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If You Don’t Have Kids, But You’re Buying A Gift For A Kid, Allow This List Of 30 Products To Be Your Guide
For when you don’t know what kids are into these days but you still want to be the coolest aunt/uncle/friend in the land.
1. A huge set of pastel Connetix magnetic tiles that are basically the best building blocks around. Kids can snap them together flat on a table to make beautiful pixelated creations or click them into three-dimensional towers to build their own kingdom of pastel-screen-free-fun.
2. An Elphaba and Glinda Care Bears set if the kiddos in your life can sing the entire soundtrack from Wicked and are counting down the days until the sequel. These will give them all those good Ozian vibes, but WITHOUT any buttons that actually sing, so their parents will still love you, too.
3. An official Ms. Rachel electronic learning bus so everyone’s fave TV teacher is appropriately repped in their toy box. It comes with a Ms. Rachel and a Herbie figurine and sings “Wheels on the Bus” along with many popular Ms. Rachel phrases.
4. A unicorn Slumberkin because the most terrible thing about being a kid should be having to eat veggies you dislike… *not* being fearful of being your perfect kiddo self. Meet Slumberkins: little ☁️SOFT☁️ plush friends who come with snuggles and emotional lessons at the ready. And Unicorn wants to help teach kiddos that being YOU is all you need.
5. A brand new LeapFrog LeapMove active learning game system that comes preloaded with games that make kids the controller. They can flap their arms to soar into numbers, race through word obstacle courses, catch glowing “orb” letters, and basically get out some of their boundless energy all while keeping learning ACTUALLY fun.
6. Or a splurgier Nex Playground Active Play System that’s ~supposedly~ designed for the small human crowd, but adults also LOVE this thing. If you remember the Xbox Kinect times, THIS IS THE SUPERIOR, CHEAPER, MORE COMPACT VERSION. With games like Fruit Ninja, a How To Train Your Dragon flight simulator, and dancing galore, this handy size-of-your-hand device plugs directly into your TV or projector with an HDMI cable and is ready to go.
7. A new Crayola Bluey Scribble Scrubbie set so they can color Bluey and Co. to their heart’s delight and *then* get to scrub them clean in the lil’ working pool sprayer. *Basically* a 2-in-1 kinda gift that they can use over and over again, thank GOODNESS.
8. And a hide-and-seek Bluey game because sometimes kid wranglers just don’t want to stuff themselves into a closet and wait a hundred years to be found, so let me introduce you to their new fave adorable sidekick. Just hide Bluey somewhere nearby, and she’ll shout hints and sing that absolute bop of a theme song when found! Basically a gift for the littles in your life *and* their caregivers. Bless.
9. A CUSTOM stuffed animal based on the kiddo’s artwork, which basically means this is two activities in one: art project and a new plush to snuggle and pretend with! My son is OBSESSED with his, and I am more than tempted to make my own. 10/10 recommend as a gift because they’ll hang onto their ~masterpiece~ forever.
10. A ChompSaw kid-safe cardboard cutting tool that’s part toy and ALL hands-on imagination. Designed for the 5-and-up crowd, this has no sharp blades or spinning parts, so kids can safely shape all your cardboard boxes into costumes, story props, and elaborately constructed hideouts *without* losing a digit.
11. A Popdarts suction cup throwing game which is basically an excuse to give the kid in your life something they *can* throw in the house and a *direction* to throw it toward. The rules couldn’t be simpler: Throw the darts and try to be the closest to the target market to rack up the points. Easy-peasy, kids-are-gonna-play-this-for-hours-squeezy.
12. A Maui magical fishhook toy that comes straight from Moana 2 and directly into the heart of the wayfinding-obsessed kiddo in your life. We love a good old-fashioned pretend toy, and this one just so happens to have some Disney pixie dust and light, and sound to really make it engaging.
13. A throwback-tacular Dora Casita play set with sound effects, furniture pieces, Dora and Boots figurines, and all the interactive elements kids want from a magical animated playscape. Get ready to hear delighted kids say, “C’mon! Vamonos, everybody!” the minute they open this gift.
14. A Toothless blast and roar mask because imagination is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it can (and should!) be helped along with a mask that really will turn them into a roaring, plasma-blasting dragon. Ahh, childhood.
