Holidays & Entertaining The Best Gift Ideas of 2023 48 Creative, Cool Gifts for Kids They're Sure to Love Know a pint-sized Picasso or an aspiring engineer? Make their day with one of these thoughtful presents for kids. By Real Simple Editors Real Simple Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter An article attributed to "Real Simple Editors" indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The REAL SIMPLE team strives to make life easier for you. They are experts in their fields who research, test and clearly explain the best recipes, strategies, trends and products. They have worked for some of the most prestigious brands in lifestyle journalism, including Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, the Food Network, Good Housekeeping, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parents, POPSUGAR, Rachel Ray Every Day, and Vogue. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 21, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. store.moma.org Looking for something wonderful for your favorite kiddo? Whether your gift recipient has a passion for dinosaurs or adores a good tea party, these wow-worthy (and kid-approved) gifts for kids will make you the hit of the next holiday, birthday, or other gift-giving occasion. 48 Great Gifts for Teens and Tweens That They're Sure to Appreciate Our Top Picks Disney Marvel Spidey and His Amazing Friends Building Blocks Set at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Posh Picnic Fans: Crate and Kids Picnic Please Felt Picnic Kids Playset at Crate & Barrel Jump to Review Best for Disney Fans: PlayMonster The Magical World of Disney Trivia Family Board Game at Amazon Jump to Review For the Slime and Squishie Fan: Elmer's Squishies DIY Squishy Toy Kit at Walmart Jump to Review Best for the Unicorn Fan: Gap Unicorn Trapper Hat at Gap.com Jump to Review Best for Puzzle Fans: Galison Books Enchanted Nutcracker Puzzle at Barnesandnoble.com Jump to Review Best for the Imaginative Bather: Pottery Barn Kids Giraffe Baby Hooded Towel at Potterybarnkids.com Jump to Review For the Budding Conservationist: Playmobil Wiltopia Family Treehouse at Amazon Jump to Review For a Space-Challenged Play Kitchen: Melissa & Doug Camp Stove Playset at Amazon Jump to Review For the Mobile Musician: MoMA Design Store Roll-Up Piano at Moma.org Jump to Review Disney Marvel Spidey and His Amazing Friends 30-Piece Building Blocks Set Amazon View On Amazon This charming set of wooden blocks feature Spiderman—alongside villains like the Green Goblin—along with cityscape pieces to let them dream up some creative adventures (and epic builds!). Price at time of publish: $27 Best for Posh Picnic Fans Crate and Kids Picnic Please Felt Picnic Kids Playset Crate and Kids View On Crate & Barrel Upgrade their next tea party or indoor picnic with this sweet set, featuring felt and fabric details from cozy cushions to sit on to squeezable baguettes, fruit, and cheese. Price at time of publish: $79 Best for Disney Fans PlayMonster The Magical World of Disney Trivia Family Board Game Amazon View On Amazon Test their knowledge of all things Disney with this trivia game, which will be the perfect addition to the next family game night. Price at time of publish: $35 For the Slime and Squishie Fan Elmer's Squishies DIY Squishy Toy Kit Walmart View On Walmart View On Dickblick.com View On Michaels Kids can mix up a colorful concoction (with sparkles, too!) to pour into the mystery molds and create four adorable squishie creatures like cute owls, dragons, and unicorns. (You can also buy refill kits to make even more creatures.) Price at time of publish: $23 Best for the Unicorn Fan Gap Unicorn Trapper Hat Gap View On Gap.com This sweet and super soft hat will make staying cozy for the winter weather a whole lot easier (and a lot more fun!). Price at time of publish: $20 Best for Puzzle Fans Galison Books Enchanted Nutcracker Puzzle Barnes and Noble View On Barnesandnoble.com This pretty puzzle makes the perfect group activity for a rainy or snowy day—especially for the budding ballet dancer. Price at time of publish: $14 Best for the Imaginative Bather Pottery Barn Kids Giraffe Baby Hooded Towel Pottery Barn Kids View On Potterybarnkids.com Adorable, supersoft towels that let them dress up as their favorite animals make bathtime a lot more