Best Interactive Toys 2021

Best Interactive Toys TechnoBuffalo 2021

There are plenty of great toys on the market for your kids to play with. However, if you want a toy that is interactive for your child, it can be difficult to decide which toys are worth your money. Out of all the options on the market the Kano Harry Potter Coding Kit delivers a fun experience that brings the magic of Harry Potter to the real world while teaching your child to code in the process.

Harry Potter has been bringing magic to the world of kids for a very long time now, but until recently that magic has only existed in books, movies, and games. This coding kit has you first build a Bluetooth wand, and then use that wind in conjunction with an app to learn how to code. It's a fun way to bring the magic of the wizarding world to reality and learn something in the process.

The first thing your child needs to do is build the wand that they will be using to interact with the coding challenges. It comes with step by step instructions so that this is an easy process. It even comes with a poster that outlines the motions of spells used with the app. Once you have put together the wand, there are more than seventy different challenges that will teach your kids to code, and have fun along the way.

The creative challenges shown to your child will teach them about coding, starting out with simple steps, and getting progressively more difficult as they continue. Challenges start with concepts like loops, logic, and variables before moving onto more advanced concepts and introducing javascript. They'll be able to wave their wands, complete spells and see what happens on the tablet screen in front of them. With more than 200 sounds and wizarding artifacts, there is plenty to enjoy and explore.

Overall this kit delivers a stellar experience for any STEM minded child, as well as the Harry Potter fanatic in your life. It combines physical elements as you put together the wand, and then slowly teaches your child about coding. It's also got tons of content to explore, which means they won't get tired of it any time soon.

Best Value: Baby Shark Song Cube

There are few songs as popular with children as this one. It's a catchy tune that's been covered in a hundred different ways, gets kids dancing and singing, and is so easy to remember that just about everyone knows the lyrics at this point. Now you can snag an adorable stackable song cube that plays this popular song and looks like it's namesake in the process.

This plush song toy comes in three varieties. You can pick up Baby Shark, Mommy Shark, and Daddy Shark if you want the whole collection. All of them sing, which makes a fun toy for long car rides even if the song may start to wear on parents after a while.

Best for Babies: Lamaze Octotunes Musical Octopus

Babies are continually learning as their little brains grow and develop. Finding toys that are safe for them, and that also helps them to progress is relatively easy, but not all toys are of the same caliber. This musical cephalopod delivers a safe plush toy for your little one that also fosters learning in several different ways.

To begin with, this octopus is relatively large with bright colors, which will catch the attention of your baby. Each of its eight tentacles creates a musical note when grabbed, allowing babies to create music as they play. Babies are also able to learn through the patterns that different tentacles have. There is also a handle at the top of the toy means they can get a hold of it, even though it is quite large.

Best for Toddlers: Leapfrog Number Lovin' Oven

Helping your children to learn as you play isn't always as easy as you might hope. This pick makes it a little bit easier with an oven that delivers tons of educational fun through song. This toy will help your child to learn about numbers, increase their vocabulary, and even talk to them about sharing with others.

Sixteen parts come with this wee oven. These include an interactive oven that sings, a variety of different food items, a spatula and baking pan, and two plates for kids to play with. The oven sings with 30 different phrases and songs that have your child interacting and learning while they play.

Best Robot: Sphero SPRK+

This technological toy aims to teach you how to code and program in a fun and intuitive way. Inside of a scratch-resistant, water-resistant plastic shell is a wee little robot that wants you to tell it what to do. You use an app on your phone to program it, and can even build your own instructions once you get the hang of how everything works.

There are three options for programming this Sphero. You can use draw and drive commands, scratch blocks, or even full-blown Javascript when telling it what you want it to do. Things start out relatively simple and use progression-based learning so that neither you nor your kids are ever confused about how to program your robot friend. There are options like driving through a maze, following a specific path, and plenty more as you dive into everything this toy is capable of.

Best Osmo: Genius Kit

Getting kids interested in learning isn't always an easy task. One great way of getting your kids to start learning while they're having fun is this kit. It comes equipped with all the pieces you need to get started. Built for kids between 6-10 years old it has a whopping five different games for children to begin learning with.

This option comes with many different parts for parents to keep track of which may be a bummer for some of you. It includes the base, tangram pieces, number pieces, letter pieces, and stackable storage for everything when your child isn't playing. There are five different games, but only three of them require parts from the manufacturer. The other two can be enjoyed using store-bought art supplies. Kids will learn about reading, vocabulary, numbers, problem solving, and indulge in imagination and creative play.

Bottom line

Each toy that made our list delivers a fun interactive experience for children. These toys run the gamut from plush options suitable for babies and toddlers, to full-blown robots and coding kits more attractive to older children. While every toy here is tons of fun, the absolute best interactive toy on our list is the Kano Harry Potter Coding Kit.

This coding kit goes above and beyond to make learning a fun and magical process for kids. They start by building their own wand and then use the accompanying app to complete challenges that start easy and become more challenging along the way. If you want to encourage interest in STEM topics, or you have a little wizard on your hands, there's no doubt that this is the toy to pick up.

Why Trust Us?

At TechnoBuffalo, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As expert curators, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your day-to-day, from cart to doorstep. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. We deliver detailed product overviews, balancing objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is as easy as possible.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Jen Karner has spent hours researching and reading reviews on a variety of different toys to find the best interactive choices for your family. You can follow her on Twitter.