51 Toys That’ll Actually Make Kids Put Down The iPad

This drum set comes with one bass drum, two mounted tom drums, one mounted snare drum, one hi-hat, one floor tom and one cymbal.

Promising review: "My dad's a drummer and thought this set would be a perfect starter set for my son. He’s 10, but this should last him a little while. I love that the heights are adjustable and it comes with all of the accessories you would need to begin. You literally don’t need to buy a single thing besides this set to begin. I highly recommend!" — NYer523

Reviewers say this is a great toy for ages 3–12.

Promising reviews: "I got this for my 5-year-old for Christmas and she really enjoys trying to figure it out. Colors are vibrant, wood isn't too thick or too thin, and it's a nice size as well. She was thrilled when she finally figured out a combination to complete the puzzle. Great gift for a kid especially given all the screen time kids have now. Gets their brains working!" —lr

"I was looking for stuff that will keep my kids entertained without electronics and this is one of the things I got them. From my 5-year-old to my 10-year-old, they’ve all sat down and played around with it. It’ll be a great road trip game as well. Small. Compact. Has a bag to carry the game." —MGS

Promising reviews: "This item was exactly what I needed for some of the younger children because handling the rubber bands helps develop their fine motor muscles. It also encourages imagination and creativity and counting. They make designs and love it. For older ages there are cards with designs for them to try and duplicate. Young children can also make shapes and letters thus developing math and literacy skills. This is a sturdy, well-made geoboard." —Kathleen Loden Barbuti

"Bought the geoboard for my 4-year-old grandson who enjoyed making his own pictures and designs. As a retired math teacher, I can tell you that geoboards are great hands on learning tools for children of any age. My seventh-grade students loved when our lessons involved 'playing' with geoboards!" — anne porter

The set comes with 36 playing cards, 264 playing chips, caller's mat and cards, and a storage box. This version is a fun twist on the classic, but instead of calling out numbers, the leader calls out words (there are 46 most-used words), players search their cards for a match and place a red chip on the match. Once a player has covered the spaces on their card needed to win, they call BINGO!

Promising review: "Getting my daughter to do sight words has been a nightmare lately, she pretends she has no idea what anything is and refuses to sit down and try. But, with this game, she wants to play for hours!!! I give her two cards and we all play together as a family, she thinks it is the best game and it really is helping her learn her sight words!! Finally something that gets her excited about learning!!" — Rebecca

This science kit includes 10 natural crystal-filled geodes, one pair of safety goggles, three display stands and one learning guide.

Promising review: "My daughter is 10 and this kept her busy for HOURS! She had so much fun and was excited every time she got a glimpse of what might be inside. A couple of them were pretty cool, while the rest were just white. She didn't care, she loves them all. She was so proud to gift them to her grandparents." — Michelle

To win, players must get three circular pieces of their color in a row in either ascending or descending order; get the same-sized pieces in a row; or get three concentric pieces in the same space, but beware of other players attempting to block you! It's recommended for two to four players ages 8+.

Promising review: "Perfect game for all ages. My 8-year-old daughter, 12-year-old son, and 70-year-old mother enjoyed playing together for hours." — A. Rosen

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

Promising review: "My almost-5-year-old grandson requested this for his 5th birthday. He was so excited to receive it and couldn't wait to put it together. He spent two hours in his room (which is most unusual for this active child) putting the pieces together. He loves playing with the marble run and it has entertained him for days. What perfect gift." — Patricia S. Wolbe

The game comes with 60 challenges that range from beginner to expert so it will hold their interest as they work their way up to the trickier ones.

Promising review: "What a great combination of construction, puzzles, and games! My 5-year-old and 8-year-old niece were able to challenge themselves to some of the levels (the 8-year-old was was more capable of solving them on her own). The adults also found themselves fixated on playing the different levels as well! It was challenging and fun! We love marble runs and games so this was a perfect fit. This is one of the few games that everyone asks to play and it's perfect when we have guests of kiddos over and keeps everyone busy and engaged for hours!" — Crystal Brown

Promising review: "My 4-year-old is obsessed with all things dinosaur, so I was sure that this would be a hit in our household. Everything from the packaging to the actual product was a pleasant, sensory experience. Normally I have a hard time getting my kid to wash up in the evening because he knows bedtime is around the corner; however, he wouldn’t stop begging to hop in the tub with his new dinosaur eggs! The fact that each bath bomb is made with essential oils makes me feel good about soaking my little one, and the smell is quite delightful. My kid loved how fun it was when the water changed color, but I loved how it didn’t stain my bathroom. It takes a minute to dissolve because the bath bombs are quite large, but the funnest little dinosaur toy emerges once it fizzles out completely. Highly recommend! 10/10, will be purchasing again, as the price point is more than reasonable for 12 of these bad boys!" — Jesseca L.

