Holiday Gift Guide 2021: For Kids Who Love to Play and Create
by Elena Epstein
Director, National Parenting Product Awards
At National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA ) our focus is family and our mission is simple — find and showcase the best toys, baby and family products. We have been celebrating the best for 31 years! The industry knows and respects us and parents trust us. As one of the longest-running awards programs in the country, we are the “go-to” source for parents and professionals seeking the best products for their children and families.
Batman All-Terrain RC Batmobile
Water, snow, mud, rocks and grass are no match for this Batmobile built with performance tires for unstoppable fun. $49.99, ages 4+, amazon.com
American Girl’s World by Us Dolls & Books
Meet Makena, Evette and Maritza whose diverse stories reflect social issues of racial equality, environmentalism and immigration. Each doll includes a book. $110.00, ages 8+, americangirl.com
Marshall’s Transforming City Fire Truck™
An all-new toy from the PAW Patrol Movie. Best suited for the city streets, with two different modes and exciting sounds for added fun. $54.99, age 3+, amazon.com
Rainbocorns Fairycorn Surprise
Collect seven new characters, all featuring ten magical surprises. $24.99, ages 3+, target.com
Disney Junior Roller-Skating Party Minnie Mouse
These friends feature matching glittery helmets and can skate side-by-side, spin together, or skate in a conga line. They can even spice up their routine with 360 turns! $39.99, ages 3+, justplayproducts.com
Big Horse Show
Features 100+ accessories for hours of play with Sarah and Tori and their Tennessee walking mare and Lusitano stallion. $99.99, ages 5+, amazon.com
PLAYMOBIL Dino Rise T-Rex: Battle of the Giants
Featuring a robot machine on a destructive path. A dino-human team is needed to stop them before it’s too late. $69.99, ages 5-12, playmobil.us
Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron
Mix the potion to create real mist, revealing a surprise creature that will respond to touch, lights up, grants wishes and casts endless spells. Kids can continue to create potions using household items. $69.99, ages 5+, moosetoys.com
My Fairy Garden® Light Unicorn Paradise
A charming toadstool house sits beside a sparkly rocky cave for magical fairy fun. Includes a shiny light-up rainbow and a glittery unicorn friend. $29.99, ages 4+, playmonster.com
Animal Planet Deep Sea Shark Rescue Submarine
Experience the ultimate underwater sea adventure. But beware of the killer whale and the great white shark, both with jaw-chomping action. Features lights & glow-in-the-dark sea animals. $39.99, ages 3+, target.com
A portable, dual-sided, painting studio allowing little artists to create their own masterpieces anywhere. Includes a portable travel art case. $24.99, ages 4+, shop.crayola.com
Adora Amazing Girls 18-inch Doll Cassidy
Enjoy hours of imaginative play with this free-spirited doll who calls Arizona home and likes ot stomp with the rhythm of her favorite country songs. $45.36, ages 6+, amazon.com
Magna Tiles Builder 32 Piece Set
Engage in real engineering and construction. Includes light printing of roads, bricks and caution signs to enhance imagination. $49.99, ages 3+, magnatiles.com
Geostix® Letter & Construction Set
Linking engineering, art and mathematics for unlimited imaginative play. Straight and curved flexible sticks snap together for endless creations. $34.99, ages 3+, amazon.com
Purse Pets
Fabulous interactive pets packed with purse-onality. Respond to touch, really blink and have fun sounds and reactions $24.99, ages 4+, amazon.com
Pets Alive Pet Shop Surprise
With Speak & Repeat animal sounds and over 10 surprises inside, these are the perfect new bestie. Six pets to collect. $14.99, ages 3+, target.com
Ryan’s World Chef Ryan’s Fridge Surprise
Mini figs, oozes and compounds, a working ice cube dispenser and more. $49.99, ages 3+, justplayproducts.com
Spirit Untamed: Swing & Saddle Barn Playset
Inspired by the film Spirit Untamed, this set brings the friendships, bravery and adventure home. $39.99, ages 3+, shop.mattel.com
Carry Around Robot Town
A super-cute robot-shaped carrying case on the outside, an adventure-filled factory of robot pals on the inside. $19.99, ages 3-8, lakeshorelearning.com
KidKraft Blue’s Clues & You! Cooking-Up-Clues Play Kitchen
Four-sided play with a sink, fridge, snack table, stove and oven. Sized just right for a playful preschooler. $79.00, ages 3+, walmart.com
Coding Critters™ MagiCoders
Enchanting creatures teach STEM skills through screen-free storybook coding adventures. The playset and spell book take kids on a journey to decode the magic inside. $54.99, ages 4+, learningresources.com
