12 Birthday Gifts for Kids That Aren’t Just the Usual Suspects

It was always a good day in PE class when the floor scooters came out. Gift that feeling to a little kid (maybe run it by their parents first) with a scooter of their very own, complete with a cool race car design. These can be used indoors or outdoors, and help build core strength and gross motor skills. Win-win. ($29.99, Amazon)

According to our casual and extremely non-scientific research, all kids love playing with microphones. And when you add a voice-changing element? Instant obsession. This voice changer toy can make them sound like an alien, robot, monster, or ghost, and has an echo option (plush some cool lights) as well. ($19.99, Amazon)

These cute, curated birthday gifts (from the people who created Burt’s Bees) put screen-free fun in the spotlight. Each bundle has a sketchbook (choose from four different eco-inspired cover themes), beeswax crayons, nontoxic handmade “eco-dough,” and animal footprint stamps to use with the dough. Check out art bundles for older kids and teens/adults, too. ($32.99, Elseware Unplug)

The ideal gift for a little artist who’s always doodling – especially if they have some travel coming up. This reusable, erasable sketchbook comes in four different cute designs (airplane, spaceship, campsite, and submarine), and you can stock up on extra zero-dust chalk whenever necessary. ($20, Uncommon Goods)

One step up from a regular old Lego set, this buildable racing toy gives kids the opportunity to build their own racetrack, plus 10 different cars to race on it. The set comes with 124 Legos plus an instruction booklet, and the track itself is three feet long when built. ($27.95, Amazon)

This series of special, heirloom-quality books take classic stories (think Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, and more) and reimagines them with incredibly intricate pop-up art. They make great bedtime read-alouds, of course, but also awesome bookish display pieces. ($40, Uncommon Goods)

Even if they can’t play soccer outside, chances are they’ll enjoy this two-player tabletop game inspired by foosball. After some quick “stadium” setup, all they need to do is squeeze each foosbot to propel the ball into their opponent’s goal. ($19.99, Fat Brain Toys)

This magnetic cube – which comes in designs inspired by everything from cotton candy and confetti to trees and oceans – can be refashioned into more than 70 different shapes. If it’s a huge hit, get your giftee another one next year so they can combine the blocks and double their building potential. ($24.99, Amazon)

If they love Playdoh, kinetic sand, and/or cooking, they’ll be obsessed with this set. It comes with play sand, cupcake molds, a working mixer, and more, so they’ll be whipping up their own birthday treats in no time. ($24.86, Walmart)

We all know at least one kid who’s deeply obsessed with dinosaurs. Treat them to this excavation-inspired set that lets them fashion fossil impressions of their very own and dig up a pretend dino skeleton. There’s also a poster and plenty of info about real-life paleontology in the included folder. ($29.95, KiwiCo)

Use the tools in this kit – like cans, measuring cups, a scoop, and more – plus your own yummy ingredients to make a sweet snack. Kids can learn to make sorbet and ice cream in the flavors of their choice, and take notes on the scientific process of it all in the included lab notebook. ($34.95, KiwiCo)

Colorful jelly paint, rhinestones, and googly eyes come together for adorable, reusable stickers that can be used on computers, water bottles, and more. There’s a 20-page book of ideas included, or your giftee can go wild with their own signature designs. ($21.95, Fat Brain Toys)