By the time they get into the 8- to 10-year-old range, kids are more likely to tell you directly what kinds of toys and games they’re into. But they’re still young enough to be drawn in by marketing, hype, and trends that might lead them to toys and gifts that won’t actually hold their attention.
For Good Housekeeping’s 2026 Toy Awards, our experts (including engineers, product analysts, and parenting editors), with the help of 370 kid testers, uncovered the toys and games that actually keep this age group entertained. Kids played with toys in their own homes, and their parents filled out detailed surveys on engagement, ease of use, and lasting play value. Beyond that, our experts observed which toys kids gravitated toward during our in-person toy-testing day. These winners impressed parents, experts, and, most important, the kids who played with them.
Clixo’s flexible, magnetic pieces let kids build in configurations other than stacking pieces straight up and down, which lets them flex their engineering skills a bit more. This set comes with pieces and instructions for making different dinosaurs, or they can use the set for open-ended building. Ages 6+
TESTER NOTES: “This was truly a hit through and through,” one parent tester said. “He first enjoyed following the instructions to build the dinosaurs, and then that really launched his creativity in building other creations.” Parents also found that it was great to take on the go.
Players have to act fast when they play Vango’s Gummy Grab game, since everyone plays at the same time (which is great for kids who hate waiting their turn). Everyone races to get rid of their cards by matching the number or color on each, and when someone has no cards left, players try to grab a (fake) gummy worm before their opponents do. Ages 6+
TESTER NOTES: Kids were very into the theme of this game—and who wouldn’t be? “The kids loved how realistic the worms looked and how competitive the game could get!” one parent said.
Kids are always on the hunt for new and adorable squishy toys, and Kraft’s certainly fit the bill. While these come in the form of a variety of Kraft favorites, including the Kool-Aid Man, Jell-O, and Mac & Cheese, the most satisfying one is the smiling Jet-Puffed Marshmallow, which has a pleasantly sweet scent. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: “Squishies are all the rage, and these satisfied the squishy lover in her greatly!” said a mom of a 9-year-old. This marshmallow rose to the top as the testers’ favorite, with kids loving both the scent and the squish appeal.
If they’re feeling the Huntrix style, this kit from Cool Maker will show them how it’s done, done, done. Kids can load the beads into the pen in whatever color configurations they like, then load it into the bracelet maker to string the bracelet right onto their wrist. Ages 7+
TESTER NOTES: “She loved getting to make bracelets without help!” said one parent of her daughter. “She liked the ease of using the ‘pen’ to grab the beads instead of having to try to get the string through each bead.” The KPop theme was also a hit with fans.
This Loops Lab set comes with figures that make up two fictional bands—the EDM-inspired Waveravers and the DJing HedX Duo—as well as a black stage on which they perform. As kids place each figure on the stage, different instruments, beats, and effects are added to the music playing, which gives them a chance to be their own music producers. Available November 1; Ages 10+
TESTER NOTES: “This toy is perfect for a young aspiring DJ or musician,” said one parent. “My daughter loved the cute figures that came with the set and were used to make different sounds and song mixes.”
Food-themed toys and games are having a moment, and Vango’s Smack n Cheese is no exception. In the game, players have to keep an eye out for matching cards, and when they spot a pair, everyone has to race to smack a squeaky, rubbery elbow noodle, so the game is a little bit physical and a little bit mental. Ages 6+
TESTER NOTES: The easy-to-learn rules and quick setup made it a good game for being on the go: “We will take this on vacation with us,” one tester said. “It’s a great game for by the pool or while waiting at a restaurant.”
After The Mandalorian and Grogu this year, the pull of this remote-controlled Star Wars vehicle was hard to resist; when we brought kids into the Good Housekeeping Institute to test toys, they sent this one zooming across the floor, activating its lights and sounds in the process. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: “It was easy to control,” said one 10-year-old tester. “It could go forward, backward, spin around. It could shoot lasers. I liked that it could move on concrete as well as the floor.”
