BL’s Top 30 Favorite Toys, Gadgets and Games of 2018
Looking for a great gift? Here’s a list of some of this year’s best toys, gadgets and games. Each one has been reviewed and approved by our kid toy testers.
TRAX TO THE MAX
Our 13- and 16-year-old testers have tried a lot of marble racetracks over the years, and they say GraviTrax is the easiest to assemble, has more configurations and is better built. They especially like the magnet launcher. It was a little tricky for our 8-year-old tester, but he still found it âfun to try different tracks to see which ones worked the best.â Includes free app. (Starter Set $59.99, Expansion Sets $24.99 each; ravensburger.us)
ELECTRIC FUN
Have fun while learning all about electricity, currents and magnets with Circuit Conductor. The kit includes 12 different electrical function blocks and special insulated wires. With the free app, you can scan circuits to see real-time electrical flow, as well as play games. Recommended for 7 and younger. ($69.99; pai.technology)
DRONE ZONE
There are tons of cool drones out there these days. Here are a few to check out:
Sky Rover Renegade: This outdoor helicopter drone isnât for beginners, but our experienced 11-year-old drone pilot got the hang of it pretty fast. At almost 16 inches long, itâs bigger than your average toy drone, so it isnât good at tricks. Speed, height and distance are its strengths. ($39.99; alphatoys.com)
Rezo Racing Drone: This outdoor quadcopter is for drone pilots with advanced skillz. Our 16-year-old tester says, âItâs easy to control, but itâs very fast! Itâs also very durable.â You can set up obstacle course challenges with the LED-lit racing rings and pads. ($69.95; worldtechtoys.com)
Jurassic World Pterano-Drone: This indoor dino drone âalmost looks real!â our 6-year-old tester reports. Itâs âtotally scary, but in a good way,â our 9-year-old pilot says. Its wings actually flap, and it features self-landing and auto-circling capabilities. ($99.99; shop.mattel.com)
Sky Viper Journey Pro Video Drone: This drone is a most excellent flyer. Its built-in GPS and positional awareness lets it âReturn to Homeâ at the touch of a button. Stream and record HD video, and rest assured that with the droneâs auto-pilot capabilities, it will automatically return to you if it loses its signal or the batteries are running low. Itâs great for both beginner and advanced pilots, and itâs durable: Our 16-year-old tester accidentally stepped on it, and it came through just fine. ($99.99; sky-viper.com)
MIDNIGHT MISSION
Get ready for fun in the dark with the Chrono Bomb Night Vision game. Create a âlaserâ course with string that glows green when you look through the UV light goggles. Our testers report that using the countdown timer mode and included cards to collect along the way made the game more fun and challenging. ($29.99; playmonster.com)
TALK OF THE TRACK
The Voice Nâ Go Racer XT is what weâre talking about. Actually, itâs what you talk to. Speak into the voice-controlled smart watch and program your own commands for your racecar to âgo forward,â âcar brake,â âturbo,â or whatever you want it to do. Our 6-year-old tester calls it his âvery own robot car.â ($59.99; mukikim.com)
SPEED SCULPTING
Sculptapalooza keeps you thinking fast as you sculpt with the âsquishy stuffâ to complete fun challenges, like sculpting with your eyes closed or while tag teaming. You play in two teams and to score points, you have to guess what your team sculpted before time runs out. Recommended for ages 10 and up. ($19.99; educationalinsights.com)
HOGWARTS FOR MUGGLES
With the Lego Hogwarts Great Hall set, you can go to the wizarding school yourself. Build the Great Hall and a tower with a moveable staircase. The set comes with all kinds of accessories — magical and otherwise: 10 minifigs, the Sorting Hat, the Mirror of Erised, Hedwig, Fawkes, wands, brooms, a boat with a lantern and so much more. ($99.99; shop.lego.com)
FUN WITH FOOD
Hereâs something different: Chow Crown! Load the crownâs dangling forks with food (not included!) and then put it on your head. As it spins to music, try to bite off the food without using your hands. Whoever eats the most before the music stops wins. Our 9-year-old tester declared it âa blast!â ($19.99; shop.hasbro.com)
JET SET
