Finding awesome gifts for kids can be next to impossible, especially if you’re dealing with a kid who has everything. But luckily, I’m well-versed in the art of finding great gifts for the little ones, thanks to my longtime tenure as a father, a long run managing a retail toy store, and over six years writing about toys under my belt. Discover over 80 of the best gifts for kids who have everything:
Traxxas is well known among RC hobby enthusiasts, mostly for their incredibly fast Traxxas XO-1 RC supercar. But Traxxas also has their own line of RC drones, including the Traxxas 6608 LATrax Alias Quad-Rotor RTF Heli. This little guy has four rotors and an auto-leveling 6-axis flight system that makes it easier to fly. Alias’ clean-sheet design focuses on the performance and design elements that make flying fun, including durability, speed, and responsiveness. New pilots are able to fly faster and perform aerobatic maneuvers sooner than ever possible with Alias’ unique flight control system. The 650mAh LiPo battery has about a 10 minute flight time, and has a high-output USB fast charger. The transmitter also comes with four AAA batteries. The LaTrax Alias comes pre-assembled and ready to fly, so you’re able to take it for a spin right when it arrives at your doorstep. The Traxxas LaTrax also has a cool glow for flying at night or in the dark, using bright and colorful LEDs.
Get your kids cookin’ with this awesome kids cookbook from Good Housekeeping. It has 100+ incredibly easy and delicious recipes that your kids will love. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, too, because they’ll use it for years to come.
Finally, Nintendo has released a new Nintendo Switch at a price point that’s better for kids: the under-$200 Nintendo Switch Lite. It’s a slightly smaller Nintendo Switch that’s only useable as a portable console, and it has built-in controls instead of Joy-Cons.
This makes it lighter, lower in price, and more portable—perfect for kids. It’s compatible with all of Nintendo’s physical and digital games, as long as that game supports Handheld mode (Note: the vast majority of Switch games support Handheld mode).
With the newly optimized Switch Lite comes a couple of new color options, including the super popular Turquoise, Yellow, Slate gray, and a Zacian and Zamazenta Edition (from the new Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield).
Of course, if you’re after something a little cheaper, you could always grab the Razer Kishi – as seen in our guide to the best gifts for 14 year old boys – and turn your phone into a gaming device.
Kids just love to play with cool things, and you won’t find anything cooler than the Lifx Bulb, a Wi-Fi enabled LED light bulb. What’s so cool about a light bulb, you ask?
Well, the Lifx Mini Bulb can be controlled with any smart device, allowing them to change the lighting in their room to whatever color they choose (out of 16 million colors). But it does more than that.
Because it’s Wi-Fi enabled, it can be setup for other uses. For example, I have a few of these bulbs around my own home set up to alert me when different things happen: if it starts snowing, the bulb will turn a whitish blue, if I get a new @mention on Twitter, the bulb will automatically turn a shade of Twitter blue, and if someone tags me on Facebook, it’ll blink Facebook blue twice.
It’s all in good fun, and when it’s hooked up to IFTTT (If this, then that), it’ll teach them the basics of coding.
Power Wheels’ Wild Thing has become one of the most popular ride-on toys of the past year, and with good reason: it’s ridiculously fun for kids. It hits up to 5mph, and it has 4 parent-controlled speed settings (located under the seat) that makes it easy for kids to learn the controls (and you can change it as they get older). It has full 360 degrees spinning capabilities with dual joysticks that control the direction. Super fun, and super easy to use. It might be a bit on the expensive side if we’re not talking about a main Christmas or big birthday present here, but keep it in mind for those holidays for sure.
Every kid wants a trampoline for Christmas. Literally, every single kid.
This 11′ trampoline makes the perfect addition to any yard, and it’ll keep your kids busy during the summer months when they want to complain that they have “nothing to do”.
Sure, books are cool, but if you want something they’ll really love, get them one of these personalized books from Wonderbly.
They’re super high quality, and inject your child’s name (and, with some books, you can pick traits you want to use as well) into the story. Names are incorporated into the story naturally, and it really feels like your child is a part of the book. Each book has high-quality art and a great story that your child will absolutely love.
If you’re not sure which book to choose, our favorite is the Elf Who Saved Christmas. It’s a great Christmas Eve book that you can give them in their Christmas Eve package and read together when it’s bedtime.
Kids LOVE ping pong, and honestly, who doesn’t? This super high-quality ping pong table set is the perfect addition to your home, as it’ll fuel friendly competition.
It can also be folded in half for 1v1 mode or 2v2.
