The 22 Best Toys for 10-Year-Olds in 2021

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The joy of 10-year-olds is that they can usually play with most toys alone or with friends. Since most 10-year-olds are proficient readers, they can even read directions, assemble toys, and independently set up and play with their toys.

This doesn’t mean that 10-year-olds should always play alone. Family game night, family craft projects or other group activities are wonderful team-building activities. Find the right toy for the 10-year-old in your life with this helpful guide.

Our Top Picks

Original Stationery Unicorn Slime Kit at Amazon

Perfect for 10 year olds, this kit includes glue, unicorn beads, inks, textures, slime containers, and more.

Educational Insights Artie Max: The Coding Robot at Amazon

A coding robot that comes pre-programmed ready to teach kids how to code with Blockly, Snap!, JavaScript, Python, and C++.

Kids Against Maturity Card Game at Amazon

Easy to play and fun for a crowd, it’s like a kid version of Cards Against Humanity.

Good for You Girls Gift Set at Goodforyougirls.com

They’ll love their own skincare gift set made just for kids in the early stages of puberty

Raddish Kids Monthly Kit at Raddishkids.com

Comes with three themed recipes, a kitchen tool, culinary skills lessons, table topic conversation starters, and more.

Slackers Ninjaline Intro Kit at Amazon

Train like a ninja with this intro slackline kit that has everything to transform your backyard into an amazing obstacle course.

Clixo Rainbow 42 Piece Pack at Amazon

Flexible, durable, and portable, these open-ended building toys are fun for kids (and adults) of all ages.

Silk and Sonder Kids Monthly Subscription at Silkandsonder.com

Each month your kiddo will receive a monthly wellness journal, geared toward kids from 6 to 12 years old.

CreateOn The Beatles MagnaTiles at Amazon

Music loving kids are never too old to enjoy the wonder of Magnatiles, the magnetic, open-ended building blocks.

Doodle Hog Alpaca Squishies Paint Kit at Amazon

Show off your creativity by painting your very own alpaca, cactus, and smiling sun squishy.

Consider this a slime lover's essential kit! Perfect for 10-year-olds, this kit includes glue, unicorn beads, inks, textures, slime containers, and more. While older kids will likely be able to do it all by themselves, we suggest keeping an eye on them to avoid slime ending up in the wrong place.

Artie Max is a coding robot that comes pre-programmed ready to teach kids how to code with Blockly, Snap!, JavaScript, Python, and C++. Clear instructions, built-in tutorials, and video how-to’s help kids get started quickly. Parent reviewers praise this toy as easy to use, fun, and educational.

This game gets lots of laughs but does include some gross-out humor. Easy to play and fun for a crowd, it’s like a kid version of Cards Against Humanity. If your family isn’t a fan of potty talk, it’s best to skip this game since the off-color options are unavoidable.

If your 10-year-old is bordering on the tween-zone, they’ll love their own skincare gift set made just for kids who are in the early stages of puberty. Produced in the U.S. with all-natural ingredients, the giftable set comes with lotion, wash, toner, deodorant, lip balm, and much more.

Amazing for kids who like to cook, or eat, a membership to Radish Kids is a thoughtful gift. The monthly subscription service comes with three themed recipes, a kitchen tool, culinary skills lessons, table topic conversation starters, and more. Since food is not included, families can shop together and prepare the meals at a convenient time. Select shipments from one month up to a full year.

Train like a ninja with this intro slackline kit that has everything to transform your backyard into an amazing obstacle course. Easy to set up, the line stretches to 36 feet and includes seven obstacles. Change the skill level by increasing or decreasing the distance between, and order of, obstacles.

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Flexible, durable, and portable, these open-ended building toys are fun for kids (and adults) of all ages. Simply click, snap, stack, and flex to create anything that you can imagine. They store flat for easy storage or to take on the go.

The 10 Best Building Toys and Blocks of 2021

Silk and Sonder Kids Monthly Subscription

For more introverted kids, celebrate their personality with a Silk and Sonder monthly subscription. Each month your kiddo will receive a monthly wellness journal, geared toward kids from 6 to 12 years old. There’s a fun theme each month, interactive activities, coloring pages, recipes, and much more.

The 10 Best Backpacks for Kids of 2021

Music-loving kids are never too old to enjoy the wonder of Magnatiles, the magnetic, open-ended building blocks. The set features 53 blocks, decorated with unique images that can be created in the shapes of the Magical Mystery Tour Bus, The Beatles album collage, a bass drum, and much more.

The 9 Best Construction and Building Blocks Sets for Gifted Children of 2021

Fans of squishies and projects will love this innovative kit. They can show off their creativity by painting their very own alpaca, cactus, and smiling sun squishy. Along with the blank squishies, the set includes paint, brushes, and decorating accessories.

The 8 Best At-Home Craft Kits for Kids

Fun for school, play, art, or fun, this Shine Bright bundle features a pencil pouch journal, a matching set of six pencils, a unicorn twist pen, and sweet-scented erasers. This sweet set is perfect for any note-loving 10 year old.

