Educational toys are all the rage these days! From homeschooling families to all of the awesome STEM lessons at our kid’s fingertips, there is no reason your kiddo’s Christmas gifts have to be anything short of both extraordinary and educational this holiday season. Do not just buy your children any old toys this Christmas, get them educational toys that they can learn from all while having fun. Children learn through play so this holiday make their gifts something they will love and learn from all at the same time. Watch their little faces light up with glee this Christmas with any of these 25 amazing and engaging educational toys, games, and subscription boxes this holiday season.
25 Awesome Educational Toys, Games & Subscription Boxes for Kids
Smart Buddies
Since most kids are virtually learning this year, Smart Buddies Holiday Toy and Club is one of the best STEM educational toys to get this holiday season. They are offering a massive discount, and offering free live, online classes with teachers and kids from all around the world for actionable learning! They’ll learn self-balancing, coding concepts using sequences, loops, events, conditionals, functions, and variables; all of which help with developing problem-solving techniques. The best part is, with each purchase you’ll receive a 2021 Club Pass for unlimited free classes. Choose a character, connect, and allow the special kids in your life to discover a whole new interactive learning world with these educational toys this holiday season!
VTech
Are your kids narrating their entire lives thanks to popular videos and shows? Give them the gift of making their own HD videos with the KiddiZoom Creator Cam. VTech helps them become astronauts, meteorologists, and rockstars with the included green screen and tripod/selfie stick making it one of the best educational toys this year. Once they have given it their best shot, they can edit their video with ease on the camera. The KiddiZoom has tons of tools so that your kids can show their creative side with time-lapse videos and video edits. They even play games when they are on the go or offstage.
Control what is shared by connecting the KiddiZoom Creator Cam to your computer only when you want to share your kid’s adventures. The best part about this gift for the kids is that it is ready to go right out of the box! Everything they need is included: Rechargeable battery, USB cord, green screen, wrist strap, selfie stick, and tabletop tripod. Ready, set, action!
VTech helps get those kids up and moving with the Count & Win Sports Center. Kids love to be active and learning is best when it is fun. The Count & Win Sports Center is the top dog for making this happen. Your toddler (12-36 months) will work on their motor development and coordination playing basketball and soccer while practicing their colors, shapes, and numbers. And what kid doesn’t love buttons? All the buttons. VTech included buttons and gears for your child to explore making this both a fun and educational toy.
You are going to adore that the Count & Win Sports Center demonstrates sportsmanlike conduct with enthusiastic and positive phrases. Yeah, we love this the most. Two height levels allow for the VTech Count & Win Sports Center to grow with your child so they can continue to play and learn for years to come. This gift will be an all-star and knock it out of the park!
VTech brings our everyday heroes to your home with the Helping Heroes Fire Station. This 2-in-1 toy is ideal for imaginative play and easily converts from a fire truck to a multi-level fire station. Two small firefighters that fit perfectly in your kid’s hands are included, along with a mini rescue vehicle and helicopter to make their rescue efforts complete. The music, sounds, and phrases are sure to make your wee one happy and benefit them developmentally. There is no disaster the Helping Heroes Fire Station can’t combat. When the day’s work is complete, the Helping Heroes Fire Station can be easily folded into the compact fire truck and pieces stored within.
The Go! Go! Smart Wheels Ultimate Corkscrew Tower is over three feet of racing fun. Rocky the Race Car is included and teaches your kids about the letter “R” while they are zooming around the twists and turns of the Corkscrew Tower. Sounds and songs are triggered as the cars fly through the checkpoints on the tracks. To keep the little ones engaged, transform the tracks into a side by side configuration. Kris Kringle himself may need to set this hot toy up for the kids on Christmas morning.
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Educational Insights
This Christmas teach your little explorer about the world all around them with the interactive GeoSafari Jr. Talking Globe. This interactive globe will take your kids on journey’s around the world where they can learn all about geography, animals, nature, and more. There is nothing more important than teaching our children that there is more than just the small communities we live in, and with the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Globe your children can let their imagination take them wherever they want to go this winter. Perfect for preschoolers and even as a homeschool addition, this entertaining and educational globe will make a fabulous gift this year and is one of our very favorite educational toys.
