Check out our curated list of the BEST games and toys for the smart kids on your holiday shopping list!
As like with our other recommendations, toys, and books – we strive to provide age-adjusted recommendations for gifted and high ability kids. We hope you enjoy! While some of the toys and games have varying age ranges, we’ve sorted them from youngest to oldest as best we could.
Shapes and Colors Puzzle
If you have a gifted one year old, you may have this already… but if you don’t, get it! With solid wood, non-toxic paint, and bright colors this is a very high quality set. Includes 12 pieces of different geometric shapes in 6 colors.
Adjusted Age: 1 and up
PicassoTiles
A magnet 3D building block type of set. Includes 8 different bright, colorful tiles to build unlimited creations! Fun for the entire family! Kids of all ages and parents love PicassoTiles.
Adjusted Age: 1+ with supervision
Magnet Toys Building Blocks
The perfect gift for gifted two and three year olds. The magnetic blocks help foster brain development and creative thinking by giving kids constructive ways to express themselves. Encourages creative thinking and help kids learn how to solve complex problems as they play. Helps with shape and color recognition, hand-eye coordination, and logical and spatial thinking.
Adjusted Age: 2-3
ThinkFun Zingo Sight Words
We are huge, huge, huge fans of everything ThinkFun! This educational game was a toy of the year finalist. Includes 72 Zingo! Sight Words Tiles. 6 Double-Sided Zingo! Cards. Fun for kids and adults of all ages.
Adjusted Age: 2+ (maybe 18 mos?)
Who Knows More? Kids or Adults Trivia Game
If your family likes games – GET THIS. Great for family game night or during holiday breaks! For gifted kids ages 5 and up to adult. It can be very challenging to find games that are fun for everyone – but this is it! Questions cover history, pop culture and more. Get ready to laugh and have a great time!
Adjusted Age: 5 to adult
ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Brain Game
TOY OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER! Great STEM game, made for kids ages 8+, appropriate for 5+ gifted kids. Gravity Maze is a combination logic game, marble run, and STEM toy that helps build spatial reasoning and planning skills.
Adjusted Age: 5 and up
LEGO Minecraft The Skeleton Dungeon Set
Made for kids ages 8+. appropriate and challenging for gifted children ages 5+. This set includes caves to explore, skeletons to battle and a spawning function that reveals more skeletons.
Adjusted Age: 5 and up
Science Experiment Kit For Kids
Science experiment kids are an obvious choice for gifted elementary school students. Kit includes over 150 experiments ranging from changing colors and glowing water to setting up underwater volcanoes, making magic potions & many more. We’ve purchased many science kits, this is among the best for the price.
Adjusted Age (with supervision): 5 and up
Roblox
It’s so fun to see how Roblox and Minecraft (and building games in general) are still going strong in 2023. Roblox is a gaming platform for kids to design, create, and modify their own games. Learn the basics of coding and how to communicate and strategize with others. Good for gifted kids as young as 5 with supervision. Generally intended for 7+. An easy and great gift for grandparents 🙂
Adjusted Age (with supervision): 5 and up
Snap Circuits
Snap Circuits as still going strong in 2023! The set is intended for children ages 8+ to teach to the basics of electrical engineering, but appropriate for gifted students as young as 6. Build exciting projects and toys using the included colorful instruction book!
Adjusted Age (with supervision): 6 and up