Strap the battery-powered Razor Turbo Jetts on your sneakers and get moving up to 10 miles per hour. Our 11-year-old tester took them to a skate park and found they work better on smooth than grooved pavement, but either way, you get going pretty fast. They take a while to get used to, so be sure to always wear a helmet and pads. ($129.99; razor.com)
WIZARDING WANDS
Master 11 different spells with the Harry Potter Wizard Training Wand. Each wand has five modes of play, for both solo and playing with friends. Our 9- and 11-year-old testers say, âTheyâre really well made. Theyâre great for dueling, and Wizard Tag mode is the most fun of all!â Choose from four different wands: Harryâs, Hermioneâs, Dumbledoreâs and *gasp* Voldemortâs. ($24.99 each; jakks.com)
CALLING ALL ARTISTS
Pretty much everything an artist needs is right here with Studio in a Box. Colored pencils, markers, paints, brushes, paper pads, canvas boards and much more are packed in a nifty handled carrying case, all ready to go. ($39.99; kidmademodern.com)
ROBOT ACTION
Our 11-year-old tester found the JIMU Robot BuilderBots Series: Overdrive Kit challenging at first, but he says the instructions are really detailed and easy to understand. Before you know it, youâre controlling and programming DozerBot or DirtBot or your very own robot creation. You can access 3-D, 360-degree building instructions via app on your mobile device. ($119; ubtrobot.com)
LET IT SNOW
Itâs not necessarily snow-cone season now, but youâll be ready for warmer weather with the Little Snowie 2 Ice Shaver. Itâs quick, easy and fun to use, and itâs safe for everybody in the family to operate (adult supervision recommended for ages 5 to 8). Our 9-year-old user says, âItâs a lot better than having to spend my allowance at the snow-cone stand!â ($199; snowie.com)
LEGO SOLO AND FRIENDS
Get in on some early Star Wars adventures with the iconic Lego Kessel Run Millennium Falcon. From the Solo: A Star Wars Story movie, this set features six minifigures, including new friends Han Solo and Chewbacca, of course, plus a DD-BD droid, detachable escape craft and much more. ($169.99; shop.lego.com)
ALL ABOARD!
MorfBoard transforms from scooter to skateboard, and then to balance and bounce boards with additional purchases. Our 11-year-old tester reports that âthe scooter is wider and sturdier than most.â He was a first-time skateboarder, and he âgot the hang of it pretty quickly.â With this gear, be sure to follow the Skating Safety rules in the BSA Guide to Safe Scouting! (Skate/Scoot combo $99.99, Balance and Bounce Xtensions $39.99 each; morfboard.com)
HIGH-QUALITY AFFORDABILITY
Check out Mixcder E7 premium active noise-canceling wireless headphones. Theyâre great for your tunes, audiobooks, games and calls, and they have a 20-hour battery life. Best of all, for what you get, theyâre really affordable. ($64.99; mixcder.com)
TRIPLE THREAT
Three in a row is the goal of Triple Cross, whether your discs are vertical or diagonal in the tower. The most satisfying move is knocking out your opponentâs piece just as they think theyâre lining up for a win. Our 9-year-old player reports, âItâs really fun, but itâs tricky. You need strategy to play.â ($19.95; winning-moves.com)
NERF DOUBLE ACTION
Itâs double mini-car action all the way with Nerf Nitro Doubleclutch Inferno. The blaster launches not one, but two mini-cars through obstacle courses, at pop-up targets and off the double ramp. Our 6-year-old tester says, âThe cars zoom so fast and shoot all the way across the house!â ($39.99; nerf.hasbro.com)
A WILD WORLD
Beasts of Balance puts both your agility and creativity to the test. With the stacking gameâs augmented reality, each piece comes to life on your device as you add it, and before long, youâve built a world. You can earn points by completing challenges. Our 9-year-old player says itâs âlike playing an app in the real world. Itâs very hard to do, but itâs a lot of fun.â ($99; beastsofbalance.com)
MIX IT UP
Our testers, ranging in age from 8 to 16, loved DropMix Music Mixing System, finding the game easy to learn and play. They say the Clash and Party modes are âfun and challenging, because you get to compete with each other.â But their favorite is the Freestyle mode: Itâs âcool to experiment with mixing different songs together. Itâs easy to make new songs that sound really good, and you can even save them to your phone.â ($99.99; dropmix.hasbro.com)
YO!
