Top 20 Kid Gift Picks – Chosen by Parents
'Tis the season for nutmeg & cinnamon scented potpourri, party planning and presents, presents, PRESENTS! During the mad holiday rush, we can sometimes lose sight of what really matters; valuable moments together as a family.
That’s why we’ve teamed up with Hot Diggity Media to deliver toy tester favorites that will encourage family time. The play experts and toy testers at Hot Diggity Media spend the year unboxing, testing and playing with hundreds of toys and games from companies across the globe.
Whether you're a parent or shopping for your favorite nephew, these gifts will be appreciated by not only the cool kids in the family but the adults they spend time with. Here's a list of our 20 favorite gifts for kids that encourage quality family time, creativity and cooperative play.
CRAFTS
Made You Look by Renegade Made by Part Time Renegade, LLC
Ages 8+
$19.99
Description: A box full of inspiring and fun public art for you to decorate and leave for people to make them smile.
Paint Your Own Stepping Stone: Dinosaur Footprint by MindWare
$25.95
Ages 8+
Description: This dino footprint does double duty: first by creating mysterious tracks in the ground, then as a custom-painted garden accent.
Wag Swag by Renegade Made by Part Time Renegade, LLC
$23.99
Ages 8+
Description: Weave two adjustable* dog collars, then use your skills to make the attachable flower and necktie accessories to decorate the collars for special occasions or everyday Swagger.
FAMILY FUN
Butterfly Farm by Insect Lore
$34.99
Ages 4+
Description: To celebrate 50 years, Insect Lore has created the Butterfly Farm! Watch as 5 tiny larvae embark upon their remarkable journey from caterpillar to butterfly. Connect your children to nature and give them an appreciation for the outside world that they will never forget!
Dino Smashers Epic Egg by ZURU Toys
$24.99
Ages 5+
Description: Explore the Jurassic world of the wackiest Dinosaurs you'll ever meet. Unwrap the shrink-wrap and smash open the giant egg! Use the scratch n' reveal map to start your journey and discover clues to find the fossils inside!
I AM LiL’ Shark by Madd Capp Games
$19.99
Ages 5+
Description: Totally JAWSome! Madd Capp Jr. Puzzles' new I AM LiL' Shark is taking a bite out of the puzzle world! A poster size (38" x 23"), 100-piece, animal-shaped jigsaw, it features a colorful, high gloss, realistic image mounted on premium quality chipboard.
Longest Hidden Pictures® Puzzle Ever by Highlights
$14.99
Ages 7+
Description: This giant Hidden Pictures® puzzle is the ultimate search-and-find challenge. With sturdy pages that folds out to over 16 feet in length, this puzzle showcases an entire city relay race as runners work their way over giant bridges, through busy parks, inside subway tunnels, and more.
GAMES
Button, Button, Belly Button by Peaceable Kingdom – A MindWare Brand
$15.95
Ages 2+
Description: Button, Button, Belly Button engages 2-year-olds with a topic that's familiar and fun - belly buttons! Your little one learns basic concepts such as same and different, color matching, taking turns, body awareness and language skills.
KaBlocks Blast by MindWare
$39.95
Ages 3+
Description: KaBlocks Blast uses kinetic force rather than air power to blast soft foam blocks even higher - over 6 feet into the air! Now even the littlest three-year-old can create impressive explosions time after time.
Uh Oh Hippo by Educational Insights
$16.49
Ages 4+
Description: Place the munchies inside of Hugo Hippo's mouth for feeding time and see if you can remember what he ate. Close his mouth, and when it opens again, one piece is missing! Do you remember what it is?
Recycle Rally by Adventerra Games
$24.95
Ages 7+
Description: Drive recycling trucks around town and maximize your score by collecting higher-value materials. But sort carefully! If too many recyclables are left behind, useful stuff is incinerated and the whole town is in trouble.
BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE by Ok2Win
$14.99
Ages 8+
Description: BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE is a dynamic, family-friendly matching game with an explosive twist! Ignite as many matches as you can by using special action cards, strategy, your memory, and a little bit of luck.
Escape Room the Game by Spin Master
$29.99
Ages 16+
Description: Escape Room The Game from Spin Master brings the thrill and mystery of an escape room to your home. There's a way out of each seemingly impossible scenario - it's up to you and your team of three to five players to figure it out in time.
STEM
Oribel VertiPlay Wall Toy – Tree Top Adventure by Oribel Inc
$39.99
Ages 2+
Description: Join Mr Caterpillar on an adventure filled with action and movement that kids will want to play again and again!
Osmo Little Genius Kit by OSMO
$79
Ages 3 to 5
Description: This kit features games that help preschoolers learn critical skills like the alphabet, problem-solving and creativity while sparking their imaginations and having fun at the same time.
Coding Critters™ by Learning Resources®
$39.99
Ages 4+
Description: The Coding Critters are interactive pets that introduce preschoolers to critical thinking, problem-solving, and other STEM skills with the help of fun playsets, storybook coding adventures, and two interactive modes!
Osmo Creative Starter Kit by OSMO
$79
Ages 5 to 10
Description: This kit, which has been updated with new hardware and content, features three games that encourage drawing, creativity and problem solving. Track children's progress, using child game profiles, on a parent app.
Circuit Scribe 32 Piece Ultimate Kit by Circuit Scribe
$84.97
Ages 8+
Description: Draw Your Own Circuits! Electrify your circuit drawings with conductive pens from Circuit Scribe! It makes learning and designing circuits as easy as doodling. With Circuit Scribe, who needs wires?
Geomag Color 127 pieces
$89.99
Ages 3+
Description: This playset contains 144 yellow magnetic rods and 104 Non-magnetic steel balls that let you connect and build awesome creations. Helps children ages 3 and up develop imagination and curiosity through the science of magnetic construction.
Just Add Sugar by Griddly Games
$24.99
Ages 8+
Description: Just Add Sugar is the exciting new science activity kit that is a sweet way for science to be even more fun. This kit comes with everything you need except for the adding ingredient … sugar!
Moving Creations with k’nex® by hand2mind®
$39.99
Ages 8+
Description: Learn to apply STEM principles just like an engineer! The Moving Creations set from hand2mind, a leading developer of classroom learning tools for over 50 years, is created in partnership with k'nex®. The step-by-step illustrated guide contains nine different builds, educational science content, 18 STEM experiments and "Think Bigger" challenges to practice the scientific method.
Cozi Family Organizer is the must-have app for busy families - easy to use and free in the app store. You'll wonder how you managed your busy life before Cozi. Get Cozi today!