Promising review: "I bought this for my son when he was 3. Two years later, I’ve come back to write my unbiased review so you have one to trust. At the time, I bought these on a whim and had no idea what I would unlock. For more than two full years now, these gears have been played with DAILY. Every. Single. Day. They have held up to crashed airplanes, tidal waves hitting sea creatures, and have been catapulted into castles. Very rarely have they been played with as shown on the product pictures, as my son uses them to build different things every day. Dusty Crophopper (plane), Lightning McQueen (race car), and so much more. Our only regret is sometimes we don’t have enough pieces to build an entire fleet. These creations have an entire shelf for display in his bedroom to feature what he builds each day. This toy is durable, open ended, grows with the child, fits a variety of abilities and ages, and is only limited by imagination. I could not recommend this toy more!" — Traveler

Promising review: "These are absolutely the best for preschooler aged children. There is no need for adjustment. You just look into the binoculars and see a clear image. My son used these this past summer for getting a closer look at the hummingbirds at our feeder. We also took these with us on nature walks. He really enjoyed using them and after a full summer's use, they are still in great shape. Anything that makes a child curious about nature and the environment gets a A+ in my book." — Rachael P.

It's recommended for ages 2–6 years and holds up to 120 pounds! Shipping costs $27.95 and should arrive in about 5-15 days.

Lily and River is a small biz, owned by a father, that specializes in building intuitive products for kids in their manufacturing workshop nestled within the desert foothills of South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.

Promising review: "Very sturdy, great quality! our little family is going to get years of play from this dome!" — Marium Shahid

Promising review: "First off, this is the cutest and coolest thing ever! Remember, it’s for 6+, if you’re over 20 and find flaws I think we know how fun of a person you are. It’s adorable! I’ve taken sooo many pictures and taken such good care of it she's soo happy! I’m excited to have this by my side till the end of time! 🌈✨ There’re other tamagotchis out there, but none have a camera, which makes the Pix the coolest. 😇💖" — Gabii Webber

Pass out all the cards to the players and keep all the stacks face down. Everyone takes a turn putting a card down in the middle, while saying "taco," "cat," "goat," "cheese," and "pizza," in that order. If the picture on your card matches the word that's said, everyone races against each other to slap their hand on the central pile of cards. Whoever is last must take the pile of cards and add them to their stack, and the person who runs out of cards first wins! And it's made by a small biz!

Promising review: "The title says it all! You must buy this game if you’re looking to get your kids off their butts, computers, phones, or TV! My children sat for hours, five to be exact, just playing this and laughing. It was a lot of fun for my husband and I to hear them not fighting and doing something together. Loads of fun!! We even loved playing with them!! 🥰🤘" — Melinda Haiden

Promising review: "My 4-year-old was starting to cut everything it seemed like in the house. I ordered this activity book that came with scissors and it was a hit; she would sit quietly and cut her pages, and after we would put the puzzles together or hang them on fridge. 10 /10!! ✂️." — Tracie

The art center comes with a dry-erase marker, drawing compass, five colored chalk sticks, eraser, 50-foot-long paper roll (12 inches wide), 10 activity sheets, 12 wooden pup and vehicle magnets and a pup header card.

"I personally vouch for this awesome easel," said BuzzFeed Shopping writer Chandni Reddy. "It doesn't take up as much space as a floor-standing one (also folds flat for easy storage BTW) and fits nicely on our kids' table. Both my 4-year-old and 15-month-old are absolutely enthralled with it and have been doodling nonstop since it arrived."

The set comes with a storage tin, rolling pin, wee knife, pizza/dough cutter, mixing spoon, three wee spoons, mixing bowl, pizza/pie pan, pie server, sheet pan, silicone cake and cupcake molds, two silicone finger mitts and 48-page recipe book.

Promising review: "This keeps my daughter busy for HOURS!My daughter saw this online somewhere, and she asked for it as a birthday gift. I expected it to be cute, but not useful. As it turns out, I was completely wrong. She has regularly made mini chocolate chip cookies, and she'll be doing mini calzones tomorrow. It's adorable and the recipes totally work. She and her friends LOVE it." — Elura C. Kish

Promising review: "My 12-year-old and 6-year-old sit and play with it for hours at a time. It lights up. Not too big, it fits on a desk perfectly." — Kristina Chew

The slide's capable of holding up to 50 lbs.

