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Between holidays, birthdays, and the endless cycle of classmatesโ parties, it can feel like a good chunk of your parenting time involves hunting down appropriate presents. If youโre searching for the best gifts for kids in 2024, take a look through our list of parent-approved ideasโwe've got gadgets, toys, clothes, games, and so much more.
โWhat did you do during recess today?โ โPlayed Magna-Tiles!โ Thatโs how pretty much every conversation with my six-year-old starts when I pick her up from school, and years after being introduced to these simple, colorful, magnetic tiles, her enthusiasm for them shows no signs of dimming. Build doll houses, superhero HQs, zoos, trucks, spaceships, and anything else you can imagineโthen take it apart in seconds and do it all over again.
Half science experiment, half action-figure and playset, this is the dino-obsessed kidโs answer to the Magic Mixies craze. Mix up all the provided ingredients in the chamber, watch the light show and, when the smoke clears (yes, literally), youโll see a fearsome, toothy warrior (Mayhem Megashark or Havoc Hammerhead) emerge to do battle. Best of all, you can do the experiment as many times as you like.
โOh wow! Youโve drawn all over your pillow! AndโฆI love it!โ Yes, you too can live in the bizarro world where you encourage your child to doodle all over their bed with the Doodle World Map Pillowcase. Use the ten washable fabric markers to color, annotate, and scribble on the charming and educational world map, then pop it in the wash and let them start again with a clean slate (or rather, pillowcase).
If you, too, yearn to be woken up most days by your kids yelling, โAlexa! Play the fart song!โ followed by shrieking fits of giggles, then get yourself the Echo Dot Kids. As well as giving them voice access to a truly staggering number of poop-related songs on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and others, they can use it to check the weather, set alarms, read them stories, tell them jokes, and answer whatever questions happen to pop into their heads.
Forget the remote control, the Air Hogs Gravitor flies based on your hand movements, meaning one less thing to lose (and one less thing to buy batteries for). This lightweight but sturdy drone is capable of more than 12 different tricks and stunts, is safe for indoor use, and is USB rechargeable.
Sick of toy cars all over the floor? How about having them on your walls and ceiling, instead? The Air Hogs Gravity Sprint is a remote control car that can drive along any smooth surface, including walls and ceilings, making it just about the most versatile indoor RC car out (or rather, in) there.
The absolute gold standard for kidsโ shows that parents genuinely enjoy watching, Bluey has become a cultural phenomenon, and deservedly so. This huge new playset lets your kids reenact the wonderful IKEA-skewering episode with Bluey and Bingo figures, Banditโs pizza oven, a working elevator, more than 45 sounds, and even a gnome (though weโre not sure if it is Gerald or Hecuba).
Because no child is truly having fun unless thereโs an imminent threat of a broken limb, skates are a no-brainer once they reach a more adventurous age. With multiple color and pattern options, light up wheels, and the ability to adjust between four different shoe sizes, these inline skates will keep them entertained for a good long timeโyou just have to be able to keep up with them.
Donโt feel like dragging them round the clothes store? Stitch Fix lets you get kidsโ clothes delivered straight to your door. (Itโs also a great option for helping your teen find their style.) Simply fill out a questionnaire (including your childโs sizes, your preferred price range, and what kind of style your kid is interested in) and youโll be sent a box with ten items of clothing from a range of brands, including North Face, Vans, and Hurley. A prepaid return envelope is included, so you can easily send back anything they donโt like. If you keep it all, you get 25% off your order!
Although itโs packaged in a kid-friendly (or, more accurately, kid-proof) case, this is no toyโitโs a full-feature tablet, with a 13-hour battery life, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and up to one TB of expandable storage. Let them stream their favorite shows, listen to music, read books, play games, and everything else to keep them occupied on long car rides that doesnโt involve kicking the back of your seat and yelling that they have to pee.
Another gift targeting the โmake your own toyโ crowd, this adorable oven bakes up a new, sweet-scented plush puppy, kitten or bunnyโit even comes out warm to the touch. First, your child mixes up the โdough,โ then decorates, and pops it in the oven. 90 seconds later, youโll hear a ding, followed by a series of delighted squeals as they meet either Cinnamon Pooch, Fondant Feline, or Strawberry Swirl.
Most kids love taking photos, so let them go nuts with their very own camera. Available in seven different colors, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Instant Camera prints out their pictures in moments. It also comes with a simple selfie mode, which your kid can activate just by gently pulling on the front edge of the lens.