Getting your kids in the creative mood can be challenging, but the LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box will undoubtedly do the trick. This baby comes packed with 790 different pieces, giving boys and girls the bricks they need to build whatever their little hearts can imagine.
If you’re looking for one of the most classic Christmas gifts for girls and boys alike, look no further than a giant LEGO set.
One of the highest rated LEGO sets ever is the LEGO Ideas Women of NASA Building Kit, which holds an impressive 4.8 out of 5.0 review rating on Amazon.com from over 185 reviewers. It features three LEGO builds illustrating four different featured women of NASA, including figures for Nancy Grace Roman, Margaret Hamilton, Sally Ride, and Mae Jemison (yes, the same Mae from the story above).
It’s a great toy that will also create interest in these women of NASA in your child.
Your kids need a durable speaker that they can knock around without having to worry about it breaking, and Ultimate Ears has the Wonderboom that’s perfect for that. The Wonderboom is a super portable and waterproof Bluetooth speaker with five designs available. It has impressive sound that disperses at a full 360 degrees. It’s IPX7-rated waterproof, so it’s great for around the pool/at the beach. It has a 10-hour battery life on a single charge. It also has a loop at the top that will allow it to be hooked onto things, and with a carabiner, to backpacks and the like.
Star Wars continues to be on top of the world right now, and with each new movie that releases, it only (scarily) grows in popularity. littleBits created this awesome Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit last year, and it was one of our best toys of 2017. In fact, it won 6 toy awards last year.
It requires the use of a tablet or smartphone, which they’ll use to build their own droid using the included littleBits electronic blocks. Then, with the app, they’ll have over 16 missions that will give their droid new abilities as they complete each mission.
While the smart watch craze didn’t quite take-off in the adult world like Apple and Samsung might’ve hoped, it’s still a cool concept, especially to kids. VTech now has what’s called the Kidizoom Smartwatch DX2, their second iteration of a child’s smartwatch. It’s super cool, too. It has two cameras on it for selfies and videos, tracks activity with active play challenges and a pedometer, and has some cool games on it (one of which is an augmented reality monster detector).
It’s one of the best gifts for kids in 2018, and it’s highly rated, with a 4.6 out of 5.0 star rating from over 200 customers on Amazon.
The Laser Maze game is a brainteaser puzzle game that tasks your child with mirroring a laser line to get it from point A to point B using the game pieces provided. It’s a lot of fun, and there are 60 varying levels of challenging laser-bouncing challenges. Don’t worry — the laser is entirely safe for kids. The game will tickle his/her brain, providing a fun and challenging experience.
While NERF just announced their spring 2018 lineup, those new Nerf guns aren’t available just yet. However, they have already introduced numerous new products this year that your kids will want. We’ve been seeing numerous commercials for the NERF Rival line, and the coolest of the bunch is the new Nerf Rival Nemesis MXVII-10K. It has a sort of paintball gun feel to it, using small round balls that are dropped into the top of the tank. It’s fully motorized, and it’ll rapidly fire the 100 balls it holds per round with ease. We’ve used ours extensively, and we haven’t had a single jam yet!
Anything you’d buy for a kid’s gift that encourages creativity and thinking is a good gift option, and one of our favorites in the category is the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox. This is a building and coding kit for kids that comes with over 840 LEGO pieces, a LEGO Move Hub, an interactive motor, and a color and distance sensor.
It’s a 5-in-1 LEGO kit that works with the LEGO Boost App on a tablet/smartphone to teach the basics of coding through play.
Educational Insights’ Kanoodle Duplexity is a fun puzzle game that features 300 challenges in one small package. It features 2D, 3D and sliding 2D puzzles. There are varying degrees of challenges contained within, ranging from basic and simple to incredibly tough. With hundreds of possible combinations, the Kanoodle Extreme provides hours of fun at a relatively low cost.
Keep your kids hydrated with Nalgene’s Marvel Bottles for Kids. This line of superhero-themed water bottles are designed specifically for children. Each of the Nalgene bottles holds 12 ounces, and each one has a cool superhero design. There’s a green Hulk bottle, a blue Spider-Man bottle, or clear Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America options. They’re BPA free, and they have a one-handed push button mechanism for easy open/close.
If you want to make sure your kids get enough water, get them a water bottle they’ll love.
What are some great gifts for the girl who has everything? Start here with the Kings Bobble Bitz Creation Station. It’s a unique creation stations that unleashes creativity in your child. They’ll make things like jewelry, window clings, and more using these dots and the included stencils and shapes. It was one of the most popular holiday toys of the year last year.
