The 49 Best Gifts for Kids of Every Age, From 0 to 15

Published Nov 14, 2022

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Finding the perfect plaything for the kid in your life is no easy feat. You want to find something that’s durable, fun and—most importantly—suited to the interests of the kid in question. A STEM toy for the budding scientist, perhaps? Or how about a craft subscription for the creative in the family? Good news: We reached out to the experts—child therapists, nannies, teachers, toy shop owners, parenting coaches and actual parents—to get their recommendations for the absolute best gifts for kids of every age. The result is a list of killer presents that includes everything from stacking toys for tots and books for big kids to mini fridges for teens and games for the entire fam.

So basically, we did your Christmas shopping for you. (Feel free to thank us after you peruse the 49 items below.)

best toys for kids fidget spinner for babies

Bed Bath & Beyond

1. Baby Einstein Curiosity Clutch Sensory Toy & Rattle

This PureWow Happy Kid Awards winner is basically a fidget spinner for babies. Yep, this sensory toy is just as soothing for those under a year old, especially when it’s designed in high-contrast colors and doubles as a rattle.

Recommended for ages 3 months and up

BUY IT ($10)

Amazon

2. Melissa & Doug Wooden Surprise Gift Box Infant Toy

Babies are all about textures and sounds and this toy set featuring five separate items (a wooden box, plush toy bear, squeezable fuzzy ball with chime, multi-textured crinkle cloth and a happy-bear cloth book) provides plenty of opportunities for tots to smash, crunch, bash and chew. One mom we chatted with especially loved how portable this pick was: "I can bring it to the park or a restaurant and even if she throws one piece aside, there are still more toys for her to play with!" Don't forget to apply the coupon to snag an additional $4 off.

Recommended for ages 6 months and up

~~$28~~; $14 At Amazon

Amazon

3. Fisher-Price Servin’ Up Fun Jumperoo

Another PureWow Happy Kid Awards winner, we love this Jumperoo's food truck aesthetic. But what’s even cooler is that when your baby starts crawling, you can remove the cables and turn it into a play car they can climb in. Even the snack-themed grippy toys convert into play food for the truck, so you have a toy they can enjoy from 6 months old through toddlerhood.

Recommended for ages 6 months and up

~~$150~~; $120 at Amazon

Amazon

4. B. Toys Building Blocks

Abbi has been a nanny in New York City for over eight years and specializes in early childhood. One of her favorite playthings for infants are these colorful blocks that babies can chew, squeeze and practice stacking. “The reason I love them is because they don’t make a crashing sound when they fall down and scare the baby!” she explains. They’re also great for toddlers to practice learning their numbers and letters.

Recommended for ages 6 months and up

$14 at Amazon

Amazon

5. Mushie Stacking Cups Toy

“I am obsessed with these!” Abbi raves. These pretty stacking cups are great for developing hand-eye coordination, plus they can be used in the bathtub for water play. “They also work great in a sensory bin or in the sand,” she adds. And teething babes will love to gnaw on them.

Recommended for ages 6 months and up

$15 at Amazon

best toys for kids Musical Activity Walker

Target

6. B. Play Musical Activity Walker

Got a soon-to-be walker on our hands? These wheels transition from carpet to hardwood floors with ease. That alone is applause-worthy (as any parent who’s watched their baby tumble due to a stalled walker can attest). The peekaboo star panels, ball-popping game and buttons that play 30+ songs are all just a bonus.

Recommended for ages 10 months and up

Buy It ($33)

Amazon

7. JC Toys Baby Doll

What’s nanny Abbi’s number one favorite toy for kids? Dolls. “I am a huge believer that any child of any gender should have at least one baby doll,” she says. “It teaches empathy, compassion and allows kids to learn about their own anatomy.” This one is lightweight, fragrance-free, comes with a pacifier and blanket and is available in multiple skin tones.

Recommended for ages 18 months and up

~~$15~~; $11 AT AMAZON

best gifts for kids of every age learning resources spike the fine motor hedgehog

Amazon

8. Learning Resources Spike The Fine Motor Hedgehog

This cute little critter boasts easy-to-grasp quills that toddlers can remove and rearrange to their heart’s content—an activity guaranteed to give color recognition, sorting and fine motor skills a boost. File this one under ‘baby’s new best friend.’ (Psst...be sure to apply the coupon to score an additional $3 off.)

Recommended for ages 18 months and up

~~$16~~; $10 AT AMAZON

Amazon

9. LEGO Duplo Wild Animals of Asia

Elephants and tigers and pandas, oh my! This release from the Danish toy experts features all that and more (think: birds, a monkey and cherry blossom trees) so that your budding engineer can turn into a master builder in no time. But this isn't just any old toy brick set—this one comes with real animal sounds! "My 3-year-old loves this Duplo set, especially the brick with jungle sounds, and I love that the playmat it comes with keeps all the pieces in one place (almost)," one mom on Amazon raves.

Recommended for ages 2 to 5

$90 at Amazon

Piccalio

10. Piccalio Climber Pikler Triangle Set

Fact: Toddlers love to climb on everything they're not supposed to. This set made from birch plywood and pine is actually sanctioned for sliding and building forts, since it only reaches 30.5 inches tall and 27.5 inches wide. It also comes with a reversible rock wall/slide ramp to make it even more enjoyable. "My 2-year-old loves it!" one reviewer on Piccalio raves. "He uses it every day. The quality is great, and the wood is beautiful (very sturdy). We have also used it on playdates with a 4-year-old, and she also enjoyed it." Oh, because did we mention it's foldable to store and travel with ease?

