22 of the best toys for 6 year olds

Best educational toys for 6 year olds

• Great for science lovers: Clementoni The History of Life on Earth, £29.99
• Great for numeracy skills: Orchard Toys First Times Tables Games, £9.50
• Great for video-making fun: Little Tikes Tobi 2 Director's Camera, £24.99
• Great for nature exploration: GeoSafari Jr Kidnoculars Extreme, £28.95

Best outdoor toys for 6 year olds

• Great for active fun: Kickmaster Quick Up Football Goal & Target, £19.99
• Great for budding young cyclists: Frog City 53, £550
• Great for wow-factor action: Xootz Ride-On Bumper Car, £179.99

Best role-play toys for 6 year olds

• Great for horse-based role play: Schleich Horse Club Lakeside Riding Centre, £84.99
• Great for hairdresser-based role play: Sylvanian Families Pony's Stylish Hair Salon, £69.99
• Great for dinosaur role play: Imaginext Jurassic World Mega Stomp & Rumble Giga Dino, £125
• Great for animal-based role play: Playmobil Family Fun Large Zoo, £59.99
• Great for superhero role play: Imaginext DC Super Friends Gotham City Jail, £31.99
• Great for fashion fun: Rainbow High Spring 23 Collection, £29.99

Best craft toys for 6 year olds

• Great for craft-based fun: So Bomb DIY Bath Bomb Factory, £20
• Great budget buy: Solar System Scratch Art, £4.95 for a 10-pack

Best trending toys for 6 year olds

• Great for a furry friendship: Furby, £74.99
• Great for interactive nurturing: Bitzee Interactive Digital Pet, £32.99
• Great for collectible fun: Bubiloons Confetti Party, £10

Which type of toys are best for 6 year olds?

"Children of this age tend to enjoy problem-solving toys, such as puzzles and construction sets. They still really like structured activities, so kits and builds where you produce something at the end are nearly always a good choice," continues Helen.

"This is also an age where games and toys that require simple reading or counting can be a hit, as well as games that are themed around science and nature.

They still enjoy imaginative play (often for extended periods of time) and tend to love inventing all sorts of pretend scenarios based around themed playsets. But they may also be becoming more interested in doing 'real' things, such as taking real photographs with a (child-sized) camera instead of role-playing to take pictures with a pretend camera.

Toys that can involve friends, such as board games, are also a winner – although they may not always be able to handle losing with total grace."

Here's our pick of the best toys for 6 year olds, as tested by children and rated by their parents...

Additional writing and product selection by Gill Crawshaw

Best construction toys for 6 year olds

1. Simbrix Range, £4.99-£24.99

— Great for creative construction

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6-9 years | Size: Various | Batteries: N/A | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

If you’re looking for a gift for the creative in your house, then the colourful Simbrix construction range is a great place to start. The simple interlocking pieces come in a wide array of colours and can be arranged into almost any 2D or 3D pattern your child can dream up.

The real selling point for the Simbrix range is its simplicity. Unlike other construction toys, Simbrix pieces are all the same shape and size, placing the focus on what your child wants to create as opposed to the complexity of the construction process itself. Each set also comes with a tray to sort and organise the pieces making for remarkably mess free play.

As parent tester Charlotte noted, “my daughter is 7 and was thrilled when she received her toy to test - getting it out almost before the postman had left the path! In particular, she loves the range of colours and the fact its reusable means she can do different designs again and again — however she's kept most of them!

Available at: Amazon and Smyths Toys

2. GigaBots Energy Core, £16

– Great for fine finger skills

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: Varies but between H25cm to 33cm (once built) | Batteries: None

Inside the grey plastic ball are 33 pieces to build into a brightly coloured, fully posable robot figure that can be played with or displayed. The pieces connect with a satisfying pop and there are clear picture instructions to follow – and, when you're done, you can disassemble the robot and store it back in the ball, ready to build another day.

"I like the robot's futuristic design and I like that I can twist and bend his body parts" said our child tester, Rupert, 6 (pictured above), who was amazed that something so large could be created from parts that packed into such a small ball. "We liked that the ball acts as a container for all of the pieces, so we didn’t lose them mid build," said his mum, Hannah.

Once built, the robot is nice and big, and fun to play with, but the construction is not bombproof – it certainly wouldn't survive rough play in 1 piece. The joy here is definitely in the build –and rebuild.

