20 Best Hanukkah Gifts for Kids That Will Light Up the Holiday

I can almost guarantee that if you have a kid between the ages of 5 and 12, they have asked for fidget toys for Hanukkah. My daughter has them listed three times as things she wants. This is a huge kit with 27 pieces, all for under $15. I think this is better than a harmonica or socks, don't you?

More: Best Toys for Kids

Is it even Hanukkah if you don't get a pair of soft, cozy pajamas? I don't think it is. Perfect for nights four through five, when things are starting to get a bit tiresome (all those donuts weigh on a body), these jams will perk your child right up, allowing them to feel your love like a warm hug as they fall asleep with dreams of lighting the shamash.

Nothing says magical winter holidays quite like a unicorn snow tube. Big enough for teens but compact enough for elementary school kids, this comfortable tube is designed to whip down the slopes with a silly amount of charm and speed. 

It's the festival of lights and magic! Why not get glow-in-the-dark Magna-Tiles for your littles? Magna-Tiles are honestly some of the best building toys out there, and the fact that these are something more — something special — just screams holiday. 

Full disclosure: I do not understand why my kids love these so much, but then again, I played with pogs and slammers and those things were the actual epitome of dumb, so I'll let it slide. These are huge in school (where kids trade them), plus at camp and everywhere else.

Is it cheesy? Yes. Do I love it? Also yes. And so will your younger kids. It’s a musical dreidel that plays “Dayenu.” OK, just kidding, it plays the dreidel song, and babies just light up over it. 

Plus, it’s made by a Jewish company, so you know it’s not going to have anything weird or wrong on it.

If you spend any time on TikTok you know just how popular these fairy lights are. Kids love them, especially those who also like Olivia Rodrigo, furry plushes, and High School Musical (Ask me how I know.). 

This extra-long string of fairy lights is gorgeous on copper wiring and still under $10. It's a huge, huge win. 

A puzzle that's not a puzzle, but also really challenges the mind and small motor manipulations of your toddler? Yes, please. This forest stacker puzzle from Le Toy Van encourages your children to stack all the creatures one on top of each other, building the perfect forest animal pyramid. Each little animal is decorated with a cheery mien and made of sustainable wood.  

Sometimes what they want is actually what they need. Rainbow tie-dye Crocs are cute, comfortable, quality shoes for your kids that they will love until they fall apart. They're truly all the rage this year, for everyone from little kids to grown adults. 

Those first few Hanukkahs are some of the hardest to shop for. There are only so many rattles and plushes your child can tear into without it feeling less than special. This set of plush Hanukkah toys with a soft gelt, dreidel, Magen David, bear, and hanukkiah make for a lovely addition for your child's first Hanukkah.

I don't always love Hanukkah toys and gifts that feel like ripoffs of Christmas holiday traditions, but seeing as how gingerbread houses are also out for Halloween and other holidays, I'll make an exception. 

Also, none of the mess or fuss of real gingerbread because these puppies are actually Magna-Tiles. Take that, royal icing. 

“Mensch on a bench” is far superior to the other rhyming stuffed holiday creature for many reasons: One, you don’t have to come up with 30 hijinks. Two, he’s all about being good and doing good, not being a twerp who toilet-papers your house. Three, he tells the story of Judah and the Maccabees. And four, he’s cuter.

But this is one of those cases that really helps little Jewish kids feel like they can relate to their classmates and friends in a small way.

This is pulled directly from my son's gift wish list. It's the backpack for Brooklyn kids, and it, like the Crocs, is a two-bird-one-stone gift: Yes, your kid may need a new backpack, but also, a Hanukkah gift. 

(And no one can come at me for the two-for-one gift thing, because we all do it — one of the finer points of parenting is getting away with it.)

Do you have to say the Bracha for seeing a rainbow if that rainbow is an LED lamp? Probably not, but it does give your child ample opportunity to consider learning it, or at least the origin story. Or not. But it's a fun-as-heck lamp, and who wouldn't want a neon rainbow lamp? 

My kids love this series, and so do I. Also, after reading this article on JewThink questioning whether or not Mando is a space Jew, I can't get the idea out of my head. I mean, there were just so many Jews in the creation and filming process, it's a headcanon that won't quit. Plus, LEGO BrickHeadz are fun, inexpensive, and easy to build. 

My kids’ terrarium from last year is still living. I have no idea how. I know that there’s science behind it and that my children explained it to me, but I truly think it’s a Hanukkah miracle and that they’re going to die just as Hanukkah gets going this year. Feels fitting. 

This kit has everything your budding botanist needs to build their world in a jar, including a book that explains everything.

You know when you find the perfect pair of joggers and you just want to wear them every single day of your life? Well, these are my daughter's, and she has three pairs that she will undoubtedly wear until they are 3 inches too short for her ever-growing pair of stems. 

When you’re buying Hanukkah toys for kids, you don’t immediately think “cornhole.” But I’m here to tell you you should. Cornhole is an important life skill your kids will need when they go away to college. Prepare them today with an indoor cornhole set. They’ll soon be owning you and their future classmates, wowing onlookers with their skill and finesse.

... or they'll just be occupied with something other than their phone for an hour or two. Either way, it's a good deal. 

Look at that face and tell me that you didn't instantly fall in love. This little guy plays the dreidel song, has a kippah and a tiny doggy tallit-esque, tallit-adjacent scarf, and he's ready to go dig into some pastrami and latkes. It's almost too much. 

The chocolate in these dreidels isn't bad, I swear. On more than one occasion I have eaten a portion of my children's winnings as mom tax, and I'm not mad at these. This is one of those little things you give to your kids to start the holiday, and you just pray that they don't start a battle over the whole thing.