BEST KID'S CHRISTMAS GIFTS OF 2026
Our Tried and Tested Guide to this Year's Top Children's Christmas Presents
Our elves have been busy with the most fun job this side of Lapland - testing out this year's hottest kid's Christmas presents.
From the shiny new Yoto, the dragon toy of the year, talking brains, gel blasters, beauty cams and kid's greenhouses to The Traitors goodies, Mario fun, LEGO games, and this year's ultimate crafting, science, and interactive toys.
Take the stress out of shopping, with our tried and tested reviews of the best kid's Christmas gifts of 2026.
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Yoto Mini 4th Gen and Yoto Player 4th Gen
Something BIG (and little) has come to Yoto in time for Christmas - the NEW Yoto Player 4th Gen and pocket-sized Yoto Mini 4th Gen, which bring shortcuts to personalised playlists, smoother routine support and a fresh new look
New features include: NEW Green Button – giving kids instant, CARDLESS access to their favourite audio, personalised playlists and free bonus audio.
Smoother routines – Build Yoto into morning and bedtime rhythms, from Yoto Daily morning podcasts and toothbrush timers
The Player also has a new, night light for bedtime and ok-to-wake cues, as well as disco lights for jazzier moods
They also have a fresh, robust new look – boosted memory and 64GB storage for 1,000 hours of offline listening, fast connection, Bluetooth for wireless headphones and puddle-proof, splash and dust resistant design
The interactive audio platform has mastered agency without addiction, so children can discover, imagine and learn on a device that was built for them, grows with them and is central to family life.
BUY FROM YOTO. Yoto Mini 4th Gen: £89.99 Yoto Player 4th Gen: £119.99
Little Live Pets - My Magical Dragon Skye
This is the hottest toy this Christmas - a magical BFF to care for, with more than 60 sounds and reactions.
Little Live Pets are the masters of smash hit, interactive pet toys, and this adorable dragon has a unique digital belly display, to let little carers know whether she needs food, cuddles, comfort, bedtime or a little extra care.
She comes with a feeding bottle, thermometer and adoption certificate and children can earn magical gems by completing five interactive care activities.
The gems unlock a gorgeous surprise, when Skye celebrates with a joyful song - a true wow moment for sprogs.
It’s the most gorgeous, super-soft plush toy, with glittery hair, sparkling wings and heart-melting interactions.
If your child is begging you to buy them a puppy/kitten/axolotl, get them this instead and we promise it will appease all of their pet needs.
BUY FROM SMYTHS £54.99
Playmobil X Monster High Sets
This Christmas, Playmobil celebrates the scream spirit of the hit Monster High show, with a range of spooktacular play sets.
Children can bring the world of Lagoona Blue, Frankie Stein and chums to life, with three wonderfully detailed sets, which mega fans can collect and connect.
They include headmistress Bloodgood’s Office, complete with the strict horsewoman - with removable head - glow in the dark cobwebs, gothic decor and accessories.
We also love the Monster High Casketball Court, where Draculaura, Heath and Clawd are ready for a monstrously fun match.
Our personal favourite is the Classroom playset, complete with Mr. Mummy and Spectra Vondergeist, glowing webs, a functional blackboard and everything from markers to rulers for the full classroom experience.
It’s a boo-rilliant way to keep little monsters away from screens this Christmas, and into the magic of imaginative play.
BUY FROM PLAYMOBIL £44.99
Robo Alive by ZURU Brain Rot Brian Set
“EPIC” was how our little tester described this brilliantly wacky, animated brain, floating in glowing and bubbling “brain fluid.”
It’s the craziest experiment in the mad scientist’s lab, and features a tank with colour changing LED lights and Brian, the talking brain.
He mimics what you say to him, sings, chats and repeats hilarious Italian Brainrot phrases.
He moves, blinks and even remembers what you say, with more than 30 interactive features.
Brian is a BFF who will have pride in their bedroom from Christmas and beyond.
BUY FROM SMYTHS £34.99
Gel Blaster Surge
We recommend running for cover as soon as your child has opened this gift.
