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When kids are building, creating, and imagining, it’s always time well spent (and time when they’re out of your hair).

I'm the father of two small humans and one very small canine and the former SEO Strategy Manager & Editor for the BuzzFeed Shopping Team.

Includes five washable chalk balls, six washable sidewalk chalk sticks, and four chalk stencils.

Promising review: "My daughter and her friend had an absolute blast with these; it kept them entertained for a couple of hours. I will say they were also covered with chalk dust, and they loved it." —anonymous

Promising review: "This is such a great product! I purchased it for my son, but we all ended up using it — including my husband. I haven't seen my child spend this much time doing an activity at the table in so long. We spent more than four hours creating and having fun together! The quality is great, and I would definitely purchase it again. Also, this clay has no bad odor or strong smell, which is a big plus for people and kids with sensitivities to smells or skin sensitivity." —Operatory Organized

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

So, a woodpecker took up residence in our birdhouse, but then it started putting holes in the side of our actual house. Terrible guest. No stars. Watch out for those!  

Promising review: "Definitely need a parent's help, but overall the quality was great, and my kids absolutely loved the activity." —L. Sugar

Promising review: "Hello, parents! Wanna surprise your kids with paper art? This is the perfect thing to engage your children when you want them to have off-screen time. My kids love this product. So try it; they might love it too." —Marisa

Promising review: "Worth every penny. What a great toy. Very well made. My 6-year-old got this for his birthday, and his 11-year-old sister and brother were also very into it. Easy to use. Not too messy. Your kids can break down your cardboard recycling really, really small lol. Pricey, but keeping your kids occupied and out of your hair is priceless." —hollibadger

Promising review: "Cute slime kit. My daughter is obsessed with Barbie, so this is perfect; she loved it and has so much fun. Good quality slime. And a perfect-size kit." —Ariel

Promising review: "These kits are awesome; my 5-year-old and 7-year-old love them. The directions are clear and easy to follow. The experiments are simple enough that my kids can follow them on their own. The experiments explore a variety of scientific concepts, and my kids are amazed by each of them. The test tubes come packed with almost everything you need for each experiment. We have had to use water, vegetable oil, and salt from our kitchen; everything else has been included. Excellent value for the money; I will buy this again." —Sarah Andrews

Promising review: "These are the best markers around! They will never have lost caps because there aren’t any. They work like push-button pens. Push the end, and the marker comes out. Push the end again, and the marker retracts into the holder. No more dried-out markers from lost caps!" —Chris

Get it from Amazon for $11.99+ (available in four styles).

Promising review: "If you are on the fence about whether Posca markers are worth the hype compared to cheaper alternatives, let me save you the trouble: they absolutely are. This PC-3M fine point set is an absolute staple in my craft supplies, and the quality is completely unmatched." —Dee

Promising review: "I gave this to my 7-year-old nephew for his birthday. He wanted to open it shortly after, and we worked together on the spaceship. Turned out great! (Even though we had to go back and refold a couple of times. 😉) Durable paper, plus it was pretty easy to follow once you got the hang of it. It's nice that, because of the printed paper, it feels like you've got something before you even start, which is encouraging. The end product is really cute!" —Jodie Jurgens

Promising review of Astronaut Kit: "My son is obsessed with space; he is 5, and I was a little worried he wouldn't be too interested in a step-by-step direction project like this. I was so wrong; this was the best project for him. A little folder comes with it that has a checkbox for all the activities, and your child can earn their own Astronaut in Training certification when they check them all. That was exceptionally exciting for him. The directions are pretty easy for kids to figure out on their own as well, since it has a lot of pictures. This is definitely worth the money and the time. A great way to spend a few hours. We split it into two days." —Chace

Promising review of Levitating Lantern Kit: "This is definitely good for a 9-year-old. I made this with my niece, and she really liked it. It gives a brief introduction to basic wiring and tension. The way it uses tension is really neat. I’d recommend this as a great science project." —Ryan Sasaki

Promising review of Snake Robot Kit: "Super fun build! My 8-year-old was able to build the whole thing by himself, and he's been playing with it for DAYS. The super fun thing is that it comes with several skins. We've never done an electronics project before, and this was a fun first." —Alexandra miller

Get the astronaut or levitating lantern kits for $29.95, or the snake robot for $39.95 from Amazon.