Power Wheels’ ride-on toys are always huge come the holiday season, and this year, the toy company has introduced these incredible Power Wheels Dune Racers. It hits a top speed of 5 mph, and they’ll look super cool hitting that speed, thanks to the bucket seat design, cool colorway, and unique look. It’s capable of driving on both hard surfaces and grass (even wet grass), and it’s available in lime green or Barbie pink (which is also on our list of the best Barbie toys).
Of course, what kids really want is their very own tablet, and you won’t find a better kids tablet than the Amazon Fire Kids Edition. The Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition has a 7″ display and 16GB of memory that you can load up with games and apps (there’s also a microSD card slot for expansion when necessary). It has best-in-class parental controls that are SUPER simple to use, too, so you can not only control your child’s content but also how long they can use the tablet each day (there’s a weekday and weekend setting that is easily changed).
With the Fire 7 Kids Tablet, they can do things like play games, use learning apps that teach them basic reading/math/etc, watch their favorite TV shows with Amazom Prime Video or Netflix, and more.
Finding games that your kids will love that you can actually enjoy playing, yourself, is tough. However, Fluxx is a game that EVERYONE will have fun playing. There are many different versions available, including Batman Fluxx, Pirate Fluxx, Zombie Fluxx, Adventure Time Fluxx, and more.
It’s a card game where the rules change the more you play, thanks to New Rule cards that change how many you draw, how many you play, and how you win. Things get chaotic quickly, and there are certain rules that allow you to steal other players’ cards, and certain cards in your hand that allow you to take a different card from your opponent every round. It’s really a fun and multi-layered game that’s easy to follow and super fun to play. It’s definitely a go-to at our house for family game nights.
If you’re looking for the best gifts for kids who love creating art, look no further than the Crayola Inspiration Art Case. It’s 140 pieces of awesome art supplies, including 64 Crayola crayons, 20 short colored pencils, 40 markers, and 15 large sheets of paper. It comes in a well-designed art supply case that will keep things organized, and it’s great for travel and long card rides.
If you’re looking for some great books to read to your child, start with Dear Girl by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. It’s a truly beautiful book that will remind your little girl that she’s powerful and strong, and that she has value in this world. It’s beautifully written and well-illustrated, making it a great bedtime story.
Another great kids book for story tme is Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed, which just released in January 2018. It’s a beautifully drawn picture book with a tale inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel to space (Mae Jemison), with an underlying message of being able to achieve your dreams.
You could get all of your shopping done in one go with all of the great kids gifts at Target, but one that we want to highlight is the Jetson Jupitor Scooter w/ LED Lights. This super fun kids scooter works like a Razor scooter, but it also has over 100 LED lights that blink as they ride. It’s everything you’d get with a Razor scooter, but with the added gift of cool illumination.
Every child should have a great toy tea set for those living room floor tea parties, and our favorite kid’s tea set is the Green Toys Tea Set. It comes with a tea pot and lid, sugar bowl and lid, creamer cup, four tea cups, four saucers, and four teaspoons. It’s great for indoor and outdoor play, and it meets the FDA food contact standards. Also, it’s dishwasher safe so cleanup is a breeze.
Every child needs a place where they can just kick back and relax, and to do that, they’ll need a good chair. Check out the Big Joe Bean Bag, a 98-inch, comfortable bean bag that makes one of the best gifts for kids in 2018. It’s available in five different colors: flaming red, limo black, radiant orchid, sapphire, and spicy lime. Perfect for playrooms, living rooms, or bedrooms.
Regardless of how you feel about The Last Jedi, it’s undeniable that porgs are super cute (which is why they’re so popular). Get your kid a cute porg animated plush from ThinkGeek. It flaps its wings and moves its mouth, and it makes three different sounds heard in The Last Jedi.
Thinkgeek and Amazon also have this cool little light-up plush unicorn pillow that kids will love. Check out the Super Pusheenicorn Plush, the super cuddly plush unicorn with a light up horn and glowing mane and tail.
Pikachu wants all of your money. If you press the button and put a coin in the slot, he’ll pop up, make sounds and grab your coin into the bank. There are over 200 sounds and phrases that Pokemon fans will get a kick out of.
There’s so much great Black Panther merchandise available now that the new Marvel movie has finally released, but one of the best is this Black Panther novel by Ronald L. Smith titled Black Panther the Young Prince. It’s based on a 12 year old T’Challa (that’s the hero behind Black Panther’s mask, for those unaware) and his ascent to becoming the hero.
