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Buy yourself a couple hours of free time.

Say goodbye to cries of "I'm booooored" and hello to some time to yourself. These toys and activities all come backed by reviewers who are raving about how they keep kids occupied for hours and hours. If you're tired of buying things that get played with for one day and then tossed aside, this list is for you.

Promising review: "I wish I had known about these sooner! PicassoTiles are *exactly* like Magna-tiles but way more affordable. We just received the 100-tile set today — an early birthday gift for our soon-to-be-four-year-old. We have two sets of Magna-tiles — one with the grommets (purchased new last year) and one without (purchased second-hand [no idea how old they are]). The PicassoTiles are the same weight and size as the MagnaTiles and have the same exact magnets. They do not have metal grommets, but the old MagnaTiles are indestructible, so I know that these will be too. And PicassoTiles are much prettier, in my opinion, because they are slightly more translucent and have brighter colors. They integrate into the collection seamlessly. I highly recommend this product. And if you are considering buying any kind of magnetic tile toy for your child, I recommend purchasing as big a set as you can for the versatility of play. Our son has played with these all day and night off and on every single day since we bought them last year. After integrating the new PicassoTile set, he hugged his enormous structure and declared them his favorite...twice. A wonderful toy!" —skater mom

It includes an LED light board with a removable tracing panel and six gel markers. They can just draw directly onto the light board — plus, the removable back panel makes tracing images incredibly easy. Then, turn it on to light up the designs and showcase them — even in the dark.

Promising review: "This light board is awesome!! My 6-year-old loves to draw and absolutely loves this board. The markers nestle into the back of the board for storage, which makes this mom happy; the board cleans easily with a damp paper towel or wipe. This is a great car activity for traveling. Love the added feature of the removable blackboard for tracing — so fun! Will make a great gift for any art lover!" —Danielle Campbell

You can also collect all 12 puzzle box designs and connect multiple magnetic cubes to build even larger structures and sculptures.

Promising review: "I was hesitant about spending $25 for this toy and even more concerned when it showed up and I saw the size, but this got the award for favorite Christmas gift. Both my 9-year-old and 12-year-old play with it constantly!" —Blair001

Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in 18 designs).

Promising review: "My 5- and 3-year-olds (and me) have spent hours building towers and watching marbles clatter down these chutes, steps, gears, and spirals, HOURS! And they’re not bored yet! It’s also educational learning the physics of slopes by experience. Plus, it comes with enough marbles that losing a few doesn’t matter." —Joyce Parker

Promising review: "This is a really neat toy that has provided literally hours and hours of enjoyment for my 4-year-old nephew (and me!). The pieces fit well together, it is very sturdy and stands up well even on carpet. There are an infinite number of ways to build these runs, and this toy never gets boring. Highly recommended." —Becca

Get it from Amazon for $49.99 (available in three styles).

Promising review: "What a great combination of construction, puzzles, and games! My 5-year-old and 8-year-old niece were able to challenge themselves to some of the levels (the 8-year-old was more capable of solving them on her own). The adults also found themselves fixated on playing the different levels as well! It was challenging and fun! We love marble runs and games, so this was a perfect fit. This is one of the few games that everyone asks to play, and it's perfect when we have guests of kiddos over and keeps everyone busy and engaged for hours!" —Crystal Brown

Promising review: "These are amazing for creative sensory play! I love that the foam is non-toxic and that it doesn't stick to everything. My kids have left it out numerous times, and it never, ever dries out. And the little pet pals are just the cutest. The kids were so excited to see which ones they got and literally spent hours playing with them and the foam. These would be perfect for stocking stuffers!" —NYMommy

Get a pack of two from Amazon for $11.10.

The lizard is rechargable and powered with the included USB cable, though two AAA batteries are needed for the remote (not included).

Promising review: "My son asked and asked for this remote control lizard! And he absolutely loves it. I wouldn't recommend this product if you had only carpet. It crawls well on wood/tile and crawls up and across the walls using a vacuum." —Amanda

The kit comes with a paintbrush, 18 special pieces of paper, and six clear paints that change colors when they hit the paper. The brush lights up to indicate what color is currently on the brush. 

