40 cool toys to keep kids busy at home

There are few things more enticing for youngsters than doodling on whatever they can find. So why not give them an outlet? Have your kids unleash their creativity on this mess free coloring mat that doubles as a large toy bag! This bag also provides a much more creative take on the normal cleanup process — you can have your kid color on the mat, and when they’re done, make a game of putting all their toys on it so that you can close the bag. It’s that easy! At last, fun and productivity can work together as one!

This toy drone gives kids all the fun of having a flying drone, without that big price tag. It’s affordable, great for beginners and comes chock full of tricks — colorful LED lights for night flights, a “roll over” function so that it can perform tricks and an easy “return to home” button. The drone also has a 30-meter flight limit, so you won’t need to worry about your kids flying it off into the sunset.

We’ve all been there – you reach for your phone, only to realize your rambunctious mini-me has grabbed it and taken 3000+ photos of the first things they saw. If you’re looking to nurture that creativity (while saving some space on your phone), why not try this starter digital camera for kids? This durable, shockproof children’s camera is perfect for tweens, teens and everyone in between. It takes up to 2000 photos, has a USB plug for easy importing and charging and can even take video.

Bring the beauty of the night sky right into the children’s room, where hundreds of stars can lull them into a deep, peaceful sleep. They can have loads of fun choosing between many variations of light combinations, changing the entire ambience with just a few button controls. Parents can also opt for the brighter multi-colored mode just before bedtime, and switch to the gentler, dimmer mode when it’s time for the kids to drift off to dreamland.

It’s always a great feeling to see what you can create with your own two hands. And you can inspire this sense of accomplishment in your child with building block sets such as this bee model! There are a total of 236 pieces to assemble, so this is most suited for older children who are pretty serious about their building hobby. This model also comes with a display stand, so your kid can proudly display the finished bee model in the bedroom like a trophy.

Experience a whole new version of your kid’s favorite DIY project with this super cool, glow-in-the-dark crystal fluffy slime! This is a great non-toxic slime for kids who are looking to up their slime game — it’s beautiful, fun to look at and even more fun to play with. The kids can also make decorative pieces for their room by adding fun beads or other trinkets and letting the slime harden.

Got a budding robotics whiz kid at home? Then this awesome smart robot will be his or her next favorite toy! Recommended for those above 8 years old, it comes as a self-build kit that’ll keep your little one busy for days! Once it’s assembled, the robot can then be programmed and controlled by its mobile app. Just how cool is that?

These delicately designed and true to life dollhouses are a great way to keep your child engaged and entertained. Each dollhouse comes with an assembly kit and instructions, so your child will get to put everything together on their own and add their own touches along the way. The final result should be a hyper-realistic dollhouse where they can play out stories and put on shows.

When you’re a little kid with a big imagination, the only thing better than getting some art materials, is getting them in every color of the rainbow. With matte black pages and a multi-colored base, this scratch art paper pad is perfect for making every masterpiece bright and playful. Even if they run out of scratch art ideas, they can get creative - make unique origami creations, send colorful notes to friends and more!

Kids, especially older ones, LOVE getting money as a gift. This puzzle box just makes getting a great gift even better (what’s better than getting a gift AND a feeling of completed-puzzle-satisfaction?). In order to get the money, they’ll need to play a unique ball maze game. It might take some time, but it in the end, victory - and cash - will be theirs!

Want to teach your kid about the responsibility of owning a pet without actually owning a pet? Oh boy, have we got something for you! Surprise your kid with this year’s next best thing - an electronic pet dog! With its impossibly cute design and multi-function remote control system, this adorable, interactive robot puppy will give your kids an opportunity to learn the basics of pet responsibility, all while supplying them with hours of fun.

This toy is going to be a fun challenge, making it a great activity for kids and adults to get together! Use it to encourage patience, focus and problem solving skills in your little ones, and watch as they work out the puzzle and become more confident with it each time! You can even use it as a playful addition to your coffee table, so that even once your family has conquered the block, guests can also take up the challenge!

Here’s some motivation for relaxation! These yoga cards for kids and adults really put the “fun” in “fundamental yoga”. If there’s a more fun way to get fit and stay limber, we haven’t heard of it. These cards are great for beginning yogis of all ages - so you can work it alone or, if you want to, get the whole fam involved! Spin the dial around, learn different and new poses and get fit while having a blast!

Everyone loves dinosaurs! Grab a piece of history, dig up some adventure and help your child discover something truly spectacular with this dinosaur dig kit. Your kid will be able to dig into a small container of non-toxic resin to find a detailed set of dino bones! These fake bones are durable, fun to look at and even more fun to play with! This toy for kids 8 and up has several different sets of dinosaur bones to choose from (t-rex bones, stegosaurus bones, you name it), so we suggest you get your spy gear on and sleuth out which one might be your child’s favorite.

