Valentine's Day Toy Guide

We are big believers of quality of quantity. Also, we want the items entering your home to have purpose and not just end up in the trash. We have curated an awesome list of toys for you to create a cute V-day set up or Love basket for your kids. This guide is not age or gender specific. We selected items that are a good fit for multiple ages and interests.

1. Butterfly Fairy Play Silk by Sarah's Silks: We are dead with this new printed Sarah's Silk. It's $14 and excellent for so much open-ended play.

2. Love Potion by Little Lark: Let your little create some potion fun! Our kids love these potions. Perfect for indoor sensory play during these colder months and a pouch is $12.

3. GloPals sold by Bubbles and Joy: These are water activated squares that turn bath time into a blast. You can even add to a sensory water table. Grab for $10.

4. Red Creator Lego: Perfect size for a small LEGO build. Mandy's has this set and it's a great starter LEGO for little kids. Price is $13 on Amazon.

5. Butterfly Steamer by Sarah's Silks: Your kids will love spinning and twirling with this purple steamer! It's $14 and will get tons of use.

6. Paintable Chalk by Let's Talk Chalk: If you kid loves art, this is a fun project for them. This kit comes with everything you need to paint your own chalk for $6.

7. Jewelry Kit by Melissa and Doug: The size of these beads makes it easy for younger kids to create without help from parents. You can snag for $15 from Amazon.

8. Valentine's Day Fine Motor Board by Creative Learning Co: This versitile fine motor board is filled with fun accessories and unique ways to play. It's $50 but the amount of use you get out of this toy is incredible.

9. Hello Sugar House V-Day Bundle: If you don’t have a Sugarhouse yet, and you love the pinks and purples, this is the bundle you’ll want to snag! $70 and the quality is unbeatable.

10. Pink Twirl Dress by Little Adventure Dress-Ups: These are our favorite dress-ups. They wash so well and are comfy for kids. This doubles and a dress and dress-up for $35.

11. Gumball Machine Tray by Three Letter Words by Katie: This resin gum ball machine is $30 and would make the perfect addition for a fun sensory play station.

12. Valentine Earrings by Pierced Co.: Our favorite earrings right here! They have twist-on backs and they won't hurt your kid's ears. Save 20% with code TOYTESTINGSISTERS. This includes subscriptions too.

13. Chrystal Needoh by Schylling: Love these for your older kid. They are the perfect fidget toy for $16.

14. Voss Arch Sword by Formidable Toys: These foam swords are insane! You can customize your sword and get creative by switching out the grip, cross guard, and blade. This one is $55 but the quality is excellent and this will get used.

15. Resin Paintables by CharsJars: Perfect for paint for chalk crayons. When kids are done, just wash and start over. You get 6 different objects for $35.

16. Floral Scented Dough by MACkidskit: How beautiful are these floral doughs? These smell amazing and the quality is great. You can snag these for $19.

17. Affirmation Hearts by CharsJars: Perfect hearts to add to your sensory play set up. So many unique ways to play with these. They are priced at $30 which is a steal.

18. Love Potion Board by Creative Learning Co.: Every kid loves potion play and this insert is themed for a love potion holiday. When V-day is over, you can continue to use for potion and wet play. This insert is $55.

19. Jixelz by Fat Brain Toys: These love robots are really fun! You can build directly onto a pattern. We would recommend at least 6+ for this one and make sure your kid likes to focus on these types of builds. Grab for $10.

20. Affirmation Fries by Three Letter Words by Katie: These would be so cute on a desk or vanity. This set is $25.

21. Red Dragon Cloak by Little Adventure Dress-Ups: Like we mentioned before, this is our favorite dress-up company. This is priced at $33 and they have so many options.

22. Jewelry Kit by Pretty Life Girls: These sister duo makes the cutest DIY sets. We have this set at love! It's only $20. They have so many options on their site.

23. Bubble Whoosh sold by Bubbles and Joy: Make bath time fun, colorful, and smell amazing! This product is safe and it's $17.

24. Magnetic Valentine Sensory Tray by Kailey Belle Designs: These magnetic sensory trays are great for keeping kids busy! We loved the Christmas trays they did. Price point is great too at $15.

25. Purple Aaron's Thinking Putty: This isn't slime but can cause problems if its smashed into carpet so we recommend supervising! Putty is excellent for soothing and relaxing. Perfect for teens! Price is $15.

2022 Stocking Stuffers for the Holidays

This year we had the best time working with Teton Toys to develop an incredible list of stocking stuffer ideas for your kids. Stocking stuffers are a fun addition, but sometimes we can find ourselves running to the dollar store or Target dollar section and filling with items that will just end up in the trash. We love our list because these items are tested and will actually get used. 80% of the toys on this list are below $25 and can be purchased at Teton Toys. Remember, when you shop at Teton Toys, you save 10% if you mention Toy Testing Sisters.

Instead of buying a bunch of stocking stuffer items, find a few on this list and call it good! We promise this will make the de-junking process after the holidays so much easier.

If you haven't checked out our holiday toys guides, see below for easy access!