Promising review: "This is the coolest gift for an art-loving toddler. My son (2 years old) loves to paint...but who likes to set up and tear down a 2-year-old paint session? This high-quality magic brush is just that....magic. You can tap the paintbrush onto the desired color, and somehow that color is displayed on the paper. Zero mess, zero clean up, zero paint scent, zero worries. Highly recommend as you can't beat the value for the money!" —Kevin Shiley

Get it from Amazon for $27.89. Also available in a fun finger-painting version!

Promising review: "My son received this set as a gift for Christmas, and he really loves it. I asked the gifter where they got it, and I have since bought the same set two times as a gift to other toddlers my son's age. And each time it's a huge hit! Kids are just obsessed with this. Even I had fun playing this with my son. I like how versatile the tracks are. Totally worth it!" —olive

Get it from Amazon for $26.99 (also available in blue).

There are other 3-in-1 kits — like a shark + crab/squid/anglerfish for $12.99, unicorn/seahorse/peacock for $9.25, dragon/phoenix/fish for $9.49!

Btw, Lego has a cool gift-finder feature so you can browse by the age of the kid you're shopping for, their interests, and your budget!

Promising review: "I got this set for my daughter, and it's legitimately awesome. So far, we've put together the T. rex (amazing) and the Pterodactyl. It's great that you can build multiple things from one set, though the T. rex uses almost all the pieces, and the other two are a bit smaller, but still super fun. This would be a great birthday present, too. So happy with this purchase. Nice small box, has three sets of instructions and hours and hours of fun. Also, the toys are sturdy enough to play with after you build them." —FzzPoofy

Promising review: "Adorable and affordable. My kiddos love these little things. The packaging is easy to open, and the fingerling works right out of the box. When turned on, he/she will make the cutest little sounds and noises that keep the kids smiling and occupied while this busy mom catches up on all the things." —C. Guttierez 

Get it from Amazon for $14.99 (available in three styles). 

Promising review: "My daughter loves the Bluey figure toys, so we had to get this for her for Christmas. It’s adorable, and with the plane turning into a resort, it’s a great value. It was hard for me to find in stores, but Amazon came through! The character figures are great, and it looks like fun. I’m sure she will be excited to receive it!" —Ashley S.

The set also comes with a protective carrying case, a neck strap, a cleaning cloth, and a bird identification sticker book. 

Promising review: "Awesome binoculars for kids! My 3, 5, and 7-year-olds all use them and get to bird with mom and dad. I have even used them in a pinch, and they work great. We have had other brands of binoculars for them, and they do not fit as nicely in their hands or focus as well. These are lightweight and easy to use." —Mama of Wrens

Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in two colors). 

The wooden ice cream counter comes with eight ice cream scoops, six toppings, two cones, cup, scooper, tongs, wooden spoon, reusable menu card, and six pretend dollar bills.

Promising review: "Fun toy set for a creative toddler. My newly-turned-3-year-old daughter instantly fell in love with this set! She loves seeing how high she can stack the ice cream cones and pretending to serve Mom and Dad her creations. She's been obsessed with climbing things around the house, and we *desperately* needed a distraction to get her to stop, and this is working so far — she plays with this thing for HOURS!" —West Family

Promising review: "This thing is awesome! My kids were playing with my husband’s old gaming steering wheel, and it ended up breaking apart a week ago. They were pretty upset because they love pretending to drive, so I looked to find another one. There were cheaper options than this one, but they were just the plain steering wheel, no buttons or gear shift, so I decided to give this one a try. My boys loved it so much that I had to sit with them for hours, having them take turns playing so they wouldn’t fight over it. I didn’t realize there was a little window that shows the car on the road, but my 3-year-old LOVES it! He likes to set the timer on the gas gauge, and when it goes off, he lets me know he’s pulling into the gas station (there’s a little gas station in the window part). Anyway, we loved it so much we bought another one the same afternoon so both boys can drive together." —Brittany

Promising review: "My younger sister is having a phase where she loves taking baths, but at the same time is obsessed with anything "dinosaur involved." I decided to give her these dino surprise bath bombs, and she absolutely LOVED them; she even requested to take multiple baths per day. One of her favorite parts of the bath is where the bomb dissolved to reveal a small trinket — and even though it was nothing special, she'd play with it afterward for hours on end. Most of the colors were pretty good, too, except for one that looked like she had an accident 😅. This is a perfect gift for 6-year-olds and under!!" —ESmoth

Get a pack of nine from Amazon for $15.99.

