Christmas Toys: The Best Sellers Kids Still Play With

Pick by situation

Under $25: stocking toys that get played with

Bricks, dough and a foam dart blaster, small enough for a stocking and good for weeks.^[1]

Nerf Elite 2.0 Commander Blaster

around $11 on Amazon^[1]

• Six dart drum
• Twelve darts included
• Slam fire action

A six dart rotating drum blaster from Hasbro's Nerf line, with a pack of foam darts in the box. Cheap knockoff blasters jam after a day; Nerf's darts and blasters work together, and refills are sold everywhere. It is made for ages eight and up and turns a backyard or a basement into a game. It is the stocking toy that gets the whole family playing.^[2]

Good for

Kids eight and up with siblings to play with.

Skip if

Your house has a no blasters indoors rule, or the child is under eight.

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Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Ice Cream Truck

around $20 on Amazon^[1]

• Twenty play tools
• Folds up for storage
• Ages three and up

A small Play-Doh ice cream truck with a swirl press, molds and cans of dough to make pretend cones and sundaes. Plain dough gets boring fast, while a truck to run makes it a story. It suits ages three and up and keeps a preschooler busy at the kitchen table. The dough comes in the box, so play starts right away on Christmas morning.^[3]

Good for

Preschoolers who love pretend food and play kitchens.

Skip if

A child has a wheat allergy; the dough contains wheat.

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LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696

around $21 on Amazon^[1]

• Bricks in many colors
• Green baseplate
• Ages four and up

A tub of LEGO bricks in many colors, with windows, wheels and eyes, plus idea pages instead of one fixed model. Licensed sets get built once and go on a shelf; a brick box gets built into something new every weekend. It suits ages four and up and works with any LEGO the family already owns. The tub doubles as storage for the pile that follows.^[4]

Good for

Kids four and up who build their own ideas.

Skip if

There is a toddler in the house; small bricks are a choking risk.

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$25 to $50: the classics every playroom needs

Magnetic tiles, cars, art supplies and a first electronics kit, the toys that last for years.^[1]

Hot Wheels 20-Car Pack

around $27 on Amazon^[1]

• Twenty cars
• Die-cast, small scale
• Styles vary

Twenty die cast Hot Wheels cars and trucks in one box, styles chosen at random by Mattel. One new car gets lost under the couch, while twenty cars start a collection a child sorts, races and trades. They suit ages three and up and run on any Hot Wheels track. It is the instant collection that never gets old.^[5]

Good for

Car-mad kids three and up.

Skip if

You want specific models; the styles in each box vary.

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Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy Walker

around $27 on Amazon^[1]

• Sit or walk modes
• Three learning levels
• 6 to 36 months

A push walker with a removable activity panel that plays songs and phrases about colors, shapes and counting. Many walkers are only for walking; this one starts as a sit-down play panel and becomes a push toy. It suits babies and toddlers from six months to three years. It is the first Christmas toy that grows with them.^[6]

Good for

Babies about to pull up and take first steps.

Skip if

Your floors are mostly thick carpet, where push walkers struggle.

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Melissa & Doug Slice & Bake Christmas Cookie Set

around $28 on Amazon^[1]

• Twelve wooden cookies
• Oven mitt and spatula
• Ages three to six

A wooden cookie dough log that slices apart with a toy knife, with holiday toppings, an oven mitt, a cookie sheet and a spatula. Plastic play food cracks and fades; Melissa & Doug's wooden cookies store in a sturdy dough tube and last for years. It suits ages three to six and fits right into a play kitchen. It is a Christmas toy that is about Christmas, for a preschooler who bakes with you.^[7]

Good for

Preschoolers who help in the kitchen at Christmas.

Skip if

They have no play kitchen and little interest in pretend food.

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Crayola Inspiration Art Case

around $30 on Amazon^[1]

• Markers, pencils, crayons
• Paper included
• Trays for every piece

A fold-out case packed with Crayola crayons, colored pencils, markers and paper, with a slot for each piece. Loose art supplies end up in a jumble; this case puts everything back in its place. It suits kids from about five and up and travels to grandma's house in one hand. It is the art gift parents buy again when the first one runs out.^[8]

Good for

Kids who draw at the kitchen table every day.

Skip if

They already have a drawer full of markers.

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Razor A Kick Scooter

around $32 on Amazon^[1]

• Aluminum frame
• Folds flat
• Rear fender brake

Razor's classic aluminum kick scooter that folds flat and has an adjustable handlebar and a rear fender brake. Plastic toy scooters crack in a season; this one has an aluminum frame that lasts for years. It suits kids from about five and up and grows with them as the bar goes up. It is the gift that gets them outside on the first dry day.^[9]

Good for

Kids five and up with a sidewalk or a cul de sac.