Promising review: "This slide keeps my easily distracted 1.5-year-old daughter entertained for long periods of time! I thought this would be a great way for her to learn to use a slide on a carpeted surface. She has a blast pushing her toys down and has become so confident at climbing and sliding down herself! It’s very sturdy and easy to pop up and fold down. When this one does wear out, I’ll be purchasing a new one. Take all of my money to keep my toddler’s attention for as long as it does!" — Lindsey Pleakis

Promising review: "Great solo kit for my 8-year-old. I went on a craft kit spending spree when they closed the schools since I must continue working (I work from home everyday already) and do not want video games raising my 8-year-old for the next several weeks. So far this was the BEST kit of the ones I purchased. Here is why. She can work at the desk beside me solo (as in without interrupting me every few minutes for help, as with some of the other kits we have tried). She got the hang of how to assemble and cut these out by herself with minimal instruction, but with lots of fun and spent a good amount of the day working on them. I am happy with the time to money investment ratio." — MamaJJ

Promising review: "Y’all, talk about a throwback gift! I got this for my daughter for Christmas in 2019 — and within the first day she and I both played with it for hours!To say it’s her favorite might be an understatement. And it totally takes you back to your childhood. Get it you won’t regret it!" — Danielle Lavender

It's for two to four players and recommended for ages 8-plus.

Promising review: "We just got this tiny little game to bring on a family trip. We have a 5- and 7-year-old and I must say that this game is a great fit for our WHOLE family. One of our children is a very sore loser and it's hard to find games that don't make her flip out. We play this with no point scoring so it's more collaborative than competitive...and we can all have fun. It's challenging for the 5-year-old and for us grown-ups too. I plan to buy more packs of this inexpensive tiny little game to give as gifts. Very fun." — Mel W.

Promising review: "This tablet has entertained my 4-year-old grandson for hours at a time. He loves that he can erase at will and that the drawings are multicolored. I highly recommend this item for 18 months old and up. I bought a pink one for our 18-month-old granddaughter, and she too is just enthralled with it and the 'power' she has to erase, create, erase, create! They loved them so much, that we bought another set of two different colors so that they would have them at home as well as at 'Grammy's.'" — Kindle Customer Red Heart

Promising review: "I can not give these enough stars! These are the best thing ever, they keep my 5-year-old entertained for hours!" — turbo1795

Promising review: "Great starter drone! Got this for my 8-year-old son for Christmas and he has had so much fun with it! His dad has a drone and our son always wanted to play with it, but it was extremely fragile so he didn't get to play with it, hence why I bought him his own. It comes with charging cords and an extra battery so you can play with it longer than a few minutes and honestly by then my sons attention has gone elsewhere so it's perfect for him. He LOVES the flip option on the controller and it's easy to use. My husband also gets a kick out of it because this one has options that his does not. I would definitely purchase again!" — Kat

I'm gonna go ahead and recommend wearing helmets, too!

Promising review: "Absolutely hilarious to watch! I got these for my kids (7 & 8) because i thought it would be a perfect way to blow off steam and get out some energy... It was great! They ran at each other pretty hard, but it didn't pop and no one got hurt! If your kids do a lot of bickering like mine do...Get these! 😅" — Sky Moran

Promising review: "My sons (7 and 4) love Minecraft! I purchased this for my 7-year-old as a birthday present and we play almost every day. So easy to play that my 4-year-old can play too and doesn’t need to ‘be on a team.’ Hours of fun for such a simple game." — Amazon Customer

The track includes a toy police car, ambulance and fire engine.

Promising review: "You know how you want to give gifts that are educational and fun? Gifts that encourage kids to explore and figure things out for themselves through play? Gifts that do not involve screens or videos or batteries, that do not flash or make annoying noises or 'talk' in a squeaky voice that sets the dog to barking? This is the gift you want to give. Easy to assemble, fun for adults to play with before wrapping, perfect for little kids upon opening. A little challenging for the 2-year-old to always keep the cars on the tracks and to line up the car with the helicopter for pickup, but something to learn and grow into. The 4-year-old declares it his favorite toy. This grandma loves it because it's kid-powered, appealing, and sturdy, and who doesn't love to push buttons, turn cranks, and close up a drawbridge. Very pleased I found this and broke my rule about no plastic gifts!" — Kindle Customer

Promising review: "I love everything about this purse. My 9-year-old granddaughter loves this purse. It's not big and doesn't hold a lot, but it holds enough for a 9-year-old. I'm happy with this purchase." — Sugarmaple120

