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.
1. A Gravity Maze game that combines a logic puzzle with the instant gratification of a marble run. They'll need to create a maze for the marble to make it through to the end — and that end result is so darn satisfying EVERY. TIME.
The game comes with 60 challenges from beginner to expert, meaning it'll keep their attention as their abilities grow.
Promising reviews: "Fun and educational. My grandson is nine and he loves this game. He is autistic and does all the mazes himself. He plays with it over and over again. He can get through all 60 mazes at one time." —Wanda Schneider
Get it from Amazon for $24.72.
2. A 360-degree-rotating 3-in-1 LED globe because teaching them about the planet they live on is nothing short of extra important right now. In the daytime, they can learn about geography and see different countries, and at night, this amazing globe shows stars and constellations — no matter how much light pollution your home gets. And for the space-obsessed kid, talk about a cool night-light.
Promising review: "Super cool! Bought these for my niece and nephew, and they arrived very well packaged. The kiddos loved it! Especially the light-up feature displaying the constellations. This is a great educational gift that also makes learning fun. Highly recommend!" —SK
Get it from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in three sizes).
3. A fun and interactive detective game that'll have them working on their observation skills, critical thinking skills, and focus skills all at the same time. I mean, ANY toy that has the chance to eventually solve the "I can't find my shoes" melodrama needs to be checked out.
4. A solar-powered DIY robot kit so they can create a new robot over and over for a major STEM win. With solar-powered movement, tons of building combinations, and the ability to work on different types of terrain, this robot is sure to keep their attention.
The kit includes 190 pieces, a solar panel, and detailed instructions.
Promising review: "This was a really good gift for a 10-year-old boy. It was really good because he is interested in science. It got him to think. It was educational but also fun! The really good thing about this is that it helps him with school and for learning in the future. All the parts work. Not much experience is really needed to put it together." —Max Find
Get it from Amazon for $18.99.
5. A math game for littles to help them learn number recognition and early math concepts without the repetitiveness of flash cards. The whole point is to get the scale to balance — meaning it's also a pretty easy toy to encourage a little independent play. Look at all those valuable lessons you've hidden here.
The idea is easy: they need to match the correct number with the number of monkeys on the scale in order to balance it. It's a fun way to learn the concept of one-to-one counting, which is math skills step one. This set incudes flash cards, figurines, numbers, and a scale.
Promising review: "Very educational and fun. It's probably the best educational game I ever bought for me and my child. It teaches him how to count and how to add numbers. Definitely worth the money and we have fun while playing. He loves this game." —Victoria Alfaro
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two styles).
6. A Stomp Rocket launcher since it launches rockets 200 feet into the air with the simple stomp of their feet. Sure, it's cool to see a rocket fly up that high, but the real fun comes with learning how much pressure to use, how to position it so it goes where you want it to, and maybe even how to catch it on the way down. And they even get to *deep breath* work TOGETHER.
Promising review: "I bought this toy for my son last year and as presents for other children this year. When the kids opened the gift, I was almost as excited as they were, we played with it for several hours. One child would stomp and someone else would try to catch it. It is simple and fun; if the child is old enough to stomp their foot, they can get a reaction from the rocket. I would give it an age range of 3–13 and when your child is playing, it is both entertaining to watch and participate in the fun. It's educational and fun, but not durable enough for older children. It has foam tips that can tear when kids use the toy as a cannon (you know who you are). But launched in a clearing, it will last a long time. And my husband adds; 'They go super sky high.'" —Dianne
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in various pack sizes and with or without LED lights).
7. A talking microscope so they can flex that science muscle without the added frustration of figuring out how to actually see something on a microscope. Along with 60 tiles, this microscope will tell them facts so you're not sitting there desperately trying to find exactly what a butterfly's wing is made of. *Whew.*
Promising review: "Fun and educational talking microscope! This is by far one of the coolest products I’ve ever seen! My 4-year-old loves this talking microscope! Every day while her baby sister naps I spend some quality one-on-one time with her and this was the perfect product for our special time together! She didn’t want to stop looking at all the different slides and I love how each slide has three images and the fact mode shares fun facts about the slide chosen! I love that she was learning new facts while looking at it up closely! She has been having so much fun using it and asks me daily to use her new microscope! This is such a great learning tool in a fun, different way for a 4-year-old and it is a big win in my book especially because it can be used for many, many years! It also includes a quiz mode that we haven’t used yet but it’s nice that it has different modes for older kids. Highly recommend for all preschoolers and older kids!" —JC Mommy
Get it from Amazon for $34.49.
8. A marble run set aka a major win for every type of kiddo personality. Creative types will love coming up with new designs, while rule followers will appreciate the directions. ALL will love watching the marble tackle jumps and obstacles as it travels to the bottom. I don't know why watching a ball travel down a tower is exhilarating, but WHAT A RUSH.
Promising review: "Super fun for my 7-year-old boy and I to build! We have played for hours and sometimes leave it up for a few days. We have a few sets so we can make it really big! Great for kids to learn how to build and problem solve! It’s fun and educational without your child realizing they are learning. 😊" —D. Heim
Get it from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in four sets).