If anyoneโs mastered the art of keeping kids and adults alike entertained for hours on end, itโs Nintendo. Their Switch console continues the tradition, letting you play family favorites like Zelda and Pokemon either on your TV, or on the go, with the Switchโs ingenious home-console-to-portable transformation. This bundle comes with a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which will provide hours of madcap, occasionally infuriating (โANOTHER BLUE SHELL? REALLY?โ) fun.
Pink goes with everything (apparently?), but in this case itโll go with a great big grin when your child sees this enormous, three-story Dreamhouse with a slide, working elevator, puppy play area, and more than 75 different accessories. The living room converts into a sleepover spot, and the kitchen and bathroom both have integrated lights and sounds. But will Ken be invited in, or not?
If your kid canโt decide what they want on their t-shirt, let them draw it themselves with this fun and innovative shirt. Thanks to a large, luminescent ink panel on the front, any concentrated light source (including your phoneโs flashlight) will essentially work as a pen, letting their doodles and slogans shine. Each shirt comes with its own mini light wand, and since the drawings fade after five minutes or so, they can decorate themselves as much as they like.
For really getting your moneyโs worth out of a Lego set, try this space roller coaster, which basically gives them a theme park and an astronaut set in one. Including five mini-figures and an illuminating light brick, you have the option of three different working rides (with a little finger-powered push): A rocket roller coaster, a UFO carousel, and a space shuttle drop tower.
Somewhere between Pokemon Go and a tamagotchi, this ingenious toy lets your kid collect virtual fairies, simply by going to new locations (even just within your own home), opening the jar, and seeing who flickers onto the screen. Once theyโre in there, you can feed them, play with them, and give them a virtual hug or kiss. Each jar has 30 potential fairies, with more than 100 to collect in all, and you donโt even need to buy multiple jars, since your kid can swap fairies with friends, too.
After a recent trip to a very hands-on science museum, my kids are fascinated by 3D printers, and frankly obsessed with hot glue guns, so this kit neatly splits the difference. The pen is designed to be completely safe, with no hot parts, letting your kids turn their doodles into actual miniature toys and sculptures. Itโs also wireless, so after 30 minutes of charging, you can use it just about anywhere.
The Magic Mixies craze is still going strong, and now, weโre getting Magic Mixies genies, because why not? Once youโve performed the ritual to awaken the genie, it rises from its lamp, listens to your wish, repeats it, then tells you whether or not it will be granted. As with other Magic Mixies toys, you can repeat the reveal spell again and again, so if that was your wish, well, it looks like that oneโs been granted.
Suitable for kids eight and over (up to 120 pounds), this e-scooter can travel up to 10 mph, and is available in either neon green or hot pink. It features a thumb-activated throttle, a rear-fender brake, and a 12-volt rechargeable battery that gives you up to 40 minutes of ride time. Its solid steel frame ensures itโs a sturdy ride, but since your kid can't boast the same, youโll need to get them a helmet.
Encourage their love of science, building, and creativity with this robotics kit, suitable for kids eight to 14 years old. Available in four different colors, you can build 12 different types of robot (including a beetle, a surfer, and a zombie), which will crawl, float or roll around using solar power, so you donโt even need to buy batteries. The set of 190 pieces includes pistons, gears, tires, and more, so they can really get to grips with learning what goes into building a bot.
About 25 years ago, the Furby was the hottest toy of the holiday season. Fast forward to 2024โฆand the Furby is poised to be one of the hottest toys of this holiday season. The voice-activated furry friend now comes in shades of coral or purple, has over 600 responses, and can dance at its own personal light show (its ears glow with different effects).
If you enjoy murder mysteries, but wish they were slightly less murder-y, give the Squishmallows edition of Clue a try. Thereโs no walloping butlers on the head with a lead pipe in the libraryโinstead, a collection of cute Squishmallows explore the mansion in search of a stolen bowl of mac and cheese, neatly tying at least two of my six-year-oldโs favorite things in the world together (Iโm talking about Squishmallows and mac and cheese, not murder, just to be clear here).
Get your robo-racing shoes on and prepare for a chaotically competitive racing game. Try to beat each other through a factory full of obstacles as you zoom towards the finish lineโthe game features four double-sided game boards, six robo-miniatures, and more than 80 different race course possibilities, as well as 13 pre-made race courses to get you started.
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