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

Promising review: "I purchased this for my 3-year-old nephew, and he loved it! It's the only toy that he has played with for months and months. By far, the best gift I've purchased yet. Highly recommend!" —Amazon Customer

Promising review: "My kids have everything you could think of in the toy department, but when I came across this toy, I knew I had to get it. I did debate at first because buying three added up quickly, and things usually don't measure up to the expectation from the description, but I don't regret buying/paying what I did because it keeps my boys entertained for hours. My boys are 7, 8, and 12, and they all love theirs. My sons are extra rough with everything they own, but this flying toy is still going strong, and the battery life is amazing. My husband even plays with them. I would recommend them to anyone of any age. This is also a good gift for someone's birthday or holiday." —Crystal Clark

Get it from Amazon for $32 (available in seven colors).

Mollybee Kids is a family-run small business creating high-quality toys that promote learning, staying active, and most importantly, fun! 

Promising review: "A must-have. My 2-year-old son is obsessed. Always asks to play the 'find you' game, LOL. Then we play it, and every option on the game, he actually thinks really hard, then says, 'Come on mommy,' and runs me through the house to find the object. Highly recommended from a mom of four." —Britney bansley

Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in two other styles).

To win, players must get three circular pieces of their color in a row in either ascending or descending order, get the same-sized pieces in a row, or get three concentric pieces in the same space. But beware of other players attempting to block you! 

Promising review: "Our whole family LOVES this game — two adults, kids 11 and 6. Great quality board, glad we opted for the wood set instead of the plastic one! Highly recommended." —Danielle Owen

PicassoTiles is a small business developing creative toys that encourage open-ended play. 

Promising review: "A friend bought these for my son when he was 2 and he played with them more than anything else for a couple of years solid. We loved them. Perfect thing to take a few to a restaurant or family gathering to help keep the kids entertained. As he’s gotten older we found tons of ideas online for things to build too. I just bought a set for a friend’s daughter’s birthday." —rae malm

Get a 60-piece set from Amazon for $25.99.

Promising review: "I have to admit, when I received it, I couldn’t figure it out. But…my granddaughter wanted it for her birthday so I bought it. Within seconds after opening, my granddaughter had a giant smile on her face and knew just how to operate it! She loves it and didn’t put it down all afternoon. It comes ready to go and well-packaged. A really neat toy!" —Steve Chambers

Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in five styles).

Promising review: "It works like a charm to me. I like how they change the games in the arcade every day. The explore function allows me to find new, meetable characters by pointing the camera to different backgrounds. Cooking and customizing furniture are also new, unique features for the Pix. QR code communication is a really good way to connect during this pandemic situation. I really hope there will be a new version of Pix in the future." —Fairuz Takumi

Get it from Amazon for $99.99+ (available in five colors).

Promising review: "My baby has been obsessed with this since she got it! I enjoy that she can flip through the pages herself, and she loves to touch the words she knows. It is built tough, especially against a toddler throwing it around." —Kelsey

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

Craft-tastic is a woman-owned small business based in Michigan. All their products are focused on teaching kids new skills and limiting screen time.

Each kit comes with six garments, eight accessories, a kid-friendly plastic needle, thread, a fox, and easy-to-follow instructions. For ages 5+.

Promising review: "My niece was obsessed with this. I thought of this as a minor gift that I gave her (5 years old) with a bunch of other fun things, but this ended up being her favorite. My sister-in-law now buys this as a gift for all the kid parties they go to." —Amy 

Get it from Amazon for $20.30 (also available in three other styles).

Promising review: "Love this puzzle, my nieces and I enjoyed putting this puzzle together and enjoyed the secret at the end as well. The different rooms were so fun to look at individually and the art is wonderful. We even enjoyed the 'I spy' section after finishing the puzzle and the fact that it told a story. A great spin on a classic pastime." —Takirah Griffin

If you've given this puzzle in the past, or they're already a fan, don't fret! They've released several series of puzzles — you can shop them all on Amazon.

This science kit includes natural crystal-filled geodes (quantity depends on the size you choose), a pair of safety goggles, geode display stand(s), and a 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). 

Promising review: "Easily my 15-month-old grandson's favorite toy. He's learned how to press the buttons to turn the motors on and off and really enjoys pushing this around, just like the big people do with their vacuum :) It's well-made, durable, and survives frequent drops. No small or sharp parts. It really does vacuum, there is a small dirt container to empty lol...but it's not really that powerful. It's a great toy though. Your kids/grandkids will get a lot of enjoyment out of it." —Chuck over in Wisconsin

Reviewers say this is a great toy for a wide range of ages — from 3 to 12.

Promising review: "My toddler is obsessed! The construction is solid, pieces are well-finished (no splinters or uneven cuts), and I love that this particular type of puzzle will allow him to make different arrangements each time. Currently, he loves to assemble the same 20–30-piece puzzles over and over again, and I wanted to find him something that would present a little challenge with critical thinking as well as variety." —Alex 

Promising review: "I bought this for my grandsons for Christmas. It was hit. As a matter of fact the whole family has enjoyed playing with it. They have spent hours playing with it. I was amazed as how stable it was and how easy it was to put together. They have learnt if top heavy it will fall. They have had no trouble building with it. Pieces fit together easily. Problem is I am constantly looking for marbles. They roll under the couch and chair This is just a given with marbles. I'm so glad I bought this set. It uses regular marbles which can be replaced easy ( most of the other brands did not). Also, the company sells marbles and extra add on pieces, which we will be buying soon." —Janet Cunningham

Get it from Amazon for $44.99+ (available in four styles).

The bouquet includes 15 stems with a mix of flower and leaf varieties, including roses, snapdragons, and poppies, and it uses elements made from plant-based plastic. 