9. A sight word Bingo game for covertly encouraging those early-reading skills. Almost all kids love a good game of Bingo, and if we just happen to slip in some sight words? Well, isn't that just an interesting coincidence? 😎
The set comes with 36 playing cards, 264 playing chips, caller's mat and cards, and a storage box. This version is just like classic bingo, but uses 46 sight words instead of numbers.
Promising review: "Fun and educational. What parent doesn't want their child to have fun while learning? It is like they aren't even learning!! My son really enjoys this game. We have two different sets and each one has been very helpful for him during his school year. He went from a 2 on his report card for high frequency words to a 4 (the highest mark) in one quarter and stayed at a 4 from there on out. I think this was a huge help to him with the fact that he actually had fun doing it. Poor kids, they are in school six hours a day and then have to come home and do homework, so it was refreshing having something he liked to do to help him learn rather than a constant battle and fight to do it. I highly recommend this product." —Abbie K
Get it from Amazon for $10.39.
10. A wooden puzzle that's like a tech-free Tetris or a blank slate for creative tile pictures. However they use it, they're going to love the challenge and the different ways to play. With over 13,000 5-star reviews, this puzzle is an easy win.
11. A busy board that'll keep them entertained for a long stretch while also teaching those tricky skills like buttoning, buckling, zipping, and lacing. Busy boards travel easily, are quiet, and grow with your child's confidence.
12. A set of flash cards because they're a perfect stocking stuffer for littles. Flash cards don't have to be about drilling concepts into an unwilling mind — sometimes learning is as simple and fun as seeing a picture and turning it over to see what letter is on the back. Reviewers say it "makes learning fun," but is also a great quiet play game.
Promising reviews: "My 2-year-old mastered her numbers, alphabet, colors, shapes, and identifies all animals and objects on the cards. When I first received the cards I thought they may be a little too advanced for her age (18-month-old at the time), but I was dead wrong! After about a month and a half of using the flash cards she mastered them! We usually 'play' with the flash cards for only about 10 minutes before her bedtime. This is a great tool in the early developmental stages for any toddler. I’m excited to get her the next card set. Material = durable, same as a normal deck of cards. Size = a little bigger than your typical deck of cards. Fits nicely in pocket or purse, great for keeping toddlers busy while traveling. Overall = A+." —M. Abdallah
"Great fun and educational. My son absolutely loves these. We use them every single day." —Rachel Ryan
Get a pack of 58 cards from Amazon for $11.99 (available in two versions).
13. A Melissa & Doug magnetic calendar to offer a fun, interactive way to learn days, seasons, weather, and emotions. This is something that kids and caregivers can do together and many families find it a nice, centering activity for the day. Plus a little intentional time together every morning or evening never hurt.
14. A Learning Resources Botley The Coding Robot that'll teach them coding without even needing a screen! They're going to love controlling their own robot, and you're going to love a toy that is sneakily working their brain. Plus reviewers say it's easy to use and provides hours of entertainment.
15. A toy cash register because every kid loves to pretend they work a cash register. Literally. When I was a kid, tapping those register keys was my dream job. Sure, it teaches them about money, counting, blah blah blah — all they'll care about is the supreme feeling of control for charging you ten thousand dollars for a plate of plastic waffles.
Promising reviews: "This is another great toy by learning resources. I bought this for my daughter when she was 2. Now 3, she still plays with it daily. She loves punching the numbers in, but her favorite part is the open button that ejects the spring-loaded drawer. I put the coins away until she is older because I fear she will choke on them. She loves the paper money and pretend credit card. I can see her and my son playing with this toy for at least 10 more years. It is very durable. She has dropped it many times and it hasn't skipped a beat. The plastic is high quality. I would definitely buy this product again." —Ecinoderm4u
"Great educational toy for kindergarten age child. Helps teach money and counting. Makes learning fun. Highly recommend." —Patti
Get it from Amazon for $28.82.
16. A retro "Speak & Spell" electronic game that slayed then and slays now. Since it speaks back what's entered, it actually gives them a reason to want to spell. I'm all about a little extra motivation.
It include three AA batteries, which takes off some pressure in this battery-heavy season.
Promising review: "Fun and educational toy! Bought this for our son and it’s amazing. Our son played for hours and was learning and getting better at his spelling. This item brought back so many childhood memories and we are also big E.T. fans, which was a plus. Love that it includes stickers and comes with batteries already. 😁" —Customer Review
Get it from Amazon for $20.99.
17. A National Geographic Volcano Kit for any future scientist on your list. Volcanos are great for learning cause and effect, chemical reactions, geology, and geography, but creating a bubbling lava disaster makes all that learning worth it.
The volcano kit includes plaster, a volcano mold, paints and paintbrush, eruption powder for three eruptions, pop crystals for exciting sounds, two volcanic rock specimens (geode and pumice) and a learning guide with easy-to-follow instructions.
Promising review: "Excellent way to entertain an impatient 5-year-old. The whole thing took us three days to do, but my son was always excited and not impatient as usual. Very educational and fun activity, particularly for bad weather days when you have to stay indoors. It's not super messy, just place some towels and a cookie tray underneath and you should be all set." —Flowers
Get it from Amazon for $13.49.
