38 Toys That'll Make Great Birthday Gifts For Your Kid's Friends

Dec 02, 2023

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Puffy stickers, a whale fountain bath toy, custom crayons, and so much more.

BuzzFeed Staff

Promising review: "Loved this product! Super easy to use, especially with little fingers. Has tons of holidays and activities. My son is learning so much! He loves changing the date and weather every day. So kid friendly. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. So helpful with teaching my son in a fun and creative way. Definitely high quality, will last forever! Thanks again! A+++!!!" —Candace H.

Get it from Amazon for $20.99.

Promising review: "This toy is super cute. Once charged, it starts working immediately when you put it in the water. The light changes color and it spouts out water. It comes with various different parts that allow for different types of water sprinkles. And one even levitates the ball that’s included. Super cute and very exciting during first time use. Our 3-year-old loves it!" —JMiff

Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in three colors and in a rechargeable version).

Promising review: "My daughter's been really into cutting up her coloring books lately so when I saw this I knew she’d love it. The concepts of the different pages are very cute, some are slices of pizza, some are ice cream cones with scoops of ice cream, a windy snake, all very cute and she really has fun with this." —Emrogers

Get it from Amazon for $7.99.

Art2theextreme is a small business based in Indiana that sells customized rainbow crayons.

My coworker Tasia Bass bought these for herself and loves them,

"OMG, so I bought these for myself and I LOVE them. They are so cute and super reasonably priced. They come in this adorable box, in which the seller also stamps your name on it. The crayons are melted down and mixed randomly, so it does give this lovely rainbow effect when you do use them. Or you can be like me and keep them on your art desk as a form of decor. I think this is great for any artists or those who like unique gifts."

Get them from Art2theextreme on Etsy for $15.96+ (available in 1–13 letters).

You deal all the cards out to your two to four players, and everyone keeps their mini-deck face down. Everyone takes a turn putting a card down in the middle of the table, saying one of the words "taco," "cat," "goat," "cheese," and "pizza," in that order. If the picture on your card matches the word that's said, everyone slaps their hand on the card in a pile as quickly as possible. The last person on the pile has to take the stack and add 'em to their cards, and whoever runs out of cards first wins!

Promising review: "This game is so fun! My kids, 8 and 6, love to play and they caught on quickly. It always makes us laugh and we also get competitive. Its a great game to teach kids to be gracious winners and losers because its so fun and silly. Quickly became the one they ask to play the most often (and one I don't hate saying yes to)." —Sarah

Get it from Amazon for $9.84.

What Do You Meme? is a small business that sells card games/toys, plushies, and pool floats.

Promising review: "This game is HILARIOUS. My kids love playing with it and taking turns hiding it (8, 6, and 3 years). They all think poop is funny and run around yelling 'Silly Poopy, where are you?' It keeps them busy for at least half an hour at a time and they leave me alone. Also? It's pretty durable. I found it outside in my garden in the 20-degree winter weather. I guess my 8-year-old left it out there for a few days. It also gets thrown down the stairs and Silly Poopy just keeps on giggling and having fun." —Adele

Get it from Amazon for $12.99.

Promising review: "I waited over two months to write my review! My daughter is 4 and plays with these DAILY! YES they do attract dirt and hair HOWEVER they are so easy to rinse off, it's not a big deal! We took these to a family gathering and ended up giving two away because they were SO loved! The two we gave away went to a 12-year-old and my 19-year-old brother. They discovered throwing them at the ceiling fan and watching them shoot across the room which was pretty entertaining! None of these have busted or ripped and they are definitely NOT gentle with them! I will definitely be buying more!" —Kindle Customer

Get a pack of six from Amazon for $11.97.

Promising review: "I bought two of these as gifts. If you're child likes the outdoors or looking for bugs anything like that. Then these are a must buy. The children I gifted these to loved them and used them right away. They're a nice color, durable, and easy for little hands to hold." —melissa

Get them from Amazon for $11.99.

Promising review: "Gave to my grandson when I babysit him. Got a sticker book to put them in. He loves them. Liked them so much bought another set for my granddaughter as one of her birthday presents." —J. Reulet

Get them from Amazon for $7.99.

Promising review: "POV: It’s 2022 — Bluey has taken the world by storm. Moms and children alike swear by Bluey, abide by Bluey, worship Bluey. It’s your child’s birthday in two business days. You buy them these figurines. The child is satisfied- finally a physical component to their idol worship. All is well." —Orcheez

Get it from Amazon for $14.89.