There are 6 GigaBot Energy Cores to collect: Gripbot, Scarpbot, Blaze, Hazbot, Hyrobot and Fragbot.

Available at: Argos and Amazon

3. Geomag Supercolor 78 pcs, £48

– Great for problem-solving skills

Age suitability: 5+| Best for age: 6+ | Size: Various | Batteries: None

This 78-piece set contains colourful magnetic rods, balls and shapes that 'stick' together and create different shapes, patterns and objects. The rods and shapes are made of recycled plastic, and the pack comes with an instruction booklet featuring 7 suggested designs.

These designs are fun to build but we also like how this toy lends itself to open-ended construction. Our child tester Brooke, 7 (pictured above), said, "This is so cool! It was really fun building all the things. I want to play with it all the time."

Her mum Sarah-Jane – and our other child testers' parents – was impressed by the clear, step-by-step instructions and by the little containers included in the box for storing the sticks and balls so they don't get lost.

"It is a little expensive," she said, "but it's very well made and you can instantly see the quality. It's a toy that would continue to appeal to your child when they're older, and you know it would last for years."

Available at: Amazon

4. Star Wars Grogu 3D Puzzle Ball, £14.99

— Great for puzzle fun

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: 13cm x 13cm x 13cm | Batteries: None | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

Take puzzling to a whole new dimension with this 3D puzzle in the shape of Grogu from Star Wars, The Mandalorian.
Fans of Star Wars and puzzles will love this unique, 72 piece jigsaw where pieces click and stay together without the use of glue - or the force - to make the shape of Grogu’s distinctive green head. In a clever move, each piece is numbered on the reverse to help with putting the puzzle together.

The puzzle is fun to use and looks great once finished too. It’s handy that it comes with a stand for your kids to display their finished puzzle ball on pride of place in their bedroom.

'Awesome' was the verdict of our child tester Joseph, 7, who said he'd never seen one like it before. His mum Samantha added "He now wants to take it apart and redo it."

Available from: Very and Amazon

Best educational toys for 6 year olds

5. Clementoni The History of Life on Earth, £29.99

— Great for science lovers

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L45.1cm x W7cm x H31.1cm | Batteries: None | Awards: Editor’s Choice, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

This innovative science kit contains over 50 experiments that combine the physical world and digital media and takes your child on a journey through time by discovering how life has involved on earth.

Alongside an impressive array of components that your child can use to complete fun hands-on scientific experiments, such as a measuring beaker, chisel and hammer, you also get tutorials, educational videos, virtual tours and 3D models in augmented reality. Use the included Virtual Reality viewer to interact with the virtual environment and see the past come to life.

8-year-old child tester Bertie (pictured) said "it’s a really fun thing to play with. It’s a really exciting set with lots of different things to learn about life on Earth." He also loved the interactiveness and longevity that the virtual component provided: "it’s a really exciting idea to have a vision screen with a phone in so you can see things through time. I’d like to play with it again but I’ve used all the pieces, but I can use the app again."

His mum Emily also praised how well the set encourages learning through play: "my son really enjoyed the different challenges within each item and it offers great educational value in a range of ways/activities. It felt like he learned a huge amount through playing, interacting and viewing the virtual reality."

Available at: Amazon and Smyths Toys

6. Orchard Toys First Times Tables, £9.50

– Great for numeracy skills

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: Various | Batteries: None

This teacher-tested educational board game with a pancake theme is designed to support your child with their 2, 5 and 10 times tables. You spin the spinner, solve the sum on the pancake before using the spatula to flip it over and find out the answer. .

It's a great-value, easy-to-grasp game and does a good job of making multiplication fun. Charlotte, mum of our child tester Matilda, 6 (pictured above), found it helped boost her daughter's confidence with her 2 and 5 times tables. "And she has learnt her 10 times tables while playing the game!" she said.

"She can’t wait to show her teacher and friends what she has learnt," added Charlotte. "Both my girls play this game nicely together, help each other and laugh."

Comes with 30 pancake cards, 4 place setting boards, 1 card spatula, a spinner and 3 number line boards. For 2 to 4 players.

Available at: Amazon and Orchard Toys

7. Little Tikes Tobi 2 Director's Camera, £24.99

– Great for video-making fun

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L10cm x W15cm x H27cm | Batteries: 1 LiPo rechargeable (included, with USB cable)

This kid-friendly high-definition camera is just the thing for taking selfies, playing games, shooting videos, editing footage and adding cool effects. It features a tripod/selfie stick, green screen with 40 animated backgrounds, flip-out lens and microSD slot for more storage space.