Gabby’s Purrfect Dollhouse
Packed with exciting features and characters, including a dollhouse delivery tower, working Cat-A-Vator, Gabby Girl collectible figure, Pandy Paws figure and furniture for each room. $55.99, ages 3+, target.com
On-the-Go Story Pal™
Take story time wherever you go and spark imagination through books, poems, songs and lullabies. $27.99, ages 3-8, shop.leapfrog.com
Marble Rush™ Ultimate Set™
Roll through thrilling stunts and exciting challenges with this 145-piece color-coded building set, which includes a spinning Ferris wheel, thrilling ramps, fast tracks and extreme launchers. $44.99, ages 4+, vtechkids.com
Ice Ribbon Twirler
Sparkly dance accessory perfect for indoor and outdoor play. Use the light up feature to add some magic to your nighttime dance activities. $9.99, ages 6+, kess-co.com
Got2Glow Fairy Finder
Catch them in your bedroom, in the kitchen, outside, in the dark and even upside down. There’s always a fairy around. $39.99, ages 5+, wowwee.com
Smashers Lava Light Up Dino Mega Surprise
Discover different dinos to build, which then light up and are ready for battle – complete with dino sounds! Over 25 different surprises in each egg. $24.99, ages 4+, zuru.com
Make-A-Fort Build Kit
Never hear “I’m bored” again. With this kit, what happens next is totally up to imagination. A maze? A mansion? An igloo? $77.00, ages 4+, makeafort.fun
Smart Teddy
An innovative toy controlled by parents through a mobile app that can lead your little ones through educational games and activities designed to promote literacy, math and social-emotional learning. $149.95, ages 3-6, smartteddy.store
Just Add Soap
Make science and art at home easy with supplies you already have. Loaded with at-home experiments and new discoveries. $24.95, ages 8+, griddlygames.com
Discovery #MINDBLOWN Career Play Doctor Kit
Features a wide variety of games, activities and medical-style tools, for real world medical, pretend play fun. $32.50, ages 6+, discoverymindblown.com
5 Surprise Toy Mini Brands Mini Toy Store
Build, store and display with the ultimate toy store. Includes shelves, accessories and magical extras to build out an extraordinary shopping world. $29.99, ages 4+, zuru.com
Count Along Basket & Scanner
Let’s shop with play food, shopping lists and scanners. Carry the basket or expand into a rolling cart while learning about new food groups, colors, shapes and numbers. $34.99, ages 2+, store.leapfrog.com
Bakugan GeoForge Dragonoid
Features six exclusive Geogan to build the ultimate Dragonoid. Watch as it pops open from its unique shape into a fierce creature. $39.99, ages 6+, amazon.com
Sort & Recycle Ride-On Truck™
Do your part to help the earth with this recycling truck made from 90% reclaimed plastic. Beginner recyclers will love hopping on this lean, green recycling machine. $29.84, ages 2-5, walmart.com
Snapsies Mix and Match Surprise
Offers a whole world of animal characters each with its own distinct personalities, looks and accessories that you can customize in a snap. $9.99, ages 3+, amazon.com
Mosaic Photo Frame Craft Kit
Beautiful shimmery colorful mosaic pieces made from mother of pearl shells. Everything kids need to create a unique frame. $15.99, ages 6+, plbfun.com
Scribble Scrubbie Ocean Pets Lagoon Playset
Use the washable markers to customize the crew: shark, octopus, whale and clownfish pets. $29.99, ages 3+, michaels.com
Sketch Pals Doodle Board
Clipable board characters, perfect for backpacks, lunchboxes or carry-on luggage. With the push of a button, the doodle board instantly clears itself for a new creation. $19.99, ages 4+, myboogieboard.com
Choppin’ Fun Learning Pot
Prepare for a recipe of learning. Chop the food, set the temperature dial and start cooking. $21.99, ages 1-4, shop.leapfrog.com
Gift Box Ornament Decorator
A DIY craft to embrace the holiday season, allowing kids to make hand-decorated ornaments for the tree. $27.99, ages 4+, eggmazing.com
STEAM Paper Butterflies Science Kit
Create beautiful paper butterflies that explode with color while learning about capillary action. Use colorful inks to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces. $22.99, ages 7+, amazon.com
PIXTER
Unleash your inner artist. Select an image and the electronic drawing coach will show you how to draw step-by-step, one line at a time. $19.99, ages 6+, pixtertoy.com
Mindful Animals Calming Activity Cards
Pause and destress with 50 animal-themed mindfulness and relaxation techniques for kids. Help calm and soothe after a busy day or even in the middle of one. $12, ages 4+, petitcollage.com
Squishmallow Food Squad
Are you a foodie? This toy features everything from appetizers to cheeseburgers to desserts. A squad member of carry out food for everyone. $19.99, all ages, squishmallows.com
