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FOR AGES 6 MONTHS TO 12 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
We're hurtling towards Christmas at an alarming speed and as always there are certain toys for kids that are topping the Christmas wish list charts.
It can often be hard to know what to buy kids at Christmas, especially when they have so many lovely toys already. If you want to include a few surprises under the tree though, then you'll want to take a look at our edit of the top 10 toys that trending for Christmas 2020 and that will be opened with squeals of delight by your kids.
You don't want to get caught up in the hype of buying in demand toys just because they're fashionable though, so on this list you'll find a carefully curated selection of the top toys for Christmas that are highly recommended based on their quality, durability and reviews and endorsements from other parents. Christmas can be an expensive time too, so you'll find a great range of prices to choose from here, from stocking fillers to big main presents, as well as toys that both boys and girls will love.
Starting your Christmas shopping nice and early before the December rush is a great idea, and if you want to snaffle one of these best sellers you'll need to act quickly. In fact, anytime from October onwards is a brilliant time to tick your Christmas shopping off the to-do list, as it saves any last minute rushing and allows you to spread the cost of gifts across several months. Make sure to save a bit of room in the budget though for when your children write those sweet letters to Santa nearer to the big day itself, in case there's something they've specifically got their heart set on on their list that we haven't covered here.
Last year it was all about Baby Shark toys, Hatchimals Pixies and Transformers figures, but this year, due to the lockdown and more time spent at home you'll find the top toys for Christmas are those that occupy kids for longer period of time such as LEGO, games for the whole family and also dolls and interactive animals that children can look after (a particularly good option if they've been badgering you for a pet all year).
If you're not inspired by any of the toys on this list or if your son or daughter has been particularly angelic this year and you want to add a few more gifts for boys and gifts for girls ideas to your shopping list, then you need to read our other Best Buys features including the best Christmas presents for boys and the best Christmas presents for girls.
Monopoly is always evolving with cool new editions, and for 2020 they've turned the game on its head with an edition that favours the loser rather than the winner. Instead of earning money for passing GO, players can cash in on the squares they'd usually avoid, like going to jail and paying rent. This year has seen a lot of families coming together and spending more quality time together, so a fun classic game like Monopoly is the perfect gift to keep that sense of coming together and quality time strong over the festive period. This brilliant game that will become a family favourite is bound to be one of the top toys for Christmas this year.
LOL dolls are having a bit of a moment and are one of the best toys for girls this year. The must have toys in this range are the four in one plane and the clubhouse playset. You'll have to dig deep for this plane as it's definitely on the pricier side of things, but as a main Christmas present for a LOL Surprise dolls fan it'll be very well received. The good news is that you're not just paying for a LOL Surprise plane. As the name suggests it's also a car, a mixing booth and a recording studio. There are 50 surprises contained within this Christmas toy too, so hours of fun can be had.
Just when you thought it wasn't possible to acquire any more 'Paw Patrol' pups and vehicles, the clever folk behind this brand combined the favourite kids' show with dinosaurs to create the ultimate must have range of toys and episodes. Any 'Paw Patrol' fan will go wild for the Dino Patroller with its huge (and rather noisy) wheels, a projectile launcher that will delight youngsters and a Tyrannosaurus Rex that the pups will need to rescue on one of their missions. It's pretty pricey, but is much larger than the smaller pup's vehicles in the range and has one of the main 'Paw Patrol' figures, Chase, included. If you're not quite onto the Dinosaur adventures side of 'Paw Patrol', another much coveted toy in this range is the 'Paw Patrol' lookout tower.
This toy has a distinctly retro feel to it and parents will love to get involved as it combines two of their favourites from the '80s and '90s: LEGO and Nintendo's favourite plumber. This is a great way to get children away from the video game screen as this isn't your average LEGO set. You can enhance the experience even more by downloading the LEGO Super Mario app too. Super Mario comes to life, saying his classic catchphrase and can even collect virtual coins as he goes around the different levels that children will love to create using LEGO bricks.
In 2020, with a huge increase in home working, lots of households decided to get a puppy. Cue a lot of other households hearing "Mum, can we get a puppy too?" on a daily basis. If you're not quite ready for the commitment of a real life fur ball (and remember dogs are for life, not just for Christmas) then an interactive toy pet will be a very good consolation gift. Hasbro's range of moving and talking animals will go down really well will wannabe pet owners and you can choose from lots of different animals including a dog, a monkey, a dinosaur and a parrot. They all have different abilities like walking, talking, doing tricks and even pooping.
There's no end in sight to this generation's love affair with Disney's 'Frozen' and if your child has everything from the Frozen LEGO to Kristoff's sleigh then it might be time to pop the singing Elsa doll into their Christmas stocking. Any wannabe Elsa, will be delighted to receive not only the doll, but one that sings the iconic song 'Into The Unknown' from the second film when your child twirls her hand. This pretty doll is wearing her travel outfit, complete with boots and will become one of your kids' much treasured toys for this Christmas.
This Nerf Scooter might sound terrifying, but don't worry, it doesn't actually blast fire out of anywhere! It's essentially a scooter with a nerf gun attached to the handlebars, so energy filled kids can fire out foam bullets as they fly past on their scooters, can you tell why they're so popular? It's a fairly expensive present, but considering you get a scooter and nerf gun in one, plus 12 darts that fire up to 40ft, it's actually pretty decently priced. As toys for boys and girls who are full of energy go, it's pretty much the perfect Christmas toy.
The top toys for toddlers and babies includes this fun character from Fisher Price. The Rollin Rovee activity toy might seem expensive for a baby toy, but this toy will remain a favourite right up until they're a preschooler as it has four interactive play modes that will entertain at each different stage of development. Rovee's face lights up, which will delight babies and he also has soft arms that move so it can clap, play peek-a-boo, roll over and play with the ball. Your baby's new best friend will even teach him or her as they grow because it has Smart Stages learning content, which includes the alphabet, numbers and opposites.
If LEGO is a little old for your child quite yet, then Playmobil is the perfect Christmas toy solution as it involves some construction, but the pieces are much larger and safer to play with. Alongside the Playmobil police station, this is one of the top toys for Christmas because it contains a dinosaur, which are so popular as both boys toys and girls toys at the moment. The Playmobil dinosaur is very lifelike and has a moving mouth legs, while the temple is really detailed and even has a goods lift, a functioning torch, a ladder to reach the lookout tower and a winch. The best bit? There's a rotating laser gun to defeat that naughty T-Rex. You'll have hours of fun playing this with your kids.
Harry Potter dolls are having a moment, and any Potterhead of the right age will adore having their own Harry, Ron and Hermione to act out all the adventures from the films and the books. These make perfect Xmas presents as they'll fit nicely into a stocking and, being nice and affordable, they could be the start of a fun new collection. There are plenty of favourite characters to choose from with this Christmas toy (all represented as they looked in 'Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets') including Hagrid and, of course, He Who Must Not Be Named.
Kidadl Best Buys selects a number of top-rated products available across the web for all kinds of families and at a selection of different budgets. If you found our list of the top Christmas toys for 2020 useful, then why not also have a look at our best budget Christmas gifts for under £10, or our best Christmas soldiers that kids will love?
<p>Living in a small village on the Hertfordshire/Cambridge border with her husband, two-year-old son, and miniature Dachshund, Hollie loves walking and cycling with her family around the beautiful local countryside. She also enjoys ballet classes, visiting the theater, and traveling around the world, even with a toddler in tow.</p>
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
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