As soon as it was charged, our child testers were off playing with it and making little films and vlogs like the kids they watch on YouTube. "It’s a great toy and makes me feel like a big girl," said our child tester Isabella, 6 (pictured above).

We – and our child testers' parents – were impressed by the range of features and the picture quality. "It's fun and easy to use," said Gemma, mum of Jordan, 6. "I definitely think it's worth the money as it encourages children to take a look at the world around them as well as have those silly selfie moments. Any child would love this."

Available at: The Entertainer and Amazon

8. GeoSafari Jr Kidnoculars Extreme, £28.95

– Great for nature exploration

Age suitability 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L19cm x W18cm x H9cm | Batteries: 2 x AAA (not included)

These child-friendly binoculars have 3 x no-focus magnification, a built-in audio amplifier and a safety strap. They're lightweight, durable and have a touch of scuba-mask cool about them.

Our child tester Jamir thought they were "super fun" and his mum Lauren was very impressed by their quality and by the sound enhancement feature.

"I thought this toy was amazing," she said. "Jamir loved the fact that it had headphones connected to it. It kept him occupied for a good long time, and he's been bringing them with him on the way to school to see what he can see."

Available at: Amazon and Learning Resources

Best outdoor toys for 6 year olds

9. Kickmaster Quick Up Football Goal & Target, £19.99

— Great for active fun

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: ‎76cm x 106cm x 76cm | Batteries: None | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

There’s all to play for with the Kickmaster Quick Up Football Goal & Target, a simple outdoor toy that is sure to keep football fans on the ball.

The Kickmaster Quick Up Goal and Target Shot set is a 2-in-1 toy that offers two different modes for honing ball skills. You can set it up as goal target shot, where budding sportspeople can aim a football through different sections. Flip the toy over and it instantly becomes a football goal with net, for free penalty practice.

Created with a pop-up design that children can put together themselves, the Kickmaster Quick Up Football Goal & Target is designed to be lightweight and portable and for easy transportation a storage bag is provided. Worried about windier days? It also comes with anchor pegs for extra stability.

Football fan and toy tester Alfie, 6, said "I love my goal! The best part is the shooting because I’m getting really good at getting the top scores! I've worked out how to put it up myself too. My friends and I play this and have lots of fun. Its the best!"

His mum Hayley added "this is absolutely worth the money! It keeps the kids entertained, is great for being competitive on the scoring side too. I love that it's two in one, meaning we can switch it to a proper open goal too. Friends have been round who love this too!"

Available at: Amazon and JD Williams

10. Frog City 53 bike, £550

— Great for budding young cyclists

Age suitability: 5-7 years | Best for age: 5+ | Weight: 9.71kg | Batteries: None

With a lightweight, step-through frame and tyres specifically suited for riding on concrete and tarmac, the Frog City 53 is a great bike for eager young cyclists who want to get out and ride everyday.

Designed to be comfortable and super easy to use for kids, it has youth-specific 8-speed gear shifters, a floating chain glider and some great accessories including kickstand, mudguard, pannier rack and reflectors included

It does come at a premium price, but the quality and durability of the bike really makes it worth it. Lindsay, mum to our 6-year-old child tester Lucy (pictured above) thought that the Frog City 53 was "really well made. It feels really sturdy, the brakes work well, the wheels are great quality, the pedals are smooth going around but also offer enough resistance that cycling feels easy for little legs."

Lucy loved how easy it was for her to ride, saying that "it's just the right size for me to go my fastest around the park!"

Available at: Frog Bikes, Triton Cycles and North Bikes

11. Xootz Ride-On Bumper Car, £179.99

– Great for wow-factor action

Age suitability: 18 months+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: L66cm x W66cm x H38cm | Maximum user weight: 30kg| Batteries: 2 x 6V rechargeable (included) | Charging time: 5 hours (18 hours before first use) | Maximum speed: 12km/h (0.75mph)

It’s a bumper car you don’t need a funfair for! Strap yourself in (seatbelt included) and you can zoom and 360° spin around your own house, with disco-style flashing lights and a child-friendly joystick control. It has a thick rubberised bumper to protect your furniture and skirtings, and there’s also a remote control (included) for parents to use if your child’s not keen (or too keen) on the joystick.

