The 50 Best Toys for Kids to Cure Them of Their Perpetual Boredom

No matter how old you are, being a DJ is the coolest. With the Mix and Learn table, kids get to play some sick beats all while learning their colors, numbers, and even their ABCs. Our 11-month-old tester thinks it's aces, and also, apparently, delicious.

Yes, it's a dinosaur, but it's also a police car, a fire truck, and a helicopter. It transforms into all three. It's not a tricky transformation, either. Once your child figures it out, they're good. It's four toys in one.

I got a chance to play with this one early, and it's going to be one of the hottest toys of the year. Not only is it a fun Hatchimal, it's a whole interactive toy that does just so much. Our favorite? When you put your dragon or unicorn back in their nest and they rock and coo themselves to sleep before snoring and shutting down.

Your kids can make their own Play Doh pizza, load it up into their scooter, "deliver" it to you, charge you, and head back on their merry way with this new set from Play Doh. It has everything you need to do all of that and more, and even includes the doh!

Got a little future daredevil on your hand? Why not get them one of these very slow (1 mph) bumper cars? It's battery-charged and controlled via dual joysticks under each hand.

Just make sure that your child is at least 18 months old, and always strapped in and buckled before setting them loose to annoy the cat and each other. They will have tons of fun, though.

We can all agree the classic Sit 'n Spin is one of the best toys for kids, generation after generation. There's something wildly satisfying to children about this toy, despite its simplicity. The middle of the toy is fixed, with a round, spinning base for children to sit on while propelling themselves with the fixed wheel. Kids adore all the dizzying fun of it, especially trying to stand and walk afterward.

Watching the kids go wild for this retro-style toy was truly wonderful. They love the little Weebles and their silly, unsteady bodies, how they slide down the slide, hang on the swing, and more.

Part hidden figures, part Where's Waldo, part Clue? This game is made for elementary-age kids but is seriously fun for the whole family. Honestly, I brought it to a brewery after the kids played it, and a bunch of tipsy women (like myself) loved it.

Take cornhole and mix it with ring toss, and you'll get close to the fun of this game, but it won't quite make it because this is so much better. Plus, the bean bags look like magma!

This was our 2024 Toy of the Year— But I get if, you're scared of AI, I am too. (I am a journalist, after all.) But this doll is a completely closed unit. There is no access to the outside world in this bear.

Poe is a bear that tells stories that your child and AI create together by choosing the plot and character of the stories.

Getting your child their first train set is a big deal. When you consider how much space these things can take up in your home, it may suddenly feel like an even bigger deal. This wooden train set from Hape comes with its own storage box that is also a part of the gift itself. Everything goes together and then everything fits right inside. It has a three-piece train, the track, stoplights, people, trees, cars, and more.

From the same company that gave us the Magical Mixies sets, this is a bit more wild. Your child will be adding the "toxic" ingredients into the beast lab to reveal their own beast. That beast will go into beast mode, only soothed when he gets what he wants.

Who wouldn't want to build a robot that dispenses aliens that could then also dispense candy, or in the case of my testers, secret missives written on tiny pieces of paper and folded up. Personally, I'm thinking of having it dispense my antidepressants.

Have you ever watched a group of 4-year old boys lose their minds? I have, and it was because of this toy. In Spidey's Web Spinner Web Quarters, you place Spidey in the spinning web room right below the light up top, hit the button, and he spins. Then you empty him right into his car.

Have a little future veterinarian on your hands? This Playmobil set is just the thing for them. Made of more than 80% sustainable materials, this 347 piece set includes everything from the clinic with actual stalls to a pulley system, heat lamps, and row boat. There's also an AR component where kids can learn all about the animals and the environment.

The tiniest soccer players will love kicking the ball to the goal that talks to them, cheers them on, and then rolls around, returning the ball in unexpected ways. The 2 to 5 year old set will want this for sure.

There's no game system more popular amongst younger kids than the Nintendo Switch. It's a handheld game console that can be played right in front of you or hooked up to the television and played like a traditional gaming system. There's a ton of different games available, but we love the games that encourage thinking and movement.

Your kids will find a mystery pack of three Squishmallows, which will, inevitably, send them into a fit of excitement that might cause you permanent hearing damage. In our opinion? Worth it.

You want your kids to ride something over and over again until they pass out? Here is the answer. This is an indoor/outdoor roller coaster that cannot be killed. You could leave this out in the worst weather, and it would still work.

Can you say "coolest toy at Christmas?" I can, and it's this 12V ride-on truck. It has various safety measures like seatbelts and only going a few miles per hour. But come on, your child is going to feel like Hell-on-wheels in this, and that's amazing. Better grab some cool bumper stickers.