31 Toys That Will Last Beyond January

There are a million dollhouse options out there, but I love one that’s built to last like The Dollhouse from Blueberry and Third. It comes completely blank, so you can decorate it however you want with paint, wallpaper, and accessories, and it’s built in a 1:12 scale so you can add in your own furniture and dolls. It’s also enormous and just so classic. A great, heirloom-quality toy this Christmas.

I know it’s not new anymore, but my son has used his Yoto daily for over a year and it still looks and works like it’s brand new. This year we’re asking grandparents for the Yoto Club membership so my son can pick a new card or two each month (we keep them all in this inexpensive little organizer for compact storage and easy travel). We love the classic bedtime stories and the daily kids’ podcasts they put out, and that it’s nice screen-free background noise when we’re playing and drawing together.

I had a microscope set as a kid, and I still remember the countless hours I spent looking at the slides it came with and making my own from leaves, bugs, and feathers I found outside. For the curious kids in your life, it’s a top tier gift.

My kids love a bath toy, and there is nothing better than the Boon Pipes & Cogs & Tubes bundle. This is perfect for kids who love to pour water and see how water interacts with certain tools, and it keeps all the water inside the bath tub rather than splashing all over the floor. (For the most part.)

We’ve had these Numberblocks MathLink Cubes for over a year, and my son has played with them in a million different ways as he has grown. They are sturdy — not a single one has broken, nor do I see that being a problem in the future. They definitely contribute to his learning about addition and subtraction as we count up blocks to build the characters, and he’s beginning to use the activity cards as well, which allows for more independent play.

My kids watch so much Doctor Squish, and this Doctor Squish Squishy Maker is the perfect gift for them. Not only does it expand your child’s creativity and help with sensory play, the little squishies are reusable with clips, so this isn’t one of those one-and-done crafts. They can remake a squishy over and over, and it honestly doesn’t require a ton of adult help for big kids.

Play-Doh is one of my favorite stocking stuffers for kids, but it’s painful to buy knowing it will almost certainly be left out of the container to solidify in short order. Dohkins’ dough uses a never-dry formula so it will stay soft and pliable even if your kid is zipping back and forth between all their new gifts Christmas morning, and bonus points — it smells good.

This soft-sided soccer ball is designed to be dribbled around and kicked between players indoors. It’s kind of the perfect solution to being stuck inside all winter and needing to get the kid zoomies (and dad zoomies) out if you ask me. It’s a size 4, built to last, and appropriate for all ages to practice their soccer drills in their room.

Squishmallows make everything happier, and now they can help you convince your kid to brush their teeth. This brush is rechargeable, comes with two brush heads, and has a two-year warranty should anything stop working. Its fun features include progress lights to make sure kids brush for long enough, audio and haptic feedback, and super soft bristles appropriate for young teeth and gums (but still tough on plaque).

Wooden block sets are one of those toys that’ll survive an apocalypse, and this 100% beechwood one is quite possibly the cutest ever. I love that the wooden house can be played with and built around, but it also serves as the storage container for all the loose blocks when playtime is over. It has outlines inside to show the placement of each block, so picking up becomes a puzzle game in and of itself.

We are a big magnetic tiles family and are constantly building zoos, parking garages, and Pokémon centers with our collection. This pack was a super fun addition that makes it so easy to add windows and customize the look of our structures. Bonus points: they are super durable, the magnets are strong, and the set came with a booklet of builds to replicate. We are eyeing the ball runs from the brand next.

This Folklore Forest magnetic dress up play set is so simple and perfect for kiddos ages 3+. Not only does everything stay in the case, but the case itself is metal, so the items stick right to it. It comes with two characters, two background scenes, and over 45 mix-and-match magnets to create fun looks. This is a great on-the-go toy and my younger girls, ages 7 and 3, are both obsessed with it.

You don’t need a ton of space or huge pieces of equipment for your little climbing kid, but they will absolutely love the Avenlur Majesty Balance Beam and Stepping Stones. This is sturdy, will hold up to multiple kids using it, and can be stored away when you don’t want it out. You can also change the shape around of the balance beam and move pieces to fit whatever play your kids want. It’s great for pretend play, for kids who don’t love to sit still, and is a perfect big gift that will actually hold their attention.

Bicycles are the best, and every big kid deserves a bike that will last forever and give them that delicious outdoor freedom they deserve. The Huffy Deluxe Beach Cruiser is so fun and retro, but it’s also a big, sturdy bike with everything they need to enjoy some independent time. It comes with a basket attached, a rear rack, and a cup holder, and you already know that Huffy is a brand that lasts forever. Nobody’s ever bored of a bike, you know?

Even the craftiest kids sometimes get bored with craft kits, but the Make It Real Mini Pottery Studio will hold their attention forever. Not only is it meant for little hands to handle, but the entire kit is built to move up from beginner level to master level, so kids can keep growing with the craft and they’ll actually want to keep the fun things they make.