Promising review: "My 5-year-old nephew wanted a parachute so bad, but we didn't want him jumping off the roof of the house, so I found these toys and he LOVES them! The boys have contests and make up games on who's chute goes farthest or highest and they play play play! It's awesome!" — Amazon Customer

Promising review: "Wow!!!These things REALLY work as advertised!! To be honest, my expectations were pretty low. But I was very pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong! The looping mode is so awesome, the kids and adults were giddy with excitement! It’s also very durable — can handle hitting the ground pretty hard without taking any damage. Definitely best airplane toy I’ve ever played with." — kliles

Promising review: "I got these to help my grandson burn off some energy and we have such a great time with them! They're easy to use and glide so beautifully through the air. We have fun trying different ways to throw and catch them." — phausner

This set includes four high-flying stomp rockets and an adjustable rocket launch stand. Stomp Rocket is a small business creating fun blaster toys that are powered by kids!

Promising review: "My 4-year-old goes bananas over this.He’s so loud with excitement, it draws out the neighborhood kids and next thing I know the neighbors are over chatting outside with me while their kids are COMPLETELY occupied playing this thing. The assembly is EXTREMELY easy. The rockets launch well above my two-story home that I have to make sure it’s not too close so one doesn’t land on the roof. It’s actually fun for the adults as well. My son loves to watch me really launch one. This is a great outside activity for any boy or girl. You don’t have to chase the kids around and they get plenty of exercise running to get the rockets after they’ve landed. Fun for everyone. Well worth the 20 bucks I spent on it." — Geno

The best part? It recirculates water stored in a tank under the sink so they can play for hours without wasting water.

Promising review: "My 3-year-old daughter absolutely loves this sink. She got this for her 3rd birthday and it was the best present she received. She puts all her play food and dishes in this sink and scrubs and scrubs away. She also loves to wash her hands in this sink with her pretend soap. This sink works perfectly, and easy to assemble. The key is to make sure you fill up the sink with as much water as asked or it will not come out of the spout. We love it so much I plan to buy three more for my nieces and nephew. ❤️" — Marissa

Mollybee Kids is a small, family-owned small business based in Pennsylvania.

Promising review: "A must-have. My 2-year-old son is obsessed. Always asks to play 'find you' game LOL. Then we play it and every option on the game he actually thinks really hard then says, 'Come on, Mommy,' and runs me through the house to find the object. Highly recommended from a mom of four." — Britney bansley

"My preschooler is OBSESSED with making these necklaces and I love that it keeps her off the screen. She totes her creations around in the adorable carry case and enjoys making mommy (and daddy!) wear them," said Reddy.

Promising review: "My 4-year-old daughter and I just opened this up and made EVERY necklace, with plenty of beads to spare. May I just say how wonderful of a surprise this was. This is a great activity to have that special mommy-daughter time." — Jessica Richardson

The kit includes 190 pieces, a solar panel and detailed instructions.

Promising review: "I purchased this as a gift for an 8-year-old boy. He loves to build, loves robotics, dinosaurs, and Godzilla. :) He LOVES this set!He sits for hours on end, which is an amazing accomplishment for any 8-year-old, playing with and building all the different robot toys. And, this isn't just for little boys. A friends 8-year-old daughter loves them, the 48-year-old parent loves them, and the 75-year-old grandpa loves them. Fun for the whole family!" — MBC

The Peculiar Pets set includes one dragon, one narwhal, one yeti, one unicorn, one sparkly scrub tub, one scrub brush, nine washable markers, one standing play mat and an instruction sheet.

Promising review: "My daughter LOVES coloring, stickers, drawing, etc. so when I saw this prior to her fourth birthday, I thought she would enjoy it. It was a HUGE hit and it will regularly keep her occupied for an hour or so at a time coloring, cleaning, and coloring again (with only minor help when asked for more help cleaning and drying). Even my 6-year-old son who doesn't usually color or draw will join her periodically and seems to enjoy it. The markers are short and skinny, great for small hands." — Flame_On_Mal

It can hold up to 250 pounds and be used both indoors and outdoors (though reviewers note if you are going to use it outside, try to stay away from concrete). Flybar is a small business that creates fun toys and activities for kids.

