The ones who get the most excited about presents are the most fun to buy for. With millions of toys on the market, it’s hard to know which ones are right for the kids in your life. Here’s a look at five of the best gifts for kids.
BoseBuild Speaker Cube
With younger and younger smartphone owners, wireless Bluetooth speakers are another of this season’s essentials, even for little ones. Just about every brand known for sound, from Beats by Dr. Dre to Vizio, has a best-seller, but Bose has set themselves apart. BoseBuild speaker cube is a do-it-yourself project for your tiny electrician or engineer. It comes with all the necessary pieces, including interchangeable, customizable covers and lights. The associated Apple app walks you through the process, so a standard Bluetooth speaker becomes a learning experience about sound. BoseBuild is durable, comes with a 2-year warranty, and is intended for kids over 8. Cost is about $149.
Kurio Watch
If you’re not quite ready for your kids to have their own smartphone, try this smartwatch instead. Not only can they send messages to other Kurio Watch wearers, they can contact Android phones the same way. The watch also has a camera with filters, one- and two-player games (some of which are played through motion), and standard features you’d expect from this type of technology, from a calendar to calculator to clock. The best part for parents: you can program emergency information, like phone numbers, blood type, allergies, or other important information. Watches range $70-$150, depending on the seller and specifications—which is still considerably cheaper than a smartphone! Recommended minimum age is 3 years.
View-Master Deluxe Virtual-Reality Viewer
The newest version from View-Master’s virtual-reality viewers is perfect for kids with an eye to the future. These glasses have 360-degree viewing that works with Google Cardboard, a virtual reality app that can throw your kid into almost any environment. The updated version comes with an audio plug-in for headphones, ergonomic design, better lenses, and better adjustment. View-Master also has a line of experience packs that work with the app to send the viewer to all sorts of different environments. Just by turning your head, you get a whole new view of the scene. The deluxe version runs $30 while experience packs are about $5-12 a piece.
Light Stax Illuminated Blocks
For old school kids who remember there are more things to play with than phones and video games, this takes Legos to a whole new level. Light Stax are your standard, everyday building blocks, with one teeny little difference—they light up. The blocks connect to a USB powered base or battery, making the whole structure glow and shine. Perfect for kids who dig bright colors, have architectural dreams, or love hands on toys, Light Stax are great for encouraging creative development. And they’re pretty! Get the 36-piece classic set for $40 or the 102-piece mega set for $80.
Fisher Price’s Think and Learn Code-a-Pillar
For the younger kids on your list, try the code-a-pillar, perfect for preschoolers to work on cause and effect. The code-a-pillar comes with a set of segments that are easy to connect to his robo-pillar head. Each segment comes with a different ingrained command—left, right, forward, and pause—helping improve problem-solving skills to figure out the right order to get code-a-pillar where he needs to go. Rated one of the top STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) toys of the season, code-a-pillar is $40-$60. Expansion packs are available.
