While we already have lists of the hottest toys of the year, the majority of those come in at well over the $25 price point. Instead of worrying about finding toy sales during the season, here’s a list of the 51 best cool cheap toys under $25 that your kids are sure to love
Fun without the mess! The Educational Insights Playfoam Combo pack is perfect for the creator at heart. This no-stick playfoam never dries out and can be used again and again to make fun sculptures and creations. Playing with foam is fun at any age, and is especially good for younger children to develop motor skills and creativity. This pack includes 20 pods that is great for parties or a fun day on holiday break.
Every child has to have their own secret base. This unique castle tent is perfect for playtime fit for a king or queen. It’s easy to assemble and store for adventures on the go. It also can be used both indoors and outdoors, and there are many possibilities. It’s an especially great gift for younger children who like to play pretend.
Whether it be snuggling up this winter or a playtime prop, a mermaid tail is a perfect toy this holiday season. Coming in a wide variety of colors, this Mermaid Crochet Blanket doubles as a blanket and a wonderful toy for all the mermaids and mermen out there. It is cute, fashionable, and is only $20, making it one of the more affordable blankets out there.
If your child intends on starting a band or just making music, the VTech Kidsbeats Drum Set is a great choice for future musicians this Christmas, Built for toddlers, this set features three drum pads that aid in sensory development. There are four modes of play including free play, letters, numbers, and follow along. There are also nine different melodies, from rock and pop to dance.
One of 2017’s most wanted toys is on this list, as the Soggy Doggy Board Game comes in at just under $20. This fun-filled board game is action-packed, tasking your kids with racing around the board until the dog shakes himself dry. If you get wet, you’re forced to go back to start, but if you make it around the bathtub, you win. The game is one of Spin Master Games’ best new board games of the year.
Science kits are always a great gift that facilitates learning outside of the classroom, and can be lots of fun as well. In this set, users can explore crystal caves, excavate 10 different geodes and discover the crystals that are present in our own Earth’s soil. The National Geographic Geode Crystal Set features geodes found in special mines and even has a learning guide for future scientists and students. Also, the crystals look gorgeous and are fun to discover, which is why it’s one of our favorite learning toys on the market.
As we stated before, educational kits can make great gifts and be enjoyable too. The Science Wiz Cool Circuits kit is a challenging, yet fun puzzle set has attractive LED lights that encourage players to complete puzzle challenges on the light up board. The set includes the light up game board, 3D circuit pieces, a solution book, and 40 puzzle cards. Listed for ages 8 to 80, the circuit kit has much to enjoy.
Racing cars are always fun. However, what if they lit up in the dark? With the days getting darker due to daylight savings, there is even more time for awesome, light up cars to control with the tip of your finger. Using transparent material and LED lights, the Mindscape Twister Cars can be raced in the dark. Although they are not remote controlled, they are still a great toy this holiday season.
Although the hype of Pokemon Go may have died down a bit (and in reality, not by all that much), Pokemon is still going strong, especially with the release of Sun and Moon this November. Now, your Pokemon trainer can be equipped with the Pokemon Clip N’ Carry Set, an adjustable belt that includes two pokeballs, one being an exclusive never been released poke ball. For an added touch, there is also a small Pikachu figurine that can be placed inside. Gotta catch ’em all this holiday season!
What if you couldn’t talk with your lips? It’s not as easy as it sounds, and it’s actually quite hilarious. In the Lipless game, players must use mouthpieces to try to convey the words they are saying on the card. It’s a family friendly game and is great for parties and more. The mouthpieces are safe, washable, and can be used again for nonstop fun.
Laser tag doesn’t have to be limited to a fun center or arcade. Engage in epic battles and endless fun with the Spaceship Laser Tag set by Discovery Kids. Players attach the devices to their hands, using lasers to try and hit their “base”. Once hit, players will feel a vibration and sound. Included in this set are two “shapeships” to get your tag squad started. Hours of fun without breaking the bank? No wonder it’s on our list of the best cheap toys under $25.
We frequently see a lot of Discovery Kids products in Amazon’s list of clearance toys online, so keep an eye out here.