Clickeez embody multiple toy trends that are hot right now: They come in blind boxes, there are ultra-cute characters to collect, and they’re also fidget toys, with each clicking like a key in a mechanical keyboard. This set comes with 12 “Bubble Pops” characters that attach to a keyboard that has room for the rest of the collection. Ages 6+
TESTER NOTES: “They’re fun to fidget and play with—the whole family wanted to click and connect them,” one tester said. Another called them “adorable and satisfying” and said “They’re versatile, so you can take them on the go in keychain form."
From its smooth-not-sticky pull to its pleasing teal color to its fun fragrance, this putty from Crazy Aaron’s is a feast for the senses. It stands out among other slimes and unguents because of its texture, which is soft and creamy even after it has been played with. Ages 3+
TESTER NOTES: Kids who came to the Good Housekeeping Institute to test toys—and their adult chaperones—couldn’t stop squeezing, stretching, and otherwise touching this putty. “The tin was great for storage, and the putty didn’t stick to the tin, which is really nice,” one parent said.
Making a lava lamp in a test tube, creating purple slime, activating fizzing reactions—Barbie really can do anything! With this kit from Blue Marble and some common household items, kids can follow along with instructions for 20 different science experiments. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: Parents appreciated that while an adult needed to be present for supervision, kids could carry out most of the experiments independently. “She felt confident in following the directions and excited about the finished products!” said one mom of a 10-year-old.
Beyblade fans can never know exactly how their battle is going to go with this arena, because at any moment a T-shaped rail can pop up and affect the direction of the spinning tops. In addition, this arena has the X-Celerator Rail, which gives a huge speed boost, and it comes with two right-spinning tops and two ripcord launchers. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: All our testers agreed that the arena’s many features made for some dynamic battles. “[My son] liked that the different blades had their own stats and traits,” said one father of an 8-year-old. “The speed and freneticism of the blades was really exciting.”
With the World Cup fresh in everyone’s minds and the Women’s World Cup on the horizon, there has never been a better time to be a soccer fan. This game from Fat Brain Toys lets kids get in on the act, spreading a toy field over any table, setting up goals and barriers, and then using handheld players that spin when they are squeezed to kick a ball into the opponent’s goal. It comes with three players, but more can be collected separately. Ages 6+
TESTER NOTES: Kid testers loved the Foosbots figures, asking for more players to add to the collection. “They loved setting it up and playing with it and keeping score,” one parent told us.
The secret to this LEGO set is the Smart Brick, which lights up and makes noise depending on which Smart Tags or Smart Minifigures it’s placed next to. In this set, it can make the sound of a ship refueling, make TIE Fighter engine noises, and make the famous pew-pew-pew noises of the lasers, among other fun effects. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: “Oh, wow, it makes sound when it moves around—that’s so cool!" one 8-year-old tester exclaimed. One family also noted that the LEGO sets got them excited to watch the films together.
This 16-inch Pikachu interactive puppet from RealFX pulls its ears back, blinks its eyes, moves its mouth, lights up in its cheeks, and makes other noises. Kids can control the movements with buttons in its back, and it also responds to different touch sensors on its head and belly, making it seem remarkably animated. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: It was a favorite of our parenting editor, who loved that it looked shockingly real and made kids look like professional puppeteers. Families also loved playing with it, with one mom saying, “It was very popular in my house” and noting that her kids spent long stretches of time playing with it.
The bag charm trend is still going strong, especially when it comes to dangling ones with soft bodies and vinyl faces. Happy Haul gives favorite Disney characters the blind-box treatment, with seven different characters to collect, including a rare Winnie-the-Pooh and characters from classic movies such as Moana and Alice in Wonderland. Each wears a warm,one-piece woodland outfit. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: “My daughter loved the theme of the toy and the unboxing experience,” said one mom of an 8-year-old. “She’s a big fan of blind-box toys as well as Disney, so this was a perfect fit for her. She shrieked with excitement when she opened it!”
