(Updated for 2023)

By Dr Amanda Gummer

Budgets are tighter than normal for many of us this year but that doesn’t prevent us from wanting to see the joy on children’s faces when they see that Santa’s been. Choosing toys that don’t break the bank can help keep the magic alive without causing parents financial stress. Here are some of our top picks:

Penguin Math Balance – $20

The Penguin Math Balance is an educational math toy that offers a fun and interactive way for children to learn about weight, size, addition, and subtraction. 

This balance toy is a great tool for practicing basic math skills, like addition and subtraction, and for introducing the concepts of weight and size to your kiddo

Plant & Grow Woodland Forest – $19

The Plant & Grow Woodland Forest is a small terrarium that supports learning about what plants need to grow.

This whimsical mushroom shaped terrarium comes ready to decorate, plant and grow. Just add water.

Create your own fantasy forest habitat complete with a friendly gnome, potting mix, stickers, colorful sand for layering, a snail and mini-mushrooms.

Build a Bubble – $16

The Traditional Bubble Wand Reimagined: Build-A-Bubble is not like other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) toys out there.

This exciting kids’ bubbles kit allows you to make tons of 3D geometric shapes like Cubes, Hexagons, Pentagons, and loads more! 

Build A Bubble is a 3D bubble kit that provides endless bubble-making possibilities.

Rubiks Coach Cube – £14.99

Designed with learning to solve in mind, the Rubik’s Coach Cube comes with an improved solving methodology that is based on a proven version.

Step-by-step, budding cubers will gain confidence and learn by peeling off the numbered stickers for each of the 8 steps.

Once mastered, you have the classic 3×3 core cube to continue to hone your skills. Alongside learning how to solve the famous Rubik’s Cube, kids will exercise their memory, hand-eye-coordination, problem-solving skills, and concentration skills.

Ollyball – £17.99

A super fun ball for playing indoors! It’s lightweight, safe and won’t break a window, bruise your opponent or mark the walls! Ollyball is an excellent tool for parents and educators to facilitate learning and has been called a kinesthetic talking stick.

Plus-Plus – Open Play Tube – 240pc Basic Mix – £16.85

Plus-Plus is one shape with endless possibilities! The 240 piece tube is a great way to get started with Plus-Plus.

Kids will learn to create in 2D or 3D, encouraging open-ended, creative play. It’s a perfect STEM toy to develop fine motor skills, focus and patience.

Plus-Plus – Open Play Tube – 240 pc Basic Mix is a starter building set using small interconnecting puzzle pieces used to create 2D and 3D forms, animals, characters, and objects.

Spin Plus Set – £14.99

The Spin Plus is the perfect accessory to add motion to all the Magformers Sets. Each geometric shape contains magnets that never reject, so you’ll always hear the Magformers click.

When playtime is over, use the magnetic power to simply stack and store. Build your cube and use the fidget as a spinning base to set your builds in motion.

Works with all sets and adds motion to builds such as the magic ball, towers, rockets, anything – you can even spin your favourite Magbuddy in the cube!

Nut Nut Squirrel – £15.29

Outsmart your opponents and keep those squirrels from stealing your stash with this fun card game. 

Are you meek and mild mannered, an impulsive risk-taker, or a slow, calculating strategist?

Find out in this easy to learn, award-winning, breakout game of lickety-split decisions, chance, and strategy. What kind of player will you be?

Zoomarang – £4.99

Zing Zoomarang is a soft 3-wing outdoor boomerang designed to circle out for up to 30 feet prior to returning to the thrower. 

Zoomarang is the original backyard boomerang! Easy to throw and fun to catch, you’ll master it in no time.

Watch it circle out 30 feet and arc right back to you! Perfect for the yard, park, beach or playground.

Little Ripperz – £5.99

These Super Gliderz clock flights up to 100 feet! Give them a toss and watch them glide. Little Ripperz are super gliders which have flights up to 30 feet!

Just give them a toss and your plane can enjoy an amazing flight!

Recommended for ages 5 and up, durable foam construction. Perfect for both indoor and outdoor play. 

Lego Stationery Buildable Ruler with Minifigure – £14.99

Build your own LEGO ruler and start measuring! This official LEGO licensed 2-in-1 buildable LEGO ruler includes LEGO building bricks and an authentic LEGO minifigure.

Each ruler can convert from a 12-inch to a 6-inch ruler.

Fun for building and useful for measuring, this ruler includes activity counting cards.

Take Along Tool-Kit – £12.15

Give little builders the tools they need for truly constructive play!

This 24-piece set includes wooden nails, screws, nuts, and bolts for hours of creative fun that also helps “build” important motor skills.

Preschoolers will love using the hammer, wrench, and screwdriver to build their projects, then packing up all their equipment in the sturdy toolbox with a handle.

Stikbot Series 2 – £12.99

Use your imagination to create blockbuster films starring the Stikbots!

Award winning stop motion animation toy: Poseable action figure with fully articulating joints; suction cup feet to stick to almost any flat surface.

Stikbots are easy to pose and stay in place with their suction cups. 

Jixelz – £8.99

Jixelz are miniature puzzle shaped pieces that snap together to create colourful, fun designs.

Classic puzzle fun becomes an adventure in pixelated creativity! Each set comes with vibrant, precision-cut micro jigsaw pieces. Follow the templates to transform the tiny pixel puzzle pieces into either four mini designs or one GIANT design.

Or – Why not get creative and invent your own designs? – OR! – Why not collect them all, combine them, and build something GINORMOUS.

All Jixelz hold together strong – no ironing or water needed! – and they fit together easily without any frustration. 

Teeturtle Reversible Plushies – £15

These reversible octopus plushies are patented, original mood plushies!

Show your mood without saying a word. This stuffed animal will help you easily express your emotions and show the world how you’re feeling.