Monopoly is a classic fun game that has been around for decades of family fun…or feuds. Now, there is an awesome updated version that makes banking easier and gameplay faster with electronic banking cards. Instead of losing paper cash, load your millions on your cards, increasing or decreasing the amount of money you have on your properties. For younger children, this also can be a good tool for learning the basics of electronic money. There’s no denying that Monopoly is one of the best board games for kids, and it’s a game that’s going to live on infinitely.
Join the special ops with this exclusive spy gear that won’t break the bank. This camera allows users to record everywhere, especially with the detachable headband. It can also be clipped anywhere, and not just the head mount. There are also 3 modes: burst mode, single frame capture, and video recording for ultimate stealth missions.
Although bowling is fun, what about giant bowling? The Etna Giant Inflatable Bowling Set is made for the outdoors and is a great, active gift that encourages physical activity and is enjoyable to play. Contrary to standard bowling, this set is over-sized and can be played with one or many. Need a fun holiday party idea? Play a round of snow bowling!
Having an actual arcade cabinet in your room would be quite fun, but can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. This mini-arcade machine, however, is perfect for gamers on a budget. Featuring 200 retro games, this small machine feels like an arcade cabinet and can be played on a desk for stability. The game library includes full-color games with simple controls and plenty of nostalgia. Game on!
For days in and the budding artist at heart comes Crayola’s Light Up Tracing Pad. Featuring a LED background, this pad allows artists to easily trace their favorite scenes to recreate their favorite pictures/art. Twelve colored pencils are also included so that they can color in the picture after tracing is done, allowing for customization. Another great feature is that there are over 100 different images to trace, allowing for many scenes.
Music is important for people of all ages, and not much is cooler than being able to design your own headphones. The Seedling Design Your Own Headphones kit comes with everything you need: a blank pair of headphones, paints, craft markers and stencils. Paint your favorite artists, songs, or designs on the headphones, plug them in and go!
If you’re looking for something that will keep the kids busy during their Christmas break, you’ll definitely get the bang for your buck with the Crayola Inspirational Art Case. This baby comes with 140 different art supplies, including a massive collection of crayons, colored pencils, paper, and washable markers, and it’s all brought together nicely and kept organized with a colorful case.
Of course, we all remember last year’s big Hatchimals craze, where just about every retailer ran out of stock and eBay scalpers were able to feast for months off of jacking up the prices. This year, get them the Hatchimals Colleggtibles, presented here in a 12 pack egg carton. These are much smaller than the original Hatchimal toys, but you get a full dozen of them.
Kids will hold each egg in the palm of their hand, rub the purple heart until it turns pink, and then they’re able to press down on the shell to crack it and hatch a new cute friend. Best of all? They can do it for just under $20, making this one of the best cheap toys for Christmas this year.
For the preschool crowd, I can’t stress enough how great the LeapFrog Shapes and Sharing Picnic Basket is. It not only helps children to build up their motor skills with sorting, matching, stacking, emptying and filling, but it’s also great for fueling pretend play.
It’s also one of the higher quality toys under $20 that’ll find, made with high quality and durable plastic.
The old Etch a Sketch is boring, with a colorless face. But the new Etch a Sketch Freestyle injects an abundance of color. What’s more, it also comes with a stylus for added control over what they’re trying to draw. It’s highly portable, and it makes for a great car toy.
Of course, it also erases like its predecessor does, by shaking it uncontrollably, so they’ll be able to use it again and again without using up all of the paper towels or making a mess.
With The Last Jedi set to release in December just before Christmas, there’s no denying that the popularity of Star Wars Rey toys is going to be at an all-time high. For just $16, you can pick up a highly poseable 11-inch Rey Adventure Figure modeled after her likeness in the Forces of Destiny animated series, which also comes with her iconic staff. If you squeeze Rey’s legs, her staff swings, too, giving her an action.
There are many kids out there who love the idea of being a fashion designer, and Crayola’s Fashion Superstar kid makes a great gift for them. With this kit, you’re able to create fashion designs and then upload the designs to a free app that will allow them to build their own virtual closet. They’ll be able to mix and match their own outfits using their own creations.