If you’re looking to get out and get active, this gift will get the whole family involved. Play with as few as 2 people or as many as 6, get your blood pumping and watch as your kid goes from being a spike ball rookie to a spike ball pro. Pro tip: bring the spike ball to the beach for a little extra fun in the sun!

The best gifts are ones that are fun AND educational. By using a ‘Mind Link’ headband, your child will be able to make the spider robot move simply by concentrating on it. If they stop concentrating, the spider stops. It’s the perfect toy to help kids focus and stay on task - all while having a great time. It’s suited for primary-aged kids, but makes for fun for the whole family!

This is for the kid who loves slime, but is maybe looking for something a little more interesting to get their hands on. This magnetic silly putty does an excellent job of satiating children’s desire to play with goop, all while showing them the wonders of magnetic science. The putty comes with a very strong magnet that allows your child to move the putty around, almost like magic! If your kid is still looking for slime-based fun, no worries! This putty has tons of fun colors and decorations for your little one to use for their concoctions.

If a gift is teasing at your inner child, then you know kids will LOVE it. This pen takes art to the next level by going 3D. Your kid can watch their ideas come right off the page - literally! Each kit comes with all they’ll need: a 3D art pen, ABS filament, a copy board and even some easy 3D art patterns to get them started! This gift will enchant them, but it will also help develop their motor skills, spatial awareness and sense of creativity.

No matter whether your child is already a big journaler or is new to the whole idea, this daily journal will surely delight and amuse them. With its “draw outside the lines” approach, writers are asked to keep a daily record via a series of creative prompts and quirky suggestions, usually revolving around some kind of mild destruction of the book. “Write with your left hand” and “bring this book in the shower with you” are two such examples...there are truly few better ways to de-stress!

This toy will really rock your socks off. Almost like an instrument from the future, this toy electric guitar uses sensors and buttons to give your child an authentic musical experience! Put your fingers on the specific chord buttons, and strum in the air with your other hand to create awesome guitar chords. The sensor and buttons will do the rest! This toy would make a great holiday gift for a kid who is starting to show some interest in the musical arts…it truly brings a whole new meaning to the word “air guitar”!

Looking to add a little more risk and chance to your gaming experience? Have you always dreamed of watching your loved ones get a face full of food? Well, have we got a messy game for you! Grab some whipped cream (or another soft food), put it on the hand-contraption and put your face into the face-shaped hole. Spin the dial, get a number and turn the notch that many times. If you’re lucky (or...unlucky) enough, you or a loved one will get a face-full of whipped cream. All mess, all family fun!

There are few toys out there that will inspire a potential young engineer while also providing them with hours of entertainment...until now! This DIY robot for kids ages 3 and up will allow your child to build their own special drawing robot that, when completed, creates fun geometric shapes with customizable colors and sizes. It’s educational, entertaining and will give your child a well-earned sense of accomplishment!

Your kid is probably already a computer whiz, which makes this toy the perfect way to challenge their skills and teach them the basics of programming. Robot DIY kits like this one walk kids through the steps of assembling the robot and programming it to move. It’s made for complete beginners, though it’s best if your child is at least middle school-aged before they tackle one of these DIY craft kits.

Did someone say tie dye shirts?! This classic craft activity is fun, kid friendly and practical - nothing says a good gift like clothes they’ll actually wear! Each kit comes with all you need, complete with non-toxic dyes, rubber bands, gloves, instructions and even a table cloth. Perfect for parties or a fun weekend with the family, this kit will keep the kids entertained and smiling as they experiment with different tie dye patterns and methods to create the perfect tie dye gear.

It’s exciting, it’s educational, it’s fun! What better string of adjectives could there be? This fascinating scientific toy is geared to help kids aged 6 and up improve their problem-solving skills, follow directions and earn the reward of a job well done. Moreover, it’s a modern and safe electronic toy that allows your kid to feel like they’re creating futuristic machinery, all while they’re learning a thing or two about the wonders of science. What’s not to love?

Let your little one unleash their wild imagination with the multi-purpose gift of a color-in animal mask! These color-in masks are quite the bang for your buck – you get 2 packs of masks with 16 different creative animal designs, a set of markers (though you’re welcome to use your own, of course) and even string to tie your beautiful mask on! Your kid will get hours of fun coloring in their favorite animals, and even MORE fun pretending to be them!

DIY craft kits are the perfect way to keep your kid entertained. They’re not just fun; they make for great, hands-on learning experiences. Now, when you add robots to the mix, it’s the perfect gift! This kit comes with all the pieces they’ll need to make a robot that plays music AND lights up for added enjoyment. If they want to personalize their new robot music box, pull out the paints and let them add some final touches. After all, the best robot is one with a little pizzazz.

