Cubby’s Very Favorite Top 25 Gifts for Kids of All Ages

My 5-year-old daughter listens to hours (and I mean, hours) of stories on her Yoto player. It's far and away one of her very favorite toys. I love that she can plug the story cards into the machine all by herself, so there's no need for me to use Spotify or connect anything through Bluetooth. She can listen and operate the player completely on her own! Story and music cards are purchased separately.

This star projector is Apartment Therapy founder Maxwell Ryan's favorite gift to give kids of any age. He first bought it for his daughter when she was little, but she's a teen now and still loves it! The projector fills the room with little green stars that drift against a blue nebula cloud. It's both awe-inspiring and soothing at the same time!

Lovevery's wonderful block set is an ideal toy for open-ended play, and it has such broad appeal, too. Cubby contributor Tyler Moore notes here that all three of his girls -- ages 7, 5, and 2 -- love playing with it. The set includes 70 solid wood blocks in 18 different colors with 18 different shapes and tools.

Say cheese! Fufifilm's Instax polaroid camera is a fantastic gift for a big kid or tween, while this sleek black upgrade is a nice choice for an older teen. I recommend getting one of the bundles that comes with a few boxes of film and some accessories, like a carrying case -- that way they're set up to start taking and sharing pictures immediately!

Loog has carved out quite a niche among musician (or just music-appreciating!) parents for its awesome kids guitars. The tiny 3-string guitar teaches proper finger placement that can transfer to a normal 6-string guitar once your child is a little older. Every Loog guitar (and there are various sizes and styles!) come with chord flashcards and an app for free (and super fun!) guitar lessons.

My oldest daughter got a Micro scooter when she was two years old, and six years later it has probably traveled hundreds of miles, especially once she grew out of it and we passed it down to her little sister. These are fantastic little scooters for kids still working on balance and dexterity but eager to get out on the sidewalk and pick up a (little) speed. Have an older kid? Then go for the Mongoose Expo Youth Scooter. We wrote about why we love it here.

These gorgeous pop-up fairytale books are our choice for an extra special nighttime read-aloud experience. Little and big kids love to see what's coming, and it helps keep their attention and focus on the story.

I don't think I've ever seen an all-star kids gift list that didn't have Magna-Tiles on it, and that's because they are the OG open-ended, years-of-play, good-for-all-ages toy. If your kid doesn't have Magna-Tiles yet, start here with this classic 100-piece set. If they do, expand their set with something like the Forest Animals or Dino World sets. Also, if you're really going for it, give it alongside this Magna-Tile playmat and storage bin so everything stays organized and together.

Crazy Forts takes amateur fort making with couch pillows and dining chairs to the next level. Each kit contains 25 balls and 44 sticks for building any number of fort shapes and sizes. Once your kid has a structure in place, add a few sheets and it's ready for all the hideaway spots they can imagine, be it pirate ship or space ship.

Cubby's Editor-in-Chief Faith Durand sings the praises of this bubble machine, which has the rare quality of being both an inexpensive gift for almost any kid or family and one that's fun, delightful, and not something they'll outgrow in a few months.

Washi tape works for all ages. Small kids love it for pictures and crafts, while older kids appreciate it for elaborate journaling or creative projects. There are hundreds of washi tape patterns and colors out there, but my daughter (8) says this set is her favorite. She likes the solid array of colors, the "perfect amount of stickiness" of the tape, and the fact that the adhesive doesn't have an odor (which some do). I recommend giving this set alongside inside this awesome washi tape dispenser for a whole package! (Also, for what it's worth, washi tape is a fabulous way to hang kid pictures, since it won't damage the walls or remove any paint.)

Hape's wooden marble run is well-made and super fun. It takes a bit to build the whole thing, but the payoff is worth it.

Little crafters will have their mind blown by this all-encompassing set from Kid Made Modern. It's got fuzzy sticks, pom poms, googly eyes, sequins, the list goes on. This is a one-and-done deal.

Lite-Brite has been around for, well, a very, very long time, as those of us who are grownups well know. And yes, its appeal has not wavered! One fellow Apartment Therapy parent says it's her 4-year-old's favorite toy.

There's a reason these fantastic play capes are our new go-to gifts for kids: they're genuinely cool! From this metallic dragon cape to wizard capes and unicorn capes, they're a slam dunk for any kid into imaginative play.

Schleich toy animals are detailed, realistic, and practically indestructible. For world-building and play-acting, they are an essential toy. You can find almost any animal you want, but this set is a great starter piece for young kids.

There are many dollhouses out there, but none quite as whimsical and beautiful as this one. It is an investment for sure, but also heirloom-quality. My kids use it with Maileg mice and furniture, but a furniture set like this would also fit nicely!

I think IKEA's Duktig play kitchen is the best play kitchen out there. Sure, there are fancier versions, but this one is affordable, perfectly sized, and endlessly hackable, and kids love playing with it. If you want a more colorful play kitchen that comes with all the gear, this Tender Leaf Toys kitchen is also fantastic, as we wrote about here.

Soft friends are always a good gift, especially if they come with companions of their own! Manhattan Toy Company has a few pairings you can choose from in addition to this one, like the super cute Ellis and Bunny and Freddie and Harper.

This pull-along toy is perfect for 1 to 2 year olds, as they start toddling around and developing their gross motor skills. But it'll last long beyond that, too. As Cubby contributor Alicia Betz says, later on "they can load it up with toys, use it to store stuffed animals, or pretend it’s a car as they begin to dapple in imaginative play." Plus, it'll just look super cute when it's parked in their bedroom or the living room!

A family board game everyone can get behind, even teens! This mash-up of Telephone and Pictionary is great for big family gatherings. Kids especially find the off-the-wall guesses and questionable drawings to be quite hilarious.

Pretty much any box or subscription from KiwiCo is worth a spot on this list, but if we had to choose, this domino robot machine is probably one of our favorites! KiwiCo is just so good at encouraging creativity, problem solving, and building STEM skills. Honestly, you can never wrong with one of their project kits.

Both of my girls received a Jellycat bunny when they were babies, and those bunnies are THE companion of choice still to this day, five and eight years later. When they're new they are the softest, cuddliest stuffed toys you can find. (I say when they're new because, like the Velveteen rabbit, they will grow shabby over time, but that does not diminish the intense love my kids have for these bunnies.) Pair a bunny with this book for an extra special gift.

They're singing already, so why not take it to the next level? The Singing Machine is a karoke machine that looks good and works great. It's fun and entertaining, and sometimes that's all you want!

As we wrote in our review, kids of all ages love to play with these stepping stones! They are a fantastic space-saving gross motor toy that also encourages imaginative play. They're also so pretty you won't mind leaving them out.