Recommended for 6 months and up

Buy IT ($349)

Amazon

11. Elefun Flyers

Kids of all ages will love loading the “butterflies” (aka tiny discs) into the elephant’s trunk and then stomping on the tail to send them flying into the air. But how many butterflies can they catch with their nets? You'll have to buy it to find out.

Recommended for ages 3 to 15

$27 at Amazon

Amazon

12. Osmo Starter Kit

“This is a must have for primary aged kids,” raves says Princess Netherly, a primary school teacher in Wylie, Texas. “Osmo helps kids learn math, reading, and problem solving. You simply connect the Osmo base and reflector to an iPad or Fire tablet and select which free app you'd like to use while playing. Play and learning can be customized based on age level.”

Recommended for ages 3 to 5

~~$80~~; $63 AT AMAZON

Walmart

13. Cute Stone Color Changing Kitchen Sink

If you’ve got a toddler who loves to play in the sink, but you don’t want to invest in an entire kitchen unit, check out this fun toy that actually sprays water. The role play potential here is strong—the sink comes with cups, plates, utensils, a cleaning brush, dish rack and detergent. The plates even change color in warm water!

Recommended for ages 3 and up

Buy it ($35)

Play Follies

14. The Casa Azul Set

Inspired by Frida Kahlo’s iconic house, this new play set features big building shapes that kids connect to create giant structures inspired by Frida’s life and beyond. Think: an easel, a pyramid for her animals, her famous yellow kitchen and Casa Azul itself. Made from non toxic plastic material, this unique toy that doubles as an art piece is easy-to-clean and stores flat after kids are done playing.

Recommended for ages 4 and up

Buy It (~~$180~~; $165)

Amazon

15. Play-Doh Care & Carry Vet

When PureWow editors and a dozen families across the country were tasked with finding the best toys for kids, this toy came out as a top pick for the under-7 set. It held three kids’ interest for nearly an hour as they grew the pup’s hair, groomed it and gave it a check-up (complete with Play-Doh bandages, of course). Right now, you can knock an additional $3 off when you apply the coupon.

Recommended for ages 4 and up

~~$17~~; $7 AT AMAZON

best toys for kids wild mix up magnetic build it

Mudpuppy

16. Wild Mix-Up Magnetic Build It

If the idea of taking a road trip or hopping on a plane with your brood fills you with dread, fear not. You just need some travel games in hand, like this clever set from MudPuppy that includes two illustrated scenes and three sheets of mix-and-match magnets for creating their own wild animals. And the best part? Clean-up and storage are a breeze.

Recommended for ages 4 and up

Buy it ($17)

Amazon

17. Black Fairy Tales Coloring Book

This pick from Claudia Walker, founder of The Black Toy Store, depicts scenes from classic tales (like Cinderella, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood) with black characters.

Recommended for ages 5 and up

$9 AT AMAZON

best gifts for kids of every age stomp rocket stomp racers

Amazon

18. Stomp Rocket Stomp Racers

The only thing better than a good stomp-etition is one that involves sending race cars flying across the finish line, which is precisely why you can expect this toy to keep kids 5 and up entertained for hours on end, indoors and out.

Recommended for ages 5 to 12

~~$40~~; $25 at Amazon

Walmart

19. VTech KidiZoom Creator Cam

Got a budding content creator at home? You could try and fight the inevitable or you could embrace it with this nifty toy that lets kids create their own videos and add special effects like different backgrounds. But don't worry parents, this one is internet-free, so you have ultimate control over who sees the final product.

Recommended for ages 5 and up

Buy It ($40)

Amazon

20. Crazy Forts

Kids love building forts and this time-honored activity just so happens to be excellent for developing STEM skills, too. It comes with 69 child-safe toggles and rods that join together so kids can build whatever structure they can think of (a pirate ship! A castle!). Just throw on a couple of old bedsheets, and their imaginative play space is ready to go.

Recommended for ages 5 and up

~~$70~~; $50 AT AMAZON

Amazon

21. Kapla Blocks

Unleash your kid’s inner architect with these wooden blocks that can be engineered and played with in endless combinations. “While my older daughter loves to build homes for her dolls, my 4-year-old son has a blast pretending they're firewood and knocking down his sister's creations!” says Dr. Han Ren, a psychologist based in Austin, Texas. She’s a big fan of open-ended building toys without rules and endpoints and notes that these blocks in particular are great for nurturing creativity.

Recommended for ages 5 and up

$70 at Amazon

best gifts for kids of every age got2glow fairy finder

Walmart

22. Got2glow Fairy Finder

This whimsical fairy finder game syncs with an app that will get your kid running all over creation trying to catch up to 30 different fairies that magically appear on the screen as they hunt around. What's more, once the fairies have been caught, the toy turns into an interactive experience that allows kids to feed and nurture their pet fairies through the app. Pretty neat, huh?

Recommended for ages 5 and up

Buy it ($40)

Amazon

23. WowWee Nerf Super Soaker RoboBlaster

When the young people in your home start bouncing off the walls, it’s time for some outdoor fun—and these Super Soakers ensure kids are entertained for hours. This little tripod connects to your hose, shooting water up to 30 feet with a 60-degree range. One person can man the blaster, or they can play solo, using a ball or water gun to hit the targets on the tripod to defeat it. Not to mention, you can save $7 when you apply the coupon.