Whether you're shopping for your own children or that adorable grandchild, nephew or niece of yours, the top choice of gift is always toys. But the endless variety often makes toy shopping a puzzling process for adults, and that's totally normal.
We'd love to lend a hand with your quest for a gift! In this article, we are going to give you a list of some of the best toys by age range for boys and girls—toys that will make kids go ‘wow’!
Best toys for 3-5-year-old kids
Toddlers and preschoolers prefer toys that look cute and colorful and don't have complex mechanisms to operate. Keeping this in mind, we picked the following for kids between 3-5 years of age.
House Monsters Plushies
Whirly, Blushy, Fluffy, Munchy, Dizzy, Sudsy, Bumpy, and Drowsy are an adorable bunch of plushies known as the House Monsters. Each of the House Monsters has a unique personality of their own, which is explained in more detail on their very own collector card. The plush toys come with fun packaging, each designed to resemble their preferred habitats. Soft and cuddly, these toys are sure to bring a wide smile to your kid’s face.
In addition to the plush collection, there is a House Monsters illustrated hardcover book called The Birthday Party that your 3-5-year old will absolutely love.
Best toys for 5-8-year-old kids
As your child starts going to school and starts developing problem-solving abilities, you can introduce them to games and toys that are slightly more complex in nature, and promote learning while keeping the experience fun.
Submarings
Take your child back to the good old days before Wi-Fi and digital screens with Submarings from Clawsome. This toy is inspired by Poseidon's rings, who was the god of the sea in Greek mythology. After Poseidon’s battle with Odysseus, his rings were scattered all across the world's oceans. This game gives your little one the opportunity to collect these rings.
There are buttons located at the bottom of the toy. As your child presses these buttons, it propels water movement within the toy and makes the rings move according to the principles of fluid dynamics. This incredibly engaging game can be played solo or by two players.
Treasure Diver
Treasure Diver from Clawsome will keep your child glued to the game while developing their interest in STEM at the same time! The player has to retrieve the 6 available treasures—Shark’s Jaws, Pirate Sword, Cannon, Roman Jar, Anchor, and the Titanic’s ship wheel by squeezing the container. The more they practice, the better your child will become at reviving the lost treasures.
They can play with this solo, or with a group of friends. The interesting craftsmanship and unique nature of the game makes this one stand out from any other toys your child might have in their collection.
Best toys for 8-12-year-old girls
If you're looking for a toy for your preteen daughter, here are some options you can consider:
Butterfly Hot Air Balloon
Your little girl's imagination will take flight with this STEM authenticated, age-appropriate toy from Pinxies. The Butterfly Hot Air Balloon building set includes over 240 pieces, which have to be assembled requiring hand-eye coordination and a very basic understanding of spatial relationships. Assembling this hot air balloon toy fosters emotional skills, like patience. The vibrant colors make the set quite attractive, with the easy-to-assemble design making it challenging, but very achievable for kids.
This toy teaches your child to be patient and persistent, rewards their ability to follow instructions, and fosters problem-solving skills by building something on their own.
Open-ended toys can be a fun toy for your child, whether they are playing solo or have a playmate. They can weave their own details into the narration surrounding the building set, which further encourages their imaginative and creative abilities.
Mars Space Explorer
If your little girl is interested in exploring space, the Mars Space Explorer would be the ideal gift for them. It's a 64-piece set equipped with a an astronaut figure, who comes with multiple facial expressions. The set comes with an easy-to-follow instruction manual, so kids can assemble the set on their own. It's a toy that teaches problem-solving abilities and patience, and also instills the value of cooperation when they assemble the set with you, siblings or friends.
This STEM-authenticated game is a great way to fuel your child's passion for outer space, give wings to their imagination, and facilitate learning, all at once.
Fairy Treehouse
Pinxies brings to you the Fairy Treehouse, a building set that will make your child happy and provide them with educational value. Set in a fictional world, this toy takes your kid on a fantastical journey, one that's filled with endless possibilities.
It comes with 180+ pieces, and your child has to assemble the set following the instructions. While the manual is easy to follow, it still requires focus, patience, and determination to go through the steps carefully and complete building the treehouse. Finishing the task gives the child increased confidence, which will make them more inclined to actively engage in problem-solving in the real world.
Enchanted Ice Castle
Girls often love to explore the realm of magic, and there's no better way to grant their wish than by giving them the Enchanted Ice Castle! The adorable characters, the beautiful furniture, and other nifty detailing around the castle make this toy an interesting one, with the vibrant colors and overall size attracting the attention of children.
As your child learns to assemble the pieces to build the castle, they will develop problem-solving abilities. If they have a playmate to help, they will also learn the importance of friendship and cooperation.
Ocean Friends
The Ocean Friends building set from Pinxies brings a magical underwater world to life. It comes with 140+ individual pieces that have to be connected together to form the entire completed toy.