fun. (There are bears, dogs, dinosaurs, sharks, elephants, and more!) And bonus: You can personalize them, too. Price at time of publish: $55 For the Budding Conservationist Playmobil Wiltopia Family Treehouse Playmobil View On Amazon View On Playmobil.us The kid who's wild about animals will dig this super-set from Playmobil's new eco-friendly line, Wiltopia. Crafted of 80 percent sustainable materials, this grand treehouse comes with a family of four and everything they need to live comfortably in the wild, from a campfire and solar panel to a hammock for some serious relaxing. An array of animals also call the treehouse home, including monkeys, hummingbirds, parrots, a snake and an anteater. The collectible hummingbird card that's included uses AR to help them learn more about the hummingbird and its habitat (and even let them take a selfie with one). Price at time of publish: $100 For a Space-Challenged Play Kitchen Melissa & Doug Camp Stove Playset Target View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Target Take their cooking show on the road easily with this ultra-portable toy. The wooden set mimics camp stove cooking, with a crackable plastic-and-felt egg and wooden bacon, spatulas and cooking utensils, and a sturdy pitcher for pouring. And when the cooking's done, all the pieces pack up easily into the camp stove, so it's super-portable and easily storable. Price at time of publish: $35 For the Mobile Musician MoMA Design Store Roll-Up Piano MOMA View On Moma.org This roll-up keyboard lets them take their show on the road—and the included songbook helps them learn to play tunes by color. Price at time of publish: $60 For Your Favorite Kitchen Helper Opinel Le Petit Chef Box Set Amazon View On Amazon View On Uncommon Goods Help them stay safe while they're trying to build their cooking skills with this perfectly sized kid-friendly set that comes loaded with safety features. The blade on the chef's knife is rounded to help prevent injuries, and a finger guard is included to help protect tiny fingers. (And the set is made of sustainably sourced beechwood and high-carbon stainless steel blades, just like the grownup versions.) Price at time of publish: $50 For the Kid Who Lives for Game Night Exploding Kittens Hand to Hand Wombat Courtesy of Amazon View On Amazon View On Target View On Booksamillion.com There's a reason this cooperative game has appeared on many lists for top game of the year—it's a lot of fun! For the game, you build (or destroy) towers, all while keeping your eyes closed. And because it's fun for grownups too, don't be surprised if you pull it out once the kids have gone to sleep for an adult round or two. Price at time of publish: $15 For a More Active Game Night Fan Crate & Barrel Doorway Kids Bean Bag Toss Game Crate and Kids View On Crate & Barrel A charming take on the classic ball toss, this artfully designed canvas banner hangs over the doorway in seconds, and the kiddos can toss the beanbag birds through the openings to rack up points. Price at time of publish: $59 For the Kid Who Usually Likes the Box More Than the Gift Moluk Bilibo Amazon View On Amazon View On Fatbraintoys.com Let's face it: Cardboard boxes are super-cool. And if your kid's the kind to turn one into a fort/rocket/stage, they might love another multipurpose toy that'll allow them to let their imagination shine. This simple shell-shaped toy can be used as just about anything they can dream up—a turtle shell, a sand castle mold, a spinning chair, a helmet, and more. It's made of high-density polyethylene, so it's heavy-duty enough to stand up to the weather (and years of hard play), and comes in a rainbow of colors. Price at time of publish: $30 For the Bath Resistant Kid Dabble and Dollop Rainbow of Bubbles Dabble and Dollop View On Amazon View On Dabbleanddollop.com View On Maisonette.com These all-in-one bubble bath, shower gel, and shampoo products come in a mix-and-match array of fun fruity scents, so you can have your bath-phobic kid concoct a custom scent profile for their perfect bath. (And the kit includes a little mixing bowl to ensure they don't use half of the bottle for every bathtime!) Price at time of publish: $95 For the Beginner Bicyclist Banwood First Go! Balance Bike Courtesy of Maisonette View On Anthropologie View On Maisonette.com View On Neiman Marcus