Tiny cars are always a hit, and there are so many options out there for stunt cars and entire car playsets and things that can get really overwhelming really quickly. Sometimes the more options, the least likely your kid is to mess with it, but that’s what’s so great about the FLAT 2 FAST Stunt 2-Pack Playset. These little FLAT 2 FAST cars are so cool anyway — they come with like a little box they shoot out of to go super fast across the room — and the stunt playset only comes with 8 pieces, but you can have so much fun with them. And it doesn’t require a whole lot of work to set up or take up a huge portion of your playroom.

For perfect sturdy play, there’s The Clothing Rack from Blueberry and Third. It’s just the right size for kids to help themselves, and you can use it to hold all of their favorite dress-up clothes and costumes. It keeps everything organized, looks pretty, but also fosters independent and pretend play. (It’s also nice and well made for kids yanking off hangers.)

Journaling is always such a great hobby, especially for kids, and the Mondo Llama Junk Journal craft kit is such a fun gift. It comes with everything, from glue sticks and washi tape to cute envelopes and stickers. They can work on it whenever they want, and it’s an amazing gift for them to always have on hand to express themselves and get creative.

Our youngest received this pop-up crawl through tunnel on her first birthday and nearly three years later, it’s almost a daily toy for her and our 7-year-old and 11-year-old. All of them love to use it as part of building their forts, playing games like “the floor is lava,” and even just for laying inside while they play on their tablet. It folds up so nicely and can be tucked out of sight without any issues.

Pretend food is always a hit, but I love the novelty of this Fisher-Price Pots & Pasta Chef Set. With wooden kitchen utensils, metal pots, and fabric pasta pieces, this cooking set is made to last and will be part of their pretend play forever. Plus, how fun is it to actually dump the pasta out of the boxes?

Don’t sleep on sticker books, especially this Arctic Life reusable sticker set from Mudpuppy. Everything stays together in the fold-out scenes (it has a folder inside to hold the sticker sheets) and the stickers are vinyl and thick. These won’t tear in half, they won’t stick to your furniture and never come off, and kids have two options for play — put the animal stickers into the “scenes” for story play, or put them in their designated spaces and learn their names. My 3-year-old was able to pull off every sticker with zero help from me, and weeks later, the stickers are still incredibly sticky (and not getting covered in dog hair from our pup).

Outdoor toys are always a great option if you want a gift that will hold your kid’s attention, and the Alameda Complete Skateboard is perfect for beginners and experts. It’s classic, and even kids who have never tried can give this one a whirl and practice all of their favorite moves all year long.

I love room decor as a gift that will last, and this little pearl boba tea ambient light from Smoko is so cute. It doesn’t require a charge or anything but 3 AAA batteries, and it also has an auto shut-off feature to save power. This is a great little night light, reading nook light, or even a desk light.

If you have a science fan, this Wow in the World 100 Experiments That Wow science kit is so fun. Not only are there all the experiments — and step-by-step guides to do them — but there are also pieces inside the kit that your kids can reuse for different science and STEM fun.

Sticker books do not normally come to mind when I think of toys made to last, but my family has gotten literally countless hours of entertainment out of this one. You have to match the over 1,400 stickers in the back to the silhouettes throughout the book, and when you’re done, you have a guide to all the known Pokémon in the franchise, so it’s actually a book you can keep and flip through forever.

Melissa & Doug is known for their built-to-last play sets, and the Disney Snacks & Popcorn set is so fun. With 24 pieces, this is the perfect set for Disney fans, and your kids will absolutely love serving you their favorite park treats. My own girls have the same set and use it constantly, and everything stores right inside the box and can be easily moved around the house.

Blocks are always a win, but the Jelly Blox creative kit is so beyond any other block set you’ve seen. Not only can you build things with these blocks, but the jelly texture of them — they are so squishy! — is ridiculously fun. In this set, some of the blocks include sand inside the squishy material, some include beads, and some include plastic shapes, so it’s a full-on sensory experience and so cool to build with.

Dump trucks are a must in any toy box — they are so good for so many pretend play things — and the Tonka Next Gen Mighty Dump Truck is going to hold up to any and all play. It’s tough, it’s built to last, and it can be taken outside for all kinds of fun.

If you have a kiddo that loves sand, dough, and other moldable sensory toys, they are going to absolutely lose it for the Little Tikes Creative Chefs Baker’s Kit. It comes with everything you need to make kinetic sand “cupcakes,” but the best part is, everything is reusable. The little mixer works on batteries, the sand can go back into the eggs to “crack” and mix into your cake mix, you can reuse the frosting molds — it’s so much fun and way more than just a one-off kinetic sand toy.

If you have an outdoorsy family, a quality tent is a gift that keeps giving for all of you. Whether you’re camping in a state park or your backyard, it’s the kind of nostalgic, analog togetherness we’re all about right now.

Everybody loves turning a knob and getting a little surprise, and this Gatcha Gatcha Unicorn Gumball Machine is so perfect for that. It’s wooden, with wooden beads in different shapes inside, and your kids will have a blast releasing new beads, dropping them back in, and doing it over and over. And because it’s all wooden, you know it’s going to last.