This interesting spin on your normal building block set has magnetic building pieces, several color varieties and over 8 kinds of shapes to allow your child to have a unique 3D building experience. This toy is for kids ages 3 and up, so younger kids can make simple creations while older kids can use these creative magnetic building tiles to create entire sculptures! If you want any inspiration, this item’s main page is filled with ideas to get your child revved up about building a 3D model!

Anyone can grab a toy helicopter or plane for their child, but perhaps you might be looking for something a little cooler. Well, we’ll ask you this: how cool would it be for them to instead light up the sky with this futuristic flying hover ball? This lightweight and durable remote-controlled LED heliball is the perfect gift for an older kid to wow their friends. Is it a UFO? A spaceship? Why not both? Your kid will have hours of fun using this motion sensitive flying toy to let their imagination run free.

Light up your kid’s life with this light up drawing pad. Use a light-up pen to make glow-in-the-dark designs for a no-stress, no-mess experience! The drawings look best in the dark and disappear after about 20 minutes, so this toy is best used as a fun evening activity. When your child is done, the flashlight marker has a secret invisible ink marker on the other side! Use it on any piece of paper, then use the flashlight side of the marker to uncover the message. Your kid will feel like a super spy!

Nothing more fun than physics, that’s what we always say! …No, really! This DIY physics toy ties science and fun together in the form of a high-speed, changeable race track. This toy has quite a few pieces, so it’s best for family time or for older kids. It comes with 2 metallic balls and enough pieces to build your own personal racetrack or roller coaster! Oh, and did we mention it GLOWS IN THE DARK?

Create more realistic clay figures with this DIY dinosaur modeling kit, which comes with a skeleton upon which to build the model. The skeleton frame ensures that the dinosaur figures maintain a realistic shape and posture, and we’re pretty sure that the creators will feel proud of the end result! This’ll be a great educational toy gift too, as it inspires curiosity and conversations about biology and history.

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that travel games for kids means a blissful start for parents. Be it a road trip to grandma’s or a flight to your dream vacay spot, this game set is sure to keep your kiddos entertained. This portable set of board games for kids comes with 5 classic faves and miniature, magnetic game pieces. Pass the hours with fun, laughter and some good-natured competition!

Half toy drone, half frisbee, all fun! Wow your little ones and light up their eyes with a flying disk toy that you can’t find in any old toy store. Its built-in sensors and flexible mesh exterior will keep this gift flying high and prevent potential crash damage. It’s simply designed and easy for kids of all ages to use; simply toss in the air to “activate” and use your hands to control where it moves! Kids can play with it on their own, or make a game of it with their friends.

With 50 colors to choose from, this clay set is perfect for little artists in the making. The clay is non-toxic and non-stick, but the best thing about it is that it can be baked and hardened to keep around forever. Kids can make easy clay sculptures or other clay art projects - decorative jewelry, animal sculptures, you name it!

Looking for easy crafts for kids? With its easy-to-follow design and no fuss concept, this kit is one of the best DIY projects out there. Kids will get to “glue” beads together to create cute designs, keychain attachments and more! There’s no gluing or ironing needed, and the beads come coated in a bitter substance to help prevent any curious youngster from putting them in their mouth.

This one’s a real brain teaser. This 3D plastic puzzle cube has so many uses, it’s making our head spin! It’s made for ages 6 and up, but anything this interesting and unique is bound to stump even the most clever of older kid. Twist and turn your way into new and creative shapes! When you’re done, shape and shift it back to its original cube shape, turn it into something new or just play around with it! The skies the limit with this great take on a classic toy!

This game goes wayyyyyy back. We’re talking about the CLASSICS of the classics. But hey, that just makes this toy that much more interesting and fun for your kids! This pick-up sticks game is portable, easy to learn and kids of a wide range of ages can play it. If your kids don’t already have a set, it’s the perfect addition to their toybox. It’s actually one of the simplest kids’ game out there, making it ideal as a last-minute gift idea or stocking stuffer.

If your kid is looking for a more challenging build, this dream castle set will totally blow them away. With over 4,000 pieces and a pretty unbelievable royal model to look forward to, this project will keep them engaged AND focused! Castle toys and games have always been popular, but this magical set comes with the added feelings of self-accomplishment and pride.

Picture this: it's game night, the family is all together and everyone is laughing and learning…seems like the dream, right? Well, this Scrabble game will make that dream a reality! This classic party game for kids and adults will have everyone focused and entertained for hours while you work to spell out new and interesting words in order to get the highest points. It’s exciting, it’s educational and it will give your kids (and you) a great chance to polish your vocab skills!