Our child tester, Fraiser, 6 (pictured above), was absolutely thrilled with his. "I really like playing with it," he said. "It looks cool, like it has fire coming out of the glowing lights, and I really like the sound it makes when it moves. I sometimes put toys in it with me so they can have a ride, too."

His mum, Lauren, was just as impressed. "This is an exciting toy that looks different and is so much fun to play with. Frasier loves being able to spin right round in it. We are going to have so much fun with this. Lots of our friends are already desperate to come round and have a turn."

Almost no assembly required: just attach the bumper, click in the headrest and fit the battery. But you will need to charge it for 18 hours before it's ready to go.

Available at: Amazon and John Lewis

Best role-play toys for 6 year olds

12. Schleich Horse Club Lakeside Riding Centre, £84.99

– Great for horse-based role play

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L26cm x W68cm x H29cm | Batteries: None

A new riff on Schleich's bestselling Horse Club range, this set includes 3 stables, a hayloft sleeping area with ladder, and fences to make paddocks with. You also get 3 horses, 2 riders and some really top-notch accessories including bridles, blankets, a saddle stand, a pitchfork, hay, straw and even a weeny cat and mouse. The attention to detail is incredible: the hayloft where the riders can sleep has little pillows and sleeping bags and mugs, the riders have hands that will hold mugs and harnesses, and the split stable doors have tiny bolts.

"Awesome!" was the verdict from our child tester, Owen, who's just turned 7 (pictured above). "I love the horses and riders most and being able to make them ride them was fun," he added. "I also like putting the horses to bed in their stable and then the riders can go to sleep in the roof, which is funny."

His mum, Ruth, was wowed by the modular aspect of the set. "You can move some sections around," she explained, "so you can change one stable to the other side or make the fences into one big training area, for example. It's a pricey set but it's large, excellent quality and offers lots of play value for any child that likes horses."

Available at: Schleich and Smyths Toys

13. Sylvanian Families Pony's Stylish Hair Salon, £69.99

– Great for hairdresser-based role play

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: L18cm x W26cm x H35cm | Batteries: None

This 2-storey pretend hairdresser’s shop has a reception (with magazines) and a washbasin with reclining chair downstairs and a spiral staircase leading to a styling room with a dressing table upstairs. There are lots of hairstyling accessories, including a hairdryer, curling tongs and shampoo, as well as 2 clip-in hair pieces and a selection of hair clips and bows. Unusually for Sylvanian Families playsets, there is also a figure included: Sally, the pony, who has lots of long hair/mane to brush and style.

Meghan, mum of our child tester Amelia, 5 (pictured above), was pleased to see how quickly the playset got Amelia immersed in pretend play. "It really does provide hours of entertainment," she said. "And it's a durable, quality toy – although 1 or 2 of the accessories are so small, it might be easy to lose them."

"I love my hair pony," said Amelia. "I like all the little things – there are so many! There's a unicorn horn and pretty pink hair – I love playing hairdresser and I am going to play with it every day."

Available at: Smyths Toys, John Lewis and Amazon

14. Jurassic World Dominion, £125

– Great for dinosaur role play

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: L46cm x W41cm x H74cm | Batteries: 3 x CR14 (included)

This extra-large, child-controlled dinosaur bellows, stomps, chomps and thrashes just like she does in the Jurassic World film. And her eyes light up, too. It's very pricey – but there are lots of reduced-price offers around on this one.

She's durable, robust and easy to operate: pull the handle or squeeze her tail to unleash her loud roar, twist her tail for head-thrashing action, and push her along on her wheels to see her stomp forward with accompanying sound effects.

You can also attach the chain (included) across her or onto the neck harness, then watch her break out by putting the tiny Owen figure (also included) in his seat under her tail and pushing him down to release the chain.

"I like the dinosaur because it has very loud, scary sound effects, looks so real and is very big," said our child tester, Qasim, 6 (pictured above). "I also like scaring everyone by showing them the dinosaur eating Owen, putting the toy in her mouth and hearing her ROAR!"

Qasim's mum, Anam, was pleasantly surprised at the toy’s unusual qualities. "My son has a few different dinosaur toys but this one stands out. I love the wheels that mean it can be moved around easily. In terms of quality, originality and overall play factor, I am very impressed."

