24 Toys And Games Reviewers Say They're Glad They Bought

Aug 03, 2023

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

You won't hear "I'm boreddddd" all day with a super cool bumper car.

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Two AA batteries are included but funky smells are not. The recommended age is 3 and older.

Promising review: "This was a big hit as a Christmas present to my 5-year-old granddaughter. What child doesn't like the word 'poop' and what child doesn't like any sort of hide 'n' seek. Us adults even like it. It's fun, it's silly, and I'm glad I purchased it." —Feisty49

Get it from Amazon for $12.99.

BTW, make sure helmets are worn during bump-offs for safety!

Promising reviews: "I ordered these for my grandkids to play with when they were visiting, so glad I did. I've waited to do the review to see how they held up. The grandchildren love rolling and bouncing down the sloping hill in our yard and the big kids and adults love bouncing off of one another. Us old folks have really had a laugh watching this hilarious activity. So far they've been used since Easter every weekend, no bursts, no leaks, and no holes." —Joyce L. Parton

Get it from Amazon for $19.99.

The slide's capable of holding up to 50 lbs.

Promising review: "Wow, best purchase ever. I’m so glad I went with this instead of your typical plastic slide.I It’s so sturdy! have a small apartment, so the fact that it folds up is GREAT. Plus it’s super super easy to unfold and fold back up. Takes maybe two seconds and it’s easy to carry, I always bring it out to my moms when we visit. SUPER practical purchase for those who have kiddos who love slides:)" —Bailey

Get it from Amazon for $35.99 (available in four styles).

The kit comes with a tin planter, plastic liner, soil, three seed packets, six paints, two paint brushes, a paint palette, three wooden plant markers, a shovel, a watering bottle, and an instruction booklet.

Promising review: "This is a wonderful little project, I’m SO glad I purchased this for my daughter. She is having a blast watching the plants grow. She also really enjoyed decorating the metal holder." —Tabatha H.

Get it from Amazon for $19.99.

Doodle Hog is a small biz created by a mom that specializes in children's arts and crafts. She wanted a nontoxic, washable, easy-grip marker for her young children so she created it!

Promising review: "Great product and AMAZING customer service. My two-year-old loves these markers, and he is able to practice so many skills with them! For example: 1. Fine motor skills, by twisting the caps on and off. 2. Color recognition, by matching the caps to the appropriate markers. 3. And of course, his art skills, by actually "dotting" and "drawing" with the markers themselves. The markers are fun to use, and my son asks to play with them weekly. However, what prompted me to write this review was the excellent customer service! I noticed that our pack of markers had two yellow markers and no green marker. I emailed the company (Doodle Hog) and within 24 hours they had shipped a replacement set of markers to me! So happy with this purchase!" —Sho Boc

Get them from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in two sizes).

To play, pass out all of the cards to players and have everyone keep their pile face down. Everyone takes turns putting a card in the middle while saying "taco," "cat," "goat," "cheese," and "pizza," in that order. If the picture on the card that's placed down matched the word that's been said, everyone races to slap the center pile of cards and whoever slaps the pile last has to add the center pile to their personal pile. Oh! And there's also "narwhal" where everyone makes a unicorn horn with their hands clapped together above their heads, "gorilla" where everyone bangs on their chest like a gorilla and "groundhog" where everyone has to knock on the table. Whoever does the motion last picks up the center pile. Whoever runs out of cards first wins! You can play with three to eight players and the *recommended* age is 8 and up.

Promising review: "I just finished playing a round of this with my 6-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter and it was so much fun. There was squealing and laughter galore. Simple to learn and fun to play. We can't wait til dad is home from work to play with him. Fast paced and action filled, this is not a game where you can sit and casually chat while you play, which sometimes can be a blessing in disguise depending on the company! We love this game, and I'm so glad we bought it. I bought it on either black Friday or cyber Monday, but would buy again even if I had to pay full price!" —AC33

Get it from Amazon for $9.84.