Help your beginning bicyclist get two-wheel ready with this charming balance bike, a pedal-free ride that helps them learn how to balance and steer without training wheels. This bike features plenty of vintage charm, with soft, vegan leather hand grips and seat, a sturdy steel frame, and a too-cute wicker basket where they can store their treasures. Price at time of publish: $195 For a Colorful Kid Fat Brain Toys Montessori Woodwerks Lens Blocks Fat Brain Toys View On Fatbraintoys.com This colorful set of 250 blocks can make epic structures—and when stacked together, can help teach kids color lessons (like yellow and blue make green). Price at time of publish: $200 For Twice the Good Time LEGO Technic Ford Mustang Shelby Lego View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Entertainmentearth.com First, have fun building this lime green Lego race car—then roll it back and let the motors rev so it can speed away. (It even comes with an app that lets you put the car through the paces on a virtual race track for even more fun.) Price at time of publish: $40 For the Bouncy House Enthusiast SMOL Bouncy House Pottery Barn Kids View On Potterybarnkids.com If you're looking for a wow gift for your favorite kid, this may be it. This rainbow-shaped bounce house can be used inside or out, with up to three jumpers taking a leap. It blows up in seconds with the included pump, and folds down into an included carry bag so you can bounce wherever you go. Price at time of publish: $589 For the Inspired Reader Gift Republic 100 Kids Books Scratch-Off Poster Uncommon Goods View On Amazon View On Uncommon Goods Encourage your favorite bookworm to try out some of the very best in kid-lit with this poster, where they can track their reading progress by scratching off the books as they complete them for the ultimate book-nook decor. Price at time of publish: $15 For the Marvel Fan Who Roots for the Villains Ravensburger Marvel Villainous Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Target Players get to be the bad guys in this clever board game. Strategize and battle other villains (and the heroes) as Thanos, Hela, Ultron, Killmonger, or Taskmaster, to see if you can be the first to reach your goals. Price at time of publish: $33 For the Future Entomologist Carson BugView Bug Catching Tool and Magnifier Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Adorama.com Let your biggest bug fan catch, examine, and release (outdoors!) their latest insect finds with this clever tool. They can pop it over the bug, quick release the slider, and use the attached magnifier to get an up-close look at the bug before sending it on its way. Price at time of publish: $12 For the Slime Freak Copernicus Toys Glowing Slime Kit Uncommon Goods View On Walmart View On Fatbraintoys.com View On Uncommon Goods Help them make wow-worthy slime to share (and squish) with this kit. They can make 15 different goodies with this kit, including fizzing foams and glowing gels, in addition to their standard slime. Price at time of publish: $18 For the Droid Devotee Star Wars Lola Animatronic Action Figure Target View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Target Let them pretend they're an adventurer from a galaxy far, far away with the latest droid from Star Wars. Lola's an animatronic droid that responds to different background noises and interactions with one of 45 different noise, light, and motion combinations, so she can be the perfectly charming companion for their next game of pretend play. Price at time of publish: $45 For a Little Learner MoMA Design Store Wooden Stacking Shapes and Numbers Toy MOMA View On Moma.org This pretty wooden stacking set is a totally aesthetic gift for little kids, which lets them stack different fun shapes on pegs and match them up with the corresponding numbers. (And it looks gorgeous on the nursery or playroom shelf too.) Price at time of publish: $45 For the Kid With a Lot of Passions Bigjigs Toys Dinosaur Train Set Fat Brain Toys View On Target View On Maisonette.com Dinosaurs and trains are commonly beloved by the preschool set—and if you're looking for the perfect kids' gift for someone who likes both, this charming wooden train set fits the bill. Tiny dinos can ride the tracks toward the big volcano, and kids can get creative with their tracks (and their play) with