick up your expensive throw blankets and pillows from the floor every evening, get your kids the Crazy Forts! Buildable Fort Playset. Much of the fun of fort play is in the actual building of the constructions, and the included balls and sticks (69 of them) connect to one another to create houses, castles, towers, pirate ships, and any other imaginative structure your children can think up. Once it’s built, just cover it with a bed sheet or blanket, and let them play king and/or queen of their castle.

Another educational and entertaining find from National Geographic, this geode kit is an excellent introduction into the world of geology. It comes with 15 different types of geodes that children can break open to discover the hidden crystal treasures inside. The kit comes with clear usage instructions, as well as a magnifying glass, safety goggles for protection, and three display stands to showcase their discoveries. There’s also a learning guide that teaches about geodes and minerals to further their rock fascination.

Parents will understand the messiness of Play-Doh or slime. If left out, the materials can crack and end up having to be discarded after a few play sessions. The Hey Clay Animals Colorful Modeling Kit, however, uses a special clay that air dries within 24 hours to literally solidify your child’s creation. Purchasing the set also gives you access to the Hey Clay app that has interactive guides with step-by-step instructions on how to make different cute animals, including a rabbit, a horse, a sheep, and a cow. The clay is soft and easily moldable, and it doesn’t stick to fingers or stain surfaces. And each kit comes with 18 cans of clay in a range of colors

Children may have to fight their parents off to use this retro art kit—it’s just so much fun! First brought to mass market in 1966 (but originally invented by a mathematician in the late 1800s for drawing spirals), the Original Spirograph provides a lot of entertainment, as well as the ability to create beautiful art. The kit includes 30 pieces, including precision stencils, pens, a design guide, and a storage tray to keep it all in. There are even 10 sheets of paper to get them started.

If your child is constantly climbing on and jumping off furniture (and seemingly doing anything and everything dangerous to get you to panic), they—and you—will love the Gentle Monster Wooden Wobble Balance Board. This clever device allows kids to safely explore their daredevil side while simultaneously helping them to work on their balancing skills. It’s safe for even toddlers to use; flip it to be used as a stand, a track for cars and trains, a mini slide, and even a little rocking bed for them to relax on. Made from natural wood, the board can also serve as a way to stretch your back (like a yoga wheel) once the kids have gone to bed.

Let’s get out all those green thumbs. The Kinderific Gardening Set is a great gift to get your kids introduced and involved in the world of gardening. The set includes real—but kid-friendly—gardening apparatus like a trowel, a rake, a fork, a watering can, gardening gloves with grips, and a tote bag to keep all the tools in. They can work on their motor skills and “help” you plant flowers and vegetables in the garden, and even help with the weeding. All items are made from durable and antimicrobial safe materials. The set also comes in four different colors.

While many games tend to be discarded after just one play session, this sound machine by E-Blox will keep kids busy for 120 projects. Whether your child is showing a curiosity in science, engineering, or music-making, they’ll love this innovative circuit kit that combines all those interests in one. Projects include making their very own games and toys, in addition to building a working radio. The building kit comes with colorful building blocks, switches, lights, a motor, and a speaker to get your innovator started—you’ll just need to provide three AAA batteries. Detailed instructions are provided for each of the projects, so even beginners can successfully build and learn all about the ins and outs of electricity, current, and voltage.

Take an interactive approach to teaching your children geography with the Dr. STEM Toys Talking World Globe. The colorful and rotating globe stands at nine inches tall and comes with a stylus pen that speaks. Press the pen against a certain country, and it will provide an array of facts like the country’s area size, its capital city, the language spoken, its population and currency, and its climate. Along with useful geographical trivia tidbits, this interactive game also plays national anthems and offers 300 quiz questions to test your child’s new geography knowledge; the pen will ask “Where is Australia?” and the child will have to tap the correct country with the pen. There are over 30 levels for children of all school ages.

For a quiet crafting play session, this Hide & Seek Rock Painting Kit by Creativity for Kids is a fun (albeit not mess-free) pastime. The kit comes with over 30 designs that can be transferred onto the rock’s surface, and a set of eight paint pots that are weather resistant, and two paint brushes to embellish the 10 included rocks however their little hearts desire. There are also other kits to choose from, like this glow-in-the-dark set, and a Halloween-themed set.

The Yoto Mini player was invented in 2015 from the creators’ concerns that screens were taking over their childrens’ lives. The little player’s innovative yet simplistic design functions as a speaker that reads story cards like an audiobook—without any screens involved. The device can be charged via USB and children can choose what stories to listen to. Selections include fairytales, popular books, sleep sounds, songs, radio, and podcasts. It’s worth noting that story cards are sold separately. The Yoto Mini is also small enough to be taken wherever they go, and is ideal for road trips, traveling, and any other time you want to minimize your child’s screen time.