Stickerbox uses AI to let kids describe an image they want to see on a sticker, then prints it for them in black-and-white so they can color it in. It’s COPPA compliant (no data on the kids or their sticker preferences is stored), and it even understands words in different languages. Ages 5+
TESTER NOTES: Parents consistently highlighted the creativity and imaginative play involved. “[My daughter] loved being able to use her imagination to come up with pictures that she received instantly,” one tester parent said. “She came up with some really silly stickers that she was then able to color with the provided colored pencils.”
How many food-shaped squishies can one child have? The answer is, infinitely many. This nugget from Relatable, which comes in one of four random colors, is perfectly fist-sized and slowly regains its shape after it is squeezed. It comes in a funny “dipping sauce” holder. Ages 3+
TESTER NOTES: Kid testers kept coming back to it. “They have taken this with us everywhere we go and have had great fun mashing it into different shapes,” one parent noted. “This toy has stood the tests of time and continuous play.”
It’ a simple setup: three orange cats, three yellow cats, and a cat condo with many levels. But with the challenge cards from Exploding Kittens, the game can be played in multiple ways. One card might say that players have to toss the cats backward over their shoulders, for example, while another will direct players to tally points only on the level with the fewest cats. Ages 7+
TESTER NOTES: It was a home run with testers. “The game was easy to play, and we laughed and stayed entertained for upward of an hour,” one said. Another told us, æThis was a fun game to play as a family. We got a lot of laughs.”
Gouda Games challenges players to get on the same wavelength or else! Team members have to give the same answers to questions (e.g., “What’s the best thing to put on toast?”) or perform the same actions (e.g., “Point to the person most likely to walk into a door”) to stay in the game. If they miss, they turn over a letter, and if they spell S-I-N-K, they’re out. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: Testers said that this game was a good bonding experience and family members learned more about each other. “We really liked that the players had to think about what their teammates thought,” one parent said.
Kids can bring all the creativity of the Overworld off screens and into real life with this set from Sticki Rolls. It comes with a bracelet that has five rolls containing 10 Minecraft-inspired mini stickers each. (The other beads are inspired by the Minecraft mobs.) In addition, it comes with a collector’s book in which they can show off their stickers. Ages 3+
TESTER NOTES: All in all, Minecraft fans loved this one and enjoyed peeling off the stickers, putting them in the book, and showing them off to friends.
They’ll get to exercise their logic and strategy skills while showing off their fandom for Huntrix or the Saja Boys with this Ravensburger board game. Players have to clear a path to collect different items, but the tiled pieces move each round and change the board for everyone. Ages 7+
TESTER NOTES: “It’s challenging but very engaging, and it encourages players to think quickly and develop problem-solving skills,” said one mom of an 8-year-old. “It’s both fun and mentally stimulating.”
Never has a monster from the Upside-Down seemed so cuddly. Perfect for Stranger Things fans, Jazwares’s Demogorgon plush comes all closed up, but when someone pushes a button in its torso, it roars and opens to reveal a face full of menacing teeth. Ages 8+
TESTER NOTES: “I like how it's really cute,” said one 10-year-old tester. “It’s a good size. The legs and arms are soft. The sound it makes is fun. And obviously the feature where you press the button and open its face is cool.”
Though it is already a popular book series, the Warrior Cats fandom is really heating up thanks to an announcement of a series coming to Disney+ in 2028. Until that arrives, fans can tide themselves over with these blind-box plush versions of their favorite characters, which, at six inches tall, are the perfect size to collect. Ages 3+
TESTER NOTES: “I love them all,” said one 10-year-old, a fan of the books. “They are so soft.” A parent of two testers said her kids “got four different cats and thought they were all so cute.”
A follow-up to the Toy Award–winning ZipString, the ZipString Aracna fastens onto a wrist to make the wearer look like everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood superhero. Then a string shoots out of the device, seems to float in the air, and retracts automatically. Ages 4+
TESTER NOTES: When we gathered kids to test toys in the Good Housekeeping Institute, everyone wanted a turn with this one—and that makes sense, because there’s just no other toy out there like this. The movement of the string in the air feels unique.