Available at: Very and Argos

15. Playmobil Family Fun Large Zoo, £59.99

– Great for animal-based role play

Age suitability: 4+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: L68cm x W30cm x H16cm | Batteries: None

This plastic zoo playset features a visitors’ observation platform and souvenir shop. It comes with 6 figures, 6 penguins, 2 giraffes, a pelican, a butterfly, a mole, a mouse, rocks for the penguins, a tree with giraffe feeder, and smaller accessories including a camera, doughnuts and zoo maps.

It's an easy-to-set-up zoo, packed with brilliant little details: there are balloons to buy at the souvenir shop, for example, and a slide for the penguins, along with a bucket of fish to feed them with.

Sarah, mum to our child tester Samuel, 6 (pictured above) said, "It's great! You can buy tickets and get a map at the entrance, feed the giraffe and penguins, and look through the telescope. There’s even a pile of giraffe poo to clean up, which Samuel found very funny."

Available at: Amazon and Smyths Toys

16. Imaginext DC Super Friends Gotham City Jail, £31.99

– Great for superhero role play

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L30cm W13cm x H26cm | Batteries: 3 x LR44 (included)

The superhero-themed jail set has 5 cells, a Batman figure and a Bane figure. Turn a disc to make Bane 'power up' and break out of jail, and then rotate the Bat signal to call Batman for help.

It’s not huge (good news for those struggling with storage space!) and it doesn't 'do' masses but what it does, it does well. Our child tester Finley, 6, really loved how Bane glows when he powers up and how Batman, of course, controls all the cell doors.

We wish it came with more baddies (there are 3 other cells to fill) but it’s a nice little toy to spark off lots of hero/villain imaginative play.

Available at: Amazon

17. Rainbow High Spring 23 Collection, £29.99

— Great for fashion fun

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: Around 27cm high | Batteries: None | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

Made up of six new characters, each doll in the Rainbow High Spring 23 Collection is fully articulated with moveable arms and legs and long brushable hair. Each doll is themed on a different colour and is supplied with an outfit and colour-matched accessories. The Rainbow High Spring 23 Collection features dolls with a range of different skin tones, as well as Rainbow High’s first doll that is covered in freckles from head to toe.

Each of the dolls has its own style, themed in a particular colour. Included with the doll are mini accessories such as beauty and hair styling tools, mini phones and laptops, clothes hangers and more.

There is also an animated series on YouTube and Netflix which follows the lives of the characters at Rainbow High, although you don’t need to be familiar with this to play with the dolls.

Our child toy tester Matilda, 7, was a fan, saying "I like that it has a cute mini makeup pallet, its so cute and little. I want to play with her every single day!"

Her mum Kayleigh added “I would say it is worth every penny due to the overall quality of the doll, the added accessories, and the fact it stands out from the crowd in comparison to similar products. The colours really are beautiful and eye-catching, which will really appeal to those children that love anything a bit bolder and brighter than average.”

Available at: Amazon and Very

Best craft toys for 6 year olds

18. So Bomb DIY Bath Bomb Factory, £20

– Great for craft-based fun

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L34cm x W8cm x H31cm | Batteries: None

This is a kit that lets you make 6 bath bombs, including little charms you can pop inside as a 'surprise'. It comes with 3 storage tubes, a moulding shape, pipette and measuring spoon, 12 bags of brightly coloured powder, 2 bags of decorations, and 4 surprise figurines.

It actually makes super fizzing bombs! Our child testers were delighted are how incredibly well they implode in the bath – and how nice they smell.

We'd advise squishing the powder before putting it in the mixer (to remove any lumps) and leaving the bombs to set for longer than the 30 minutes it says on the box – as otherwise they can crumble quite easily.

Available at: Amazon, Smyths Toys and Argos

19. Solar System Scratch Art, £4.95 for a 10-pack

– Great budget buy

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: Various | Batteries: None

This great-value pack includes 10 pre-cut space shapes and a scratch tool which you use to scrape off the specially coated black surface to reveal lovely rainbow colours. It also comes with hanging ribbons so that you can display your creations after you've scratched in all your patterns.

Our child testers (some of them quite arty; some of them not so much) all enjoyed getting creative with these scratch-art shapes. Some of them just scratched off all the coating, others left a few bits black or even scratched their own patterns into the coating to reveal a rainbow design of their own.

We like that this kit comes with ribbons for hanging up your space artwork afterwards.