Sick of your kids asking you 30 questions a night? Buy Amazon’s Echo Dot, which comes with their Alexa AI assistant. Let them ask Alexa all of the things they want to know in the universe. It also has games, stories, and music on there as well, and the fact that it comes in at under $50 makes it a great gift option.
Crate Creatures are a lot of fun. They come in a “crate” that has to be opened with the included crowbar to get the creature out. When you pull its tongue, the creature vibrates, makes funny noises and will show its glowing eyes. Inside the creature is a motion sensor that will allow it to react to certain actions like being turned upside down or knocked over.
Each creature comes with over 45 creature sounds and its favorite food that it’ll chomp on when placed in its mouth.
$80 for a pair of kids headphones is ridiculous, wouldn’t you say? Well, yeah — you could easily go to Walmart or Target and get a $10 pair of headphones.
But those headphones aren’t specially built for kids like the Puro Sounds Labs BT2200 Headphones.
These kids headphones limit volume to 85db as to not damage a child’s hearing. They’re entirely wireless, so you don’t have to worry about your kids snagging the wire on something. They’re also durable, so you don’t have to worry about your child dropping them and breaking them.
They have 18 hours of battery life when in use and 200 hours of standby time.
There are four colorways available, and each has a premium look to them.
Fitbits are a great way to get your kids active, as it sort of gamifies exercise (how high can their score get?). While there is a kid-friendly option from Fitbit, the best option for kids is actually the Fitbit Flex 2, which comes with an adjustable band that will allow them to grow with it.
It has an ultra-thin, removable tracker that’s hidden inside of the band. It’s swim-proof, so it works in the ocean, shower, pool, etc. All activity is recorded to the Fitbit app (available on smart devices). It will also track sleep patterns.
Nerf Modulus allows kids to take a base and expand on it, piece by piece. So, they can take this basic piece (the Mediator), and then add cool things like a targeting light beam, a folding bi-pod, a storage stock, a blast shield, and more (these extra parts start at $5.99 each). It basically plays like allowing them to build their own crazy Nerf gun.
Watch Ya Mouth is a brilliant family card game that won a bunch of toy awards in 2017. It’s great with a small group, and you can play it with up to 10 players. Basically, players are tasked with saying phrases like “Professional Purple Hula-Hoopers” while wearing cheek retractors that make it tougher (and funnier) to say.
Mouthpieces are both dishwasher and boil safe, and they’re colored so you can easily keep track of which mouthpiece belongs to which person (note: please wash them after each game session).
One of the best gifts for girls especially is the My Fairy Garden Magical Cottage Playset. This playset tasks your child with growing their own beautiful garden in the cottage provided, and it works amazingly. They’ll have to soften the included soil, plant the seeds, and water it daily so that it grows into a beautiful mini garden with flowers and foliage.
Compared to other non-hobbyist RC cars, the TR-911 RC Police Car is quite fast. In fact, it hits speeds up to 9.7mph with ease. It also comes complete with kid-friendly controls, a tight turning radius, and realistic lights and sounds. Best of all, it comes with a 100% money back guarantee; if your child hates it, they can return it no questions asked.
Think of it as a step above something you’d find at Walmart or Target, and below a hobbyist RC car. It’s faster than the average toy, but not nearly as fast as some of the more expensive options.
The Anki Cozmo is surprisingly cute, and even the many commercials don’t do it justice. It’s a little robot for kids that comes with what’s called Code Lab, which is essentially the best platform for new young coders to create functions with. The Cozmo is controlled via smart device (iOS or Android), and it plays and reacts to your child. It’ll keep them busy for hours and hours.
If you’re looking for one of the best Christmas gifts for kids who have everything, the Cozmo is a great option.
The Zing Stikbot Studio is a LOT of fun. Your kids will use Z-screen technology to create their own quick stop-motion animated shorts, allowing them to digitally recreate the background of their scene as they choose. Your kids can use stop-motion to create hilarious videos, and he/she will have so much fun re-positioning the figures little by little and then putting the footage all together.
Typical safety helmets look dumb, and that’s why your kids don’t ever want to wear their helmets. But obviously, safety is important. Get your daughter to WANT to wear her helmet with these Raskullz Color Cat Helmets. They’re 3D molded designs that give each helmet a cool, cat-like look (with pinks and purples aplenty). But, most importantly to you, it’ll also keep them safe, as it is CPSC and ASTM certified, thanks to its shock-absorbing EPS inner shell that protects their head.
For the younger crowd, check out the Bingggooo Children’s Dinosaur Safety Bike Helmets. Each helmet is shaped like a dinosaur’s head, complete with cool-looking teeth. There are 5 colors available, including black, blue, green, red, and yellow. Obviously, it’s well padded and uses PC Injection Moulding for the shell.
