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With summer around the corner, your kids and are about to have a lot of free time on their hands, not to mention energy to burn. But fear not! You barely have to spend any time at all brainstorming ways to keep them occupied, because Amazon is always a trusty resource for parents looking to stop boredom in its tracks. Amazon has every trendy and timeless toy imaginable, and we’ve rounded up the best of them — toys to suit everyone from rambunctious toddlers to curious kids and free-spirited tweens.
Best Toys on Amazon, at a Glance
Best Hot Toy of Summer:Polly Pocket Pineapple Purse Playset, $23
Best for Siblings:Selieve Walkie Talkies, $25
Best for Toddlers:SEREEN Baby Balance Bike, $41 with on-page coupon (originally $51)
Best for Tweens:Tamagotchi Original, $21
Best for the Whole Family:Insect Lore Store Butterfly Garden, $25
Best for the Beach: Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond, $80 (originally $90)
Best for the Pool:CRILARY Magnetic Reusable Water Balloons, $13 (originally $17)
Best STEAM: Steam Powered Kids 4M Deluxe Crystal Growing Combo Steam Science Kit, $28 (originally $30)
Best Collectible:Calico Critters Fennec Fox Family – Set of 4 Collectible Doll Figures, $25
Best for Rainy Days:LEGO Creator 3 in 1 Mighty Dinosaur Toy, $12 (originally $15)
Best for the Play Room:Hot Wheels Corkscrew Crash Track Set, $90
Best Iconic:Lincoln Logs – 100th Anniversary Tin, $45 (originally $50)
Amazon is great for many reasons: first and foremost is Prime, which guarantees free same-day delivery on a lot of this stuff. Another is selection, because as we all know, this site has it all. This summer, the buzz is all about Polly Pocket, and a lot more toys from your youth like walkie talkies, Tamagotchis and Legos that are burning up the best-sellers chart. And don’t forget STEAM and STEM toys for the technically inclined, as well water toys for pool days.
And thanks to Amazon posting all their products reviews, good, bad or brutally ugly (I once read a review that said, “This candle smells like something died and was then covered in cinnamon”), you can get honest feedback from other customers and purchase accordingly. We’ve gathered 12 of the best toys on Amazon right now so you can keep the troops thoroughly entertained no matter how long summer seems to last this year.
A Polly Pocket Play Land Inside a Purse
Nostalgia-loving moms all agree: It’s the summer of Polly Pocket. Your kiddos will be all about collecting Polly Pocket toys, and if it’s their first foray into the World of Polly Pocket, we recommend this cute Polly Pocket Pineapple Purse Playset, a two-in-one travel toy that masquerades as an adorable purse or fanny pack, but hides a wonderland inside (perfect for traveling this summer!). Open it up to reveal Polly and Lila mini figurines enjoying a safari adventure complete with monkeys, a hammock, a zipline and a family of meerkats. There’s even a little cafe for the pair to escape the tropical humidity and enjoy refreshments.
A Pair of Walkie Talkies
Remember walkie talkies? They made explorations among siblings and BFFs too much fun back in the day, and now these two-way communication toys are back in a major way. This pair by Selieve is an Amazon number-one best-seller with a three-mile range, built-in flashligt, and 22 hacker-proof channels to choose from. “My daughter gave one to her cousin that lives down the street and they love communicating with their wallow talkie!” a shopper wrote.
An Adorably Retro Bike for Tots
It may remind you of a charming wooden toy from a Scandinavian workshop, but the SEREEN Baby Balance Bike is an actual starter bike — minus the pedals — intende to help toddlers between 12 and 24 months have a ton of fun while developing their balance and coordination. It includes a bunch of ergonomic features like a supportive molded seat and non-slip wheels and handlebars.
The Tamagotchi You Know and Love
All the ’90s kids out there can relive the Tamagotchi phase with their kids and teens thanks to the resurgence of excitement about this digital pet on a chain. They’re a massive hit on Amazon in a range of colors, and this second generation is sweetly similar to the one from your youth, including all the feeding, cleaning, and pampering you have your hatchling many moons ago.
A Butterfly Garden
If you’ve got a kiddo who adores nature and animals, this Butterly Garden will be the joy of their summer — and an engaging family project. Founded by entomologists (a.k.a. insect experts), the STEM award-winning kit includes caterpillars plus all the equipment you need to raise and release five beautiful butterflies. “I bought this as an Easter gift for my young grandchildren, ages 3 and 5.,” wrote a shopper. “The excitement when the butterflies hatched was wonderful to witness. Such a memorable experience – certainly better than more chocolate!”.
A Splashy Water Table
This splash pond by Step2 is another number-one best-seller on Amazon, and it’s the perfect backyard toy to entertain toddlers on a hot summer day. It comes with a 12-piece toy set that includes frogs, ducks and fish, and has waterfall and rain shower features. It’s built to hold sand, too, so tote it along on beach days.
A Water Balloon Fight!
Sometimes it truly is the simplest things that usher in the biggest fun. Case in point: Amazon’s number-one best-selling toy on its entire site is a set of reusable water balloons — essentally magnetic rubber balls that can be opened to fill and then closed and leak-proof thanks to a watertight seal. “We bought these for a pool party and they were a huge hit with all of the kids. The best part is that there was no mess – no balloon bits in the skimmer baskets, or garden. I love that they are reusable,” wrote a parent.
A Crystal-Making STEAM Set
STEAM toys can help stimulate the imaginations and critical thinking skills of your kids while school is out, and this Crystal Science set is the perfect place to start. Encourage them into their “mad scientist” era with this wildly popular set lets kids 10 years and older create their own glow-in-the-dark crystal collection. Everything they need to get started is included in this box.
A Collectible Fox Family
Kids who love to play with dolls will adore the collectible ones by Calico Critters, especially this irresistible family of foxes that includes mom Sharon, dad Ronald, brother Allie and sister Kaya — and their tiny stroller for impromptu walks around the woods. Kids ages three and up can collect all the animal families in the lineup and populate their own little land of make believe.
A T-Rex Made of Legos
Banish boredom by presenting kids and tweens with the challenge of assembling this T-Rex entirely from Legos. Once fully put together, kids can move this big guy’s arms, legs, tail and jaw—and when they’re done, they can disassemble him and make a Triceratops or Pterodactyl instead!
Hot Wheels Corkscrew Crash Track Set
Got a race car lover? This Hot Wheels Corkscrew Crash track set is unbelievable, with an enormous corkscrew track with three loops, three crash zones and three high-speed boosters. It connects to other Hot Wheels track sets, so they can create a customized world and try to add cars to the race before they crash. Also, depending on how well your child does, you might want to reconsider letting them get their license until they’re, say, 20.
Lincoln Logs
Lincoln Logs are a classic toy beloved over the years, and they still maintain their appeal. This is the collector’s edition 100th-anniversary tin — although Lincoln Logs have actually been around longer than that! — and you can mix and match or follow the building instructions to construct any of the building ideas they offer: a tall tower, two small houses with a bonfire or a large cabin.
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