Note: Many reviewers have commented on how small all the pieces are and how they can easily get stuck in the packaging or spill out.

Promising review: "Good assortment of bead colors and sizes, and different string colors and fabrics. However, my 5-year-old benefited from adult help choosing the matching bead and string sizes and tying the strings. I immediately bought a clear plastic bead box with divided sections for beads, as they pop out of the flimsy plastic holders. There are several different designs of alphabet beads, and they are very small, so they are stuck to the packaging with some kind of stickiness. Get a box or bead container before you even open this bead box to hold the beads, or they will be all over the floor in minutes!" —Ms. Chicago

Get it from Amazon for $10.97+ (available in four styles).

Promising review: "Such a fun and educational activity! The video instructions and paper instructions ensure the build process goes smoothly. I recommend using both. I also recommend keeping a sanding block on hand because, as with any plastic model, sometimes you have to sand down extraneous nubs. It takes several hours to complete, and the reward is totally worth the effort! Very gratifying to watch the pistons, valves, and fan move." —Ashley M. Carey

Promising review: "My family is not artistic by any means. My 5-year-old inherited our lack of artistry. He likes to use this Spirograph Jr., and he makes beautiful work! It is perfect for him to build confidence in making something that looks so nice! We put this on the fridge. Also, I love that everything has a place inside the plastic, so everything stays nice and organized. You'll know if you are missing something. The bulk of the items (the round stencil things) makes it so easy for little hands to make it look nice. I would buy this again and give it out as gifts to his friends!" —Patricia

Promising review: "We got this Lego set for my son for his 7th birthday, and he absolutely loves it! He was able to assemble it within a couple of hours, all by himself. The 'actions' and noises that come from Pikachu are very fun; my son is obsessed! Our only complaint is that the battery life on the brick doesn’t last super long. However, it does charge relatively quickly, and visually shows you how charged it is by using different colors. Overall, I (and my son) think it is of very good quality and worth the money. It looks great and has all the correct parts. Highly recommend!!" —Greenfields

Each kit comes with 10 rocks, eight colors of waterproof paint, a paintbrush, rock transfer designs, and tracking stickers.

Promising review: "This kit was a birthday present for a grand-girl, age 11. She was quite excited by it, and so was her mother, who was amazed to find rocks in the kit. They also made plans to go out and find some rocks to add, as we were in a rustic location. Painted rocks might soon become upcoming Christmas presents." —Amazon Customer

Promising review: "This craft was a hit! The fox was very easy to put together, and it turned out so cute! You have to make the tutu by tying a bunch of knots, but other than that, all of the clothes are ready to go and do not require sewing! The fox came with a little fabric bag to conveniently store it for travel. The materials in the craft are of good quality and hopefully will last a while. My daughter loved this little cute fox!" —Olivia O.

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

Promising review: "My 3-year-old absolutely loved this craft kit! The bright colors and fun designs kept her engaged for hours, and the pre-cut pieces made it easy for her to work on projects independently with minimal guidance. The variety of activities included is fantastic, and it’s perfect for fostering creativity at her age. Plus, everything was neatly organized in the box, which made cleanup a breeze. This is a great choice for younger kids who love crafting, and it’s a perfect rainy-day activity!" —Cassidy L.

Get it from Amazon for $17.99 (available in two styles).

Scribble Scrubbies have become the "little toy that could" around my home. I really thought these would be a one-and-done, easily forgotten, and even more easily lost kind of thing. Big wrong about that one. And this mystery bag edition has added a new element of fun here, and you get everything you need in one pack. 

