2025 gift guide for kids: 25 active gifts under $25
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Nov. 26, 2025.
‘Tis the season to be with friends and family. To hustle and bustle. To be merry and bright. To bake and go to concerts and decorate and… whew! There’s a lot on our plates!
Let us here at Active for Life lighten your load. We don’t decorate but we do have a list of toys that will keep your kids active AND they all come in at under $25.
1. Baby Einstein Ocean of Discovery Water Mat
$19.99 | Ages 0+ | Buy here
Your baby will love seated and tummy time with this colourful and interactive mat. Fill the centre of the mat with water and the outer rim with air and watch as your baby moves the creatures under “the sea.”
2. Crocodile Creek Kite
$24.99 | Ages 6+ | Buy here
Let’s go fly a kite! This durable, colourful kite has 300 feet of flying line and an easy grip for small hands. Choose from designs including dinosaurs, space, unicorns, shark reef, or butterflies.
3. Race Car Sidewalk Chalk
$19.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
Watch your child race these sidewalk chalk cars to make patterns, speedways, or whatever masterpieces their minds imagine!
4. Frog Catch & Stick Game
$23.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
Kids of all ages can play together with this fun toss-and-catch game that features two cute frogs and a Velcro ball.
5. Rawlings Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Glove with Ball
$39.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
Time to hit the big (or the little) leagues with this glove and ball. What’s better than a fun game of throw and catch? Also available for left-handed children. (Editor’s note: The price of this glove was under $25 when we produced this article, but it’s since increased. We decided to keep it in this year’s Gift Guide, since it’s a topical 2025 toy.)
6. Happy Salmon
$19.97 | Ages 6+ | Buy here
This fast-paced game for three to eight players will have your kids moving and laughing. Each player has a stack of cards with actions on each. Turn one card at a time and find a player with the same action card. Complete the action and move on to the next card. The first person to finish all of their cards wins!
7. Hape Ladybug Pull-Along
$13.99 | Ages 12 months+ | Buy here
Encourage your toddler to crawl, walk, and explore with this cute and colourful ladybug. Push or pull her and watch her wings flap.
8. Ollyball
$14.97 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
The award-winning Ollyball is the perfect toy for indoor play. At under an ounce, your kids can play all their favourite sports in your home without worrying about damaging your furniture or each other! Your child can also personalize the ball with crayons and markers.
9. Franklin Street Hockey Set
$19.97 | Ages 6+ | Buy here
These durable and flexible Franklin hockey sticks are perfect for one-on-one pavement play or for your child to practice their shots and stick-handling skills on their own.
10. Great Pretenders Celestial Dragon Soft Wings with Mask
$21 | Ages 4+ | Buy here
Set your child on an imaginative journey with these stunning wings, flowing tail, and eye mask. Your little dragon will float and fly as they create their own adventures.
11. Jr. Badminton Set
$21 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
Perfect for the beginner badminton player, this set includes two racquets and two brightly coloured shuttlecocks. Small enough for your three-year-old’s hands, the racquets will grow with them for years of badminton fun!
12. Camping Lantern
$19.47 | Ages 4+ | Buy here
When you set out on a night hike, play games of nighttime backyard hide-and-seek, or gather around the campfire, your child can have their own sturdy lantern. It’s easy to turn on and off and has small compartments for secret storage!
13. Hape Fold & Go Beach Set
$14.95 | Ages 18 months+ | Buy here
Set out to the beach or sandbox for endless fun! This adorable beach set contains a fold-out bucket, a small spade, and a cute fish-shaped sand mold. It comes in an easy-to-carry colourful canvas bag that little hands can take along.
14. WOWmazing Grab-n-Go Giant Bubble Kit
$19.99 | Ages 6+ | Buy here
Make giant bubbles with giant wands! The kit contains bubble concentrate and a booklet to learn bubble tricks. And talk about portable! The set comes in a bag that can transform into a bucket for bubble play in so many places.
15. Little Tikes Animal Friends Hopscotch Sprinkler
$21.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
Sprinkler fun becomes even more exciting with a hopscotch-shaped pad. Your kids can hop, skip, and splash from end to end in this water wonderland.
16. Djeco Umbrella
$14.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
Available in 12 different designs including space, mermaids, froglets, forest, and more, this fun umbrella will make any child happy to play in the rain!
17. Waboba Airlyft
$16.99 | Ages 6+ | Buy here
This super lightweight fabric glider is soft to catch and can fly over 100 feet! Throw it overhand, underhand, launch it by its tail, or throw it like a football.
18. ThinkFun Yoga Dice Game
$19.99 | Ages 6+ | Buy here
This fun game introduces kids to the practice of yoga with 36 different poses to learn and try.
19. Sarah’s Silks Streamers
$21.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
There’s nothing like a beautiful ribbon to encourage your child to move creatively and watch the colourful twirling and whirling around their body. The ribbon can be used for dance but also as a pretend wand, fishing rod, or for any other use your child might imagine.
20. Fubbles Bubble Lawn Mower
$24.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
Your child can “cut” the lawn while their mower churns out magical bubbles.
21. Garden Tools Set
$22.50 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
This lightweight durable gardening set includes a spade, a hoe, and a fan rake. Your child can use the set to help or explore in the garden or to find pirate treasure at the beach!
22. Discovery 4x Binoculars
$19.97 | Ages 6+ | Buy here
This remarkable set of binoculars has comfortable eye cups with adjustable widths, allowing kids of various ages to use them. Get up close to nature with powerful 4x magnification!
23. Djeco Fishes Inflatable Ball
$15.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
This colourful inflatable ball is perfect for your little one to kick, throw, and roll in your backyard, at the beach, or indoors.
24. Tugl Cube
$23.98 | Ages 2+ | Buy here
Your toddlers will love this colourful cube with tabs on each side that can be popped, pulled, and pushed.
25. Sling-a-Ring Toss
$24.99 | Ages 3+ | Buy here
A classic backyard game that can be set up, taken down, and carried to wherever your kids would like, this toss game will challenge your child’s hand-eye coordination while they have a ringing good time!