the set. Price at time of publish: $115 For the Future Forager PlayMonster Scavenger Hunt Potions Barnes and Noble View On Barnesandnoble.com This nature-inspired gift for kids encourages them to scavenge in nature for ingredients for cool potions that they can concoct and store in the included vials. The included booklet offers recipes for a few great beginner potions—then let them run wild and create their own mixtures. Price at time of publish: $20 For the Kid Who Puzzles Everything Out David Weeks Milo Cubebot Areaware View On Areaware.com This artful toy, inspired by Japanese Shinto Kumi-ki puzzles, is like an old-school Transformer—it can be shifted into multiple poses for play, then closed up into a pretty cube. Price at time of publish: $24 For the Pillow Fort Fan Air Fort The Original Air Fort Uncommon Goods View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Uncommon Goods Avoid the mess of pulling out all the pillows and blankets with this super-easy (and super-pretty) air fort. All you need is a simple box fan to inflate, and enjoy the star show with the glow-in-the-dark stars in the ceiling. It's roomy enough for grownups to join in on the fun too. Price at time of publish: $60 For the Kids With a Competitive Streak Ikea Lustigt Tag Game Orange and green velcro vests with fuzzy balls to throw at them View On Amazon View On Ikea Think paintball at home, but without the mess. The combatants don velcro vests and toss fuzzy balls at each other—and the first competitor to get all their balls on their competitor's vest wins. (At this price, you might even be able to grab a few more to make it a whole-family activity.) Price at time of publish: $20 For the Rube Goldberg Machine Maker Fat Brain Toys Trestle Tracks View On Amazon View On Fatbraintoys.com Get them started on DIY-ing their own fanciful marble run with this clever construction set, which comes with instructions for building a few clever runs before they let loose and build their own. Price at time of publish: From $15 For the Fairy-Tale Fan Forgotten Fairy Tales of Brave and Brilliant Girls Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart Move beyond the Disney princesses yearning for the day their prince will come with these long-forgotten tales of bold heroines who saved the day. Price at time of publish: $20 For the Bath Aficionado SoapSox Jackson the Whale Bath Sponge Target.com View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Target Who says a bath toy can't be cuddly? This super-cute sponge whale is perfect for snuggling in the bath or shower. Put liquid or bar soap in the mouth to start the sudsing fun, and after bath time is done, you can run it through the washing machine and dryer to keep mold and mildew away. Price at time of publish: $14 For the World Explorer Shifu Orboot Interactive Globe Amazon View On Amazon View On Barnesandnoble.com View On Best Buy An interactive globe lets your kid explore more about the world from home. The globe's companion app lets your child scan the planet and learn fun facts about the cultures and ecosystems on the planet, and play games and go on scavenger hunts around the globe. Price at time of publish: $55 For the Budding Sculptor Hey Clay Monsters Modeling Air-Dry Clay Fat Brain Toys View On Amazon View On Fatbraintoys.com Help your favorite artist-in-training learn the basics of clay work with a Hey Clay set, which includes 3D, simple step-by-step video directions via app to help them make adorable creatures—and then launch out on their own to get creative. The kit includes 18 cans of nontoxic, wheat- and nut-free clay in a rainbow of hues, along with access to the apps for guidance. (If monsters aren't their thing, there are kits for bugs, birds, dinosaurs, and aliens, too!) Price at time of publish: $20 For the Paleontologist in Training Great Pretenders T-Rex Play Cape Maisonette View On Amazon View On Maisonette.com Help a T-Rex fan channel their inner dinosaur with this adorable cozy cape they can pop on to get the fearsome face and teeth. (They also have triceratops, dragons, and dilophosaurus capes, if they favor a different dino.) Price at time of publish: $35 For Your Favorite Acrobats Foamnasium Tumblers West Elm View On Wayfair View On West Elm These soft, vinyl-shelled cushions can be repositioned in a number of ways for play—pushed