Promising review: "I LOVE this thing! I bought it before my daughter was born because of high reviews. It's a reasonably priced toy, and my daughter has been using it since birth. Whenever she's having a meltdown, I break it out of the diaper bag, and she's all better. :) I actually memorized the songs and order, and they're pretty catchy. Not annoying and overbearing like other toys. I don't know what I would do without it!." —uhhdorkable

Promising review: "The best baby distractor EVER! Every person with a child must have this toy! I had about five tucked in various places in case one got lost. My son loved them from basically birth, and sometimes it would distract him for hours of non-crying! (Heaven for a new mother) Of course, in the beginning, you have to keep pushing the button for them, but compared to swinging him in his car seat, that was easy! Then, when he got older, he would spend entire car rides just playing with this one toy. I give it to everyone I know who has a baby." —NH-Mommy

Promising review: "This tablet has entertained my 4-year-old grandson for hours at a time. He loves that he can erase at will and that the drawings are multicolored. I highly recommend this item for 18 months old and up. I bought a pink one for our 18-month-old granddaughter, and she, too, is just enthralled with it and the 'power' she has to erase, create, erase, create! They loved them so much that we bought another set of two different colors so that they would have them at home as well as at 'Grammy's.'" —Kindle Customer Red Heart

Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in three sizes and four colors).

Promising review: "I can not give these enough stars! These are the best thing ever, they keep my 5-year-old entertained for hours!" —turbo1795

Promising review: "Great learning toy. I got this for my kids (7, 9, and 11) while we were studying the human body for science, and they are obsessed with this! They want to play with it all the time and can sit there for hours. They have learned so much just by playing with this toy and reading the book it came with." —Jacqueline

Promising review: "This is a great craft for my 7-year-old to do on her own! It's quick, easy to use, and gives her hours of fun. So much so that I ordered another one. I love how this craft kit is something she can do with no help. Yes, the stickers are cheap to an adult, but to a 7-year-old who colors and makes it on her own, it's magic." —Coop

This science kit includes four natural crystal-filled geodes, one pair of safety goggles, one display stand, and one learning guide.

Promising review: "My daughter is 10, and this kept her busy for HOURS! She had so much fun and was excited every time she got a glimpse of what might be inside. A couple of them were pretty cool, while the rest were just white. She didn't care; she loves them all. She was so proud to gift them to her grandparents." —Michelle

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in three sizes).

Reviewers say this is a great toy for all ages — from 3 to 12.

Promising review: "I was pleasantly surprised with how popular this was! I just bought it as a side gift for a child, just because it was cheap and it was a puzzle-type toy. However, this kept both kids and adults immensely entertained for hours. It was challenging for everyone, but a fun challenge. I’m purchasing another so we can race each other to finish at the next gathering." —Mrs. Dinkleberg

Promising review: "Our son is absolutely obsessed with our Dyson (the real one). Which is why we purchased this toy Dyson vacuum for his birthday. He's 2-years-old and he is really enjoying having his on 'working' vacuum cleaner!!! He seriously plays with it for hours during the day. Turning it on and off and pushing it through the house just like we use our real vacuum. I would buy this again! It was his favorite gift!." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $27.99+ (available in three colors).

The kit comes with over 32 electrical components, including snap wires, slide switches, an alarm circuit, a music-integrated circuit, and a speaker. (Each piece is numbered and color-coded to make identifying them easy.) Plus, a plastic grid and a project manual with 101 different electronic projects.

Recommended for ages 8+. Adult supervision is advised.