One of the best gifts for kids who love the outdoor life during the summer is this Toyrifik Water Gun Backpack Water Blaster. The backpack has a lady bug theme, and it holds all of the water. It’s attached to a small water blaster that’s easy for kids to carry and shoot. They’ll have a LOT of fun with this thing, whether they’re partaking in a water war with their siblings or they’re watering the garden.
Unless they’re a Cleveland Browns fan, let your child rep their favorite team with pride on gameday with this Kids NFL Replica Helmet and Jersey Set. Every team is available, it it fits most kids ages 5 to 9.
Hot Wheels are just as popular now as they’ve ever been, and this year, the toy company has gone big. They’ve introduced the Ultimate Garage Playset, a massive garage that holds 36 Hot Wheels. It has winding tracks and other tracks that can connect to other Hot Wheels track sets to create something truly epic. It has multiple action zones and comes with a chomping shark, tune-up shop, and a gas station.
The hot new board game for kids this year is called Soggy Doggy, and it’s from Spin Master games. To play, kids will race around the board while taking turns giving the shaggy dog a bath. The object is to make it around the board without letting the dog shakes himself dry, which sends you back to start. It’s recommended for ages 4+.
Making music is always fun, and if your child gravitates towards sound, then this is the Christmas gift for them. Check out SoundMoovz Music Bandz, which allow you to make your own music while moving. It comes preloaded with over 400 sounds, and it comes with an app for easy setup. Different motions create different sounds, so your kids are able to get creative with music and dance at the same time. It’s incredibly fun, and when they start seeing the commercials, it’s going to quickly move up their holiday wish list.
Project MC2 has also had some pretty cool toys for girls in the past, and this year, they’ve introduced the Pixel Purse, a smart pixelated purse that will display images and messages on a screen that sits on the face of the purse. It comes with 10 pre-programmed animations so that it’s ready to go out of the box, but users can also download a free and easy-to-use app for their smartphone or tablet that will allow them to control the LED lights as they see fit. Our only wish is that this LED technology would make its way into the fashion world for adults.
Don’t underestimate the PlayStation VR. VR isn’t just a fad this time around, and the PSVR is, for the most part, the best option. If you’re not looking to spend $800+ on a VR headset, the PSVR comes in at just half that cost (as long as they already have the required PS4 console, two move controllers and a PlayStation camera). If not, the PlayStation VR bundle is being sold for just $100 more, and it will include the controllers and camera. There are a lot of great experiences already out there for PlayStation VR, and there are so many PlayStation VR games on the way. So if you think they’ll be interested in becoming Batman, being a robot mech, or play carnival games in a fully immersive world, PSVR is a great choice. It’s one of the best gifts for boys this year.
It’s amazing that Star Wars has stood the test of time. Here we are nearing 30 years later, and Star Wars is still as relevant as ever. This year, we’ll see Rogue One: A Star WarsStory hit theaters in December, and that’s going to keep the wonderful world of Star Wars toys afloat this year. One of the leading Star Wars lines is from LEGO (surprised?), and this year, the company is introducing the LEGO Star Wars Resistance X-Wing Fighter. It comes with 4 spring-loaded shooters, retractable landing gear, and detachable BB-8 droid.
Mario’s most anticipated return is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, and it’s one of the most anticipated games of the year. It’s called Super Mario Odyssey, and this time around, Mario will have a sentient hat that will give him cool new abilities that he’ll use to traverse the semi-open world of the game.
It has a Mario Sunshine meets Mario 64 vibe to it, and being that those are two of Mario and Nintendo’s highest games, we wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being Game of the Year.
Almost along the same lines is another one of Sphero’s newest toys, the R2-D2 App Enabled Droid. It’s controlled via an app on your smartphone or tablet, and it moves just like R2-D2 in the movies. It also has integrated speakers and LED lights, so that your R2-D2 will sound and look authentic. He’ll also react to a movie when it’s playing on the TV as he sits next to you.
FurReal Roarin’ Tyler will quickly become your child’s favorite new toy, and it’s likely that he/she will want to bring Tyler with him/her everywhere. This cute tiger responds with over 100 sound and motion combinations to create something truly special: a toy that acts almost like a real pet (hence the name FurReal).
He roars playfully, has soft fur, moveable legs, and he responds in various ways to your child’s actions. Its Roarin’ Tyler’s playfulness that makes him such a great toy for kids this holiday season.