The extraordinary Gel Blaster SURGE is an advanced blaster with no mess or clean-up technology, meaning you can battle indoors, outdoors, or anywhere you want.
It has a fabulously sleek, lightweight design and powerful, precise performance - blasting 65% farther than competitors - with unmatched high-velocity performance.
It’s engineered for both beginners and seasoned players, with automatic and single-firing modes, firing 10 gellets per second at 175 fps and a stonking great magazine capacity of 800 gellets.
It’s designed for players aged 14 and up and parents will be relieved to know that although the pellets burst on impact, they are non-toxic, non-staining, and non-irritating.
The package includes everything you need to start playing from the blaster, to goggles, 10,000 gellets, to different barrels.
There’s no assembly required, so run as fast as you can, because they’ll want to start blasting as soon as the wrapping paper’s on the floor.
BUY FROM GEL BLASTER £44.99
Photo Creator Beauty Cam
This stylish and practical Beauty Cam may look and function like a pocket mirror, but it doubles as an ingenious camera, to take selfies to the next level.
Perfect for tweens and teens, the dual lens camera captures perfect photos, fun videos and selfies, and can be switched between different perspectives.
There are three adjustable light modes and built-in filters, along with a compact design and easy-to-use touchscreen, for on-the-go creativity.
Handily, it has a sturdy paracord wrist strap for secure use and internal memory with up to 64GB storage, so they can be snap-happy.
This has been the biggest hit with our little tester, who is the poster girl for its impressive storage.
BUY FROM VERY £34.99
Snootz monster ride-ons
Words have not been invented to describe how much we love these monstrously fun ride-ons.
We adopted “Snorzee” from the range of four colourful creatures, which include the pink, six-eyed “Snuggle Snort,” the generously hootered and splat-covered “Burpbottom” in green; flappy-tongued yellow creature “Sir Lickalot” and our very own “Snorzee” in turquoise, with scales and a chunky eye tentacle.
Our little tester loved its exciting 360° spinning action, twisting, turning and gliding around the house and garden on the smooth, four coaster wheels.
The sound effects when its light-up button is pressed have been a source of endless delight.
And handily for parents, it’s super easy to assemble, has handy, under-seat storage, for their special toys and treasures, and helps develop balance, coordination and motor skills through active and imaginative play.
It even comes with its own adoption certificate, making it the ultimate pet for your little monsters to adopt this Christmas.
BUY FROM XOOTZ £39.99
Science & Play Lab - Smart-Tech Greenhouse
This should be top of the Christmas list for all green-fingered sprogs.
Inside the box is their very own greenhouse to explore the science and magic of plants.
The ingenious, immersive play experience has built in sensors and an MCD screen, so they can monitor temperature, humidity and light levels inside the greenhouse in real time.
Our little tester is constantly planting seeds in the garden - and frequently disappointed when they fail to grow - but this fabulous design makes it easy, with LED light signals when plants need water or when it gets too warm. They can also be switched on at night to keep an eye on growing seedlings.
It gives them confidence, autonomy and excitement, as they see the seeds planting with their own little mitts, flourishing. And it never gets old, because there are endless seeds to experiment with.
We were amazed by how quickly we started to see growth from the provided seeds - and she took great pride in us eating the spinach she’d lovingly grown.
The self-monitoring smart greenhouse is such an engaging and fun way to learn how plant growing.
It has three different plant growth modes to try out and loads of juicy facts to uncover for children ages eight and up - quite literally the gift that keeps giving.
BUY FROM AMAZON. £29.99
Spell Seekers Interactive Talking Spell Book
This is one of the most magical kid’s Christmas gifts of the year.
The talking and interactive spell book takes children on an adventure, creating potions, mastering spells and unlocking the book’s secret to reveal exciting surprises.
The book responds to the magic wand, which children wave to cast spells, make new magical friends, and learn new potion creations.
It’s brimming with interactivity and imagination. Our daughter was breathless with excitement, when she placed the spell sheet into the Spell book and saw the spells magically appear on its cover.