I got my son this for the holidays and he loooooves it! He has a blast spinning the scoreboard numbers and clicking the buttons to make sounds. He's a big fan of the concession stand items (oddly enough, the credit card is his go-to). As he grows a bit I'm sure he'll be shooting hoops and playing with the soccer net as well.

Promising review: "My 1.5 year old LOVES this! He knows what buttons to push on it to get to certain songs. The score numbers play songs and sounds. The shape buttons play sounds. He learned to shoot hoops and kick a ball into a goal in less than a day with this game center. His older siblings love playing with the cafeteria portion. So far there isn’t much interest with the baseball bat but we have only had this a couple of days. Great purchase!" —Irene Estrada

Get it for Amazon for $41.99.

Promising review: "Super cute and easy to work for my 5-year-old. He loves that he can match mom now! It has games already installed, can take pictures, exercise, and lots more. Entertainment for HOURS!! And you can even change the watch face like an Apple Watch! So cool!" —Brittany

Get it from Amazon for $69.99 (available in five colors).

Promising review: "This is such a fun set and my kids play with it constantly. I love the pretend play and no screen time fun they have with it. Highly recommend it! The quality is great and it looks so cute and perfect in our play room." —Lindsey Iskierka

Get it from Amazon for $229.99.

I was enamored with this lil' droid in the show and am so excited to see it come to life as a toy for kids (and adults, TBH!). She's so cute and her head moves around, she has flashing lights and makes fun droid-like sounds.

Promising review: "My daughter loves it, she's about to be 5 and it's one of her favorite things. Looks great on a shelf with collectables, but also inexpensive and durable enough to let it be a full on toy for my daughter. I got it as a toy and it's really well made. The legs do not retract and they don't really come off but that's okay. Very nice thank you!" —Tyler

Get it from Amazon for $17.48.

Promising review: "Great for babies learning to sit. Keeps them engaged and looking upward. My baby is now standing and trying to walk and loves to pull herself up on this thing! The wheels have a resistance setting so it doesn't go too fast. Best on carpet when they're starting out. The front comes apart too, so even babies who don't like tummy time can have something to look at if you detach the front and put on the floor for them! Best toy that will last for stages of baby development!" —Meet The Jacksons

Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in four colors).

I've seen these dolls in person and they are gooooorgeous. Any kiddo would certainly be lucky to receive this set!

Promising review: "This set is amazing! You get all 13 Disney Princesses with soft hair, movie inspired accessories and fashion. The skirts on each doll have little details related to their story (excluding Moana and Raya) in a nice soft sparkly fabric, lovely sculpted bodices for each character and true to movie face sculpts. They are also made of a sturdier plastic in comparison to the previous holder of the brand. Girls and boys will love to play out their stories or come up with new ones on their own. While collector will want to display them in all their Princess glory. Highly recommended getting these for any special occasion or holiday if you have a Disney fan!" —Hekky Bloom

Get a set of 13 dolls from Amazon for $109.99.

Promising review: "I definitely recommend this magic set for beginners! Decent quality, age appropriate and reasonably priced. My son AND husband have really enjoyed this product." —M. Stevens

Get it from Amazon for $13.09.

Promising review: "This pen is SUPER COOL!!! My tweens are loving it! I actually am having fun with it too! I thought it is like a magical crayon!!! It is easy to use and you can create endless creations. You don't have to be an 'artist' to use. You just have to have a great imagination! Has kept my daughters entertained for hours. So happy with the purchases. Bought one for each of my daughters. Would recommend to anyone." —Whoopie Pie

Get it from Amazon for $55.99.

Promising review: "This toy is better than expected!! Absolutely adorable!! My 8-month-old absolutely adores it! It springs up and down while playing music. There is a button on there where you can record your child’s name and it’ll repeat it back while singing and dancing! Highly recommended!" —A

Get it from Amazon for $30.

The set also comes with instructions on how to make the BIGGEST bubbles possible! It's great for kids of all ages.

Promising review: "The wand is awesome, but even MORE awesome is that I just used regular bubble solution (way cheaper, found anywhere) and it worked just as well. Maybe better. Some people in reviews have said that you must use the packets that come with the wand, but I gave it a shot anyway with regular bubbles and it worked just fine, with no noticeable difference." —Lauri

Get it from Amazon for $15.95.