As well as being a thoughtful and practical gift, the Quip Kids Electric Toothbrush will actually have children wanting to complete the otherwise arduous chore of brushing their teeth twice a day. Available in three colors, this toothbrush is American Dental Association-approved and features a slim, modern design with an easy-to-grip rubber handle for little hands. It uses sonic vibrations for two minutes (divided in 30-second pulses) to effectively clean teeth and let children know when it’s time to change quadrant. The toothbrush is also water resistant and comes with a travel cover that can be used as a mirror mount.

This light garden by My Fairy Garden comes with a fairy house and its own beautiful yard with a working pump-operated water wheel. But that’s not all! The set also comes with soil and seeds for little ones to plant. It’ll only take a few days to start seeing little sprouts pop up in their fairy garden. The fairy house even lights up, serving as an ambient night light. More accessories are included, like a bridge, a watering can, gardening tools, and a fairy flying cord for hours and hours of fairy fun.

Play-Doh is always a raging success (as far as children are concerned), and this Kitchen Creations kit from the brand will have them spending hours playing chef as they make their own noodles, penne, ravioli, and other delicious-looking pasta dishes. The kit comes with a hand-crank pasta machine, a bowl, cutlery, a ravioli mold, a bowtie stamper, and there’s even a mini grater to grate their own play cheese to accompany their carb-tastic meals. Five standard 2-ounce Play Doh cans are included in different colors, as well as two creation cards with ideas and instructions on what to make.

Turn the living room, play den, basement, or backyard into a space station with the JOYIN Rocket Ship Pop-up Play Tent with Tunnel. It’s much easier to set up than it looks; just take the tent out of its carrying case and the tent easily pops up and out on its own. Standing at 54 inches tall and 111 inches long, it will need quite a bit of space—pun intended. With a NASA and USA space station-themed design, the full space station comes with a capsule tent, a spaceship play tent, and a play tunnel that connects the two. Good luck trying to get the kids out of this thing once it’s time for bed.

With endless construction possibilities, the LTKFFF Magnetic Building Blocks is a STEM-based toy that encourages children to exercise their imagination by building mazes with magnetic pipes and tiles. The goal is to find ways for the included marbles to fall flawlessly from the top of their construction to the bottom. They’ll learn the basics of 2D and 3D shapes, as well as dabble in the basics of architecture. The set comes with 101 pieces of tiles, tracks, windows, stickers, and balls, plus stickers that can be adorned on the tiles. The strong magnetic tiles effortlessly join together for a stable build, and the windows also rotate 360 degrees for a more interactive design.

This 299 Dogs & a Cat puzzle from Uncommon Goods transcends age groups and can be enjoyed by all. Much humorous frustration will ensue when putting this together due to the pieces not being your average jigsaw-shaped bits of cardboard. This cluster puzzle has 300 pieces that even the most advanced jigsaw enthusiasts will find tricky to assemble. The irregular shaped bits are all different kinds of dogs (bar one, the cat). If you’re finding it too hard, however, it does come with square framing pieces to make it a little easier. For those who prefer cats, there’s also a 299 Cats & a Dog version.

Help your kiddos make shaved ice, snow cones, snowballs, slushies — and margaritas for the parents — with this Hawaiian Shaved Ice machine! It’s easy to clean, small enough to fit under your kitchen cabinet and makes the most delicious cold desserts.

Make your artwork magical with this light board from Crayola. Your kids will use the markers on this large board to trace and draw, and with the lights, bring their drawings to life. It comes with six gel markers, and it’s wipe-clean. It does require three AA batteries, which are thankfully included in the box, just in case you forget.

Of course this is going to be one of the hottest toys of the year. Barbie is the woman of 2023. This Dream House is just like the Dream House/Mojo Dojo Casa House from the movie, with spiral slide, pool, and more.

Kids who tested this were so amped over all the surprises unveiled in this activity set. The camper van itself is broken up into multiple rooms and comes with a ton of accessories. The whole thing is stored within itself, and overall, there’s just a lot of fun packed into a small package.

Moose Toys makes some of the most innovative toys every year — and their unique cauldrons, genie bottles, and crystal balls have all been huge hits. This year, they’re getting into a more monstrous angle with the beast lab creator. With this Christmas gift, your kids can pour in the ingredients, follow the directions, and then poof! The liquid swirls, lights up, and the beast magically appears — but there’s more! That beast goes into beast mode, and you’ll have to work to calm him. The best part? You can do it over and over again.