Last year’s hottest new toy was Hatchimals, and if you remember, they were sold out just about everywhere you went for the majority of the season. Hopefully, there will be more stock this year, as Spin Master has created a new line called Hatchimals Glittering Garden.
With the Hatchimals Glittering Garden Hatching Egg, you never know who is inside, which is half the fun. Once it’s out of the egg, your kids will raise the their glittered Hatchimal through three different stages, teaching it how to walk, talk, dance, play games, and more. It’s recommended for ages 5 and up, and it requires 2 AA batteries.
We also have Hatchimals Colleggtibles on our list of the best cheap toys for Christmas this year.
Sphero has quickly become one of the coolest toy companies on the planet, thanks to their super fun and uniquely designed interactive toys (for the record, they’re the company behind that cool, working BB-8 that was so popular for the past two years). This year, they’re introducing even more cool tech toys for kids, including a BB-9E (the new evil Droid from Star Wars: The Last Jedi), a remote controlled R2-D2, and this, the Ultimate Lightning McQueen Vehicle.
Essentially when you’re getting here is a truly unique RC car that interacts with your kids, in the form of the Lightning McQueen personality from the Disney/Pixar movies. It has real engine/tire sounds, fully voiced responses, moving animatronic mouth and fully expressive LCD eyes. This is truly the coolest new toy for 7 year olds thru early teens this year.
LEGO is always coming up with some creative ideas, and the reason LEGOs are so popular is because they’re tools that help fuel your child’s (or teen’s) imagination. This year, LEGO has introduced the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox Building Kit, which comes with all of the tools your creator will need to make something super cool.
It comes with over 840 LEGO pieces, a LEGO move hub, interactive motor, as well as a color and distance sensor. These tools will let your kids build, code, and play with their new robot toy. There are 5 pre-made models included, and step-by-step instructions can be found int eh free LEGO Boost app on any smartphone or tablet. It also has 60+ activities in the app, so there’s plenty here to keep your child occupied.
Every year, we love to see what sort of toys the big retailers like Toys R’ Us, Target, and Wal-mart put on their Christmas lists, and this year, Amazon has an exclusive that’s likely going to be one of the year’s most wanted toys: the Disney Princess Dress Up Trunk.
There’s no denying that kids love to play dress-up and pretend to be their favorite Disney princess, and now, with Amazon’s unique collection of dress up essentials, they’ll be able to do that in a variety of different ways. Each dress piece fits sizes 4-6, and it’s recommended for 3 and up. It’s a 21 piece set that comes with 4 shirts, 3 skirts, 2 headbands, a tiara, a choker, 3 different bracelets, a pair of earrings, a necklace, 3 different rings, and a storage trunk to keep it all in. Your little girl’s eyes will light up when she sees all that’s inside, making it one of the hottest Christmas toys of the year.
There’s no denying that these new Fingerlings by WowWee are incredibly cute, and that’s why they’re going to be one of the most wanted gifts of the year. Seriously — cuteness overload! They’re small, interactive colorful monkeys that respond to sound, motion, and touch. If your kids blow it kisses, it’ll blow one back. They fit right on your kid’s finger, hugging it tightly.
Finally, here is a classic gift that any art loving kid will always appreciate. Art supplies do not last forever, and if you notice that her colored pencils, markers, crayons or paints are running low, they are the perfect gift. This set of colored pencils by Crayola is great for beginners as well as advanced artists, with 50 vibrant shades of every color in the rainbow.
For kids who have all of the material items they want, sometimes the best idea for a gift is an experience that you can share with them. Whether you are shopping for your son or daughter, grandchild, niece or nephew, or any other family member, you can bet that they will appreciate getting to spend some quality time with the grownups in their lives. A Tinggly gift card opens you up to the possibility of exciting experiences all over the nation, or the world. There are plenty of experiences a kid will love, like indoor skydiving, or sailing. Let them choose the experience and enjoy it together, and you will be giving them the gift of a memory they will enjoy for a lifetime.
Music is another way that today’s overstimulated kids can escape into their own world. This guitar could be your kid’s gateway into a whole new universe, and could change their life for the better. This beginner guitar kit includes a full sized acoustic guitar, soft case, strap, strings, tuner, polishing cloth, and guitar picks, so she can start strumming right away.
For the scientifically-minded child, the best gifts are ones that have a problem to solve. This robotkit from Robolink consists of a pieces that can be put together in 11 different forms and perform different functions. It uses arduino so any kid who loves computers will have a blast working on it and learning how to program the different functions. It also includes all of the tools that are needed to put any robot configuration together, so there is no need to purchase extra materials.