She loved the quest map, choosing which new lands to explore, and rummaging through the spell chest to create the three guided potions in the provided cauldron.
Once they complete all of the challenges, they finally become an official Spell Seeker. Pure magic.
JOHN ADAMS £29.99
Peekimo by Spin Master
Half pet, half accessory and 100% cute, this wearable BFF responds to voice and touch with more than 100 reactions.
The adorably shy creature pops out of its pod, and children must earn its trust by caring for it.
The light colours show whether its hungry, tired or wants to play, and when BFF status is reached, five games are unlocked.
If two Peekimos are brought together, they interact in a ridiculously cute way.
The cutest Christmas present this side of the moon.
BUY FROM AMAZON £24.99
TOMY - The Traitors Second Edition Board Game
As Traitors-mania reaches fever pitch ahead of Christmas, following the new series, this brand new game invites players to step into their own world of secrets, suspicion, and shocking betrayals.
The official game perfectly captures the excitement of the show - will you work together as a Faithful, or secretly murder from within as a Traitor?
Players must navigate alliances, bluff convincingly, and outwit their opponents to survive each round.
There are six new adventures to earn gold for the prize pot, but beware: a Traitor secretly schemes to earn the power to murder at night, while Faithfuls gather at The Round Table to banish those they suspect.
When the game ends, the two players with the most gold face a final dilemma - split the prize pot or betray each other to take it all.
It’s the perfect family game for Christmas excitement, which might make you see granny in a whole new light…
BUY FROM JOHN LEWIS £24.99
MindFrames Complete Set
Move over LEGO, there’s a new building set in town for Christmas.
This ingenious Click ’n’ Create Set is a wearable construction kit for kids aged 5+ who love hands-on play and imaginative building.
With 136 pieces, our little testers loved the variety of creations they could make, from tall structures, to bracelets, glasses, and futuristic, wearable designs.
The colourful, geometric shapes and connectors snap together easily, helping kids explore 3D thinking, and creative problem-solving.
We love the included 10 guided activities, for simple starting points and inspiration.
A fabulous, screen-free toy to keep children creating and imagining in 3D.
BUY FROM WOBBLEWORKS £24.99
John Adams - Pin Badge Maker
This fabulously addictive kit invites creatives to make, customise and wear or share their own stylish pin badges.
It’s simple and fun to use. Our tester simply chose a mystery badge, placed it into the popping station and pressed to reveal the hidden design.
Afterwards, she moved to the painting station, to decorate it with colourful UV gels.
She loved watching it quickly set under the built-in UV lights - perfect for impatient creatives.
And within a few simple steps, she had 15 unique badges, with included gift cards to share some with friends.
It’s the perfect gift for little crafters this Christmas, so stick a pin in this one.
BUY FROM SMYTHS £24.99
Topps - Football Billionaire Match Attax Board Game
Football fans can play the beautiful game in a whole new way, this Christmas, with the Topps Match Attax trading card board game.
Players can step into the shoes of their favourite manager, signing and selling players, hiring and firing managers, buying clubs, stadiums, and competing for trophies to get your team to the top.
Be ready for the transfer window and avoid relegation, by swapping players and even using your existing card collection.
Two to six players can take part, and it’s suitable for anybody from six up.
It’s Monopoly for footie lovers, and will be the ultimate game this Christmas, regardless of whether you’re a soccer nut or not.
BUY FROM AMAZON £24.99
Asmodee - Telestrations
This is a hilarious doodling version of the broken telephone game.
Players simultaneously draw different words from the 2000 prompt cards, and pass. The next player writes what they think your dreadful doodle depicts, and passES.
How far from the original does your doodle and word chain go?
It’s funny, high speed and super easy to play for all ages, making it the perfect gift for Christmas family games night.
BUY FROM JOHN LEWIS £24.99
EPOCH Games - Super Mario Galaxy Movie Battle Pinball
Who knew Super Mario could be used to get your little gamers off their screens? US.
