The 12 best tech toys for kids in 2024

Gamer parents know it can be hard to keep up the hobby when your little one won’t leave you alone. Fortunately, this facsimile of a real controller can both keep them busy and make them feel like part of the action. It’s shaped like an Xbox gamepad and features the same arrangement of buttons as a standard controller, but our favorite part has to be the easter egg hidden within – just enter the Konami code to find it.

Tamagotchi has come a long way since the first models came out over 25 years ago, with the Uni representing the current pinnacle of evolution for the brand. It still maintains the familiar egg shape and cute creatures within, but with plenty of newer features like a brilliant LCD screen and Wi-Fi connectivity. Creatures can now head online to explore the Tamaverse and make lots of new friends. It also comes with a handy-dandy wristband, turning the pet into an eye-catching fashion accessory.

The Toniebox is a screen-free audio player that is super easy for the littlest of littles to use, thanks to its simple controls. Squeeze the ears to make it louder or quieter, and tap the sides to skip a track or go back. To choose a program, kids merely place one of the Tonie figurines on top and the program starts automatically. This set comes with a basic set of stories and songs to get your kid started, but you can add to your child’s collection with additional Tonies including characters from Disney and Pixar movies, television shows, classic storybooks and even Marvel comics.

These days even the youngest kids know that there’s tons of fun to be had with a cell phone but, as a gadget nerd, you’d rather not trust them with your real iPhone. This toy may not have the YouTube app on it, but it is loaded with simple games that display on its modest LED screen and the buttons are super easy (and fun) to press. This is a great item to keep in the car for long drives, or even at the changing table to keep them busy while you take care of their business.

Magna-Tiles are a great building toy for kids a little burnt-out on LEGO, as well as parents who are sick of stepping on the spiky little bricks. And this new set is aimed at kids who love outer space, allowing them to build a launch pad from which to send off their shuttle – a shuttle that also doubles as a handy carrying case. It’s great for travel, whether you’re just going to grandma’s house or all the way out to Mars.

Puppets are a cool, though decidedly old-fashioned toy. This Real FX model of Disney’s incorrigible alien packs in a modern, tech twist to it, though – the head is equipped with animatronics, a simpler version of those you’d find in a theme park. You just need to stick a hand into the head, and wiggle your fingers to make Stitch’s eyes blink and his mouth open and close. Now, instead of rewatching the movie for the 100th time, kids can easily make up their own scenes at home.

If you saw the Barbie movie last year you know Barbie can be anything she wants to be, whether it’s a doctor, Nobel Prize winner or even president of the country. This particular career set features two Barbies rocking it as a pair of chemists. It’ll be up to your child to decide what they’re researching with the selection of flasks and beakers that this set comes with, but fashion-wise, they look great. The dolls also practice great lab safety, thanks to the included sets of doll-sized goggles.

Axolotls are all the rage with kids, probably because they’re just so damn cute. But what exactly is an axolotl? It’s a small freshwater salamander that lives in only one lake in Mexico, making it highly endangered. But you don’t have to travel all the way to Lake Xochimilco to get a bit of the axolotl experience, thanks to this adorable swimming toy. It fits nicely in your hand and reacts to being held and pet. But place it in the water (like the included inflatable pool), and that’s where it really shows its magic as it swims across the surface. It’s a great toy for bath or pool time.

The LEGO Botanical Collection sets are some of our favorite kits in recent years, as they’re fun to assemble, look great on any shelf and don’t ever need to be watered (just dusted once in a while). One of the few downsides of the sets, though, is the high price point, with most of them costing at least $50. The Plum Blossom is a little more reasonable at around $30, and still comes with its own pot making it easy to display — which your gift recipient will definitely want to do, as the red blossoms are extremely eye-catching thanks to their bright color and unique shape.

Physical media is popular again with music enthusiasts, and we don’t blame them – putting a record on the turntable is just plain fun. Now your kids can experience the same joy of picking out an album, dropping it on the platter and letting it spin with this toy record player. It’s not an authentic turntable like the one Fisher Price used to sell in the ‘70s, but that’s fine, because this one is easier for tiny hands to work without damaging your precious collector vinyl. And the selection of music it comes with is pretty good, from Country to Pop to Hip Hop. There’s even a “Mindfulness” album so your kid can learn to chill.

Let’s be honest – vending machines are cool. It’s fun to pick an item and watch the machine drop it into the slot at the bottom. Now your kids can enjoy the same experience at home thanks to this wooden toy vending machine, while learning their letters and numbers. You can stock it with the included toy food, but one fun parent hack I saw on TikTok is that you can put real pre-packaged snacks inside of it, doling out one of the included tokens to your child whenever they ask for a snack. That should save you the trouble of standing in front of a cabinet waiting on a child who can’t make up their little mind.