It has wheels to make moving it easy and the base can be filled with sand to keep it sturdy. The height adjusts up to seven inches and down to three inches.

Promising review: "Assembly wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but overall it was fine. I was thankful for the video link they provided. I wish there was an easier way to adjust the hoop height but it's not a deal breaker. Overall impressed by the sturdiness of the hoop. After seeing a friend's basketball hoop they purchased this summer that cost almost three times as much, I realized just how sturdy ours was and was so glad we purchased this one vs. the expensive one our friends purchased from Amazon." —Regina

Get it from Amazon for $149.99.

See this in action on TikTok here.

You can control this with a remote until your little one is old enough to drive this baby on their own (under your supervision, of course). Recommended age is 1.5–6 years old and the maximum weight is 66 pounds. It includes a rechargeable 6V battery for one to two hours of riding fun. Battery charging time is about five hours and 18 hours when charging for the first time.

Promising review: "Bought this for my son and he enjoys it! The lights make it look like an arcade ride! I love how I can control it! It’s also not heavy so, it's easy to take it anywhere! I’m so glad I bought this." —KARINA IBARRA

Get it from Amazon for $139.96 (available in 10 colors).

For ages 18+ months.

Promising Review: "My very curious grandson (1-year-old) loves this toy. He could sit and play with it for hours. It is so good for his fine motor skill development and as he grows, learning his colors and numbers. Glad I purchased for him." —CedarLY

Get it from Amazon for $11.49.

Collect matching sets of three cards then challenge other players to duels, battles, and wars! Duck, dodge, and have a great time playing this dodgeball card game. Recommended for two to six players and ages 7 and up.

Promising review: "I wasn't convinced about getting this game for our family game night, (older teens and adults) but now I am happy I did! I haven't laughed this hard in years, definitely worth the price. Easy to learn and super fun to play. (-:" —JB

Get it from Amazon for $22.48+ (also available in two other styles).

The weight max is 220 pounds and it can be set up and moved around with ease. The top of the ropes have steel rings that connect to suspension ropes.

Promising review: "Kids absolutely love it! Holds my two kids with no problem. Super durable. Just had a big storm go through and the swing survived! So glad we bought it." —Christopher Z.

Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in two sizes).

Players get eight cards with a discard and draw pile in the center and then take turns drawing, discarding, or trading their cards for the lowest value cards. The player with the lowest score wins! Recommended for ages 8 and up and two to six players.

Promising review: "I bought this after a recommendation from someone I follow on Instagram and I'm glad I did! My family absolutely loves this game! I am not a big game person but this game is fun and every round is different as you pick different cards each time. Beware — it might get a tad cutthroat depending on who you play with! My family is competitive so there was plenty of laughing with a few digs thrown in each round. Immediately upon finishing the nine rounds, you want to start another game!" —Christen D.

Get it from Amazon for $18.99.

Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Promising review: "We bought this to rotate into our church bag as a quiet, entertaining toy to keep our little one busy! He absolutely loves it and is not yet 2-years-old! Easy to use and performs better than expected! Draws great, erases great, and stores great! I was unsure if it would be worth the money but eventually bought it and I'm so glad I did! 10/10 recommend! Great for littles but I can see older kids using it too!" —Katelynn L.

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in four colors).

Promising review: "I was skeptical buying these because of the price but I'm glad I did! They smell good and the scent is not overwhelming. If you follow the instructions on how to use, you can get LOTS of bubbles. They change the water to the color that the bath bomb is. I think they're worth the money and I'll be buying more!" —Syerra W.

Get a set of six from Amazon for $26.99+ (available with nine different sets of toys inside).

Recommended for ages 3 months and up.

Promising review: "My almost-not-newborn hates car rides but this magical toy delays her screaming by 15 minutes, which often buys us enough time to get to our destination without a meltdown. Someone has to sit in the back seat with her to keep pressing the play button, but soon she’ll have that figured out. We use it at home when she’s getting fussy or needs a distraction, too. The music is much better quality than many children’s toys. I was skeptical when I read all these amazing reviews but for $10 figured, why not try it? So glad I did!" —KSong

Get it from Amazon for $9.99.

