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Ultimate 2025 holiday gift guide for kids of all ages

Trisha Easto
Paste BN
From babies and toddlers to pre-teens and teenagers, we found the year's most-loved toys, games and gadgets for the perfect gift this holiday season.
  • This holiday gift guide offers toy and gift ideas for children of all ages, from infants to teenagers.
  • For babies and toddlers, the guide suggests educational toys, activity walkers, and classic books.
  • School-aged children may enjoy magnetic building sets, while pre-teens might prefer trendy collectibles and tech gadgets.
  • Gift ideas for teenagers include popular tech like wireless earbuds, brand-name apparel, and trendy water bottles.

Christmas is almost here, which means parents are trying to make the magic happen. Regardless of the age of your child, nothing feels better than nailing the perfect gift and making them feel seen. Whether you're shopping for a baby's first Christmas, a curious preschooler or a hard-to-impress teenager, there's something magical about seeing their eyes light up when they unwrap the perfect gift.

From educational toys to trendy tech gadgets, the USA Today Shopping team has done the hard work and rounded up some of the best toy and gift ideas for kids this holiday season, from infants to teens. Here are our toy and gift recommendations this holiday season by age group:

Holiday toy and gift ideas for infants and babies

First holiday season and first Christmases are so special, and wanting to include your baby in those moments is an understandable part of parenthood. Choosing gifts for that moment? Easier said than done.

My First Christmas Tree for Babies & Toddlers

My First Christmas Tree for Babies + Toddlers
Celebrate their first Christmas (and beyond!) with a tree those curious little babies CAN play with. Shop now at Amazon

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Countin’ Reps Dumbbell Rattle

Fisher-Price Laugh + Learn Countin’ Reps Dumbbell Rattle
A silly, but adorable gift for babies. My son used this much longer than I would have anticipated and is still obsessed with my dumbbells. Shop at Amazon

VTech Stroll & Discover Activity Walker

VTech Stroll + Discover Activity Walker
For slightly older babies, this activity walker is great for getting their legs going in that crawling to walking phase. Shop at Walmart

Best-selling books for babies

  • My First Library: We were gifted the "My First 100 Words" book, and I love the whole My First Library Collection. It can be used in so many ways to help teach colors, words and picture identification.
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear: A simple book that we all remember from our childhood, which is great for kids' learning, including animals and colors.
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar: The counting in this book is helpful for bedtime, or anytime, with simple graphics, help learning counting and the days of the week.

Holiday toy and gift ideas for toddlers

You've surpassed the first birthday, words might be flying at you, but suddenly everything goes into their mouth. Everything. Choosing toys for the toddler stage is where the focus on small parts, age recommendations and warnings really comes into effect. But, your toddler is more active and understanding of the world around them, so play time is becoming so much more fun.

Ms. Rachel Speak & Sing Doll

Ms. Rachel Speak & Sing Doll
Ms. Rachel is a favorite for plenty of parents and kids alike, and she launched her own toy line last year making great gift ideas for little ones. Shop at Amazon

KiwiCo Mechanical Ornaments Advent Calendar

Mechanical Ornaments Advent Calendar
Save 15% on all 2025 KiwiCo Advent calendars with code ADVENTFUN. Save 15% at KiwiCo

Costway Kids Kitchen Playset with Light-up Stove & Cooking Sounds

Costway Kids Kitchen Playset
For the older end of the toddler spectrum, this kitchen playset gets their imagination going, plus it comes in white or pink. Shop at Target

Editor-recommended books for kids under 5

  • Little Blue Truck: This series has been a favorite for my son since he was about two or three. There are plenty of themed ones, but his current obsession is Little Blue Truck and Racer Red, which came out earlier this year. I love the length (makes a great bedtime story) and the rhyming!
  • Who Pooped On Me?: Poop is always funny! I read this to my son on my Kindle app and he laughed about it for days, so we had to get the hardcover version.
  • The Book with No Pictures: Skip the picture books. This book came highly recommended to me by a Target employee in the book section. The Book With No Pictures is full of silly, made-up words. My son asks me to read it every night and phrases from that book are used in our everyday routines now.

Holiday toy and gift ideas for kids aged 5-10

We've entered the school-aged child, which, for me, has been one of the most fun stages. They are playing more independently, but know how to share with siblings and friends and they're imagination is running wild when it comes to play. They understand holiday themes and love to tear open a gift.

Magna-Tiles Downhill Duo 40-Piece Magnetic Construction Set

MAGNA-TILES Downhill Duo 40-Piece Magnetic Construction Set
We LOVE a magna-tiles play session, and this set combines his love for cars and racing. Save 30% at Amazon

Magna-tiles is the original magnetic building brand, and they are available in a bunch of different options based on your kiddos' interests. Here are a few other collections:

Shop the Magna-tiles store

Flat 2Fast Stunt 2-Pack Playset

Flat 2Fast Stunt 2-Pack Playset
These cars flatten to fit inside launchers, then can be launched with the press of a button and pop back into a regular car as they fly across the floor. Shop at Amazon

Best-selling books for kids under 10

  • 'How to Catch' series: From unicorns and mermaids to elves and the Easter bunny, the How to Catch series features 28 books that are perfect for ages 4-10.
  • Big Book of Jokes: For the kids that are just starting to understand jokes (and telling them), add this Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids to their list for laughs all year long.
  • Wish: This is a top teacher's pick on Amazon for your slightly older kiddos.

Holiday toy and gifts ideas for pre-teens

Your kids are getting a little older, maybe shying away from toys and leaning more into trends. Labubu is the collectible everyone is talking about and blind boxes are now available at Walmart.

Pop Mart Labubu The Monsters Have a Seat Vinyl Plush Blind Box

Pop Mart Labubu The Monsters Have a Seat Vinyl Plush Blind Box
This is a collection of six blind boxes, each containing Labubu in a unique seated pose. This set includes characters such as Zizi, Ququ, Dada, Sisi, Baba and Hehe, with a secret figure named Duoduo. Buy at Walmart

Abacus Brands Pixicade! Turn Drawings Into Playable Video Games!

Abacus Brands Pixicade! Turn Drawings Into Playable Video Games!
Draw whatever comes to your imagination and watch it come to life with Pixicade! Shop at Amazon

Magcubic Mini Projector

Magcubic Mini Projector
Turn their room or family spaces into a theater with this mini projector. Shop at Amazon

Holiday gift ideas for teenagers

They're almost adults (or so they think), and they might be a little moodier, but they have a Christmas list that looks a little different. They most likely want cash or an insanely expensive piece of technology. Here are some ideas that fit the mold, but won't entirely break the bank.

Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds

Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds
They're pretending to ignore you anyway, might as well have the "my AirPods were in" excuse. Shop at Amazon

Lululemon's Big Cozy collection

Lululemon's Big Cozy collection
Grab some winter staples in one of the most requested brands. Shop lululemon's Big Cozy collection

Upgrade their water bottle with the latest from Stanley

Stanley The Quencher ProTour Flip Straw Tumbler Ponderosa Shimmer
The Holiday Happenings collection from Stanley is here! Shop the holiday collection now. Shop at Stanley

Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA Today Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.