The set is STEM-authenticated as it hones your little one's problem-solving skills, teaches them the importance of perseverance, and boosts their confidence.
Best toys for 8-12-year-old boys
It can be tough to find toys for preteen boys, but not when Luki Lab is here! Check out these toys suitable for 8-12-year-old boys.
Robot
The Robot from Dexor is an action-themed building set that your growing preteen will surely love. Consisting of 110 pieces, it teaches children to follow instructions, be mindful, and assemble the pieces with patience.
There's an interesting story behind this toy that might serve as an inspiration during your child's play time. It's the story of a little boy named Derek. When he steps into the cockpit of the robot, he turns into Dexor—the mighty robot who regularly sets out to save his city and the world.
This toy is also a STEM-authenticated set, so it promotes learning in addition to keeping your child engaged in an interesting story-based toy.
Mars Hover Ship
Gujo Adventure brings to you a special building set consisting of 64 pieces. This unique Mars toy gives you a lot for the price. Once assembled, kids can launch the mars miner craft from the hover ship to use the rotating rock grinder to mine precious resources from the red planet. This building set is made with high-quality materials and comes with a convenient instruction manual to guide your child every step of the way while building the hover ship.
It's suitable for both boys and girls and helps them learn problem-solving abilities quicker. It encourages their imagination to run free, and engage in storytelling-based play on Mars.
T-Rex
The T-Rex from Robo-Max teaches your child patience, perseverance, and encourages them to build something that not all kids can. This massive building set includes 170+ pieces, LED eyes, and a sound box to emulate the roar of the T-Rex.
There are detailed, visual instructions provided to guide your child so they can do the majority of the assembly by themselves, but we recommend adult supervision and assistance depending on the child's particular propensities. It's possible to move the head, arms, and legs of the assembled T-Rex—which makes it all the more entertaining for children after completing the build.
This STEM-authenticated toy is ideal for kids who love to take up fun challenges and have a keen interest in dinosaurs or robots.
Underwater Base
The Gujo Adventure Underwater Base is yet another building set option you can gift that special child in your life. With high-quality connector pieces and a detailed instruction manual by your side, children can engage in the assembly on their own or with friends, have fun playing with the completed build, and develop an interest in early engineering skills thanks to the toy's STEM authentication.
Consisting of 164 pieces, this toy requires patience to assemble. It's ideal for children who love the underwater world, and feel intrigued by it. Once your child completes the assembly, it instills a sense of confidence that makes them keen on undertaking new challenges.
Deep Sea Submarine
This Gujo Adventure building set is a Submarine toy consisting of 215+ individual pieces. Once the assembly is complete, the submarine is around 2 feet in length. This toy is a treat to preteen kids as it allows them to create something with their own hands, and use their creativity and imagination while playing the game.
As this is a STEM-authenticated set, it promotes early engineering skills and instills a love and interest in the STEM field.
Guide to pick the best toys for kids
Let’s be real—kids’ toys are adorable and fun to look at, but when it’s time to pick a gift for a child, you might find it overwhelming. Firstly, there’s a wide variety of toys available, so it gets difficult to pick one out of so many. Secondly, you may not be sure whether the child will like the toy you pick, which makes you all the more tense and confused while choosing a gift. 
Now that you have an idea of some possible choices when it comes to the best toys for boys and girls, here’s a quick guide to help you better decide.
1. Consider their age
When you’re looking for toys for your child, take into consideration whether they are a toddler, preschooler, or preteen. With age, the child’s developmental abilities mature, and they can be more involved in games that require problem solving. That’s why you’ll notice that toddlers' toys are simple and attractive, while the more complex ones are reserved for older children.
2. Know their interests
From the age of 5 onwards, children start to develop various interests. When they are in the 8-12 age group, both boys and girls have their own specific tastes. As a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc., you should always prioritize the things the child finds interesting when choosing a toy for them. For instance, some kids could find space intriguing, while some will be more fascinated by fairies and unicorns. Knowing what your kid likes and dislikes will help you find the best toys for them.
3. Consider gifting educational toys
Besides providing company during play-time, toys can also facilitate learning. Why not give kids a leg up on beneficial life skills? When you’re picking gifts for kids, you could look for toys that are STEM-authenticated, which improves their mental agility and developmental skills through play.
4. Make sure they have fun!
Over and above everything else, make sure to choose a toy that will give your child an endless supply of fun. Look for unique gifts that will keep them engaged for hours, something that will keep them away from gadgets and digital screens, and something they won’t get bored of easily.
The one-stop shop for kids toys: Luki Lab
If you’re wondering where you can find a huge collection of toys, Luki Lab is just what you need. Our virtual toy store features STEM-authenticated building sets and games, as well as comforting toys that children cannot get enough of. Be it for your toddler or older children, we have a toy for everyone.
We covered the best toys by age range for boys and girls in this article. But if you’re looking for more, feel free to check out our entire collection!