40 Best Gifts for 9-Year-Olds You'll Feel Good About Giving

This card game is from the makers of Exploding Kittens, so the art on the cards has that same silly, cartoony style. This time, players have only one card in their hand, and the object is to have the card with the highest number at the end of the round. Each turn, players have to draw a card and choose to either keep it or keep the one already in their hand, but the one that gets discarded has instructions on it that may affect the rest of the games, so they have to choose wisely. Ages 7+

Snap Circuits uses electronic components that click easily into a board — no soldering needed. With this kit, kids can take on five electrifying projects, including ones that launch paper airplanes, flying saucers and ping pong balls, learning a little physics along the way. Good Housekeeping Institute toy testers couldn't get enough of launching the flying saucer — it goes really high! — and the adults learned a thing or two, too. Ages 8+

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Good Housekeeping Institute testers loved the little mini pieces of decor they could make with this kit. It helps kids progress through their skills: First they use a dome over the wheel and use a template to make their designs, and as they get better they can remove the dome and do their own creations freestyle. Ages 8+

This wheel-less balance board, made for kids taller than 4 feet, helps kids work on their coordination. After they've mastered balance, they can try to learn tricks like spins and flips. For kids under 4 feet, there's a smaller version. Ages 2+

This is a tee that kids can design themselves — over and over again! It comes with a special light-up pen that kids can use to make a glow-in-the-dark image. After a few minutes, it fades and kids can draw another one. Sized for kids ages 3 – 14

We all know kids love telling a good joke, now it's time to get them to start writing some jokes of their own. This book leads them through different ways to come up with a joke — like seeing what happens when you replace "crack" with "quack" in words like "nuctracker" and "firecracker" — and gets them thinking about things like puns and joke structures. There's even tips about performing. “My daughter would read the book, then tell me jokes from it, and we would work on our own together using the prompts," one Good Housekeeping Institute parent reviewer said. Ages 7+

This game challenges kids to make words not just left/right and up/down, but also diagonally, giving it an extra dimension of difficulty. "This toy was so engaging my kids wanted to bring it on vacation to play with family," one Good Housekeeping Institute tester said. "We even played it at the beach, got the tiles covered in sand and then cleaned them off easily." Ages 8+

Let them have a hand in capturing family memories with this camera, which instantly produces 2" by 2.5" photos. This set comes with extra film (which is great because each one only offers 10 exposures), plus a carrying case, but you can get just the camera for less money. No age recommendation given

There's no remote for this drone — it's all done by hand controls. They just have to toss it in the air and it'll hover above their hands. Soon, they'll be able to master tricks and flips. Ages 8+

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Everyone — from elementary schoolers to teens and college kids to even parents and grandparents — can find themselves obsessing over the puzzles in Kanoodle 3D. So it's no wonder that the game is a TikTok sensation, with lots of players posting their #KanoodleChallenge. To play, challenge cards will start a 2D pattern or a 3D shape, and kids have to figure out how to fit in the rest of their pieces using their logic and spatial reasoning. Ages 7+

This karaoke machine streams audio via Bluetooth and USB, so you can bring the karaoke experience right into your living room. Your kid can control the brightness of the disco lights and record their performance to play back later. No age recommendation given

The almost-tweens will love this one because it's Disney-inpired without coming across as too kiddie. They can even play it up or down depending on their mood: Zippers can either reveal Mickey's face and peace-sign-giving hand or cover him up. No age recommendation given

This is the kit for kids who are serious about science and want to build something more sophisticated than what you'd see in an easier science kit. They have to assemble 300 pieces, but when they're done, they've built a joystick-controlled robot arm that doesn't require electricity. (It works using a series of nylon cables.) Testers called it a great parent/child bonding activity (because it does need adult help), and kids liked using the arms afterward to grab. Ages 8+

This night light isn't just a cool lighting effect — it's 3D printed to look like the surface of the moon, giving their rooms spacey vibes. It also lights up in 16 different colors and comes in four different sizes. No age recommendation given

It's not just gravity that powers this 150-piece marble run — a motor powers the marbles up a spiral tower, where they can be unleashed down the rest of the run. Kids were drawn to this at our in-person toy testing, and parent testers said they liked that it was a toy that kids could work on together. Ages 8+

This tester-beloved book has an interesting setup: There's just one word per page. Then, the meaning of the word is illustrated in a short poem. Even adults loved checking them out. “We’d read two words a day and challenge the whole family to use those words,” said one parent. Ages 7–12

Now they can practice their penalty kicks even after the sun goes down. LEDs keep this soccer ball illuminated so it's easy to see at night, and if soccer isn't their sport, you can get a football, basketball, pickleball or baseball, among others. No age recommendation given

Kids can customize everything about this lava lamp, from the colors of the lava globs to the confetti inside to the stickers on the outside. Good Housekeeping testers were pleased with the choice of colors. Kids will be so pleased to display their work in their rooms afterward. Ages 8+

Whether they want to add on to an already-done manicure or just add a little pizzazz to their nails, these kid-sized nail stickers are just the thing. It comes with 200 stickers, all featuring adorable pictures. No age recommendation given

Whether they're gaming or just hanging out, this chair gives kids a cool place to crash. It has audio components that connect with most gaming consoles or music players, and it folds in half when not in use. In addition to Yoshi, you can get Mario, Luigi, Peach or Bowser. No age recommendation given