This brilliant pinball game is inspired by this year’s hit Super Mario movie.
It’s super easy and fun to play, simply flick the flippers to defeat enemies on the left and right, so that you can hit your ball and knock out Bowser Jr.
It’s perfect for kids aged four and up - although the grown ups will end up playing it as much as them. We speak from experience.
BUY FROM VERY £21.99
The Sweet Hamper Company Christmas Sweet Box
Make Christmas even sweeter, with this beautifully presented hamper of 20 sweetie varieties, from Christmas Elves, Santa lollies, penguins, fizzy Christmas trees, gummy reindeer and Candy Canes to retro classics like Double Dips, popping candy and Giant Strawberries.
It comes with a free, personalised gift card in a goodie box crammed with treats, decorated with Christmas paper and topped with a white shredded tissue.
Guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of little elves this Christmas… or even Santa’s bigger, sweet-toothed helpers.
BUY FROM SWEET HAMPER COMPANY. £25.50
Strawberry Shortcake x Scentbird
We grew up on Strawberry Shortcake, so loved sharing the delicious scent of nostalgia with our little tester, through this gorgeous fragrance collection.
The iconic Eighties character has been reimagined by fragrance alchemists Scentbird, with three distinct scent profiles.
There are three to choose from, including a fruity strawberry jam and vanilla shortcake fragrance; a wonderfully zesty and floral orange scent with hints of vanilla and honeysuckle; and a fresh and dewy Eau de Fresh.
The trio capture the different elements of her personality and they come in the cutest packaging, featuring everybody’s favourite Strawberryland resident.
BUY FROM SCENTBIRD From £21.95
LEGO® Brick Like This!
This is the ultimate LEGO party game, for competitive brick botherers.
The fun and fast talking party game challenges teams to race each other building LEGO models.
But there's a juicy twist: only one person on the team knows what the model should look like.
Level up with the Challenge Cards and build with your eyes closed or with only one hand. Get the model right on each round and finish first to score the most points.
BUY FROM JOHN LEWIS £19.99
The Glimmer Pad
Get your child entering the new year with more confidence and emotional awareness, with this fabulous wellbeing journal created by Steel from BBC hit Gladiators.
Our little tester loves journalling, and Steel (AKA Zack George) has created a wonderfully motivating, 13-week book, encouraging children to reflect and celebrate positive moments, or “glimmers.”
We loved the guided prompts, breathing exercises and daily reflections to help children (aged 5-11) name their feelings and find peace at the end of a day.
There are also fun activity pages, stories and creative wellbeing activities to help them unwind and keep them engaged.
It’s a fabulous alternative to screen-time and is a crucial tool in your arsenal for the increasingly digital, stress-filled world that little ones have been born into.
BUY FROM GLIMMERPAD £24.99
Don’t Buy Her Flowers Box
The Don’t Buy Her Flowers team are bonafide, year-round elves, creating the perfect, bespoke prezzie boxes, whether people have been naughty or nice.
For kids and teens, you can choose Ready Made boxes, like their Gruffalo Granny box, with the new book, Gruffalo hot chocolate spoon and stickers.
Or you can go for the Create Your Own option, to build a box choosing between kid’s pampering goodies, tasty treats, books, baking, arts and crafting goodies, games; and clothing or accessories.
They all come beautifully gift wrapped with a personalised handwritten message.
BUY FROM DON’T BUY HER FLOWERS From £5.50
Pea Soup Smart Books - Deadbeard’s Curse
This is an entirely new reading experience, combining books and augmented reality game play.
Children Kids become the hero of the story in the Smart Books collection by combining reading, adventure and game play. Along with the free app, kids navigate through each story by following the book’s instructions, solving tasks and making
choices on how they proceed in their adventure.
TOMY - Extreme Silence Game
This hilarious game challenges players to complete physical challenges in complete silence.
But beware, the sound sensitive Decibel Detector will sound the alarm if you make too much noise, and you lose.
Can you tear paper or whisper a tune without making the meter turn red?
There are 50 brilliant challenges to complete, plus ten blank cards for you to make your own, mental challenges.
