By testing kids’ physical and mental limits, these toys help children learn where the boundaries of their knowledge lie, and how to transcend them. Take a look at some of our favorite ways to color outside the lines.
Orbita MIDI Color Sequencer
Photograph: Antosh Sergiew
This spinning sequencer is like musical roulette for budding ravers. Place the colored magnets anywhere on the four gray concentric rings, each of which controls a MIDI loop. Then plug the sequencer into a smartphone or computer, connect your favorite music software, and get creative. All four loops run simultaneously, with each magnet representing a different note or sound. You can adjust the pitch and mute individual loops too. Refreshingly mechanical, the Orbita makes visualizing music production child’s play. $458, playtronica.com
Lego Smart Play System Pokémon Sets
Photograph: Antosh Sergiew
By combining a new smart brick with programmable NFC tags and minifigures, kids of all ages can now design and interact with Lego creations like never before. The 2- by 4-stud rechargeable smart brick is packed with a synthesizer, speaker, accelerometer, gyroscope, light and sound sensors, and LEDs. A positioning system can sense orientation between multiple smart bricks. A big bonus: Lego’s Smart Play System works entirely without attention-sucking screens.
Lego’s first Pokémon collab almost crashed the website, so surely the Danes had IT on standby when 12 new Smart Play kits came online. There are two all-in-one kits: Pikachu’s 400-piece Training House and the 751-piece Charizard-Jolteon battle. Both include smart bricks and tags that can trigger lights and sounds. $70 and up, lego.com
Stapelstein Rainbow Set
Courtesy of Stapelstein
Kids can stack and arrange—then play or walk on—these 11-inch tiles to develop their balance. $299, stapelstein.com
KidzLane Electronic Dance Mat
Courtesy of Kidzlane
Pump your music through the speakers built into this mat (using Bluetooth) and the flashing symbols tell kids where to step, stomp, and slide along with the beat. $19, walmart.com
Takway Sweekar
Courtesy of Takway.AI
A Tamagotchi-like pet with an AI brain that listens and remembers as it grows. $149, takway.ai
Looi Robot
Courtesy of TangibleFuture
Snap your phone onto this tiny, tank-like robotic body, and the assembly transforms into an interactive mobile robot. The companion app gives the creature an expressive face and a personality powered by ChatGPT. $239, looirobot.com
Crocs Super Mario Core Classic Clog
Courtesy of Crocs
One iconic brand meets another. And if you know what this means, you’ll be very excited: Each pair holds 26 Jibbitz charms, and there are many Nintendo-themed charms to choose from. $70, crocs.com
Gibson x Loog Les Paul
Courtesy of Loog
Loog makes three-stringed electric guitars that are a hoot to play—and actually sound and feel like a real guitar. This one, a collaboration with Gibson, adapts the classic Les Paul shape for smaller hands. Get it in real Gibson finishes like Shell Pink or TV Yellow. $229, loogguitars.com
Woom Wow Balance Bike
Courtesy of Woom
The perfect buy if your bambino has nailed the art of sitting and standing independently, and you want more chaotic fun and adventure in your life. This self-centering, self-balancing bike is designed for kids as young as 9 months (from 28 to 40 inches in height). It gives them a chance to become the next big name on Red Bull’s MotoGP roster before they’ve even realized that broccoli isn’t actually fun little trees. $199, woom.com
Kibu Headphones
Courtesy of Kibu
Turn kids’ headphones into a brilliant STEM project. Kibu gives them snap-together parts they have to assemble before they listen. Components are 3D-printed from plant-based materials, they have a standard 3.5-mm jack, and volume is limited to a safe 85 dB. When something breaks, parts are cheap, and your kids can learn to repair the set themselves. $73, kibu.family
Marvin’s Miniblocks
Courtesy of The Little Marvin
It looks like Tetris, it’s based on Tetris. These wooden blocks slide down from the top of the board to create shapes, building hand-eye coordination in 3- to 5-year-olds. $55, the-littlemarvin.com
HoverAir Aqua
Courtesy of HoverAir
This small, license-free 4K camera drone has 10 flight modes, including a “follow-me” feature. Take it to the beach; a floating waterproof housing makes it capable of taking off and landing on water. $1,299, hoverair.com
Modu Balance Track
Courtesy of MODU
Kids and parents can design and construct their own elevated walkways to improve their balance. Keep it simple for kids as young as 3, then increase the complexity as they age. $203, modutoy.com
Timex Time Machines 29mm Dinosaur Watch
Courtesy of Timex
Tells time in any era, not just the Jurassic. $49, timex.com
UNO Canvas x MoMA Card Game
Courtesy of Mattel
Can Matisse, Mondrian, and Monet really stack the +4? $25, mattel.com
Blipblox After Dark
Courtesy of Blipblox
A kid-friendly synthesizer for building beats, bleeps, and musical confidence. $219, blipblox.com
Dex Camera
Courtesy of Dex
Take a photo and Dex identifies what’s in the frame, then teaches the word in one of 16 languages. It can turn pictures into flash cards and use spoken stories to, you know, make learning fun. $249, dex.camera
