The Ultimate Toy Gift Guide

This is the perfect introductory remote control toy set. The straightforward steering-wheel-style remote that operates these speedy little cars has just two buttons, so kids as young as 18 months can race to their hearts’ content.

This box set comes with 30 different activities on double-sided dry erase mats, each of which can help develop problem-solving, fine motor, and logical reasoning skills. Best of all, the water- and tear-resistant mats can be used again and again. 

Make endless structures, animals, and objects with these colorful, interlocking “hedgehog” blocks. This 120-piece set is a great starting point (more tiles can always be added if these are a hit), and will appeal to young preschoolers and older elementary school kids alike.

This 25-piece toy doctor set will help your favorite pre-med toddler conduct medical exams on the entire family. You’ll find a comprehensive suite of realistic-looking tools, from a plastic syringe and otoscope to a soft, kid-sized BP cuff and beyond.

Complete with all the essentials — from a fire extinguisher to an ID badge — this costume set is durable enough to last through years of play. We love the little details, like the fact that the bullhorn actually makes noise…and it’s hard to beat a costume that’s machine-washable. It’s the perfect gift for any preschool-aged kid with big firefighting dreams. 

For little ones who already have play kitchens, or for children of the coffee-obsessed, this mini espresso machine is perfect. Baristas-in-training can practice pulling shots by inserting a faux coffee pod into the portafilter (they’ve even included a coffee tamper) and letting water run through from the water tank, just as it would with a real machine. 

There are books for naptime, there are books for learning your letters, and then there are books for being silly…and Can You Do This? Super Silly Edition! may just be the poster child for literary silliness. With colorful illustrations and a series of follow-along pages that keep kids counting, dancing, playing imaginary shark, and (most importantly) smiling, this may not be a calming bedtime book, but it's perfect for just about any other reading time. 

Stickers are a reliable way to kids’ hearts, and this book of 500 is special. The designs are hand-drawn, and the stickers themselves are water- and weather-proof — they’ll even survive the dishwasher — so they’re great for water bottles, lunch boxes, and more.

The only thing better than a coloring book? A huge coloring book, or, in this case, one giant 72” x 30” flower mandala coloring page, just waiting to be colored in. Printed on premium, no-bleed paper, this is perfect to share with the whole family (it would be a welcome distraction, for example, while everyone’s waiting for the holiday meal to be served). Once the coloring’s complete, it’s large enough to take up some serious wall space, too.

This mini salon kit comes with everything from a functional blow dryer, spray bottle, detangling brush, and clip-in tinsel (in four different colors) to sparkle flower mini clips and over 150 rainbow hair elastics. It's the perfect gift for little ones who want just a touch of wacky hair day, every day.  

This 80-piece car-themed set is a great addition to any existing Magnatile collection, but it also stands on its own as a fun racing toy. Kids can build tracks tall enough for the two included vehicles to gain some serious speed. 

This Do-A-Dot paint marker set is bound to be popular with your favorite little artists. They can stamp colorful circles all over the place, or use each piece as a mega-marker to produce extra-wide lines. The ink is non-toxic and washable, too.

If you haven’t tried this wildly popular game yet, what are you waiting for? This little deck of cards that costs under $10 may well end up being the hit of the entire holiday. Prepare for some possibly over-enthusiastic pile slapping, and a lot of family laughs.

Load up the school bus and zoom off to school with this Playmobil set. It has four figurines (three kids and one bus driver), plus lots of accessories to keep the imaginative play flowing. Details like the removable roof and operational head- and tail-lights are just the icing on the cake. 

This little toy piano helps kids explore musical notes, learn colors, and practice identifying animals. They can simply play on the keys, watch as animals light up across the display, or press down on the correct key to match the illuminated color.

Sand that sticks to itself and nothing else? Sounds too good to be true…but that’s exactly what you’ll find in this National Geographic set. Six pounds total of blue, purple, and natural-colored sand can easily be packed into the included molds or molded freehand into any shapes you please, with minimal cleanup needed afterward.

When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year…This four-pack of Friends-themed BumBumz stuffed toys will be there for you (or, in this case, your kids). Gift it as a full set, or use them as individual stocking stuffers.

Non-toxic, fragrance-free, and non-staining, these fizzy bath bombs will turn bath water blue, red, orange, violet, indigo, green, or yellow. Curious kids can even experiment with dropping multiple tablets into the same bath to watch the colors swirl and create new hues. 

These five fun tubs of scented compounds are Play-Doh’s version of slime. Each reusable container has a version with a different texture, ranging from butter-smooth to crackly foam. Best of all, these should last for months without ever drying out.