Thames and Kosmos
Just because our children grow up it doesn’t mean that they don’t want toys for Christmas…it simply means that those toys may turn into more arduous, STEM-focused educational toys that they actually love and enjoy. This holiday season let your child’s dreams of becoming IronMan come true with the Mega Cyborg Hand from Thames and Kosmos. Learn all about engineering, circuitry, and more with the functioning Mega Cyborg Hand that allows your child to build a functioning, mechanical hand that he or she can operate with their own fingers. Hydraulic pistons enable the mechanical fingers to open and close, and even grip objects with enough force to lift them. The finger joints can even be adjusted to different angles for precision movement. Let your budding engineer up his robotic creation game this holiday season with Thames and Kosmos educational toys.
Smarty Jojo
Up, up and away! This holiday season delight your little ones with the Smarty Jojo, an interactive and engaging educational preschool toy. This friendly-faced airplane features motion sensors to encourage physical play, speaks both English and Spanish, and teaches children to identify colors, shapes, opposites, directions, and more. If your little one loves things that go, the Smarty Jojo airplane will be a favorite this year with an educational component to boot.
Miniland
This holiday season don’t forget toys for your littlest learners. Imaginative play, colorful objects, and soft and cozy educational toys are where it is at for our babies and toddlers this Christmas, and Miniland knows this. At Miniland toys are created with the belief that children learn through play, thus all of their fun and engaging toys are dependable, reliable, and educational from birth up. This holiday season our favorite for new babies is the Miniland Sensorial Reef, perfect for touching, chewing, rattling, and more. With its bright colors and engaging sounds, your little one will start learning the importance of the ocean early on.
For our older tots we love the Fairy Mat and Space Mat with their included vehicles. These soft and cozy mats are also perfect for play as they feature tracks and roads for little explorers to travel. With the included eco-friendly vehicles, your toddlers will spend hours adventuring on these sensory play mats and into their imaginations this season. The 3D elements will delight young learners while the soft and portable mat will please parents as it is both safe and perfect for taking along no matter where this season’s adventures take you.
Finally, for your older preschoolers and elementary aged kiddos, check out Miniland’s Amazing Inside character for a soft and plush educational experience about the human body. While all the the insides fit, well, inside of the stuffed character, they can be removed and stuck to the outside where they belong. Begin your little learners anatomy lessons early with this fantastic monster and learn all about the lungs, heart, kidneys, stomach, intestines, and even poop! Kids will love this soft and interactive toy this holiday season.
Horizon Group USA
Mix it, squish it, create it! This season kids toys and crafts are a must during the holiday season. Whether your kids are home for Christmas break, or homeschooling this entire school year, fun, educational, and entertaining arts and crafts are a must. From snowy days to rainy days to simply keeping those little minds creating, we love the all new Mixy Squish from Horizon. This textured air drying clay is a sensorial experiment in and of itself, but also allows your kids to create anything they dream up with their little imaginations. Drying squishy without the mess of play dough, Mixy Squish will be a fan favorite this holiday season we guarantee!
For your budding scientists, we love the tried and true classic of the Horizon Plasma Globe this holiday season. Teach your children all about electricity with this STEM inspired globe full of arching electrically charged light shows that respond to your touch. With the flip of a switch you can even activate a light show that moves with the music, and for an added bonus turn off the lights to see just how awesome the glow from the Plasma Globe can be. Kids young and old will be fascinated with the Horizon Plasma Globe this season and may just be inspired to learn even more about electricity with these educational toys.
Mel Science
This holiday season let your budding chemist truly begin to explore their abilities with a subscription to Mel Science. Whether you are a homeschooling family, or you simply have a future scientist in your family who loves all things STEM, give them one of the best educational gifts this year with Mel Science. With a subscription, your child will get hands-on experiments, VR lessons, and online classes with real-life science teachers all in one! Kids will receive 2-3 experiments per month with detailed instruction on a variety of topics. From growing crystals to melting metals, there is so much educational fun and exploration to be done with Mel Science.
The starter kit contains all of the basics your child will need to begin the lessons, including safety equipment and accessories for your smartphone or tablet to best utilize the educational app. After that, children will receive a variety of experiments monthly that will truly educate and amaze the entire family. Forget the boring chemistry classes you took in high school and start your children on the right track early with Mel Science. Give a gift that shows your kids just how fun learning can be with a subscription to Mel Science and all of their awesome exploration kits!