The kit comes with a 62-page design book, 24 colored pencils, and 18 super tip markers.
The Octonauts Memory Game is a great game for young kids, and it can be played with 2 to 6 players. It comes with a full set of 48 Octonauts memory cards, and it’s recommended for ages 3 years and up. Each of the cards features characters from the show. It’s one of the highest-rated Octonauts toys on Amazon, with a 4.3 out of 5 stars.
While the majority of the best NERF guns on the market come in at well over the $20 price point, the NERF Modulus Recon MKII Blaster can be picked up for just $17.77.
It’s highly customizable, and it can be added to down the road (if they want to pick up different parts/clips for it to change it up.
Who says dress up is just for girls? If your little guy has dreams of being a big hero, start him off early with this police role play kit. The set has 14 pieces, including handcuffs, shades, a whistle, and an official police badge. Most of the pieces in the set are made of plastic, so they are lightweight and easy to clean. The kit is good for both toddlers and older kids and could be played with by multiple kids at a time.
Play-Doh has been a classic toy and still is just as fun today, so why not try the old school tools? According to the description, the set includes classic tools such as ” 1 x 1-ounce cans of Play-Doh, 1 Rolling Pin, 2 Texture Rollers, 3 Texture Stamp Cubes, Hammer, Trimming Knife, Sculpting Tool, Double-sided Laminated Play Mat, Idea Guide, and reusable Jumbo Storage Can”. There are even retro designs on the packaging, making for a nostalgic flashback for parents and a new, fun time for children that will last for many years.
Star Wars-lovers will love the Yoda Jedi Starfighter LEGO Building Kit (#75168) which includes Yoda and R2-D2 minifigures. This awesome-looking ship has folding wings and two laser cannons, each with spring-loaded shooters. It’s intended for ages 8-12, and it’s great for both playing with and displaying.
Hitting the $20 price point to the mark is this great building toy set from K’Nex: the Turbo Jet 2-in-1 building set. It comes with over 400 colorful pieces, including a battery-powered motor that will make their toys go. The kit comes with a manual that shows your kids how to make both a helicopter and a turbo jet, but the real fun starts when they start building their own creations.
Ultra Dash is a game of speed, and it’ll bring out the competitive nature of any child. Your kids will place color targets around the living room (or outside, in the garage, etc), and they’ll be tasked with getting the right color target in the time allotted and in the right order. It’s a GREAT way to get your kids active even on rainy days, as they’ll race around trying to get the fastest/best score they can. And, because it can be played with more than just one player, it’s a game that competitive kids will especially love.
Kingdomino is an award-winning new strategy game from Blue Orange. It tasks players with building the best Kingdom they can, and it’s a great family strategy game for ages 8 and up. Each game lasts roughly 15 minutes, and it can be played with up to 4 players. It comes with 8 wooden King tokens, 4 3-D castles, and 48 dominoes. This game is a lot of fun, especially for the 8-15 year old crowd.
This DC Super Hero Girls Wonder Woman 12″ Action Doll has a cool look inspired by the original Wonder Woman, and it has bendable elbows and knees so that they’re able to pose the doll just how they want to. It comes with her iconic lasso and some fierce boots.
The Barbie Spaghetti Chef Doll and Playset sort of normalizes Barbie, taking her away from being an all-pink-everything doll to a toned down version. It comes with a small kitchen, including a noodle-maker. This Barbie under $20 will inspire young chefs to get into the kitchen and make something delicious.
Science toys are really in this year, and that’s why we’ve included the Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit on our list of the best toys under $15. This 20 piece kits comes with numerous experiments to showcase some of the cool things science can do.
Finding LEGO kits under $20 is nearly impossible these days, unless you want something dinky. But that’s not the case with the LEGO Ninjago Kryptarium Prison Breakout Building Kit, which comes with 207 pieces and gets bonus points because the Lego Ninjago Movie happens to release in 2017. It comes with a drop-down main entrance gate, two prison cells, a toilet escape route, and a security camera-style element, as well as various figures and weapons.