Shop All Ages:

0-2

2-4

5-7

8-10

Teens

Staple Toys

Sensory Inserts and Accessories

1. Temporary Tattoos by Melissa and Doug

2. Tenzi

3. Earrings from Pierced and Co.

4. Stuffed animals by Cuddle and Kind

5. Kinetic Sand

6. Resin Letters by Three Letter Words by Katie

7. Needoh Globs

8. Pokemon Cards

9. Aaron's Thinking Putty

10. Space felt pack by Leo Mat

11. Tangle

12. Dough by Doughsie Dough

13. PlusPlus

14. Tila Bead Bracelets by Libbies Bracelets

15. Sensory Balls by Fat Brain Toys

16. Magic Mixies Mixlings

17. Aqua Beads

18. Dino by Schleich

19. Classic Mini Lego

20. Color Reveal Barbie

21. Calico Critters

22. Bears and Bees by Grandpa Beck Games (save 15% with code TOYTESTINGSISTERS)

23. Play Foam

24. Water Wow by Melissa and Doug

25. Magnetic Tablet

26. 3D Puzzle by Ravensburger

27. Sensory Rings by Fat Brain Toys

28. Magnetic Building by Clixo

29. Acrylic Blocks by Hello Sugar House

30. Tech Deck

Our Favorite Inserts and Accessories: Holiday Edition

You may have noticed that we didn't include our favorite inserts and accessories on our holiday toy guides. We decided we need a separate guide because all of these goodies can be enjoyed by so many ages! If you haven't invested in a sensory table and plastic bins, we recommend the the following:

-Ikea (often out of stock)

-Creative Learning Co. (should be fully stocked Q1 2023)

-Button and Bug

Shop All Ages:

0-2

2-4

5-7

8-10

Teens

Staple Toys

1. Art Easel: We love our art easel from Creative Learning Co. This insert has so much functionality. It includes pre-drilled holes for markers and has spots for paint containers. The acrylic is so fun for kids to paint on. Since it’s double-sided, two kids can enjoy at the same time. Mandy’s kids even put the boards flat on the table and paint or use chalk crayons on them.

2. Wooden Montessori Kit: Every sensory table needs a set of wooden bowls, lids, plates, and spoons. Kids will use these when playing with a variety of filler mediums. We love using wooden sets with rice, beans, corn, chickpeas, and sand.

3. Acrylic Letters: Acrylic letters are so much fun to use on a light board or to hide in a sensory table and let kids dig out. This set is from Creative Learning Co. You can create so many fun activities with acrylic letters.

4. Potion board: This potion insert from Creative Learning Co is a best seller and fan favorite for us! Kids love to pour their potions with these fun test tubes! We love filling with vinegar and baking soda! We even use food coloring and our kids go nuts! This insert is a must-have!

5. Potions: Little Lark makes potion creation easy with their pre-made potions. The potions are bio-degradable and are themed with positive affirmations! These potions are a total blast and don’t include artificial dyes or fragrances.

6. Cup board: If you can’t tell by now, we love Creative Learning Co! Thir cupboard is perfect for so many activities! Cups can hold small parts, tools, accessories, art supplies, dough, and so much more! If you are new to inserts, start with the potion and cup board.

7. Dough Kit: Dough just got a facelift! Mac Kids Kits has developed amazing dough themed kits! We love dough kits because they combine sensory and imaginative play. We were blown away with the perfectly curated accessories selected for each themed kit.

8. Resin Letter: CharsJars creates incredible resin toys! We are always blown away with what she comes up with! We highly recommend grabbing her resin letter set! Be sure to give her a follow because she is continually releasing new resin products!

9. Dough: Throw out Play Doh and get yourself some Doughsie Dough! These doughs are all natural and are amazing to the touch. Doughs are perfect for sensory play! Stock up on these! We promise you won’t be disappointed.

10. Resin Learning Kit: This sensory learning box is from Busy Littles! It includes so many different resin pieces, upper and lower case letters, numbers, shapes, learning cards, etc. There are so many ways you can use this learning box.

11. Pom Pom Push: This pom pom push, from Button and Bug, is my 2-year old's favorite sensory insert. Buy a bag of poms from your local craft store and watch in amazement as your little one size sorts with this acrylic board.

12. Kinetic Sand: Kinetic sand is one of our favorite sensory fillers. It's a little messy but easy to vacuum up and keep stored. It doesn't dry out like play-doh which means it lasts a lot longer!

13. Market Sensory Kit: Busy Littles has created an awesome market sensory kit that includes fruits, veggies, market cards, and accessories. This is a great kit to use in sensory play!

14. Letter Board: Pair your resin letters with this wooden letter board from the, Creative Learning Company. Perfect way to introduce your child to the alphabet in a unique and memorable way.

15. Mirror Board Insert: This mirrored insert is actually really unique! It can also be used for a wide variety of ages. Use it for tummy time with your little one on the ground, then use it as reflection and matching practice with your older child. This insert is from Creative Learning Co.

16. GIANT water beads: Our kids think this giant water beads are pure magic. You place them in water and they grow into giant, jelly, jiggling water beads. They bounce and are fun to touch. We recommend playing with these outside.

17. Assorted Poms: We love pom poms as a sensory medium. They can be used to sort colors, sizes, and are soft to the touch. Grab a bag of these at your local craft store or on Amazon!

18. Dream Sand: We have just recently been introduced to dream sand and it's addicting. It's like a soft, gritty, sand that is easy to mold and shape. Grab a few of these from Target and save them for your child's stocking this year.

19. Assorted Charms: These are slime charms from Amazon that our kiddos love to add into any sensory medium. We use this in rice, beans, confetti, play-doh, you name it. You can also buy different themed charms which is fun for the holidays.

20. Fine Motor Skills Tool Set: This is the perfect tool set to get started with sensory play. You can also use a variety of tools you already have at your home. Scoops, measuring cups, and spoons, make the perfect tools for sensory play.