For beginners and experts alike, Duncanâs Yo-Yo Survival Kit equips you with everything you need to skyrocket, walk the dog and much more. The kit includes Hornet and Freehand yo-yos, a trick book, extra strings, protective tape, counterweight and the Yo-Tility Holster with a string cutter and bearing removal tool. Oh, and there are sunglasses. ($24.99; yo-yo.com/scouts)
LISTEN UP!
For high-quality sound and a lightweight, comfy fit, check out the Skullcandy Hesh 3 wireless headphones. The memory foam ear cushions are also great for noise isolation. Not that youâd use them all day and all night long, but the rechargeable battery is good for almost 24 hours. A 10-minute rapid charge gets you four hours of use. ($99.99; skullcandy.com)
GAME ON!
Take your sports game to the next level with ESPN Future Pro balls. Whether itâs the basketball, baseball, softball, football or soccer ball, hand and kick-zone outlines help you perfect your skills. Also, you can watch coaching videos at espnfuturepro.com. (Baseball, softball $4.99; basketball, football, soccer ball $14.99; espnfuturepro.com)
ACE YOUR FITNESS
The Fitbit Ace is a fitness band made for kids. The band is smaller than adult versions, and the strap can be adjusted as you grow. The device resists water (it survives splashes and spills but not swimming) and reminds you when to get moving. You can challenge your friends in virtual fitness competitions. Our 13-year-old tester used hers for five days before having to recharge. ($99.95; fitbit.com)
PRINT THOSE SNAPS
Sometimes old school is the way to go. With KiiPix, you can print your smartphone snaps. The instant film printer turns your pics into retro-looking prints in three easy steps. Our testers, ages 13 to 18, all loved it, saying itâs âa fun and easy way to get cool prints of your phone photos with that Polaroid aesthetic.â ($39.99 (film sold separately); tomy.com)
“BUCKETHEAD” BOT
The small-but-authentic-looking First Order Stormtrooper robot recognizes your face, so it wonât âblastâ you — but your buds and family had better watch out! It responds to voice commands and, with the app, moves around in augmented-reality environments. It moves slowly on its short legs and is pricey, but big Star Wars fans might find it worth it. ($149.99; amazon.com)
ADVENTURES IN SCIENCE
âThis is so cool! Itâs like a lot of the science YouTube videos I watch, but I can actually do the science myself,â our 9-year-old tester says about Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab. Go on science adventures with this set, conducting experiments and finding tiny collectible alien creatures while youâre at it. ($24.99; learningresources.com)
“Check out Mixcder E7 premium active noise-canceling wireless headphones. Theyâre great for your tunes, audiobooks, games and calls, and they have a 20-hour battery life. Best of all, for what you get, theyâre really affordable.”
Bruh there $70 bucks. (But they are super cool)
I’m really into yo-yo stuff, so that survivor kit plus the pro yo-yo trick videos are perfect! Totally saving up for that kit. Thanks, Boys Life!
I only have 144 dollars and most of its more than 100,I donât want to screw up all my savings đ
Dang all of it is more than 20 bucks
i like the duncan survival kit, because my butterfly got hooked up and i can fix it
dang, everything is more than 20 bucks
NO
I really want those ESPN Future pro balls!!
Ya I have a low budget
Apparently BL doesn’t realize that some kids don’t have an allowance
SAME
Exactly!The only money I ever get is birthday and Christmas money,and the occasional times when my mom gives me like 1 or 2 dollars.
AMAZING!!!
I want to win!!!!!!!!
I so want those skullcandy hesh 3 headphones
It’s not a contest
The buckethead bot was amazing!!!! You should get it!!!!