Kids with endless supplies of screens and electronics need one thing in their lives- More outside time! This skateboard swing will allow them to problem solve while they install it on their favorite tree, and it will give them a fun place to go relax and get a break from TV, computers and iPhones.
Sometimes all a kid needs is an outlet for their physical energy. Instead of keeping them cooped up with toys, TV and games, give them something fun and physical to do. This climbing wall kit can be installed on any vertical surface and is awesome for kids of all ages. It teaches problem solving while giving them much needed physical exercise, and builds confidence along the way.
A kid with a playroom full of toys, or a room full of electronics, does not need more gadgets. What they need and most likely desperately want is a way to unleash their creativity and to learn about the world they live in. If you are shopping for an older kid or teen, a subscription to National Geographic Magazine can do just that. This classic magazine is just as good now as when you were a kid and your art teacher had a box full of back issues to use in scrapbooks and collages.
Pie Face has exploded, and it was one of our best new board games of 2015. Kids love it, and it’s a great Friday night family game that everyone can laugh with. The pie-throwing arm could go off at any moment, which makes it perfect for laughs. it comes with one pie thrower, 1 throwing arm, a chin rest, two handles, a splash guard mask, a spinner, and a sponge. The only thing you need is a can of whipped cream. It’s recommended for ages 5 and up.
This beautifully-designed doll house, the KidKraft Chealsea Doll Cottage, measures 21.5″ x 13″ x 28″, so it’s large enough for multiple children to play with at once. It’s a great toy to promote co-play, and it comes with 17 pieces of furniture. And, it has functional windows that open and close. It’s a great gift for any occasion, including V-Day. It’s made of high quality materials, and it’s built to last for years to come.
What’s better than a mega size box of crayons to show your mega size heart? Nothing, which is why we love this Crayola Ultimate Crayon Case. It comes with a whopping 152 colors, and the desktop caddy packaging makes it a great desktop display item. It’s Crayola Crayons’ largest collection of crayons available. It even comes with glitter and metallic crayons as well, to supercharge your child’s creativity and imagination. With 152 colors at their disposal, the possibilities are endless.
Kids love story time, and they love to create things. Now, Crayola has a kit that will allow them to combine their two loves The Story by Me Hardcover Kit allows kids to create their own book, after which time, it’s mailed to Crayola. When Crayola receives it, they have the book printed professionally for your children to share with the rest of the family and their friends. Having their own hardcover book will impress your children, and they’ll love creating it.
Sure, you could buy your kids a typical brown teddy bear — boring! Check out this Jumbo Pink Teddy Bear by Melissa & Doug (a company that is known by toy enthusiasts for their high-quality wooden toys and outdoor toys). The oversize teddy bear is perfect for snuggling, and it’ll look great in their bedroom (and, it’s great for a little makeshift reading nook). This plump pink teddy bear was clearly made with love. And, it’s 100% made in the USA.
Go Go Power Rangers! The Power Rangers are just as popular as ever, and thanks to this year’s new Power Rangers Movie, there’s a new line of toys from Bandai. One of the best new Power Rangers toys on the market is the Interactive Power Rangers Megazord, which features lights and sounds.
It has expandable wings, a sword and cannon, a light-up Morphin Grid, and five individual cockpits for each of the Rangers (all five figures are included). It requires 3 AAA batteries, which are also included, so it’s ready to go right out of the box.
Hubsan’s X4 H107C uses the latest 6-axis flight control system available and has an adjustable gyro sensitivity. You’re able to flip it four ways (left, right, forward and backward), and there’s an advanced mode for experienced pilots as well as a beginner’s mode for newbies. This little drone packs a big punch, despite its size, as it has incredibly powerful motors. There’s an SD camera included, which records at 720 x 480 resolution, but obviously, this drone isn’t intended for photographers. The battery capacity is 380mAh, but it has a flight time of around 7 minutes still because of its small size. The Hubsan X4 H107C has a control range of roughly 100 meters. There are other Hubsan X4 models available, like the Hubsan H107D X4 mini, but when you consider the bang for your buck factor, the H107C is the best of the bunch. Plus, who doesn’t love mini drones?
LEGO has gone absolutely crazy with some of their awesome creations. Late last year, they introduced the LEGO Architecture line of toys, and one of their new additions this year is the United States Capital Building Kit, complete with a dome, colonnades, north and south wings, and even steps and lawns. It’s recommended for 12 years and older, and even adults will have fun putting it together.