The set comes with 53 rods and 28 spheres. It's recommended for kids 4 and up.

Promising review: "Great gift for kids of all ages. My 8-year-old loved getting this for Christmas! She played with it all day while more expensive gifts sat under the tree...LOL. We built so many different structures and most of them she did on her own. Will probably buy a second one to expand her designs and creative thinking. I recommend highly!" —awalker

Get it from Amazon for $29.99.

The set includes fuzzy sticks, pom-poms, wood pieces, felt, craft sticks, sequins, wooden discs and beads, plastic beads, jewel stickers, googly eyes, thread, scissors, and glue for endless crafty combinations! Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Promising review: "My 5-year-old granddaughter absolutely loved this gift from her old grandpa. Thoroughly entertaining, this 'library' provides many hours/days of critical thinking skills and creativity. She loves it — it was an excellent decision." —Brent

Get it from Amazon for $32.99.

This updated version also include a bonus plane to try and hit as well! Battleship is recommended for kids ages 7 and up.

Promising review: "This such a great game. Kids and adults alike can be entertained for a long time. There's just something appealing about trying to avoid being discovered, while seeking your opponent's ships. This new version includes one more 'ship,' which is actually a plane. Great fun!" —KDD

Get it from Amazon for $16.99.

Promising review: "This is a great game that can be played by all ages and either alone, with someone else, or with a group. There are so many possibilities. This is definitely a great game for game night. This game builds on your critical thinking skills, as each move has to be well thought out or you can lose in a blink of an eye. So, it is challenging, fun, and competitive all at the same time. Basically, each player builds upon another player's move until the blocks come crashing down. The person who makes that last move loses." —QT

Get it from Amazon for $15.97.

Promising review: "I really liked that I was able to put this together within 30 minutes by myself. Everything was pre-drilled and the directions were extremely easy to follow. We have had some crazy storms recently that have taken the cottage flying through the wind and landing upside down and it hasn’t broken anywhere! It’s very light to where I can pick it up and toss it if I needed to and big enough for my kids and their friends to play in. Overall a great buy!" —melinda

Get it from Amazon for $119.41.

Hope Haven is a small business that creates travel-sized doll house kits and tons of accessories to go with it. Little ones can get new "scenes" to redecorate their little home whenever the mood strikes. I'm personally loving this "Bourdain Kitchen" set and the "Wasatch" camping set. Each set is so detailed!

Get it from Hope Haven for $118.

The set comes with 790 pieces, including 33 different colored bricks, and is recommended for ages 4 and up.

Promising review: "My 5-year-old grandson is really into Legos so I bought this for him for Christmas along with the Lego Ideas Book and he has spent soooo many hours sitting at his table creating new Lego things. The large classic brick box has a lot of pieces to it and can be used in many, many different ways." —J. Stroh

Get them from Amazon: the set for $34.99 and the book for $22.49.

I'm actually obsessed with these dolls. My son has Owen the Fox and he looks so darn cute in his room. You can tell how carefully crafted each doll is and how much thought went into developing them into a full fledged character. Each item is handmade of organic materials — amazing. Hazel Village is a small business based in Brooklyn, New York.

Get an animal plush from Hazel Village for $48+ (available in 21 styles) and check out the doll clothing options here.

Promising review: "It’s the cutest little bike. Comes with the tool needed to assemble. Super easy to assemble. Took my husband like 5 minutes. We got it for our grandbaby's first birthday. She can’t reach the ground yet nor is walking but we just push her around and are excited that she’ll grow into it. Her first bike." —Lisa

Get it from Amazon for $49.49 (available in 10 colors).

TweeMade is a small business based in Philadelphia that sells an array of fun-shaped sidewalk chalk. This kit comes with two of each color — perfect for sharing!

Get the 12-piece set from TweeMade on Etsy for $20.

The Kidizoom is a real digital camera that has photo and video capabilities, as well as a wealth of filters and games! It has 256 MB of built-in memory that is expandable with a MicroSD. Recommended for ages 3–9. Don't forget the batteries!

Promising review: "I got this camera for my 5-year-old as a birthday gift and he LOVES it. It's so much fun. You can take 'selfies' and it has fun stickers and filters (kind of similar to Snapchat). It also has games on it, so when he's not taking pictures, he is still getting used to the buttons by playing the games. It really helps kids get familiar with cameras and exploring creativity. I would highly recommend this for any kid! I'm planning on purchasing more for my other kids." —StoneySmurf

Get it from Amazon for $49.45+ (available in three colors).