Promising review: "Can I give this 6 stars? My 6-year-old son didn't ask me ONCE today for his tablet, video game, or to play on my phone. He ignored a new movie on TV (one he had been BEGGING to see) because he was playing with this toy. He spent a couple hours working with his dad, a couple experimenting by himself and another few HOURS working through the projects with his aunt. I LOVE THIS TOY!" —SnappinMom

Promising review: "I bought this for my son when he was 3. Two years later, I’ve come back to write my unbiased review, so you have one to trust. At the time, I bought these on a whim and had no idea what I would unlock. For more than two full years now, these gears have been played with DAILY. Every. Single. Day. They have held up to crashed airplanes, tidal waves hitting sea creatures, and have been catapulted into castles. Very rarely have they been played with, as shown in the product pictures, as my son uses them to build different things every day. Dusty Crophopper (plane), Lightning McQueen (race car), and so much more. Our only regret is sometimes we don’t have enough pieces to build an entire fleet. These creations have an entire shelf for display in his bedroom to feature what he builds each day. This toy is durable, open-ended, grows with the child, fits a variety of abilities and ages, and is only limited by imagination. I could not recommend this toy more!" —Traveler

Promising review: "I bought these for my 4-year-old nephew and 2-year-old niece for when they come to visit. Right out of the box, they were excited and loved tossing them up in the air and watching them fall. I was amazed at how long it kept their interest and the different ways they played with them. They dropped them off the stair landing, off the couch, in the yard, and held them behind them to expand as they ran. My niece liked "Dancing" with them and twirling it around. Good colors and they are very well made. Hours of fun and the best $7 I ever spent on a toy!" — hiker0811

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in three colors).

Promising review: "Scissors skills are important both in and of themselves because they strengthen the hand muscles to be used for learning to write. My 4-year-old LOVES this book. We received it this week, and she has used it for a couple of hours each day. Many of the pages are cutting things out and putting them together (four-scoop ice cream cone, pizza with pepperonis, the components to build a house or a car, puzzles). We've used tape or glue to put the components together. This book is interesting enough to have caught the attention of my older children as well, although I make them let her do the cutting. :D Would make a great gift as it is so unique." —Mom of 7

Promising review: "This is incredible!! My grandkids spend hours outdoors, playing with this!! Best thing I could have ever bought to get them outdoors and out from under video games and YouTube. Also, good exercise. It is better outdoors than indoors. The battery life is not very long, but I bought 2, and they just switch them out. Fun! Fun! Fun!" —ladybug

Get it from Amazon for $25.60 (available in seven colors).

Promising review: "This is by far the best sewing craft project!!! The design is adorable, and it’s so clever. All the extra pieces that come with it are an absolute delight. My 7-year-old daughter LOVES it! She was able to do most everything herself, but the purse accessory (that was tricky)…but so cute :)" —J Fox

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (also available in bunny, pony, and unicorn versions, plus a koala version, which is listed separately).

Promising review: "Love, love, love! I got this for my 3-year-old for his birthday, and he's obsessed! It came with a whole bunch of dominoes, two stacks of dominoes, the train, of course, and batteries were included! You're able to adjust the front wheels to make it automatically go in a circle, which I thought was cool. I assumed we would just have to keep moving it, so that was a nice surprise! Overall, it's just a really neat toy that keeps my kid very entertained!" —Lea Bransky

Get it from Amazon for $24.99 (available in two colors).

The kit includes 190 pieces, a solar panel, and detailed instructions.

Promising review: "I purchased this as a gift for an 8-year-old boy. He loves to build, loves robotics, dinosaurs, and Godzilla. :) He LOVES this set! He sits for hours on end, which is an amazing accomplishment for any 8-year-old, playing with and building all the different robot toys. A friend's 8-year-old daughter loves them, the 48-year-old parent loves them, and the 75-year-old grandpa loves them. Fun for the whole family!" —MBC

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in grey and blue).

Promising review: "I was so excited to gift this tape to a 4-year-old boy, and to see how it was. It's very light and sticks to a table very nicely. Left no residue on the table, and could tear easily to make a turn in the road. You could put this anywhere in your house and not be worried about damage. Very cool!" —Courtney S.

Get a 30-foot roll from Amazon for $11.97 (available in multipacks).

The set comes with eight paint markers and a downloadable 101 Easy Dot Marker Activities PDF. 

