We’ve researched and rounded up some great options, being sure to consider each pick’s recommended age, safety features, educational value, and price. The Wonder Workshop Dash Coding Robot earned our top spot. Dash teaches kids to code via interactive dancing and singing to keep them engaged and stimulated for hours. Here are the best electronic toys for kids. If you think it sounds too complicated, don’t worry—the app includes tutorials to teach children the fundamentals of coding and how to program the robot. Dash’s educational value and limitless fun earned it the Oppenheim Best Toy Award in 2016, along with our top spot. Price at time of publish: $180 The Starter Kit comes with two supercars and 12 track pieces that snap together to create a variety of race tracks. Children can battle it out with friends, each controlling a car, or play on their own, racing against an artificial intelligence–controlled vehicle. There are several different play settings, including Battle, Race, and Time Trial, and the app includes frequent software updates to keep gameplay fresh and exciting. Aside from walking, GoGo plays five different songs and dances on her hind legs. Kids will love showing off their moves with their new furry friend, and parents will love that their little ones has an excuse to get moving and stay active. Price at time of publish: $57 This electronic toy can help young children practice their critical thinking skills, as they can experiment with different sequences to create new paths for the Code-a-Pillar. As kids get the hang of it, they can create new games, such as drawing paths for the bug to follow or specifying an endpoint for it to reach. The possibilities are endless, which means this toy will continue challenging kids for years to come. Price at time of publish: $120 Price at time of publish: $45 The Kids Edition Tablet is a real tablet with ten hours of battery life, but it was designed for the rough-and-tumble lifestyle of children. The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition comes loaded with one free year of Freetime Unlimited, which lets kids access age-appropriate games, apps, and videos from sites like PBS, Disney, and more. It also comes with built-in parental controls that can limit screen time and filter out inappropriate content. Price at time of publish: $150 The Drop and Go Dump Truck will count its three bright boulders as toddlers put each one into the toy, and it’s easy to dump them back out again with the pull of a lever. Kids can pull the truck around the house using the attached string, and there are several buttons on the vehicle that play melodies and phrases to help toddlers learn about colors and tools. Price at time of publish: $18 It can be controlled from up to 30 meters away, making it a fun outdoor toy too. Fly the drone up and down, forward and back with the touch of a button, and once kids get the hang of things, they can try out some impressive tricks, such as in-air flips. One downside of this mini drone is that you only get around five minutes of flight time, so kids will have to recharge if they want to play for longer. They’re easy to use and small enough for little hands to carry, but they have a range of upward of 3,000 feet. The walkie talkies include 22 different channels, but you can lock the channel for younger children so they don’t accidentally change it. Price at time of publish: $25

Safety

It is important to consider your child’s safety when choosing an electronic toy. Not only is there the potential for danger with cords, batteries, and power supplies, but for toys that connect to the internet, you should also be aware of the material that they access. Electronic toys are a great way to start talking about the responsible and safe use of technology with your child. Some toys include parental controls, which is always a plus.

Educational Value

To get the most educational value, teacher and literacy coach Alicia Drozd at North Brunswick school recommends looking for interactive toys. “It needs to be something that they create and build," she says. “Apps are great too, as long as they inspire creativity and aren’t overly consuming.”

Price

Electronic toys can be bigger financial investments. Before you purchase, consider how much use your child will get from the toy, how likely it is to be broken or need to be replaced, and if it can grow with your child. Less-expensive electronic toys tend to have shorter lifespans than the heavy-hitting expensive options.

Why Trust The Spruce?

Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer who has a background in interior design. She’s an expert on all things home, and while researching picks for this article, she considered the material of each piece, as well as its size, stability, and any useful features, such as cable management holes. Additional reporting was done by Julia Fields, a lifestyle writer for The Spruce covering all things surrounding toys, gifts, and the holidays. She’s also covered similar topics in other roles, including toy reviews, product roundups, expert-focused articles, and more.