Furby toys haven’t been super popular in quite some time, but at one point many years ago, they were everywhere. Now, in 2016, the Furby company has returned with a brand new toy, the Furby Connect, which will undoubtedly be one of the most popular toys of the holiday season. This isn’t the same Furby we knew many years ago, though, as the Furby Connect connects via Bluetooth to an app that will allow it to interact with your kids in different ways. Furby loves to share kid-friendly videos, be fed from the app’s “Food Cannon”, and play games with your kids. It can also be turned off, of course, so you don’t have to worry about it trying to chat you up when the kids aren’t around.
Getting drones as Christmas gifts in 2016 for your kids is almost a must. The drone hobby is at an all-time high, and it’s only growing, thanks to things like ESPN2 showing Drone Racing on their channel now, and a 15 year old winning mega bucks from just racing a drone. While these Air Wars Battle Drones aren’t intended as racers, they’re tons of fun for kids in the 8-12 year old range. It comes in a set of two, and each player will control their respective flying quadcopter drone to try to knock the other drone out of the sky. While most drones are made to resist crashing, these Battle Drones are built to cause crashing, with things like hooks and “razers” (they’re not really razers) hanging from the drone. They’ll have hours of fun battling it out in the skies.
Just a couple weeks ago, SteelSeries introduced their newest line of headsets, the Arctis line, and it comes it at the perfect mix of quality and price point. For $100, you aren’t going to find a better gaming headset that is as versatile. It works with PC with Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound, and Xbox One, PS4, and mobile with stereo. It sounds great, and it has super cool-looking RGB lighting that is easily customized using a PC app. The quality of this headset is unmatched in the price range, and it’s super comfortable — it’s for these reasons it’s on this list of the best new Christmas toys of 2016.
ANKI Toys already has something similar to Hot Wheels’ new AI Race System, but the Hot Wheels one is a bit different. For one, it doesn’t require a smartphone. All of the racing action is done with a controller, which means they won’t have to drain their smartphone’s battery. It’s incredibly similar, so if they already have the Anki Overdrive, this probably isn’t the best choice for them. But if they don’t have last year’s Anki toy, the new Hot Wheels toy has an intelligent track and smart cars with scale speeds up to 180mph. It has multiple gaming modes and the track has over 40 configurations, and it introduces unique elements like tire blowouts, oil spills and engine failures to the typical monotonous racing experience.
Every year, LeapFrog continues to show innovation in the learning toys space by releasing some cool, fun new toy that also happens to be a great learning tool for your kids (or someone else’s kids). This year, the company has the LeapFrog LeapStart Preschool Interactive Learning System for two different age groups. They have one that’s intended for the older crowd of kids 4-8, but in all honesty, that one might be a bit too childish. However, the model that is intended for the 2-4 year olds is an excellent choice for helping to start your children on the right path of early learning. It works with all of LeapFrog’s LeapStart books, and it comes with a stylus that’s intended for kids. The LeapStart will have your kids excited about counting, phonics, and creative activities.
Buying your kids learning toys is a tough sell for them, typically, but the Osmo line does things a bit differently. With the Osmo Creative Kit, they’ll be having fun while drawing and creating with their iPads while mostly not even touching it. The Osmo Creative Kit combines the idea of having creative tools and utilizing cutting edge technology to advance your child’s learning (all while they’re actually having fun and enjoying what they’re doing). They’ll use them both for creative problem solving, drawing art that comes to life, and tracing with a program that will turn any photo into an easy to draw outline that they’ll then try to replicate on their drawing board. It’s an interesting way to get your kids away from video game controllers and into art.
If your kids are big into sports, check out these awesome pop-up goals from PUGG. They fold down to a manageable size so that you can carry them around in a small pack. But once they’re unfolded, they spread out to a 4 x 2.5 x 2.5 feet, a sizable goal for both kids and adults. They’re perfect for kids that want to play a pop-up game of soccer or handball at the park or at the beach. And, if you have a smaller yard and don’t really have the room to keep permanent goals up all year long, the PUGG pop-up goal can be thrown up and taken down quickly and easily.
One of the best new hot toys of 2016 that’s going to be on many Christmas lists this year is the brand new Speak Out game. It’s going to be a must-have for your teens this holiday season, tasking them with saying phrases with a big mouthpiece in their mouth. It’s ripe for ridiculous fun, and it comes with 5 mouthpieces, 200 double-sided cards, a timer and instructions. It’s a great family game to play with your teenagers, as it’s best played with 4-5 players. There’s also the much-cheaper Watch Ya’ Mouth game on Amazon Launchpad that is a similar idea, but it hasn’t begun shipping yet.