together as a cozy stool for reading, turned with curves up for a climbing surface, or with the curves down to be a rocking chair. There are other pieces and shapes in the collection, so kids can get creative and build forts, obstacle courses, and more. Price at time of publish: $235 For the Kid Who's Moved Beyond Cranes Origami: Inspired by Japanese Prints from the Metropolitan Museum of Art MetMuseum.org View On Amazon View On Metmuseum.org This clever book contains 45 colorful origami papers folded into the cover—and instructions for 36 origami pieces, with information and gorgeous photos of the artworks that inspire them. Price at time of publish: $20 For the Kid Who's Wild About Animals The Elephant Project Kiki The Elephant Project View On Theelephantproject.com These sweet elephant plushies are not only fun for kids to play —the proceeds from their purchase go toward supporting elephant sanctuaries in Thailand. Price at time of publish: $39 For the Pottery Fan Sculpd Pottery Kit Sculpd View On Amazon View On Sculpd.com Get all the tools you need (including the clay) to create an array of pottery creations—including a sealant to make the air-dried clay waterproof. Price at time of publish: $65 For the Cutest Little Dumpling Gulnara Kydyrmyshova Little Dumpling Booties Uncommon Goods View On Uncommon Goods For your teeny-tiniest gift recipient, these adorable dumpling-shaped booties will help keep their toes warm and cozy—and the cute red felt steamer box can be a part of their future play kitchen. Price at time of publish: $28 For the Kid With a Lot of Different Interests KiwiCo Kiwi Crate KiwiCo View On Kiwico.com Kiwi Crate's monthly subscription boxes work for every age range—from babies to teens—and offer fun ways to work on STEAM skills via crafts, experiments, and other activities. The subscriptions are easily shifted from one interest to another—so they can start out with a Yummy Crate, focused on the science of cooking, and move over to the Atlas Crate, which explores different cultures with crafts. Price at time of publish: From $24/month For the Pre Pre-Med Student Sigikid ROSI The Little Patient Uncommon Goods View On Amazon View On Uncommon Goods This cuddly little doll zips open to show the liver, heart and other key organs in their places—along with a model of the skeletal system beneath. It's a great way to show what's inside in a more warm and fuzzy way. Price at time of publish: $60 For the Kid Who Wants a Wow-Worthy Place to Make Fake Food Pottery Barn Kids Farmhouse Kitchen PB Kids View On Potterybarnkids.com This vintage-inspired play kitchen, crafted of sustainably sourced wood, is built to last, so it'll stand up to whatever your budding chef can dish out. Price at time of publish: $449 For the Future Chef Melissa & Doug Cutting Fruit Set Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart Upgrade their play kitchen skills with this cool set, featuring an array of fruits and a dull wooden knife they can use to slice and dice between the velcroed pieces. Price at time of publish: From $15 For a Lovey Lover Kind Culture Co. Shine Doll kindcultureco.com View On Nordstrom View On Kindcultureco.com View On Maisonette.com This soft, 18-inch doll has a good message for kids: Be kind. Each Kind Culture Co. doll comes with a kindness kit, packed with tokens for kids to pass around reminding themselves and others to be kind, show gratitude, share love, and more. The doll itself is cute and cuddly, sure, but it's also a sweet reminder to be fair to others. Price at time of publish: $70 For the Pint-Sized Gardener Gardenuity My First Garden thetot.com View On Bloomingdales View On Thetot.com Filled with everything little ones need to develop little green thumbs, this kit lets kids nurture vegetables and herbs, even if they don't have a yard to work in. The growbag lets them work on a patio or balcony (or a larger space), and the fully rooted starter plants sets them up for success. Price at time of publish: $98 For the Street Artist TWEE Rainbow Unicorn Horn Sidewalk Chalk tweemade.etsy.com View On Etsy A whimsical writing instrument for your artistic kid and their creative pals to take to the streets. This trio includes two rainbow horns and one wrapped in gold (but writes white). Price at time of publish: $17 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit