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We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page. 34 Toys From Walmart To Keep Your Toddler Entertained Longer Than Two Minutes Because the greatest gift of all isn't actually the holiday spirit. It's totally getting five minutes to yourself amidst the hoopla to, like, eat a sandwich uninterrupted. 1. A 6-foot-long plush puppy, because sometimes bigger is better with the little crowd, and what could be better than a body-pillow of a pup for hours of cuddles and pretend play? (This guy would do GREAT on the floor is lava circuit.) 2. A set of magnetic letters and numbers your kiddo can scatter across fridges, dishwashers, or magnetic dry-erase boards — because sometimes the best learning comes from play, and before you know it, they’ll be familiar with the letter 'A.' 3. An interactive talking Ms. Rachel plushy if the other parent in your house is 100% Ms. Rachel, and you want to extend that learning love to playtime. With 16 signature phrases and four songs, your kiddo will be jamming and learning just like they do when they watch everyone's fave overalled teacher. 4. And a Ms. Rachel Melissa and Doug wooden song puzzle to help with their fine motor skills *and* let them sing along to some of their fave Ms. Rachel bops such as "Hop Little Bunnies" and "Can You Say Mama." 5. The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel preschool board game that'll make matching, counting, and fine motor skills FUN to practice. This is a perfect intro to the big world of board games, so you can get younger kids ready to compete in the big leagues of family game night down the line! 6. An interactive light-up drawing board with translucent sheets and tiles to stir up creativity and help the littles in your life give their creativity and cognitive skills a mega power boost. (And one that will give HOURS of entertainment, to boot!) 7. An interactive globe with a talking pen that features the voice of none other than CROCODILE HUNTER PROGENY BINDI IRWIN. Poke around and learn about the planet and wildlife conservation? Crikey, that's a good idea. 8. A Little Tikes Story Dream Machine projector you'll love just as much as your kiddos. There are *so many* book options. My son is still very much obsessed with this a year after purchasing it, and we've gone back to buy every book set they release! 9. A 26-piece Magna-Tiles travel set perfect for car rides, restaurants, and waiting rooms at a fraction of the price (but not the quality!) of their big sets. Motor skills and building skills get used with this set, and this is now a staple in my son's toy bag. 10. A Melissa and Doug dentist kit because learning dental hygiene should absolutely include an all-blue matching color scheme and teeth that actually wiggle on the teeth set. (BRB. Buying this to teach my kid AGAIN how to brush the back teeth properly.) 11. An interactive Croc Pop Piano for the young and young at heart crowd who want to learn some basic piano playing skills while also enjoying truly delightful little animated baby crocs that pop up as you do! 12. An interactive dancing sunflower plush akin to the famous dancing cactus, but much more kid-friendly and educational because it's bilingual. This little flower packs a lot of power with 10 songs in English and 10 in Spanish, lights, and wiggly dance moves so you and your toddler can pick up some new words and a few dance moves! 13. A set of kids' binoculars so you can train up your fam's newest backyard bird watcher enthusiast in your own image. Perfect for studying nature or, if you're my kid, staring at planes from a whole new vantage point. 14. Or! Some LeapFrog magic binoculars that have so. many. features: a digital screen, camera and photo gallery, mini games, a BBC field guide, and — my kid's favorite — NIGHT VISION. Just be aware that every inch of your house is now fair game for a safari with these things. 15. A flower-building set (with a storage bucket) to work your kiddos' motor skills and help their ~flowering~ independence find a fun and colorful outlet for a while. 16. 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. 17. A Playper buildable castle play set to get your kid's imagination rumbling and motor skills buzzing! These sets are made with brightly colored spill-resistant pieces designed to withstand any 3-and-up's enthusiastic antics. You and your kiddos will both have fun building the castle and the adorable cast of characters. (And you know you can throw in a few good Monty Python quotes while you play. For educational purposes, of course.) 18. 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 toy that they can use over and over again, thank GOODNESS. 19. 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 your 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! 20. A cult-classic Pretty, Pretty, Princess dress-up board game if you want to ease your younger kids into the beautiful land of family board game nights. If you didn't have the honor of playing this game in childhood, just know it can get ~shockingly~ but *lovingly* competitive. 21. A set of bendy, moldable fidget Wikki Stix to give your kid's imagination room to roam, no matter the locale. You can stick them to surfaces and then remove them mess-free with no gross residue left behind, so let your kids run stress-free-wild with these bad boys. 22. A VTech Sandy Snacks-a-Lot my son and I now fight over because she's just the cutest, quirkiest little axolotl you ever did see. THIS is the kind or robot toy I wanted as a kid: Adorable, functional without being creepy, and with some jaunty tunes thrown in that are actually fun to listen to. Your fam will LOVE it. 23. A real-life John Deere tractor, they'll love the bright colors and high zoomy potential, and you'll love it because it gets them outside! This is one of those "remember when" gifts your kids will still talk about around the holiday table decades after opening it. 24. A Bluey combo plane and resort play set if your kids are simply wackadoo for all things Heeler fam related. This set is cute and can function as a plane that then opens up into a resort perfect for hours of pretend play. 25. A Strider balance bike for the littles in your life who have a need for speed but aren't quite ready for pedals just yet. These bikes are all the rage for a reason: They're the perfect fun transition tool to take your kid from scootin' to peddlin' in the neighborhood big leagues in no time. 26. A Fisher-Price Little People Moana and Maui canoe play set so your little wayfinder can practice navigating by the stars from the comfort of their own play space. (Sentient ocean, sadly, not included.) 27. A LeapFrog learning bundle to give your little reader a delightful boost. The smart stylus and book set comes loaded with activities and read-along functions that'll keep your learner eagerly turning the pages. LeapFrog readers today, BookTok readers tomorrow. 28. A fire station play set, I'll tell you, is astonishingly thorough (and engaging!) for such a great price. If you want a big item for holiday gifts without a big holiday piggy bank...this one's for you and the little firefighters in your life! 29. A rainbow balance bridge if your littles have excess wiggles. Get your living room Olympics-ready with this click-together bridge, which can be easily stored away, so it doesn't take up a whole gymnasium's worth of space in your home. 30. An Ozark Trail play tent so your littles can have their own secret hideout for reading, cuddling with their massive plush, or whatever their adventurous hearts desire. 31. A Melissa & Doug dust, sweep, and mop set because chores can totally be a family affair. This set gives some independence and room to play (and clean!) without being a full-size broom handle that can knock over everything in sight. 32. A Jurassic World ravenous raptor game so the chompy littles in your life have a fun new pastime while waiting for the holiday dinner to finish cooking. 33. An Elphaba and Glinda Care Bears set if the toddler in your life can sing the entire soundtrack from Wicked and is 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. 34. A kid-size 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 your kiddo can get the full effect of adulting at the tender age of "toddler". Reviews for this post have been edited for length and/or clarity. Why Trust BuzzFeed Shopping? BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way. Ashley Schumacher is a freelancer who has been writing for BuzzFeed Shopping for over two years with an emphasis on home goods, parenting items and toys, beauty products, and anything that can make your day-to-day life run a little smoother. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading too many books and traipsing about her North Texas home with her husband and son.