Promising review: "Bought this for my great nephew, 9 years old. Loves it and is asking for more. Arrived quickly and in excellent condition. Good price and kept him busy for hours without screen time. Big hit." —BILLIE

Includes an adjustable wooden loom, oversize wooden needle, craft materials, illustrated design booklet, and 91 yards of rainbow yarn! 

Promising review: "I purchased this for my granddaughter, hoping she would be able to develop a hobby. It was fairly easy to put together, and we got started right away. Two days later, she had finished a work of art so beautiful that her aunt offered her $50 for it. It’s small but graces my daughter's wall with its cool textures and colors. I just went online to purchase one for myself! This wall hanging is the envy of our whole family now, and everyone has placed an order with our budding new artist. Love it! You should buy it, and some special yarn. You won’t be disappointed." —Linny B

Comes with one press and two setup plates, 310 pieces of shape type, four ink pads (scarlet, royal blue, green, and charcoal), and a 20-page idea book.

Promising review: "I bought this for my printmaking classroom, with the intent of creating an accessible beginner activity for kids and adults. Even my 3-year-old could do it, and the cleanup was very simple. There are so many possibilities with this kit; I'm excited to incorporate it into my programming. Thank you!" —Hannah C

Comes with 5 pictures and 10 paint markers.

Promising review: "No mess and turned out bright and beautiful. My 9-year-old granddaughter loved it. Would buy again." —Robin Garrison

Promising review: "Great toy because it encourages creativity! Doesn’t just serve one purpose! I can’t rate 'for traveling' because we keep them at my house. Grandkids are 5, 9, and 11 years old. I highly recommend them." —Amazon Customer

This is one of our 2026 Buzzy Award winners! Check out the full list to shop all 100 picks, hand-selected by the BuzzFeed Shopping team.

Promising review: "My kids were introduced to Perler beads at school, and they both fell in love with them. I bought this kit as an indoor summer activity, and it has kept my 7-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter occupied for three days. They have both completed one to three projects per day without being prompted. This is a complete kit with pegboards, instruction diagram sheets for the designs, and plenty of beads to make many projects. Ironing paper is also included with a set. After the kids set the beads on the board, cover them with the ironing paper and iron on medium heat for about 20–25 seconds, until the beads melt together. The instructions say to iron both sides, but my kids prefer only one side because that is how their art teacher did things at school. They have already asked me to purchase additional sets." —Asbe25

Promising review: "When I first saw this pen, I didn't believe it would work, but I forced myself to try it, and I LOVE IT! I am an art teacher, and I decided to let some of my kids try this just for fun, and they really enjoyed it." —Noureen Chranya

"Purchased for my younger brother (10-year-old). He loves to 3D print items, but is impatient when it comes to some prints with the larger 3D printer. I was skeptical about buying it due to seeing reviews saying it gets jammed very easily. I have come to the conclusion that it is operator error in most of those cases. When using a 3D printing pen, you always have to FULLY retract the filament being used when you are done printing. If not, this causes jams. We have had no issues. We print at about medium speed, and of course, practice makes perfect. I have noticed if you lower the temp the filament doesn’t come out as fast, so it makes controlling it while printing much easier. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t print perfectly right away!! It’s a great product, and I would definitely recommend it. He has made all types of signs and light poles for his Lego city already!" —Angelica Ginesi

Get it from Amazon for $59.99+ (pen only at that starting price, more for sets with refills and other add-ons).

Promising review: "This is a very nicely designed activity book. Each page has a perforation, so you can easily remove the pages from the book, making it easier to place the stickers. We did this activity with my grandniece, who is 8 years old, and my mother, who has early dementia. We all had a great time making the pictures with the stickers. You need to be able to match the numbers (up to about 30 or so) from the sticker sheet to the finished page, and then match the rotation of the shape. Most stickers are easy to align correctly on the finished page but a couple can be a little more tricky for the young ones to figure out because their angles and length of sides are similar...In the end, it doesn't affect the end result of the picture too much if one or two are rotated from their perfect alignment." —ladybug

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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.

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity