Party presents for kids under £20 that get played with
Another invitation in the book bag? Presents for a classmate’s party that get played with long after the cake’s gone.
Price guide: £ under £15 ££ £15–£40 £££ over £40
More ideas: Gifts for kids
Party season can mean a present every other weekend, often for a child you barely know. The trick is something most children enjoy whatever they’re into, that doesn’t need a grown-up to spend the afternoon setting it up, and that still feels like a proper present at under £20.
Most of these suit children from about five to ten, and the age on each box is worth a quick check. Craft and science kits are safe bets for almost anyone, while walkie-talkies, cameras and microscopes feel exciting without costing much.
Walkie-talkies
Price band: ££Hide-and-seek, garden missions and bedtime chats between bedrooms: a party present the whole family ends up playing with.
Our pick
Retevis RT388 Kids' Walkie-Talkies (2-pack)
£10–£20 Price range
The torch in the top makes these a hide-and-seek favourite, and they're cheap enough to go in a stocking. Like all our picks they're PMR446, the licence-free kind that's legal to use in the UK.
- Built-in torch
- Hands-free VOX
- Keypad lock
- Privacy codes
- 8 channels, up to 1km
What owners say: Owners find them fun and easy for children to use, with clear sound and good reception round the garden and park.
Heads up: Each one takes four AAA batteries, which aren't included, and busy games get through them, so rechargeable AAAs are worth having.
A closer look: Set both to the same channel and the same privacy code and they'll ignore other radios nearby. The keypad lock stops a younger child changing channel by accident.
A kids’ camera
Price band: ££Their own camera for the park, the zoo and endless selfies, with a flip-round lens and a memory card already in the box.
Our pick
ARNSSIEN Kids Camera with Flip Lens
£10–£20 Price range
The lens flips round 180° for selfies, and a speaker plays music and stories from the card, so it's a camera and a little music player in one.
- 180° flip lens for selfies
- 2.4-inch screen
- 8GB card and reader included
- 10 games, 31 frames
- Rechargeable, 2–4 hours
What owners say: Owners find it easy for toddlers to use, with good pictures, and say it keeps children entertained for hours.
A closer look: Set the date and time the first time it's switched on, and look through the settings before handing it over. The card reader in the box makes copying photos to a laptop easy.
Magnetic building tiles
Price band: ££Houses, shops and rockets that snap together in seconds, with a bag to tidy them into afterwards.
Our pick
Coodoo Magnetic Tiles, 60 Pieces with Balconies
£10–£20 Price range
Sixty tiles with a clever twist: six balconies and two awnings that hook over the hollow squares, perfect for shops, houses and food vans. Comes with a storage bag.
- 60 pieces
- 6 balconies and 2 awnings
- Storage bag
- Premium-grade plastic
- Ages 3+
What owners say: Owners find them well made and good for all ages, feeding children's imagination, though some find the magnets weaker than others.
Heads up: A few owners find the magnets a little weaker than the dearer sets, so tall towers are harder; fine for houses and shops.
A closer look: Check tiles now and then for cracks: if one ever splits and a magnet shows, bin it, as loose magnets are dangerous if swallowed.
A science kit
Price band: ££Twenty proper experiments for a rainy weekend, from erupting lava to a floating ghost, made for ages 6 to 10.
Our pick
Galt Science Lab (20 experiments)
£10–£20 Price range
Twenty proper experiments across chemistry, biology and physics, from a floating ghost to a test-tube kaleidoscope and erupting lava, with goggles and a clear lab book. Galt has been in the education business since 1836, when James Galt set up shop in Manchester.
- 20 experiments
- Chemistry, biology and physics
- Goggles and test tubes included
- Illustrated lab book
- Ages 6–10
What owners say: Parents say it's a fantastic set that keeps children busy, with easy-to-follow instructions, and a great first taste of science.
A closer look: Clear a table and keep a grown-up nearby, as some of the experiments get gloriously messy. The Good Toy Guide recommends the range.
A handheld microscope
Price band: ££Garden bugs, leaves and toast crumbs look amazing up close, and it saves the photos to show everyone later.
Our pick
SKYBASIC Kids Digital Microscope (2in, 117g)
£10–£20 Price range
Pocket-sized at 117g, with a 2in screen, eight LEDs and room for 200 photos, and it plugs into a computer for a bigger view. A lot of microscope for the price.
- 2in HD screen
- Up to 1000x
- 8 adjustable LEDs
- 200 photos built in; video with a card
- 117g, lanyard, connects to PC or Mac
What owners say: Owners find it a cool educational tool that's easy to use, though some find focusing tricky and the zoom higher than needed.
A closer look: Rest it on the table or against the object to keep it steady: at high zoom, tiny hand movements blur the picture. Most of the fun is at the lower settings.
A star projector
Price band: ££A little astronaut that fills the bedroom ceiling with stars and swirling nebulae, which makes bedtime more of a treat.
Our pick
MAZ-TEK Astronaut Galaxy Star Projector
£10–£20 Price range
A little astronaut whose helmet throws nebulae and green stars across the ceiling. The head turns all the way round and lifts off on a magnet, so it can point at the ceiling or a wall.
- 8 nebula effects plus green stars
- Head turns 360°
- Remote control
- Adjustable colour and brightness
- USB powered
What owners say: Owners call it the best night light they've had, giving just enough light without disturbing sleep, and say it looks lovely in a child's room.
A closer look: It comes with a USB cable but no plug, so use a spare phone charger by the bed. Turned right down, it makes a gentle night light for children who don't like the dark.
An air-dry clay kit
Price band: ££Twenty-four colours of soft clay that dry hard without an oven, so their creations can be painted and kept.
Our pick
Sago Brothers Air Dry Clay (24 colours)
£10–£20 Price range
Twenty-four colours of soft, light clay that dries hard in the air, no oven needed, with three tools and a 72-page book of 50-plus things to make. It's squishy enough for small hands, and two colours mix to make a new one.
- 24 colours
- Dries in the air, no oven
- 72-page idea book
- 3 modelling tools
- Resealable storage bags
What owners say: Parents say it keeps children busy for hours, love the range of colours and the booklet full of ideas, and find the clay soft and easy to shape.
Heads up: Models take 5 to 24 hours to dry, so plan a make-today, paint-tomorrow weekend, and put leftover clay back in its bag so it stays soft.
A closer look: Once dry, the models can be painted, which turns it into a second activity. It's fine from age 3 with a grown-up keeping an eye on things.
A marbling kit
Price band: £Swirl the paints, lay the paper down and lift off a pattern that’s different every time. A little bit of magic for ages 6 and up.
Our pick
Coodoo Water Marbling Kit
£10–£20 Price range
Drop the paints onto the special liquid, swirl them with a needle and lay paper on top: every print comes out different. It's based on ebru, the Turkish art of marbling, which is on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.
- 6 marbling paints
- 20 sheets of paper
- Tray, needles and pipette
- Every print unique
- Ages 6+
What owners say: Parents say it's a brilliant set that keeps children entertained, gives lovely results and makes a great gift at any age.
Heads up: The powder has to be stirred into water and left for 4 to 5 hours before it's ready, so mix it the night before.
A closer look: The dried prints make lovely wrapping paper, cards and bookmarks, so it's a good one to do before birthdays or Christmas.
A first sewing kit
Price band: £Five little projects with blunt needles and pre-punched foam, so there’s nothing sharp and no tangled frustration.
Our pick
Galt First Sewing Kit
Under £10 Price range
Five little projects, a butterfly bag, a neck purse, a picture frame, a notepad cover and a pencil case, with pre-punched foam and blunt plastic needles, so there's nothing sharp to worry about.
- 5 sewing projects
- Pre-punched foam pieces
- Plastic needles
- Cord, gems and stencils
- Ages 5+
What owners say: Parents say it's better than they expected, a hit with children, easy with a little help, and great for learning the first steps of sewing.
A closer look: Thread the first needle together, then let them take over: the holes are already made, so it's all about in, out and pulling through. The sparkly gems let them finish each piece their own way.
Kids’ headphones
Price band: £For car journeys and tablets, with volume limits for young ears and ear cups that light up.
Our pick
iClever BTH18 Kids Wireless Headphones with LED Lights
£10–£20 Price range
Two volume limits (74 and 85dBA) you can switch between, light-up ear cups that kids love, and 43 hours of battery with the lights off: enough for a week of car journeys and bedtime stories.
- Switchable 74/85dBA volume limit
- Up to 43 hours (lights off)
- Bluetooth 5.3, plus a cable for wired use
- Built-in mic
- 158g, foldable
What owners say: Owners find them great for children from about three upwards, easy to pair and comfortable, and like that they don't get too loud.
Heads up: The lights are the fun part but they eat the battery: iClever says about 11 hours with them on, so turn them off for long trips.
A closer look: Use the 74dBA setting at home for younger children and save 85dBA for noisy trains and planes. The cable in the box means they still work on a plane's seat-back screen.
A family card game
Price band: £Fast, silly and fair: a sharp-eyed six-year-old can beat the grown-ups, and the tin fits in a coat pocket.
Our pick
Dobble
£13.99 RRP
Spot the matching symbol before anyone else. Fast, easy and fun for all ages, in a travel tin.
- 2–8 players
- Ages 6+
- 5 ways to play
- Travel tin
What owners say: Quick, easy to learn and properly competitive. Kids and adults love it.
A closer look: Grown-ups have no built-in advantage here, which is half the fun: a sharp-eyed six-year-old can happily beat the whole table. Stick to one way of playing until everyone has the hang of spotting matches, then try the others, and keep the tin in a coat pocket for restaurant waits and train journeys.
A mini karaoke machine
Price band: ££For the child who’s always singing: two wireless microphones, lights and sound effects in a speaker small enough for a bedroom shelf.
Our pick
Dislocati Mini Karaoke Machine with 2 Mics (ages 3–15)
£10–£20 Price range
Small, pink and cheerful, with two wireless mics that control the volume and echo themselves, four sound effects and lights. A headphone socket means practice doesn't have to be loud.
- 2 wireless mics with volume and echo buttons
- 4 sound effects, LED lights
- 5–10 hours' battery
- Headphone output
- 570g
What owners say: Owners find it keeps children entertained for hours and is compact and good value, though the always-on echo isn't to everyone's taste.
Heads up: The sound is small-speaker sound, and some find the echo on the mics can't be fully turned off.
A closer look: Keep the mics away from the speaker or it squeals. It's a good one for grandparents' houses: small enough to live in a drawer between visits.
Tips for party presents
- Keep one or two in the cupboard: when the invitations pile up, it saves a dash to the shops on the morning of the party.
- Check the age on the box, as some craft and science kits are made for six or eight and up.
- If it needs batteries that aren’t included, add them, so it can be played with the minute it’s unwrapped.
Photos are illustrative. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How we pick · How this works.
Not quite right? Our gift finder picks from all our lists.
Try the gift finder