Skip if

You cannot add a helmet to the gift.

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Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100

around $33 on Amazon^[1]

• Over one hundred projects
• No soldering or tools
• Ages eight and up

An electronics kit from Elenco where parts snap onto a plastic grid to build working circuits: a fan, a light, an alarm. Most science kits are one experiment and done; Snap Circuits has a full project book to work through. It is made for ages eight and up and needs no soldering. It is the STEM toy kids return to on rainy weekends.^[1]

Good for

Curious kids eight and up who take things apart.

Skip if

They need batteries in the box; batteries are required and sold separately.

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MAGNA-TILES Classic Set

around $46 on Amazon^[1]

• Thirty-two pieces
• Translucent colors
• Ages three and up

The original magnetic building tiles: clear colored squares and triangles that click together at the edges into walls, towers and rockets. Lookalike tiles cost less, but the originals have strong, safe magnets and work with every other Magna-Tiles set. They suit ages three and up and a seven year old still builds with them. It is the toy that gets played with for years.^[10]

Good for

Kids three to eight who love to build.

Skip if

You want one set to build big castles; this is a starter size.

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$50 to $100: bigger toys for under the tree

A ride-on car for toddlers, the Heeler family home and a marble run for older kids.^[1]

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe

around $55 on Amazon^[1]

• Removable floor
• Parent push handle
• Made in USA

The red and yellow foot powered car that toddlers have driven around living rooms for decades. Battery ride-ons are heavy and fast; the Cozy Coupe runs on little feet and a parent's push handle. It suits toddlers from about eighteen months to five years and has a pretend ignition switch, a gas cap and a push handle for parents. It is the toddler toy that becomes a family photo.^[11]

Good for

Toddlers from about eighteen months.

Skip if

You live in a small apartment; it takes up real floor space.

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Ravensburger GraviTrax Starter Set

around $60 on Amazon^[1]

• Over one hundred parts
• Gravity and magnets
• Ages eight and up

A marble run system from Ravensburger where kids build tracks on hexagon tiles and use gravity, magnets and kinetic energy to move the marbles. Cheap marble runs fall apart; GraviTrax locks onto a base and can be rebuilt endlessly. It is made for ages eight and up and expands with add-on sets. It is the building toy for kids who outgrew blocks.^[1]

Good for

Kids eight and up who love engineering puzzles.

Skip if

There is a toddler at home; marbles are a choking hazard.

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Bluey Family Home Playset

around $83 on Amazon^[1]

• Four rooms
• Fold-down patio wall
• Poseable figure included

The Heeler family house from the show, with four rooms, removable furniture and a poseable figure. Generic dollhouses do not mean much to a three year old Bluey fan; this one is the house from the show, so play becomes acting out episodes. It suits ages three and up and works with other Bluey figures sold separately. It is the preschool toy kids ask for by name.^[12]

Good for

Preschoolers who watch Bluey on repeat.

Skip if

They do not watch the show; the appeal is the characters.

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$100 and up: the big family gift

A dollhouse for years of play and a balance bike that teaches toddlers to ride.^[1]

Strider 12 Sport Balance Bike

around $150 on Amazon^[1]

• No pedals
• Never-flat foam tires
• Adjustable seat and bar

A pedal-free balance bike that toddlers push with their feet, then lift up and glide. Training wheels teach kids to lean on the wheels; a balance bike teaches balance first, so many kids skip training wheels later. It suits kids from about one to four years, with an adjustable seat and handlebar. It is the big gift that gets used every dry day.^[13]

Good for

Toddlers ready to move faster than walking.

Skip if

You cannot add a toddler helmet to the gift.

View on AmazonFull review →Save to wishlist

Barbie Dreamhouse

around $213 on Amazon^[1]

• Pool and spiral slide
• Working elevator
• Dolls not included

Mattel's big three story Barbie house with a slide, a pool, an elevator and dozens of accessories. Smaller dollhouses get outgrown; the Dreamhouse holds years of play and a whole collection of dolls. It suits ages three and up, and older kids keep using it long after preschool. It is the one big gift the whole family chips in for.^[14]

Good for

Kids who already love their Barbie dolls.

Skip if

You lack space; it needs a corner of its own, and dolls are sold separately.

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How we picked

A good Christmas toy is one a child still plays with in February. The toys that last are rarely the loudest ones on the shelf; they are the open-ended classics that work a different way every time: bricks, tiles, a play kitchen set, a track to rebuild. Every pick here comes from a long-running toy brand with years of reviews behind it, and each one lists the age range it suits.

The 15 picks below span 4 budgets, from about $11 to $213, and each one links to Amazon so you can check today's price and delivery ^[1]. Popular toys sell out in December, so order the big gift early and check the holiday delivery date on the listing.

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