It’s fun, fast, easy to play and full of laughs for all ages - and a game which makes children willingly quiet for a while is worth its weight in gold.
BUY FROM SMYTHS £19.99
Prestel - Pop Op Book
3D alchemist David Carter has made the most stunning book, inviting readers to slide, spin, pop and puzzle their way though a gallery of mind-bending illusions.
The inventive new pop-up book transforms optical tricks into 3D experiences.
Turn a page, for another impossible illusion to spring to life, with pulsing patterns, lines which twist against logic, and arrows pointing in impossible directions.
Children will be thrilled by the interactivity and surprises on each colourful page, making them look at everything with fresh eyes.
It also makes a fabulous coffee table book for adults, rediscovering classic illusions, reimagined in ingenious 3D forms.
The book invites endless play and is one book which won’t be forgotten in the book case after reading.
BUY FROM WATERSTONES £19.99
Exploding Kittens - I Suck at Drawing
This is a hilarious level playing field in drawing games, because nobody can see what they’re sketching… so everybody sucks.
Grab a secret word and try to draw it with the canvas facing away from you - players must guess it before the timer runs out.
It’s easy, funny, and brilliant for all ages regardless of skill level, so is perfect for Christmas family games night.
BUY FROM AMAZON £19.99
Lite-Brite Lite-Style Glow Board
If, like us, you grew up on Lite-Brite, you’ll be chuffed to know the brand has had a glow up for the next generation.
The Lite-Style glow board enables children to trace a design and dot it into neon light across ten light modes, transforming the toy from preschool activity to creative decor.
Our tester loved being creative on the clear, dry-erase surface and the three full-colour templates are super easy and satisfying to use.
There’s also a stencil for fun, creative details.
Its swivel feet are super handy, allowing it to lay flat for drawing or stand upright for display, while template flippers on the back keep designs securely in place while tracing.
There are also designs you can download using the QR code on the back. Perfect for sprogs aged 6+.
BUY FROM VERY £24.99
MINISO - Sanrio Hello Kitty & Friends Kuromi Water Bottle
Cheeky Hello Kitty character Kuromi brings this fabulous, kawaii, 350ml water bottle to life.
Press the heart and her silicone and rubber head lid pops up for you to drink.
It’s insulated for hot and cold drinks, with a silica sealing ring to prevent pesky leaks in the school bags.
The perfect, collectable prezzie for Hello Kitty fans.
BUY FROM MINISO £19.99
Exploding Kittens - Curse You
This wickedly fun game invites players to use unpleasant magic to ruin each other’s day - and it is dangerously addictive.
It’s a brand new version of the insanely popular Exploding Kittens card game, where players wield good and bad spells against each other. With secret packs unlocking new abilities as you play, no two games are ever the same.
We love the artwork and the seven sealed envelopes added to the suspense and excitement, upgrading the game as we play.
Every round brings new twists and changing rules, meaning we constantly have to stay on our toes, plotting new strategies.
It’s the perfect game for Christmas and beyond for everybody from seven and up.
BUY FROM AMAZON £19.99
Canal Toys - So Slime DIY Fairy Slime Potion Set
Slime and fairy potions are the ultimate combo, for happy sprogs.
And this magical set mixes both. Children simply mix the goo powder with water.
Then they turn the enchanted key to bring the potion to life, with magical lights and fairy sounds.
Press the sparkling star to add glitter to the slime, which can be personalised with decorations, charms and stickers.
It comes with a recipe book for a gaggle of unique slime combos, as well as eight customisable storage pots for between potion sessions.
It was a huge hit with our wannabe fairy, for endless sensory creative play.
BUY FROM SMYTHS £17.99
MINISO - Star Wars Imperial Stormtrooper Water Bottle
Stay hydrated, they will, with this super cool, Star Wars water bottle.
The force is strong with this bold Stormtrooper bottle, with a lightweight body and secure flip-top cap and carry loop.
It’s perfect for Star Wars fans who fancy some intergalactic hydration on the dark side.
