Know a Kid With Seemingly Limitless Energy? Get Them One of These Active Indoor Toys

Bounce it Out

iPlay, iLearn Bouncy Pals Brown Hopping Horse

I have pumped up several of these at this point, and I’ve given them to many kids, and every kid loves them. They’re really cute, really durable, and kids bounce on them over and over and over again. My nephew actually bounces while he’s watching Bluey and Cocomelon.

More: Kids Golf Sets for Your Future Pro

Work on Their Balance

Fat Brain Gonge Riverstones

There are tons of stepping stone games, and I have a few on my list. This is my favorite for the 2-and-up set. Each one is a bit of a different height and size, making the game more challenging. Stepping stones like these help kids with their locomotion and balance skills. And don’t worry, they come in a regular box for easy wrapping.

Old-School Cool

hand2mind Green Indoor Scooter Board with Handles

Do you remember when they rolled these puppies out in elementary gym class? Best day ever, right? Who knew that you could buy them for about $20? (Elementary school gatekeeping, for sure.)

When you give this to a kid, they lose it. You’ve never seen a kid get the zoomies so fast in your life.

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Have a Ball

Hide N Side Toddler Boys & Girls, Ball Pit

Even pre-walkers can squiggle out their wiggles with this crawling tunnel and ball pit. This is a bit oversized, and has added games at multiple stations, but really, it’s all about the crawling and bouncing around in the balls. Even without the balls, it’s still a fun toy. So if this is a gift for your grands, and you maybe don’t want to chase balls around, it’s still fun.

Climb Time

Tiny Land 5-in-1 Toddler Climbing Toys

I will have you know that I built this bad boy all by myself, and I can tell you that it may take a while, but it is not hard. As soon as I handed this over for testing, the baby jumped up and down and practically dragged it out of my hands with their tiny toddler fingers.

They started climbing immediately, and apparently they climb it every single day no matter the weather, using it as an active way to start the day.

Turtle Power

Hapinest Turtle Steps Balance Stepping Stones

If the kid you’re gifting is a bit older, or if they have an older sibling or parent who they’ll be playing with, this set of stepping stones is a great choice. Each turtle-back shaped stone is generously sized and has a softer feel underfoot. This stepping stone set comes with a game for maximum fun.

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Stimulates Motor Skills

BCAN Mini Folding Trampoline

Mini trampolines are a gift from the gods. They are not only wonderful for vestibular input, and popular with autistic kids like my son, they are inexpensive, easy to store, and burn tons of energy. Just make sure that your little jumper is staying hydrated! They really work up a sweat while jumping.

The Napmaker

Little Tikes Jump ‘n Slide Bouncer, Multicolor

Yes, this may take up your entire living room, basement, or spare room at 10 feet by 7 feet, but it doesn’t take a ton of time to inflate or deflate, and it truly provides hours of active entertainment.

Our tester actually took the bed out of the guest room (who has guests anymore?) and gave it a permanent home. Her kids always know that there’s a place that they can get out their inner electricity.

One reviewer on Amazon says, “We call this ‘The Napmaker’ because after 30 minutes playing on this, our kids come crawling out begging for a nap.”

For Hand-Eye Coordination

YUPITITOY Cone Ring Toss Game

I have never been great at ring toss, but my kids, my nieces and nephews, and all the children at my synagogue love ring toss, and this model specifically. It’s a stackable game that’s easy to put together and can be used inside or outside thanks to the lightweight, flexible rings.

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Develops Gross Motor Skills

Endless Games The Floor is Lava Interactive Game

If you’re looking for a kid who loves board games but also has ants in their pants? The Floor is Lava is the game for them. It’s exactly like you remember, but in a more gamified format that makes it easier to track. Also, no one is trying to leap from the counter to the sofa and busting their lips open. (I still have the scar.)

Fun and Versatile

Dripex Toddler Climber, 5 in 1 Cube Climber

Montessori learning is hugely popular, and we love this as a gift to a teacher or to a kid whose parents are teachers. It just feels right.

It’s a changeable wooden cube and climbing ladder, and kids can move things around to change the way that things flow as they play.

Play Ball

Let Loose Moose Hover Soccer Ball – Set of 2 LED Soccer Ball Toys

No soccer in the house! I don’t know how many times I’ve said that one out loud. But for all the soccer kids in your life, make their parents as happy as you make them with hover soccer with bumpers. My kids had this exact set, and it saved their bacon from grounding more than a few times.

The “balls” hover a few inches off the ground, and you just tap them around, getting them into the goal.

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For Their Hoop Dreams

Kiddie Play Toy Basketball Hoop Arcade Game

Our tester for this was a 7-year-old who’d never once picked up a basketball before in her life, and now? She wants to sign up for little league basketball. It’s surprisingly quick to put together, and taking it down if you need to, isn’t that tricky either.

Dance Off

Kidzlane Light Up Dance Mat for Kids

I am undefeated…in my number of losses playing another popular dancing game commonly found in arcades. Turns out, I’m still undefeated in just being awful, even up against a class full of 11-year-old Hebrew school kids. I don’t think my kid was embarrassed, but I do think she felt a little sorry for me.

It’s just like that other game, but a lot cheaper and easier to move around.

A Sustainable Pick

Cassaro Kids Jumbo Waldorf Rocker

Splurging a bit on a niece or nephew? Want to spend your tax refund on an active indoor toy that doubles as a piece of art? The Waldorf rocker is a stunning piece of child play furniture made from sustainable wood. It is durable, kids love rocking on it, and it couldn’t be more gorgeous.

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STEAM Toy

BooTaa 29-Inch Large Dart Board for Kids

An oversized Velcro dart board that teaches kids about the placement and relative size of the planets. No, Pluto is not included, and yes, we think that’s a deep, former planetary injustice, but we think this makes a great, affordable, active indoor toy all the same.

Family Game Night Fun

HearthSong Golf Pool Indoor Family Game

Take all the fun of mini golf, bring it in your house, and take out the sunburn, the weird-smelling moats, and the teens making out on the green ahead of yours, and you have this spectacular mini golf set from HearthSong. It has obstacles you can set up, holes that can be moved, putters, and balls.

Improves Balance and Coordination

Geospace Original Walkaroo Stilts by Air Kicks

There is only one way to learn to walk on stilts, and that’s in your living room, with every cushion from every sofa and bed lining your walkway.

I wasn’t going to add these, as they terrify me, but I had multiple parents tell me how much their kids love these, and how much more bendable and less-scared of falling kids are.

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Retro Fun

Playskool Sit ‘n Spin Classic

I had one. My kids had one. You probably had one. The Sit ’n Spin is a classic toy that every kid should have. It’s an affordable gift that’s perfect for a second birthday. Kids will use it for years, too, because kids are wild creatures who weirdly love making themselves dizzy.

The Chic Choice

Foamnasium Blocksy Blocksy Play Sofa

Play sofas are some of our favorite gifts here at Best. Foamnasium makes some of the best on the market, and since they paired up with Pottery Barn, they’re also some of the most chic. It includes two of the foldable bases, and two of the wedge pillows. Kids can make slides, huts, and climbing apparatuses, having a great time inside.