Educational Toys for Christmas vs Just-for-Fun Toys: Do Kids Really Need Both?

There’s a moment every parent knows. You’re standing in front of two toys. One promises fine-motor development, early STEM skills and a carefully staged learning journey. The other makes a fart noise. Your child wants the fart noise.

As parents we feel a lot of pressure to buy educational toys for Christmas, as if every present should come with a learning outcome. But the truth is a bit more relaxed than that. Kids learn through play, and that includes plenty of play that isn’t labelled educational. The best toy box has a mix: some toys that are designed to build specific skills, and some that are simply fun and leave room for imagination.

So we’ve split our favourite toys into two camps. Prices are recommended retail in Australian dollars at the time of writing.

What makes a toy educational?

A toy doesn’t need a screen, an app or flashing letters to be educational. The best learning toys tend to share a few things:

• They’re matched to a stage. A toy that’s too hard frustrates, and too easy bores.
• The child leads. The toy invites them to explore, rather than doing the work for them.
• They build a real skill. Fine-motor strength, language, problem-solving, cause and effect.
• They last. A good educational toy can be used in new ways as a child grows.

With that in mind, here are our picks.

Educational toys for Christmas

Lovevery The Play Gym, $235 (babies)

Lovevery is built on child development research, and the Play Gym is a good example. It’s a play mat with stage-based activities that keep babies engaged across their whole first year, so it isn’t outgrown in a month. If you’re buying for a baby’s first Christmas, it’s a gift parents will use every single day. It’s also available on Amazon.

Lovevery The Mini Kits, $90 (0 to 24 months)

If the full kits are out of budget, the Mini Kits include the same science-backed play that Lovevery is known for, sized for gifting. They’re a great way for grandparents to give something educational without spending a fortune.

Lovevery The Bath Set, $90 (9 months+)

Bath time is learning time too. This is a complete set of sensory bath toys that’s designed to prevent mould, which every parent who has squeezed black gunk out of a rubber duck will appreciate. It’s easy to clean and quick to dry.

Lovevery The Play Kits, from $130 (0 to 5 years)

The Play Kits are Lovevery’s most popular gift, with more than 5,000 five-star reviews. Each kit is matched to a stage of development from birth to five, so you can pick the right one for the child’s age.

Toniebox Lite My Story Set, from $149.95 (1 year+)

If you want to cut back on screen time without a fight, the Toniebox is one of the best tools around. Toniebox Lite is the new smaller, lighter version, and it’s simple enough for children from age one to use on their own. Kids pop a Tonie figure on top and it plays stories or songs. It works with every Tonie ever released, more than 1,500 of them, and parents can set volume limits in the app. Because it’s lighter, it’s great for road trips and visits to the grandparents over summer.

Holly Anderson Kids Puzzle from N.Smith Gallery, $69.95

Puzzles teach patience, problem-solving and attention to detail, and this one introduces kids to real Australian art. It’s a kids’ version of artist Holly Anderson’s calm pool paintings, designed for younger hands, and it comes in a beautiful box with a surprise inside.

Lovevery The Play Every Way Table, $425 (18 months+)

This is a big one, but it replaces several other things. The table switches between five modes: a sensory table, a magnetic chalkboard, a water-painting surface, a ball-run builder and a plain flat table for snacks and drawing. It has built-in storage, sensory bins and height extenders so it grows with your child, plus a guide with more than 100 sensory and STEM activities. If you were planning to buy an easel, a craft table and a sensory table, this is the space-saving option.

Lovevery The Real Life Play Kitchen, $485 (18 months to 6 years)

Pretend play is one of the most important kinds of play, and this kitchen takes it further. It’s a first-of-its-kind play kitchen that really works, so kids can practise real-life skills alongside their imaginary cafe. It’s a gift kids will use for years.

Just-for-fun toys and gifts

Now for the other side of the toy box. Fun toys still build skills, just more quietly. Imaginative play teaches negotiation, storytelling, independence and teamwork, even if the box doesn’t say so.

Uniden Adventure Series Video Walkie-Talkies, $69

We tested these at home, and they were one of the biggest surprises of the year. These are walkie-talkies with live two-way video, with no Wi-Fi, mobile network, app or account needed. You charge them with USB-C, switch them on and hand them over.

Our kids played with them for hours. Hide-and-seek turned into missions, more kids from the street joined in, and eventually the whole operation moved to the park about 500 metres away. Uniden lists the range as up to 400 metres in open space, so the signal got patchy at that distance, but we could still hear them. What we loved most was that the screen didn’t keep them on the couch. It got them running around. Read our full Uniden Video Walkie-Talkie review for more.

Give an experience instead

Not every gift has to be wrapped. Some of the best Christmas memories come from doing something together.

Wundrful World of Christmas, Sydney, from $27.50

This immersive Christmas adventure is designed for children aged 3 to 8 and runs from 6 November to 24 December 2026 at Wundr Store, 31 Market Street, opposite the QVB. Over about 50 minutes, families travel to the North Pole, explore the Elves’ Workshop, visit Mrs Claus and finish with a personal meeting with Santa. Children under two are free. This is the final season at its current Sydney CBD home, so book early.

Festive Fun with Peppa at the cinema

For little Peppa Pig fans, Festive Fun with Peppa is in selected cinemas across Australia from 14 November. It runs for about an hour, with seven festive episodes and four brand-new songs to sing along to, as Peppa’s family celebrates baby Evie’s first Christmas. It makes a great first cinema trip for toddlers.

Educational or fun: how to choose

A good rule is one educational gift, one fun gift and one experience. It keeps the toy box balanced and gives kids something to look forward to after the wrapping paper is gone.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best educational toys for Christmas for toddlers? Lovevery’s Play Kits (from $130) and Play Every Way Table ($425) are designed around toddler development, and Toniebox Lite (from $149.95) is a great screen-free option from age one.

Are educational toys better than regular toys? Not always. Kids learn through all kinds of play. Fun toys like walkie-talkies build imagination, independence and social skills. A mix of both is ideal.

What are good screen-free Christmas gifts for kids? Toniebox Lite, Lovevery toys, puzzles and experiences like Wundrful World of Christmas all keep kids busy without a screen.

More Christmas gift guides

See our stocking fillers under $25, Christmas gifts under $50, Christmas gifts under $100 and Christmas gifts for pets.

Disclosure: Uniden provided the walkie-talkies for independent editorial testing. All other products were chosen independently by the Parenthood360 editorial team, and no brand paid to be included.