Another great building toy kit for under $15 is the ZOOB BuilderZ Inventor’s Kit, whichc omes in at $13.06 right now on Amazon. It comes with 100 ZOOB pieces and instructions on how to build a handful of creations, but it also encourages those who use it to create their own builds.
It’s undeniably tough to find something suitable for the older/teenage crowd when it comes to finding cheap gifts for Christmas. However, if they’re old enough to watch Rick & Morty on Adult Swim, they’re old enough to play the hilarious Total Rickall Card Game based on one of the funniest episodes of the series to date.
Floof is a fun indoor snowman creator kit that doesn’t use real snow, and it comes with 22 accessories, including Snowman molds and things to build your snowmen with.
Obviously, Roblox is one of the most popular games among 5-12 year olds, and its popularity is only growing. Earlier this year, the company announced a brand new first wave of Robloxtoys, including this Pizza Place Playset.
PlayMonster’s 5 Second Rule game is incredibly fun, and it’s a game you can play over and over again without it getting old. The game is simple to play, too. Players will pick a card, and then with just 5 seconds on a timer, they’ll have to name 3 things that fit that topic. It’s a lot harder than it sounds, but it’s so much fun, which is why we consider it one of the best gifts for 12 year old girls.
These 9″ Cabbage Patch Kids Adoptimals are totes adorbs. This Bulldog comes with a brush and a bowl, it interacts with any 14″ Cabbage Patch Kids’ heart key (the heartbeat will unlock with a kids key). Press the heart locket to hear dog sounds, and the dog comes with an official certificate of ownership paper, complete with a space to name their pet whatever they want.
Trouble is a classic board game that kids love to play, thanks to the pop-o-matic roller. One of the best Cars 3 toys you’ll find right now is a Cars 3 Trouble Board Game which is obviously skinned with visuals from Disney’s latest. Players are tasked with getting their four cars all the way around the derby to the finish line before the rest of the players do the same. It’s a classic game that’s a lot of fun, and they’ll appreciate the Cars 3 skin if they’re big fans of the movie.
PJ Masks is another incredibly popular kid’s TV show, and this year’s new PJ Masks toy is the PJ Masks Cat Boy Car. It’s a stylish blue and light blue car that comes with a 3″ articulated Cat Boy figure. The car also fits other PJ Mask 3″ figures, and there are also a number of other vehicles and characters available, including Owlette and the Owl Glider, and Gekko and the Gekko Mobile. But for $11, you can pick up the PJ Masks Cat Boy Car.
What little kid doesn’t love Hot Wheels? This cool gift has 15 feet of straight track, and also one Hot Wheel car. The track includes an assortment of nine-inch track and 12-inch track, as well as 18 track connectors. The track allows your kiddo to use their imagination and build a track however they want, which can mean hours of entertainment. And with all the track connectors, the track can connect to other Hot Wheel sets as well. This is a great gift for the Hot Wheels fan or someone who is just starting their collection.
If you have a toddler or young boy who’s obsessed with Paw Patrol, this little stuffed animal makes a great Christmas gift. Marshall, one of the characters in the show, comes fully outfitted in his brightly colored uniform, and he is plush and about eight inches long. He’s the perfect size for little arms, and could even make a nice stocking stuffer. Don’t forget to add other pups from the show as well, like Skye, Rubble, and Chase.
This set of six army soldiers is great for boys who love to play army or war. The figures in the set are about 10.5 centimeters tall, and they each come with a weapon and have a different look. The head, arms, and legs can move, so unlike figures that are stationary, you can realistically play with these army men. The weapons are removable, so you can switch up which soldier has which weapon as you play. This toy encourages your kiddo to use his imagination and is just under $12.
It’s no secret that many boys are obsessed with Minecraft. Bring the video game to life with this 30-piece papercraft set, which allows you to create different characters and blocks from the game with paper. The paper arrives flat, but you are then able to fold and shape each sheet so that it looks like a figure from the game. You can then play with the paper figures like you play the video game, which gives the kids a nice screen time break. These also make great decorations for a Minecraft room or birthday party.
Great toys from brands like Discovery Kids, NERF, VTech, and Fisher-Price don't have to break the bank.