BUY FROM MINISO £17.99
Aqua Beads Unicorn Nail Designer
Aquabeads meet girly beauty and crafting in this gorgeous set.
This clever gift enables children to make and wear pretty nails, using just tap water to activate the beads.
It includes Aquabeads nails and decorations for 40 designs, a work table, plastic tweezers, a water applicator with a brush, stickers, design sheet and instructions.
It’s satisfying and simple for little ones (from 4+) to use - the decorations magically stick to the glittery and shimmery nails with water.
They also stay on nails using water and are easy to remove.
And the best part is that they are all reusable and can be worn several times, for a gift that keeps on giving.
BUY FROM JOHN LEWIS £14.99
Crunch Labs Slime Prank Lab
For kids who’ve earned their spot on Santa’s naughty list - we’ve got your back.
This fabulous slime-making kit is brimming with hilarious pranks.
It’s also sneakily educational - created by a former NASA engineer with STEM-led experiments to explore textures, stretchiness and viscosity.
Our little monster loved building the Snot Pump for stealthy drips and naturally, the Fart Speaker has been a huge hit.
It comes with QR-linked videos, walking through the science behind each prank, turning every challenge into an exciting learning experience packed with creativity, curiosity and laughs.
BUY FROM SMYTHS TOYS £14.99
Care Bears Cutie Companions
This bag charm and plush can join your children to school as their own, personal BFF.
There are six characters to collect, each in a soft animal costume with a lace collar, finished with a ribbon and metal clip for a school bag or a set of keys.
Bag charms are the accessory of 2026, and they don’t come cuter than these little guys.
BUY FROM AMAZON £12.99
Clementoni IDEA! Create Your Own Lip Gloss
This fab present combines all the girlie favourites - science, crafting, fun and beauty.
Children (aged 8+) can concoct their very own, bespoke lip balms, learning science and discovering the secrets of cosmetics, along the way.
The instructions are simple to follow, using the included base cream, powder colourant, mini beaker, spatula and pots.
Our tester loved experimenting with the colouring and strawberry flavours, and the jewel-shaped containers are adorable.
BUY FROM AMAZON £11.99
Superhero Me! book
This beautiful book lets little readers become superheroes of their own story, with a wearable cardboard mask tucked inside the cover.
With fabulous illustrations and exciting pop-up moments, each page takes them on a journey into their own imaginations, exploring how it would feel if they were a Superhero.
BUY FROM AMAZON £11.75
MARVEL - The Diary of Spider Man
Our Spidey fanatic loved swinging into the private world of Marvel’s teenage hero, by reading his secret diary.
The brilliantly fun and accessible book gives fans a chance to look behind the mask.
We see relatable school updates from teenage Peter Parker, juggling homework and at high school.
But by night, we get the inside scoop on the adventures Peter can’t tell Aunt May about.
Keeping it authentic and attractive to reluctant readers, there are sketches, notes, doodles and secret Spider-Man ideas scrawled in the margins.
It’s perfect for fans of Marvel and diary-style books, with an inspiring school boy they can relate to.
BUY FROM WATERSTONES £9.99
Fuggler X Care Bear Keyring by ZURU
Cute meets creepy in these deliciously weird Fuggler x Care Bears plush keyrings.
These collectable characters feature nostalgic Care Bears characters with twisted Fuggler grins and realistic teeth.
They’re the ultimate accessory for bags, keys and backpacks this Christmas, and beyond.
BUY FROM SMYTHS £7.99
Panda Saurus - Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza game
This best-selling, fast-paced game combines quick thinking, fast reactions, and loads of laughter in short 10-15 minute rounds.
The rules are simple to learn, but challenging to master - players take turns placing cards and saying words in sequence, but when the word matches the card, everyone races to slap the pile.
It’s a hit for family games night, for ages 8 and up and can be played with two to eight people.
Pleasingly, it’s portable with minimal set-up, so can be popped in the bag to liven up family restaurant sessions, flights and beach days.
BUY FROM AMAZON £7.65
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