Holiday shopping for kids can sometimes feel like planning a special ops mission, from cross-referencing wish list spreadsheets, budgets, and store websites, to carefully sidestepping towering toy displays and darting past fellow competitors — er, parents — with overflowing carts in your quest to make it to the right aisle before the shelves are cleaned out.
That’s why we’ve curated this list of coveted gifts for each age group from Walmart, for effortless one-stop shopping that’ll let you outsmart the holiday hustle and give the kids in your life the toys, gadgets, gear, and games they love most. Whether you’re looking for gifts for toddlers, teens, or in betweens, Walmart has beloved brands at always affordable prices so you can wrap up your shopping early — pun intended.
Whoever coined the phrase “all the bells and whistles” was probably shopping for a toddler, since gifts for this age group can often be as noisy and difficult to assemble as a middle school marching band. These four toys — most under $30 — require little to no setup and will provide hours of creative, educational play, from driving Lightning McQueen through a LEGO DUPLO car wash to making beloved children’s books come alive with a Little Tikes Story Dream Machine.
This age group is the sweet spot for big playsets and more complex creative toys since kids over 5 have advanced small motor skills and boundless imaginations. Ride this year’s wave of Barbie fever with the Barbie Dreamhouse, a 75+ piece set that includes the tallest Dreamhouse slide to date, or make their little jaws drop with an ultra-realistic Baby T-Rex that moves and roars.
Firmly out of “baby toy” territory, kids 8-12 will love a high-tech toy or advanced game that’ll challenge them. Monopoly Chance offers a high-stakes, lightning-fast card-flipping take on the classic board game that’ll crown a winner in 20 minutes, leaving plenty of time for your favorite pre-adolescent to master the Gotrax Edge Hoverboard or build a LEGO replica of the 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R.
Anyone who has or knows a teen can tell you they can be tough customers, but regardless of their penchant for eye rolls, these big kids are still kids, and the right gift just might render them speechless (for once). We love seriously advanced LEGO sets for this age group, like the collectible 2-in-1 Harry Potter Expecto Patronum, or a trendy two-wheeled mode of transport to keep them riding in style until they get their driver’s license.
Need more toy ideas? Check out Walmart’s full selection of toys in the Walmart Toy Shop.