AirFort is a California-based small business that specializes in handmade, mess-free inflatable forts that blow up in less than 30 seconds. Attach this to a floor fan and let the family fun begin! Easy to store too! Your fort comes with a carrying bag (only the size of a folded pair of jeans!) that it folds up and fits into.

Promising review: "My kids love this! I love that you can take it down and put it up easily. They show all their friends and have little parties in there. It's super cute, not loud inside, and has tons of room. I'm glad I bought it." —Suna

Get it from Amazon for $59.99 (available in 15 designs).

In Uno you race to get rid of the seven cards in your hand. You match one of the cards in your hand with the current card on top of the deck by color or number. There are special action cards that you can use to sabotage your competition like draw two, draw four, color changing wild cards, skips, and reverses. Once you're down to one card be sure to yell "UNO!" Whoever gets rid of their cards first is the winner! Recommended for ages 7 and up!

Promising reviews: "I’m so glad I bought these Uno cards for my students. They absolutely love the game and the tin is an added bonus, we know where the cards are at all times. I have a couple of students who love to play Uno, and they like the fact that it comes with its own case, instead of a box." —Melissa C.

Get it from Amazon for $10.66.

The bubble gun comes with two bottles of solution, a charger, one battery, and a plate to pour the solution onto (to dip gun into).

Promising review: "So happy I bought this. Great product. This makes my brothers happy and it looks really beautiful. I would definitely recommend this to your kids." —Hlib

Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in seven colors).

See why this parent says this toy is a hit with their 7-month-old on TikTok.

Promising reviews: "I got this for my son to play with during bath time. He LOVES it! I have nothing bad to say about this product. The water that comes out is a perfect height and does not spray out of the side of the tub. The lights are pretty, too. He loves to have the bathroom light off when it's on because it illuminates the room. I'm so happy I bought this." —Jennifer L.

Get it from Amazon for $15.98+ (available in four colors/styles).

Promising review: "I got this for my 6-year-old daughter who is interested in learning how to sew. I’m so happy I bought it! She loved sewing the fox's body on her own. Knowing she made her own sweet little fox stuffie made her so happy! One of the steps is making a wish before you put a little heart inside the fox. Adorable accessories of varying difficulty levels (for a 6-year-old). None of the accessories need sewing but involve lots of fine motor skills. My daughter carries around her fox now and even takes her to bed. I plan to buy this again for gifts! Highly recommend." —Elisabeth

Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in three styles and three patterns).

Promising review: "I purchased this for my grandchildren and am so glad I did! It's so cute and the details are perfect. No issues putting it together and the sides lined up with no issues. I am very pleased with this purchase." —Sue

Get it from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in two styles).

In this set you'll get 85 translucent building pieces and 65 marbles so the fun can go on and on.

Promising review: "Super hit! So glad I purchased this. We had rain for three days straight, and the grandkids (2, 4, and 7) couldn't go outside. This was the perfect solution. We — yes we — played for hours and hours each day! So much fun and creativity!" —Evie

Get it from Amazon for $54.99 (available in three styles).

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: "I'm so glad I bought this for my daughter! She's had it for five days now and spends hours just playing ice cream shop. Definitely worth the money! It's very sturdy, has openings in the sides to carry around, and every piece has a fitted space so she knows if something is missing. Comes with a sturdy plastic menu that stands on its own and six dollar bills. She really believes she's a worker and I think it's adorable!" —BWiatrek

Get it from Amazon for $54.44.

Promising review: "We gave this to my 19-month-old son for summer and he absolutely loves it. After watching him play with it all summer I would highly recommend this product to other toddler moms. I thought it was simple to put together and lots of fun activities for a busy toddler. I'm so glad I purchased this water table." —Daisy

Get it from Amazon for $46.44+ (available in three styles).

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.