Yahoo News 12 Actually Cool Gifts on Amazon the Kids in Your Life Will Love This Year
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Although there's so much more to the holidays than gift-giving, the joy that comes from children opening gifts from Santa is unmatched.
But for Santa's little helpers (a.k.a. all of us responsible for wrapping presents and putting them under the tree), the children's toys space is getting more and more crowded, so it can feel a little overwhelming to choose the best ones. That's why we went searching for the hottest, most popular toys out there to help make the process a little easier.
After combing through hundreds of reviews, studying the latest trends, and even testing some of these ourselves, we uncovered 12 of the best gifts available at Amazon that your kids will actually love to play with. Whether your kiddo is looking for a new STEM toy, an audio player, or paint sticks to try, shop the hot holiday toys PEOPLE editors, parents, and Amazon customers are loving this year. (Bonus: Some are even on sale!)
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Buy It! Ooly Chunkies Paint Sticks, $8.99; amazon.com
"My kids love the vibrant colors of these chunky paint sticks, and I love that they're easy to use and absolutely mess-free! My friend gave me a great idea: Buy newsprint paper and let your kids get creative with the paint sticks, then use it as wrapping paper for gift-giving all year long!" —Diana Moutsopoulos, parent
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Buy It! Yoto Mini Kids Audio & Music Player, $69.99; amazon.com
"I'm hoping to cut down on screen time in the new year for my 4- and 6-year-old. This audio player allows them to pick stories, music, podcasts, radio and more for their enjoyment." —Dwyer Frame, SVP, commerce
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Buy It! Crayola Light Up Tracing Ink Pad, $28.86; amazon.com
A best-seller in the Kids' Drawing games category on Amazon, the Crayola Light Up Tracing Ink Pad lets kids embrace their inner artist and creativity. The evenly lit surface makes tracing lines easy to see, and children can choose from over 100 designs with 10 tracing sheets (and 10 blank sheets if they want to create their own designs). The set also includes 12 short colored pencils, as well as one graphite pencil.
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Buy It! LeapFrog Chat and Count Emoji Phone, $9.11 (orig. $15.99); amazon.com
"This toy phone has been invaluable. We got it when my son was 18 months and, at one point, it was the only way he would let us do a diaper change. It was his favorite toy for at least 6 months. I also think it was interesting to see how his learning evolved with the toy. After using it for a while, he could really follow along and play the games on the screen." —Julia Warren, SVP, commerce operations
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Buy It! Flueston LCD Writing Tablet Doodle Board, $19.99 (orig. $35.99); amazon.com
"This is a must-have gift for any 2- to 8-year old household. Kids can scribble and write with this doodle board and then erase their creation. No paper or marker mess, plus it works on their fine motor skills and creativity." —Dwyer Frame
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Buy It! Educational Insights GeoSafari Talking Kids Microscope, $33.99 (orig. $54.99); amazon.com
STEM toys — a.k.a. science, technology, engineering, and math toys — are notoriously popular when it comes to holiday gifting, and the Educational Insights GeoSafari Talking Kids Microscope has thousands of five-star reviews on Amazon. The interactive toy features 60 colorful slides with built-in storage containers, allowing kids to magnify animals, plants, and household items. It also has 100 facts and quizzes, all of which are narrated by Bindi Irwin.
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Buy It! Melissa & Doug Blues Clues & You! Time for Glasses Play Set, $38.26 (orig. $42.99); amazon.com
"The Melissa & Doug Blues Clues & You! Time for Glasses Play Set is a hit with my 4-year-old son. It combines three things that many preschool-aged kids love: toy glasses, playing doctor, and Blue's Clues. The kit includes four pairs of colorful frames and pretend eye doctor accessories like an eye exam chart, drops, and other pretend optometry tools. My favorite part? That all of the pieces can be put away and stored in the cute wooden box it comes in." —Jessica Wozinsky Fleming, parent
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Buy It! Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond Water Table, $77 (orig. $89.99); amazon.com
"This water table got us through the summer months. Every day, my toddler would run to the backyard to play with this for hours. There is some upkeep to clean it occasionally, but it's worth it." —Julia Warren
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Buy It! PicassoTiles Magnet Building Tiles, 60 Piece Set, $33.24 with coupon (orig. $79.99); amazon.com
You know it's a good toy when the adults have as much fun playing with it, and the PicassoTiles Magnet Building Tiles are a gift that the whole family can enjoy. Each translucent plastic piece is magnetized around its edges, and you can arrange them into different three-dimensional shapes to create unique designs. Not only does the on-sale gift spark creativity, but it can help children learn about colors, numbers, and shapes.
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Buy It! Bluey 4-Pack Bingo, Chilli, and Bandit Figures, $13.39 (orig. $15.99); amazon.com
"Bluey is the best kids (and adult!) show ever. These figurines can be used for pretend play in many ways throughout your home." —Dwyer Frame
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Buy It! Purrble Calming Toy Companion, $59.99; amazon.com
Named one of Time's best inventions of 2021, the Purrble Calming Toy Companion helps kids (and adults) find calm. The plush animal toy features sensors that respond to touch and fidgeting with calming purrs, sighs, and giggles to encourage calmness. "Every time I'm getting overwhelmed and stressed I just give myself 5 minutes to hold and pet my Purrble and every time I am able to calm down and I feel significantly less distressed," one five-star reviewer said.
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Buy It! Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, $9.84; amazon.com
A game for the entire family, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is an addictive game bound to result in belly laughs. Race against your loved ones to slap a match between a card and a spoken word, and the last person to slap has to take the pile. The winner is whoever runs out of cards first. Shoppers are calling the game with over 35,000 five-star ratings on Amazon "amazingly fun for all ages."
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Buy It! Step2 Whisper Ride Cruiser Push Car, $84.99; amazon.com
"My son loves this car so much that it can be a problem. We have to hide it from him sometimes or else it's guaranteed that he'll want a ride. It's been a great way to walk around town without taking a stroller. We also use it in the house sometimes when it's cold outside." —Julia Warren
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