15. A Suddy Buddy bubble bath maker perfect for the water babies in your circle who are all about bath time. This handy sidekick is both cute and extremely functional because it hangs directly beneath the spout to hold a bubble tab and ensure a bath full of suds instead of a sad pile of liquid soap in one corner.
16. A Huffy Disney princess bike (or Minnie Mouse!) if you know a little who could use a set of wheels to keep up with fam walks. Plus, there’s a space especially made to fit a beloved doll or lovey, so the whole family can come along.
17. Or an equally adorable Huffy Spiderman bike so the resident web-slinger isn’t left out of the fun. (Just look at those crime-fighting details!)
18. An adorable Hugimals weighted emotional support animal friend because whether they’re 2 or 102, they’re gonna love the feeling of snuggling up with this comforting, hefty little sidekick. Plus, the 4.5 pounds of inner nontoxic glass beads are removable, so they can be machine washed!
19. Some squishy and stretchable Jelly Blox so perfectly soothing and fun, you’ve gotta make sure the adults don’t nab this from the kids! If the children *do* get a chance to play with these squishable building blocks, they’re sure to have a blast.
20. An age-curated Milestones & More play kit for kiddos ages 0–6 because who even knows what is developmentally appropriate for those little potatoes? Great news! *You* don’t have to know: You just gotta click on their age and have a play kit sent directly to your (or their!) home. Each kit includes carefully selected age-appropriate toys, bilingual books, and activities to help little ones reach essential milestones through play.
21. A flower-building set (with a storage box) to work kiddos’ motor skills and help their ~flowering~ independence find a fun and colorful outlet for a few hours (without breaking the gift-giving bank, of course).
22. A set of four colorful parachute figurines for outdoor and indoor physics-learning fun! Which of us hasn’t spent hours making up dramatic soliloquies as our parachutes crash to the ground? Basically, you’re gifting them a priceless childhood right of passage.
23. A Flybar My First Foam Pogo Jumper that kids can use to safely (and quietly!) get out some of their go-go energy and wiggles out without their parents having to haul them to the trampoline park.
24. A very fluffy Furlings interactive plush which — with its wraparound tail, big blinking gaze, and high cuddle factor — is basically like three toys in one! A bargain! Every child needs a slightly-bizarre animatronic toy on which they can look back fondly and with a teensy bit of “What was that, even?”
25. An original Slinky spring toy everyone knows is the boss to beat when it comes to entertainment value. Whether your kids walk it down the stairs or see how many bouncy balls they can fit inside “the tunnel,” this is sure to bring hours of creative fun for CHEAP-CHEAP. Like, cheaper-than-a-gallon-of-gas cheap. We love to see it.
26. A Crayola mess-free Color Wonder set that uses a magic light brush that colors only on the special Color Wonder paper. This means kids can “paint” on the table, their face, and the walls, and it won’t cause hours of cleaning for their tired caregivers! (Which also saves them money in the Magic Erasers department. YOU’RE WELCOME, CAREGIVERS.)
27. A kid-size cordless Dyson vacuum so they can start learning the fine art of cleaning up their own Goldfish crumbs. Though the suction isn’t *great,* it really does pick up small debris and has its own emptying filter so kiddos can get the full effect of adulting. It’s also much cheaper than the real deal, obviously, so a win all around.
28. A hermit crab fidget toy with a removable shell ready for all manner of pretend ocean play or fidgeting. “My mom said we can play mermaids with adorable fidget sidekicks if your mom says it’s okay,” vibes for certain.
29. A Strider balance bike about to be your little’s favorite gift (seriously, it’s one of my favorite kid things we own — inside OR out)! It is light (only about 6 pounds) and can maneuver in even the smallest places. My 4-year-old LOVES his “motorcycle,” and we’ve gotten hours of fun out of this thing, with so many more to come. Plus, he’ll be more than ready when it’s time to learn to pedal because this bike taught him the art of bike balancing organically.
30. A MindWare elevator marble run for giving them something to do on rainy days when “just go outside” is ~not an option~. Let them learn three-dimensional thinking, fine motor skills, and logic — all without their parents losing their marbles.
Reviews for this post have been edited for length and/or clarity.