Samantha Parkington’s™ 35th Anniversary Collection

Older kids who still love dolls may treasure their very old American Girl doll. Choose from dozens of dolls or choose your own to create a mini-me. While a splurge, these dolls are well-made and sure to last a long time. Be prepared to enter a world of dolls and accessories if you go this route.

Fun and foldable, this soccer goal is perfectly portable. Great for one kid or a crowd, all your kiddo needs to do is add a soccer ball, and they’re ready for non-stop fun. If you prefer a full field game, order two.

Mondo Llama Sticker by Number Poster Kit

Roll out the beautiful 34.5 by 19.5-inch tiger poster and your kiddo will love matching the 400 plus stickers in the right spot to create a beautiful tiger poster. A perfect rainy day or quiet time activity, this project is fun, satisfying, and builds hand-eye coordination.

Brush up on world geography with a beautiful 1000 piece world map puzzle. Made of high-quality cardboard pieces, this puzzle is an appropriate mix of challenging and educational. Once the puzzle is done, you can identify the different parts of the world.

The 8 Best Puzzles for Kids of 2021

Ideal for two to five players, this game is quick to learn and takes just 15 minutes to play. The goal is to grab the best combination of sushi dishes as they whiz by. Kids learn strategy and probability in this fun foodie pick.

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Look just like mom or dad with a colorful, kid-sized fanny pack that has plenty of room to hold just what your 10-year-old needs. Made from canvas with an adjustable cotton strap, buying this bag supports a Black-owned business.

Toss a 10-year-old this oversized kickball and see how much fun they’ll have. Sized just right to kick, throw, bounce, or play, a kickball is a welcome addition to any backyard, park, beach, or anywhere playdate.

BeyBlades let it rip! This set includes everything you need to battle, including a Beystadium, two right/left spin launchers and two spinning tops. A great set for either seasoned BeyBladers or newbies, this toy is tons of fun.

An instant download, simply purchase and print this multi-cultural paper doll set. Fun alone on a rainy day or with friends, older kids have the patience and dexterity to cut out and then play with these dolls.

This mini puzzle only measures eight inches in diameter and features 70 tiny puzzle pieces that will challenge and delight older kids. Fun on the go or at home, kids will love completing the sugary sweet image.

Homemade ice cream is yours in 30 minutes with this all manual ice cream maker. Producing a pint of ice cream at a time, kids will get hands-on experience learning about the properties of movement, freezing, and ice cream science.

Final Verdict

Even the most active 10 year olds will need some down time, so an educational puzzle like the World Map 1000 Piece Puzzle (view on Maisonette) would be a wonderful family activity. For an outdoor toy, a Kickball (view on Amazon) is always fun and both boys and girls with stuff to carry could benefit from their own fanny pack (view on Kido Chicago).

What to Look for When Shopping for Toys for 10 Year Olds

Interests

In order for a toy to be well-loved (and used), it needs to play into a kid’s interest. What makes this difficult is that what a child is interested in can change drastically over the course of a year or even a couple of months. “Certainly as kids develop...their interests evolve,” says pediatrician David L. Hill, MD, FAAP, and this evolution can be based on age, education, social development, and more.

By the time a kid is 10 years old, they will likely be putting more emphasis on things like friendships, teamwork and collaboration, and their general social status. All of this can be helpful when picking out a toy or game for the 10-year-old in your life because you can assume that if it’s something they can play within a group setting it is likely to be something of interest.

Aside from social status, kids at this age also tend to lean more into toys and games that allow for more exploration, are centered around specific sports, and give them an opportunity to be active.

Milestones

Dr. Hill explains that in the first years of life, it’s easy to find toys that play into milestones because development is pretty straightforward. However, he says, milestones “tend to cluster from ages five to 10” which makes it a little more difficult to identify toys and games that will aid in development for a 10-year-old. That being said, there are some milestones that are fairly common for 10-year-olds, such as:

Kids around this age tend to have an increased attention span, so they can focus on more complex and time-consuming toys and games like the Educational Insights Artie Max The Coding and Drawing Robot (view on Amazon).
By 10 years old, children typically have improved agility, speed, coordination, and balance, so the Slackers Ninjaline (view on Amazon) makes for a great (and fun) toy.
Since 10-year-olds are putting more emphasis on physical appearance, toys like the Good for You Ultimate Gift Package (view on Good for You Girls).

Entertainment Value

If you want a toy to get used, it needs to be entertaining enough to keep a kid’s attention and make them want to go back to it again and again. Thankfully, a 10-year-old’s attention span is much longer, meaning toys will keep them occupied for longer, but in order for that to happen it still needs to be entertaining.

Dr. Hill explains that sometime around age eight kids stop being so engrossed by “imaginative play” and, instead, will find themselves lost in toys and games that align with their cognitive development. Look for things that are more complex and require some critical thinking, such as STEAM toys or sets, because they will likely be much more likely to be entertained with the exploration and problem solving involved with these types of games/toys.

Why Trust Verywell Family?

Maya Polton is a former marketing manager and current freelance writer who covers food, home, and parenting. She's also the mom of a 10-year-old son, 7-year-old son, and 3-year-old daughter. Her kids are super active, so she's always looking for toys that get them outside and playing for as long as possible. She's found that chalk, scooters, and stomp rockets are perfect for one-size-fits-all fun.

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