18. A set of incredibly realistic dinosaur figures with an accompanying sound book because dinosaurs are ~rawr-some~ at any age (I'm looking at you, fellow Jurassic Park stans). They're going to love matching the figure to the sound while you count down the days until they're old enough to appreciate all of Dr. Ian Malcolm's flawless one-liners.
This toy set includes 12 dinosaur animal figures and an interactive sound book.
Promising review: "This is by far the best and most educational and fun interactive toy I have purchased for my grandson. He is obsessed... each page we play a game, he picks the correct dinosaur according to the pages, then we read the facts and learn how to pronounce each dino's name."—Michelle H
Get it from Amazon for $22.99 (also available in a version without sound).
19. An interactive, story-based math game that connects to a tablet to help them make a little more use of their screen time. Doubling screen time with an interactive game truly feels like the ultimate parenting hack. Reviewers are calling it a "fun way to learn math," and the adaptive gameplay makes it perfect for kids from preschoolers through elementary school.
This game includes: one foldable gamepad, one count spike, four arithmetic pieces, and two sets of digits from 0–9.
Promising review: "This product is a wonderful addition to your current tablet! It can be hard finding educational games, but this is perfect. It's engaging and a fun way to learn math! My 5-year-old loves this Plugo Count and my 3-year-old also gets some use out of it! I will absolutely look into getting more Plugo extensions! We used this with their Kindle Fires." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $33.99.
20. A reviewer-loved 100 Words Book to help them develop their vocabulary in an actually fun way. What toddler doesn't love the cause and effect of pushing buttons and hearing sounds come out?
Promising reviews: "Very educational and fun. My grandson who just turned two, couldn’t get enough. He loves books and this really kept him entertained." —Sandra Fondren
Get it from Amazon for $12.97.
21. A flower-building activity set that'll allow them to create their own little garden. With tons of possible combinations, this is a toy that's just ~budding~ with possibilities. Reviewers also love that big kids and little kids often build together!
Promising review: "I gave this flower building toy as a gift for my 3-year-old granddaughter. She loved it and began playing with it immediately. Besides being fun, there are many educational benefits as well — learning colors, learning names and parts of a flower, etc. There are so many endless combinations! I highly recommend this toy." —Book magnet
Get it from Amazon for $15.98+ (available in four sizes and with or without a storage box).
22. A cardboard construction kit so they can finally make something spectacular out of those old Amazon boxes. With big-kid safe tools and a little imagination, who knows what cardboard masterpieces they'll come up with?
23. A Magna-Tiles set brigning infinite ways for them to play. Not only can they build epic towers and castles, but they can also stick 'em anywhere magnetic for even more play. Refrigerator space? Magnetic tiles. A metal garage door? Magnetic tiles. There's a reason that tiles are literally everywhere: they're that good.
The set comes with 32 translucent magnetic pieces to build 3D creations. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Promising review: "I bought these for my 4-year-old niece for Christmas. She loves them and has played with them nonstop. They provide entertainment for all age groups and are a great interactive product. They are very durable and the pieces are large enough not to swallow in case there are younger ones running around. They are educational, fun, and worth every penny!" —Stephanie
Get it from Amazon for $49.99.
24. An Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit with four games that'll stretch their creativity, problem-solving, and letter recognition muscles. Each game is engaging, fun, and helps make the most of tablet time.
Promising review: "We got this for our niece for Chanukah, and it was a hit! It was both fun and educational, it keeps her busy and she was so excited while we were setting it up! I really liked the fact that it would keep her entertained, but in a good way, and that she actually liked it as a gift. It's a really hard needle to thread, but I think that this company nailed it! She was so happy to spell her name out for us and everything." —Kim
Get it from Amazon for $47.99+ (available for iPads and Fire Tablets and with four or six games).
25. A TikTok famous Kanoodle brain teaser puzzle that allows them to solve 200 puzzles in one small package. This is a great boredom buster for waiting rooms, a fun challenge for puzzle-lovers, and an activity that'll get those strategy skills flowing without beeps, buzzes, or crashes.
26. A snap circuits set because it's an all-inclusive introduction to electrical engineering. With 32 electrical components with ZERO soldering required, they get to learn how circuits work in a very low-stakes, high-reward environment. Some fun learning opportunities coming up in a ~snap.~
27. A 3D printing pen that'll *magically* bring their doodles, drawings, and creations to life. For the less free-handedly gifted people, there's also a stencil guide to help get those creative juices flowing.
Promising review: "This pen is SUPER COOL!!! My tweens are loving it! I actually am having fun with it too! I think it is like a magical crayon!!! It is easy to use and you can create endless creations. You don't have to be an 'artist' to use. You just have to have a great imagination! Has kept my daughters entertained for hours. So happy with the purchases. Bought one for each of my daughters. Would recommend to anyone." —Whoopie Pie
"Very creative! Easy to use! Very educational and fun!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $79.99.
You, leaving the room for alone time in the name of "education."