Available at: Baker Ross and Amazon

Best trending toys for 6 year olds

20. Furby, £74.99

— Great for a furry friendship

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: 12.7cm x 22.86cm x 22.86cm | Batteries: 4 AA batteries (not included) | Awards: Editor's Choice, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

There’s a lot to love about the latest iteration of the nostalgic furry friend, Furby. It responds to touch, movement, and voice command, including hugs, pats, belly tickles, shaking, and feeding of its pretend pizza charm. Children can speak to the Furby and engage in a two-way conversation and the more you play, the more fun features and functions you can unlock, evolving over time. There are five voice activated modes and over 600 responses, including lights, sounds, and 10 songs, as well as interactive games.

Children can care for Furby by feeding them, combing their furhawk, and dressing them up with clip-on beads and fashion accessories that are included. Parents can update Furby via an app to keep it up to date with fresh content including new games and activities.

Our child tester Emilia, age 6, loved the Furby saying "she's so much fun and I really like the colour of her fur. Her singing & dancing makes me laugh. She's saying different things to me now which is really cool."

There’s a bit of patience required to set the toy up, and to unlock some of the features, so for this reason our testers thought the recommended age of 6+ was spot on.

Emilia's mum Anna added "I think I enjoyed playing with this just as much as my daughter! It evokes nostalgic feelings for those that remember the 90s version. I love that the Furby learns & grows the more your child plays with it. My daughter has literally not stopped playing with this since she received it! Such a quirky, cute, ball of fabulous fun."

This is the purple version of Furby, and it is also available in coral.

Available at: Amazon, The Entertainer and John Lewis

21. Bitzee Interactive Digital Pet, £32.99

— Great for interactive nurturing

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: ‎14.94cm x 11.76cm x 14.94 cm | Batteries: 3 x AA batteries (included) | Awards: Bronze, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

Bitzee is a modern twist on the 90s electronic toy: a colourful digital pet displayed on a small flickering screen inside a palm-sized plastic box. Bitzee responds to real-life swipes, tilts, shakes and touches with sounds and reactions.

Each digital Bitzee character starts as a baby and you help it grow by interacting with the pet on the screen using a variety of actions including feeding it, playing with it, rocking it to sleep, cleaning up after it and giving it love. The more you play with the Bitzee, the more pets you’ll get. Each pet will then grow from a baby, to adult, to the highest level which is Super Bitzee. You can also unlock unique outfits and games and collect treats in your virtual treat jar. There’s more play potential beyond the Bitzee characters as there are 15 different mini games to take part in too.

Our child tester William, 5, enjoyed caring for his Bitzee, saying, "I like the way we pet him and when we unlock different pets. I like all the different pets we can unlock. I like all the stuff he can do, like laughing when I stroke him."

While the parents of our child testers did question the longevity of the toy, child tester William’s mum Natalie added "this toy is definitely a hit with my son. For the price I consider it to be a novel toy, which has brought lots of enjoyment to my son. It's heartwarming to see his excitement at the pet growing up!"

Available at: Amazon and The Entertainer

22. Bubiloons Confetti Party, £10

– Great for collectible fun

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L12cm x W10cm x H13cm | Batteries: None

Open up one of these little cupcakes and (if you've shaken it before), confetti will fly out to reveal your mystery 10cm-high Bubiloon figure, mini balloons and a bubble blower. Stick the bubble blower in the Bubiloon's mouth and squeeze its head and you can blow up the mini balloons, which you can then roll about in confetti, decorate with accessories and display on special sticks.

Isabel, mum of our child tester Olivia-Rose, 7 (pictured above), couldn't believe how much entertainment there was to be had with this toy. "Olivia-Rose absolutely loves playing with this," she said. "She has blown the balloons up, deflated them and repeated more times than I can count! Upon opening she was not expecting the confetti at all, so right from the start she was beaming with excitement. We played catch with the balloons, and she’s found more ways to play with this than I could've thought of. I love the fact that even the case is great quality and will click closed to keep all the bits together, until the next time she wants to play."

Olivia-Rose herself added: "I like that it has confetti and makes a big mess and splattered everywhere when I pulled it." Yep, better have the vacuum on standby with this one!

There are 13 different Bubiloons to collect.

Available at: Argos and Very

Images: Product websites and MadeForMums child testers

We've got more top tested and rated toys here...

• The top Christmas toys – for all ages
• Best toys for 5 year olds
• Best toys for 7 year olds