Lakeshore Learning
During times when our work, school, and home life are mixed together as one, toys that function for both fun and learning are necessities. Lakeshore Learning has all of the educational toys one needs to make Christmas a success for both parents and children this year.
Have a mermaid lover on your Christmas list? Check out the Under-The-Sea-Mermaid-Palace. This little underwater castle has everything for hours of fun. Here you will find, slides for whooshing, swings for swaying, even a furnished bedroom for sleeping. Your little one will fall in love with three little mermaids and their home.
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Another fun toy is the Let’s Go Shopping! Cash Register. Imaginative play can take kiddos so many places. Adding this talking cash register to the mix will make for fun whether they are playing grocer, restaurant, or store. This toy also offers an interactive learning function – with the push of a button kids are exposed to the alphabet, numbers, addition, and subtraction with the fabulous and classic educational toy.
Froggy’s Lair
In our world filled with screens and technology, it’s important to focus on maintaining a relationship with the world around us and experiencing the responsibility we all take in caring for our planet and our world. This holiday season, with that in mind, give the gift of balance and caring with Froggy’s Lair.
Froggy’s Lair encourages connection with our environment and teaches children and families to care for the delicate balance of nature through caring for African Dwarf Frogs. While maintaining an active relationship with the outside world can be challenging for most families due to busy schedules, limited space, and fear of high maintenance live critters or plants, Froggy’s Lair makes it possible to use science and engineering.
This holiday season, bring nature inside and make real connections in habitats suitable for today’s lifestyle with Froggy’s Lair.
Bluey
If you haven’t seen it yet, Bluey is the Australian Heeler dog whose everyday family life is a bunch of fun and adventure. Even parents can’t get enough of this show on Disney Junior. It’s hilarious for the entire family. So for kids who just love Bluey and her abundance of energy, imagination and curiosity of the world, the 18″ jumbo Best Mate Bluey is the perfect gift for all the snuggling, hugging, and Bluey watching.
Playsets make the perfect gifts for young children because they allow for open-ended, dramatic play with their favorite characters. Imaginations will run as wild as Bluey with the Bluey Family Home Playset. Perfect for little hands, the 2.5″ Bluey can run amok in her home with 4 different rooms, removable furniture, and opening doors.
Of course, no family playset is complete without a car, and the Blue Family Heeler Vehicle is the family automobile to collect. It comes with Bandit, Bluey’s dad, and two surfboards that also attach to the roof rack for ultimate play. With easy accessibility to the inside through the roof and the included sticker sheet, children can decorate the interior of the vehicle just the way Bluey would like it. Take the entire family on an adventure!
Every child needs a few new books on their shelf. And when they’re filled with great stories of their favorite blue dog, it’s easy to get them to settle down for some fun away from electronic devices. Good Night Fruit Bat, The Creek, and activity book Time to Play!: A Sticker & Activity Book are books that make great stocking stuffers for preschoolers and early readers. They’ll love seeing sisters Bluey and Bingo, as well as mom and dad Chilli and Bandit, with each turn of the page.
Bright Stripes
One of the best things about the holidays is the dazzling sights and glittering lights, and we couldn’t agree more! That’s why this holiday season, we are giving the gift of Bright Stripes and their fantastic iHeart Art Mash Up Art Pack Glitter FX. This kit includes 12 metallic watercolors, 8 glitter gel pens, 8 glitter markers, 2 paintbrushes, a 25-page art pad and a Techniques Guide so your little artist can learn how to combine these mediums in a creative, glittering way. This holiday season, give the gift of creativity and exploration with Bright Stripes.
Thin Air Brands
If your children love to pretend to shop ’til they drop, then they will love The Talking Cash Register from Thin Air Brands. With this cash register, children can count money, make change, use their debit cards, and making announcements with their loud microphone. This toy can include all of your children’s friends while teaching them skills in English, French, and Spanish. This cash register is high-quality and can even hold real money!
If your child aspires to lead a classroom one day, they will love the Play Teacher Set. This is a realistic teacher and student role play set. With this set, your child can really be the teacher! He or she can call the class to order, take attendance, write on the board, ring the bell, hand out grade cards, and much more. This kit features an easy to clean desk blotter, USA map, bell, flag, pointer, write and wipe board, eraser, attendance list, name card, play clock, Certificate of Completion and much more. With this set, your child will have everything they need to pretend to be a real-live teacher.