Promising review: "My son is 4 years old; we bought this item a year and a half ago. I can't believe he still uses them weekly and loves them like the first day. I came to my Amazon order history only to write a review here because I'm amazed at how long they last and still look like new! We used it for his 3-K class projects, and now we use them for pre-K (and, of course, home projects and coloring books). Is a great tool for little artists! Last Halloween, we had a couple of friends over to paint small pumpkins, and these markers saved me from all the mess that could have been!" —Sofia Ostrowski

Get a set of eight from Amazon for $12.99 (also available in set of 16 and 36).

Promising review: "This may be my favorite LeapFrog toy yet!! So much to teach children, two languages, and it has actually kept my 1-year-old's attention for more than 60 seconds!!! It’s a must-have toy, in my opinion!" —Megan Hennegan

Promising review: "Our 18-month-old toddler loves it! Clear words; makes it easy for babies to repeat. A must-have toy. 👍"  —Zaida

The set comes with 36 playing cards, 264 playing chips, caller's mat and cards, and a storage box.

Promising review: "Our first-grader was feeling really discouraged with her sight words, and I've been trying to think of ways to encourage her and get her excited to learn things she doesn't already know. She loved this game! We played with the whole family, and her 3-year-old sister even enjoyed playing (we showed her the cards and had her find the word that matched her Bingo card). I think this is a great way to make learning/practicing sight words fun! I am very happy with this purchase, and I can see how it would be great for teachers in the classroom as well!!" —Jennie

Yes, they easily wash clean with soap and water without losing stickiness, so the fun can keep going even after they end up in one of your houseplant pots. 

Promising review: "I waited over two months to write my review! My 4-year-old daughter plays with these DAILY! YES, they do attract dirt and hair. HOWEVER, they are so easy to rinse off, it's not a big deal! We took these to a family gathering and ended up giving two away because they were SO loved! The two we gave away went to a 12-year-old and my 19-year-old brother. They discovered throwing them at the ceiling fan and watching them shoot across the room, which was pretty entertaining! None of them has busted or ripped, and they are definitely NOT gentle with them! I will definitely be buying more!" —Kindle Customer

Get a pack of six from Amazon for $11.99.

The Peculiar Pets set includes: one dragon, one narwhal, one yeti, one unicorn toy, one sparkly scrub tub, one scrub brush, nine washable markers, one standing play mat, and an instruction sheet.

Promising review: "My daughter LOVES coloring, stickers, drawing, etc., so when I saw this prior to her fourth birthday, I thought she would enjoy it. It was a HUGE hit, and it will regularly keep her occupied for an hour or so at a time, coloring, cleaning, and coloring again (with only minor help when asked for more help cleaning and drying). Even my 6-year-old son, who doesn't usually color or draw, will join her periodically and seems to enjoy it. The markers are short and skinny, great for small hands." —a.b.

The microscope talks in three languages in addition to English — you can choose between two options: Mandarin/Japanese/Korean or Spanish/French/German.

Promising review: "This is by far one of the coolest products I’ve ever seen! My 4-year-old loves this talking microscope! Every day while her baby sister naps, I spend some quality one-on-one time with her, and this was the perfect product for our special time together! She didn’t want to stop looking at all the different slides and I love how each slide has three images and the fact mode shares fun facts about the slide chosen! I love that she was learning new facts while looking at it up closely! She has been having so much fun using it and asks me daily to use her new microscope! This is such a great learning tool in a fun, different way for a 4-year-old and it is a big win in my book, especially because it can be used for many, many years! It also includes a quiz mode that we haven’t used yet, but it’s nice that it has different modes for older kids. Highly recommend for all preschoolers and older kids!" —JC Mommy

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* Essentials You’ll Need When It's Finally Time To Start Giving Your Baby Real People Food

Plus, quiet toys, crafting kits, time-savers, travel strollers (and other must-haves for traveling with kids), baby shower gifts, options for your next family game night, train sets, and newborn essentials.

BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

This piece is by Maitland Quitmeyer, a deputy editorial director on the BuzzFeed Shopping team (she's been a shopping editor so long, she remembers when Prime Day was just one day), who has spent the better part of a decade finding, vetting, and writing about products (and deals!), from no-nonsense toilet cleaners to the best mascaras to genius ideas that'll win your next gift exchange.

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.