Promising review: "Our 4-year-old loves this toy! It's really fun for her and great for developing balance and large motor skills. The fact that it burns off some of her boundless energy is an extra plus. There's a built-in squeaker (which kids enjoy and adults learn to block out). Nice that it's an indoor/outdoor toy! Definitely a good value for the money." — L J Wessling

Promising review: "I bought this flower garden as a gift for my 3-year-old daughter. She absolutely loves it! She has always enjoyed blocks and this is something different that has kept her engaged for hours! We highly recommend this product to others!!" — Ashley Petersen

Promising review: "Received this as a gift for my 4-year-old and he LOVES it and could spend an hour with it at a time. It has become an outdoor toy, due to not wanting sand in my house — it’s definitely cleaner than regular sand, but let’s be realistic, it’s still sand so it does have the potential to get out of the box. Love the case for it, it closes up tightly. The trucks and molds are cute. We also got the two expansion kits, which are great, as well. I do suggest getting an extra bag of sand." — Sam I Am

Promising reviews: "My 3-year-old nephew loves — LOVES — this toy. He chooses it when he has any number of other toys that he could choose to play with at any time. It has helped with his coordination and gives him plenty of exercise!!!" — Snklf8

"Bought this for a highly active 3-year-old boy who absolutely LOVES this thing. I couldn't have picked a better gift!!!" — Sandra J. Pease-Simon

The kit comes with the giant bubble wand, two pouches of bubble concentrate and a booklet to help you become a skilled bubble creator!

Promising review: "Fantastic product!! My 8-year-old son played outside with them for two solid hours...unplugged...happy as can be! I definitely recommend and will buy again!." — Pxysis

The set includes an LED light board with removable tracing panel and six gel markers. Just draw your masterpiece directly on to the light board; the removable back panel makes tracing images a snap. Then turn it on to light up your designs and showcase them in the dark. The board is reusable so you can wipe away old drawings and start all over again.

Promising review: "This light board is awesome!! My 6-year-old loves to draw and absolutely loves this board. The markers nestle into the back of the board for storage which makes this mom happy, board cleans easily with a damp paper towel or wipe. This is a great car activity for traveling. Love the added feature of the removable blackboard for tracing — so fun! Will make a great gift for any art lover!" — Danielle Campbell

Promising review: "My daughter opened this on Christmas day and worked on it for hours. She could do most things by herself, or with a quick demonstration. She especially loves that she can change the fox's clothes and potentially make more herself, patterned from the ones included. Perfect gift for any fox-loving girl!" — VictoriaBB

The kit comes with four slow-rise squishies, four large bottles of paint, two quality paintbrushes, sprinkles, sticker eyes, a color guide and easy-to-follow instructions.

Promising review: "Perfect for my 8-year-old's birthday gift! I looked at quite a few squishy paint kits, read quite a lot of reviews of each, this one surpassed the others. My little one was ecstatic when she realized what it was! She immediately had to dive right into it! I’d say she was more than happy with it!" — katelyn banaszak

It can hold up to 220 pounds.

Promising review: "So first off my kids LOVE this swing! It has been one of the greatest purchases I have purchased so far for their playroom!!! We use it inside to keep them busy on rainy days or when they need to get their energy out! I give the swing itself 5 stars for sure!!!!" — Samantha Brooke Main

Let Loose Moose is a small business creating fun toys and activities for kids.

Promising reviews: "We have so much fun 'kicking' this around the kitchen or basement! Gets us all (adults and kids) up, moving and laughing as a family! Helps with the long-winter-day blues!" — Jollyholiday7

"These are so fun! This is the perfect toy for my high-energy 8-year-old boy, he loves getting to play soccer in the house and I love that nothing gets broken. These work really well and are definitely a good value; it’s great that you get two with the purchase." — Britni

Promising review: "This has been a huge hit with our toddler. We originally got it when COVID was in full swing and we needed to get some play energy out since the playgrounds were closed. This is still a huge favorite and we typically don’t even have all of it out at once, just one or two of the pieces at a time, which keeps it fresh, too. It’s a great fort or ball pit and the tunnel has held up to even small adults crawling through it. One of the highlights is the carrying/storage case — it has folding instructions sewn in, making it super easy to fold and store the pieces. (I would never be able to fold them back down flat otherwise.) One of the best purchases we’ve made!" — R. Thompson

The set includes four rechargeable guns, four rechargeable vests and one charging station. You can play approximately eight games per charge. The cool LCD screens on the vest keep count of how many lives you have and the vest vibrates when you get shot, aka tagged. Play with up to four teams and eliminate your enemies to win the game. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Promising review: "Let’s just say I’m official the coolest mom in my kids eyes! We played for hours and ran around the house and they didn’t event realize they were exercising. They are so easy to set up my son figured it out immediately. I love the charging station it comes with because there is no need to worry about batteries. no complaints here." — Julie Gutierrez