The doctor is in with The Doctor’s Office. This playset has everything your child needs to set up shop. A working stethoscope, blood pressure monitor, reflex hammer, and so much more. Your budding physician will love learning about human anatomy, as well as emulating doctors and nurses alike.
Magformers
The Magformers Backyard Adventure is a 61 piece set comprised of magnetic shapes and characters to create a fun and interactive outdoor play scene. This set will not only keep children entertained but also assist with critical thinking and brain development making it one of our favorite educational toys. Every side to each piece is magnetic, letting children’s imagination construct different structures. The color pieces and light up objects are perfect for the small fingers of children three years old and up.
Magnetic blocks are by far one of the very best gifts you can give a child this Christmas. STEM and block play is educational and engaging for children of all ages, and a set of Magformers magnetic blocks is a gift they will use for years. Fun and interactive, these magnetic blocks allow children to build without the frustration of their creations constantly falling down and inspire them to design, create, and explore all the possibilities when it comes to building with Magformers educational toys.
OJO
Nothing beats a good ‘ole board game. Okay, your kids may argue with you, but they argue about everything! So, let’s break the digital marathon and get into some hearty board games that will have them pleasantly surprise…and having a lot of fun. The Shape Factory Geometry Board Game is one that makes players work together to build and guess shapes. Together they win and creativity sparks an on-going relationship with the board!
Got a budding doctor in your midst? The Food Battles Biology Board Game is the perfect start to learning about major organs in the body, their location, and even how they function. With an emphasis on the digestive system, kids will learn how foods affect their health and well-being. Of course, there’s a bit of a competition as the players work together to win those food battle for a healthy body to go another round over and over again!
Imagine building your own hybrid animal and learning the mechanics of DNA. That’s exactly what the DNA Factory Genetics Board Game does. It’s a unique way to introduce a complex concept in a simple, fun, and easy-to-learn board game. Let’s talk genetics and create new creatures this holiday season, shall we?
For the chemist who needs to hone in on those skills outside of the kitchen, the Atomic Force Chemistry Board Game teaches fundamental chemistry concepts that mom and dad will even remember! As an avatar player, everyone uses the dice to make their way to the finish line while collecting protons, neutrons, and electrons that solve specific challenges. You and your kids will be building simple, and highly entertaining elements and compounds. Who knows, someone may even discover a new compound to introduce into the world!
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kiko+ & gg
Yearning to travel this holiday season? Bring the gift of travel home without going anywhere with these adorable wooden sets from kiko+ & gg. Well made wooden toys that are not only fun but also beautiful decor pieces are what you will find. Do you love NYC? Check out the Machi Town New York edition complete with miniature a Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, and of course an iconic taxi.
Ready to cross the pond and fancy a visit to London? Here you will find the iconic red double-decker bus, the London Eye, or travel in a black cab to the British Museum. Each Machi set comes with a magnetic board and high-quality wood crafted pieces. There is so much cutest from kiko+ & gg, make sure to add them to your holiday list!
Little Passports
Are you missing traveling the world this year? While 2020 may have put a damper on our holiday plans, there is still a fun way to explore right from your very own home. Little Passports creates fun expeditions educational boxes that take you and your family all around the world. They offer one time boxes as well as a monthly subscription.
The World Edition Subscription comes with everything you need for your trip. The box itself in an adorable blue suitcase. Inside you will find a passport, collectible coin board, animal squishes, stickers, and photos. Each box is themed with a different country.
Ready to explore the world of Science? Check out the Science Exploration Boxes from Little Passports. Here you will have to solve a mystery using scientific tools and evidence. Every box comes with a hands-on science experiment to engage minds and movements. Expand your home into a Science lab this holiday season.
Dolce Toys
This giant Kangaroo from Dolce Toys is a plush, interactive stuffed animal that keeps young babies engaged and happy. This adorable kangaroo includes a baby joey in its pouch along with numerous squeakers, rattles, and teethers. In addition to being a cuddly toy, this kangaroo is also educational and allows your little one to explore their senses with the different textures, colors, patterns, and sounds.