Promising review: "We got this set to give as a gift to a teenage girl that still loves Lego. They were a huge hit! How nice that Lego is putting out stuff for older 'kids.' :)" —Uggwearingmom

BuzzFeed Shopping editor Heather Braga can attest to it herself: 

"I have this book (as pictured above), and by that, I mean the second I saw it available for pre-order, I added it to my cart faster than you could say. 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.' As the parent of a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old, I have many Little Golden Books in my home. However, this one is just STUNNING. I'm a big fan of Taylor (obviously) but was really enamored by how beautiful the pages in the first version were — so, naturally, I had to get the updated version! It's a short book, looks cute on my daughter's shelf, and is a hit for bedtime story time with my son, who has, ahem, been mildly encouraged to *also* love Taylor Swift. What more could you want???" 

Promising review: "We got this for our 5-month-old since he loves to try and hold/catch running water. He LOVES this! In the tub it gets him sooo excited. We have even taken it outside in his small, shallow splash pad, and it still works. He loves catching the water and picking it up. And in the tub likes to try to sneak a sip haha. He is now almost 8 months old and is still obsessed. There are sensors on the bottom that when it hits water will turn it on, and when it needs to be charged, the water does not go very high or will just shut off. A definite bathtub fave for sure!" —Jo Edith

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

Promising review: "My 4-year-old is so obsessed with this particular product that she has made me five or six different things already. She really loves what she's doing. Great product for the price. Especially if your child loves to be creative." —John Bartley

Promising review: "My son had this on his Christmas wish list, so I bought it for him. I am so mad that I didn’t try this game earlier. I am 100% obsessed with this game now. It is so much fun and easy to play. It helps my kiddos with spelling and sounding out words too, which is just a great bonus!" —Kkersten

Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in three styles).

The speaker pairs with an app where you can select from pre-made pixel art designs or create your own to display on the programmable LED screen. 

Promising review: "This was bought as a last-minute Christmas gift for my teen daughter. She absolutely loves it! I was a bit taken back by the price, but after seeing it in action — totally worth it! The speaker quality is great, and it has a ton of unique features that set it apart from similar products. Also, it comes in super cute packaging!" —jjwhray

Get it from Amazon for $79.99+ (available in five colors).

Promising review: "My 6- and 3-year-old are OBSESSED. They play for an hour at least! Played with daily since we got it. When it’s my turn to hide, I make it tricky enough that I can actually be productive until it’s my turn again." —Cara Lentz

Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three other styles).

Promising review: "Kids love it. Got this as a nightlight for when the grandkids sleep over. It dims so they can have it on all night. Cute too!" —Jeffrey kintzler

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (also available in a pear and dog style).

Promising review: "I purchased this gift for my just-turned-2-year-old daughter, and she is obsessed — and so am I! It is mess free, nontoxic, endless coloring fun! She will scribble to her hearts desire, and with one push of a button, she has a clean slate. This clearing function also has a locking feature to prevent erasing, but she hasn’t used it yet! Highly recommend!" —Helen 

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four sizes and six colors).

The rules are simple. Deal the deck out to all players (works with three to eight players). Everyone keeps their mini deck face down and goes around the table flipping a card face up and saying one of the five key words (taco, cat, goat, cheese, and pizza — in that order). Once the card played matches the word said, it's a race to slap that center card. Whoever taps in last has to take the center stack, and the round starts over. Whoever gets rid of all their cards first wins! 

Promising review: "Bought two of these as gifts for 'tweens' and both loved it! I had not heard anything about this game, but apparently it's very popular and fun. I made a good choice." —Mary George

You'll get four guns, four vests (front and back), and one charging station.

Promising review: "This set was perfect for my grandkids ages 7, 11, 14, and 17. Even we adults played. They had so much fun. We set up obstacles to hide behind, such as: patio furniture, foldable table, ice chest, etc. Very easy to set up and play. Was definitely worth it." —Debbie L.

Promising review: "Excellent product. No mess, muss or fuss. My young grandkids had a blast 'painting' thoroughly washed and dried scallop shells. Very easy to create many different types of art with these. No odor. Great colors. Bought at a very reasonable price." —Sam I Am

Get a pack of 24 pens from Amazon for $30.

Promising review: "This was so much fun! I tried three different photos in the tool they give you and chose this one. It shows you a preview of each painting, which is really helpful when deciding which image to go with. Not every picture came out as good, so definitely try a few! Easy to use, and fun to paint — excited to frame it! I actually have some paint left over and will try to do another one!" —Jonathan Kebert

Promising review: "My youngest loves seeing these guys everywhere we go. When we drive around and she sees one outside, she yells, 'Look, it's a (color) guy!' So we got her this little one. She is just obsessed with how she has one of her own! It is so cool. Made of awesome material. The fan is strong, and it waves around just like the larger ones you can put in your yard." —Joe H

Promising review: "These guys are GREAT! They are durable and, even better, they actually parachute!!! Totally worth the extra money to upgrade from dollar store parachute guys." —Katie 

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $9.99 (available in three styles).

Promising review: "I read the reviews and decided to get this for my 10-month-old niece. She loves it; carries it around and gets down with her bad self to the classical tunes. Inexpensive and well made and I am very happy with this purchase." —Kathleen

Get it from Amazon for $9.96 (available in seven colors).

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Plus, gifts for wedding anniversaries or baby showers, finds from Etsy and Uncommon Goods, and options for dogs, bookworms, practical jokers, pre-teens, weirdos, your parents, and newlyweds.

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

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.

Danielle Healy is a freelancer and former BuzzFeed Shopping editor who loves finding new problem-solving products, zero-waste swaps, and home organization hacks.