The kit comes with materials to grow crystals in eight colors, four silicone growing chambers, and a light display for five crystals. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Promising review: "This kit takes a bit of effort but WOW the results are stunning! I bought this for my 6-year-old daughter for Christmas. We set up the first four crystals per the directions and let them sit for 10 days. We had fun looking each day to see how big they were. After they were done, I removed the crust from the edges of the cup, poured off the liquid, and eased the crystal out of the cup. They came out easily. To get the seed rock out, I used a razor blade, went around the edges and flaked off the crystal growth to expose the edges, then used the corner of the blade to pop the rock out. I was veeeery careful and all four crystals came out intact! It takes patience but totally worth it, the resulting night-light is a treasure she will probably keep for life." —Gapeach

Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available with six crystals or eight crystals).

The set comes with translucent magnetic pieces to build 3D creations all day. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Promising review: "I have a 4-year-old daughter who likes to build things and I want to encourage that. One review recommended Magna-Tiles, so I took a shot in the dark and got these. They were an instant hit! I never could imagine my kids would have liked a toy this simple. My daughter doesn't have the greatest fine motor skills so building toys that need tools would have been frustrating for her. With Magna-Tiles, you just hold pieces next to each other and they snap together! They have great balance, too. She's made pretty skinny 3D towers out of triangles and they get pretty high before they fall apart. Now I just have to get a bigger set to add on! :D Try these, you'll love them!" —Green

Get it from Amazon for $49.99 for a 32-piece set or $119.99 for a 100-piece set.

The kit comes with everything they'll need to make their own slime! It's recommended for kids ages 7 and up.

Promising review: "This is the best slime kit I’ve come across. I saw it last minute before my daughter’s birthday (11) and thought I’d get it as an add-on to her presents. It ended up being her favorite gift! Her brother (8) joined in and made slime with her and she still has enough to make more of all types." —Elizabeth & Rick

Get it from Amazon for $26.90+ (available in three versions).

The book is recommended for ages 5–8.

Promising review: "Our 4-year-old is always pestering us to 'let me see the pictures' of her books every night, making storytime drag on forever, so I thought this would be great to chill her out at bedtime. NOT! She laughs so hard she gets the hiccups and has tears rolling down her face by the time we're two thirds through the book! What a perfect idea!" —Straight Outta the Suburbs

Get it from Amazon for $9.90.

The tracing pad comes with the light-up board, 10 tracing sheets, 10 blank sheets, a graphite pencil, and 12 short colored pencils. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Don't forget the AA batteries!

Promising review: "I bought this as a gift for our 6-year-old. Our son immediately used the tracing pad as soon as he opened the box. As a mom who cannot draw, this item comes very handy because I don't have to trace on my computer, LOL. Now my son can do his own tracing. It came with drawings that he actually traced and choices of clothes and accessories to draw on the character. This tracing pad is absolutely not just for the kids but also for the kid at heart." —Samproad11

Get it from Amazon for $30.19+ (available in five colors).

Promising review: "We bought this for our boys who are 4.5. They loved the goggles and the magnifying glass that came with the kit. Breaking open the rock was a little more difficult than I thought. My boys definitely couldn't do it. You will also need to make sure you have a hammer and chisel to break them open. The rocks we got looked very different, which is great! One was black on the outside and one was a creamy white brown color and the insides were very different as well. The lighter-colored one was also much easier to open. The rocks are so much prettier in person and they really sparkle in the sun. It comes with a nice picture book as well. Great activity! Definitely recommend!" —Martin

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two styles).

It also has a built-in customizable clock and nightlight. It is recommended for kids ages 3–8. The starter pack comes with the audio player (obviously) and seven exciting cards. However, you can continue to buy other fun cards like this Pixar set filled with stories from their favorite characters.

Promising review: "I honestly can’t say when I’ve last been as impressed with a device as I am this one. My husband is an engineer and usually picky with his praise, but he can’t stop talking about how amazing our new Yoto is. Our almost 4-year-old is able to navigate through all of the different features with little help from us. She listens to either stories before bed, or the built in radio station. Then once she’s tired she flips it over and uses the night light. If she ever forgets we can just control things through the app without having to go into her room. I can see this aging really well as she grows, as many of the books are ones that I read well into my youth." —WS

Get it from Amazon for $119.99.

Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.