Teach My Kindergartner
This year, more than ever, give the gift that inspires learning. Whether your child is preparing for kindergarten or you’ve decided to homeschool during the pandemic, Teach My Kindergartner has everything you need to give your child the basics they need to succeed in school.
This deluxe learning kit will enable you to teach your child 100 spelling words, the time, both analog & digital, money and all about the calendar year, including weather and seasons! Teach My Kindergartener also includes fun and unique teaching tools to prepare your mini scholar for school in just 20 minutes a day. No screen required!
MindLabs
Looking for a toy that will actually stimulate their brains? Look no further! MindLab has created a top-notch game that teaches science through 3d digital cards! Introducing MindLabs: Energy and Circuits Simply add the app to your phone or tablet, scan a card or two, and presto! With games allowing up to 4 players, you can let everyone join in the fun and the learning!
Raddish Kids
Looking for something a little different for the kids this year? Raddish Kids is an all-in-one cooking club, culinary lesson, and mealtime solution that might be just the thing you are looking for this holiday. All it takes is three easy steps! Join Raddish Kids for one month, 6 months, or a year. A kit is then delivered to your doorstep every month for the length of time you subscribe. Each kit features a new culinary theme and comes with three illustrated step-by-step recipe guides that are perfect for any age, an exclusive kitchen tool designed for budding young chefs that can be used with that month’s kit, and a creative kitchen project like a hands-on craft, experiment, or food game.
Before your kit arrives, you will receive an email with a shopping list so you can be sure to have all the ingredients on hand that you need to make all three recipes. Recipes are crafted so that young children can work alongside an adult while older kids and teens can indulge their culinary curiosity on their own. This year make cooking and sharing a meal fun for the whole family with Raddish Kids!
ask Einstein Electronic Flash Cards
We all recognize that this school year is unlike anything we’ve experienced before. However, regardless of where your child is learning right now, repetition and recall are still an important part of early education. With that in mind, there’s one smart mouse that moms won’t mind in the house this holiday season. Dr. STEM™ Toys introduces Einstein, the world’s smartest animal can test kids on their knowledge of animals, colors, math, and nature with the flip of a flashcard. ask Einstein electronic flashcards are a fun way to fill up your preschooler’s brain with facts and figures that can be retained for a lifetime.
Jabuka
Looking for a fun, educational gift that the entire family will enjoy? Jabuka is a new rotating letter word game with a coffee theme. It isn’t like Scrabble or Bananagrams, because Jabuka has its own alphabet and kids are getting a big kick out of it. Players spill the beans and start a battle of words. The clever word scrambles and added letters are endless when “c” is “u” and/or “n,” “r” can also be a “j,” “t” is also an “x,” and more. Try it for yourself and see what all the buzz is about!
hand2mind
The perfect one-stop shop for those budding scientists and engineers, hand2mind is an online educational powerhouse when it comes to fun, engaging, and educational games, tool, and science kits for kids. This holiday season whether Santa is looking for plenty of educational ideas for those homeschooled kids, or the grandparents want a gift that keeps on giving, hand2mind is the place to shop. This season we love the Squishy Water Beads Science Lab with its interactive educational entertainment that will keep the kids learning for hours. Perfect for sensory play, kids will learn all about gases, liquids, and solids while creating fun sensory tools and toys. With the included illustrated storybook and activity guide, there are a total of 10 STEM-based activities focusing on the properties of matter and sensory play that can be explored with this science lab. Whether your kids are homeschooling, or simply enjoy STEM-based activities at home, the Squishy Water Beads Science Lab is a great gift this season.
Rosetta Stone
Admit it. You’ve always wanted to learn a second (or even third!) language. Rosetta Stone is one the most trusted programs to make that dream a reality. With live classes, on to the go lessons and tips and tricks for how to speak like a true native speaker, they are simply unmatched. You can even record your pronunciation for practice or get feedback to help you nail it! Don’t know which language to choose? Start a free trial and see what suits you!
Christmas break is time for food, fun, and education! Yep, you heard that right, education! Do not let your kids eat junk food and play video games all winter break. Instead, gift them educational toys to keep them learning and active now and into the future. Give the gift of knowledge this holiday season with our favorite educational toys and inspire a love of learning that will last a lifetime!
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