Are you stuck for ideas on what gifts to buy for your children this holiday season?
Fathers across the nation have been playing for weeks with these top toys together with their children, to find out which one kept them entertained.
We chose the winning toys because they had creative potential, were fun, affordable, and impressed our father testers as well as their kids.
Among the 11 top-placing products from the Dad’s Choice Awards 2021 were a £23.99 digital metal detector, £199.99 Scalextric and a magic pen set priced at just £18.00.
FEMAIL has revealed the top eleven winners…
Scalextric ARC AIR GT Challenge Scaledtric GT3 v Ford GT GTE
Available on the scalextric website and all good toy shops at around £199.99, this toy unlocks real world racing scenarios for the ultimate racing experience
It is what? Scalextric ARC AIR introduces real racing excitement to Scalextric. For the best racing experience, connect to Scalextric ARC on your smartphone. The Scalextric World GT Set features twelve track layouts that offer extra race excitement. It also includes the Ford GT GTE competing against the Mercedes AMG GT3.
It’s why dads love it ‘This set was definitely a winner in our house as we absolutely loved the endless entertainment it provided for our family.
It was super easy to assemble, not sure who loved it most – me or the kids.‘
Balancing Game – Space
With a suggested retail of £33, this fun and educational game, from Viga Toys, is designed to train children’s concentration, thinking skills, logic, hands-on skills
It is what? This is a space theme balance game. This set includes 8 planets, the sun and seven other theme blocks. It is bright and colorful with a cute pattern. Kids will be enchanted by it from the very first moment.
This is a play-based training program that helps children improve their concentration and thinking skills.
Why dads love it: ‘We loved this game because not only can it be used to as a balancing game it also teaches the names of the planets. Also, the bright colours are beautiful!
Science Mad Digital Metal Detector
Any metal object is treasure to young explorers starting out in metal detecting, so this detector is sure to be a hit. Priced at £23.99-£24.99 and available on Very, The Studio, The Range, Rymans, Bright Minds and Amazon
What is it: This metal detector will beep and LED lights will flash, speed up and change colour to alert you that a metal object is close by. This could be an old coin, lost jewellery or accidental dropped jewelry. There are many possibilities.
There are controls that can be used to adjust both the sensitivity or the volume of the detector.
It’s why dads love it ‘The kids couldn’t wait to get outside with this and see what they could find – we took it too the beach where we found loads of coins. This was an excellent outdoor activity that brought us joy.
Hue Animation Studio
HUE Animation Studio encourages 21st century skills like problem solving, creativity, imagination, self-direction and planning. It’s priced at £49.95 from huehd.com
Is it possible? This highly engaging, gender-neutral educational toy will bring hours of pleasure to young film directors who with the click of a button can animate anything from LEGO® figures and clay creations to 2D drawings.
This kit was designed for children between 7 and 13 years of age. It includes HUE HD cameras in various bright colors, an animation activity book of 64 pages with helpful tips, as well HUE Animation software.
It’s why dads love it “We think this is a fantastic educational toy. We combined screen time with learning and made some cool time-lapse videos.
Wiggly words game
Children will be able to practise spellings they already know as well as learning new words with this £8.50 brainteasing word game from www.orchardtoys.com
It is what? This brain-teasing game makes spelling fun for all ages!
This brainteasing literacy game is for 6-adult players. The worm cards are used by players to create a wiggly line between heads and tails, which can be used to spell out words.
Double-sided cards allow for more combinations. Children will also love the funny characters!
To name but a few, there are superheroes and sailors.
It’s why dads love it ‘Loved this game – easy to set up, simple to explain and it got the kids practising their phonics without them even realising! Wiggly Words joined our family!
Ladybird Mini Build
Made using 100% sustainable cardboard and paper, the Build Your Own Ladybird, £9.99 from www.buildyourownkits.com, is not only fun and engaging to play with, but also eco-friendly
It is what? This fascinating mini beast is beautifully bold with its bright red wings and contrasting black spots. The pull-tab rotating wings cases capture the flight movements of ladybirds perfectly.
Easy to assemble using slot-together techniques – there’s no glue, no mess, no fuss. Everything you need is provided in the kit – simply follow the instructions: press out the pre-cut parts, build and play!
Why dads love it: ‘It’s great to see them play with something that isn’t a load of plastic. There’s no glue or mess, everything you need is in the kit, and you just slot the cardboard and paper together.
When it was completed, the ladybird looked amazing and kids loved the fact that its wings moved!
Tig Tag
Instead of physically pushing or hitting another child to make them ‘It’, kids simply throw the lightweight TIG-TAG, resulting in fewer accidents. It’s available at www.tig-tag.co.uk with a suggested £10 retail price
It is what? TIG-TAG is a soft-to-the-touch throwing and flying toy that makes playing ‘You’re it!’ TIG-TAG makes playing ‘You’re it!’ safer, easier and more enjoyable
The children are encouraged to “unplug” and have fun together. It also improves their hand-eye coordination.
TIG-TAG, which is equally important, allows a broad range of abilities and ages to play, laugh, and run while simultaneously jumping, running, and jumping.
Why dads love it: ‘Our kids really loved the added challenge of throwing the Tig Tag. All our children could have fun together despite the noise and laughter.
“Later, the older children played with their friends…can only tag left arm. That took competition to another level…really great fun.
Marvin’s Amazing Magic Pens
The magic pen set, which comes at the suggested retail price of £18, includes 9 colour-changing pens, 14 erasable pens, 5 multi-layer over pens and 2 magic white pens
It is what? Create marvellous works of art using 30 magic pens with amazing powers!
Write secret messages, create stunning 3D lettering, make your pictures vanish , change colour & create a multi-layer of colours.
Creative thinking with magic touches for children 5+ Includes 9 Colour Changing Pens, 14 Erasable Pens, 5 Multi-layer Over Pens and 2 Magic White Pens.
Why dads love it: ‘HUGE thumbs up from all of us here. We loved the secret messages that our children wrote and how they made their photos disappear. These pens are sure to be used again and again.
Windy Bums Panda Monkey and Unicorn
With a suggested retail price of £15.99 and sold by Smyths, Amazon, Argos, B&M and Very, these great value, safe and very funny children’s toy make a perfect present for Christmas or an ideal gift on a birthday
Is it possible? Tasteful, sophisticated and clever. These are just three words we don’t use to describe really funny gifts for kids – like this farting plush toy. Use the Bump button to make it more trumpy!
Once set off, the bottom coughs continue… When it stops, bop it again. It’s a hilarious gift, which lets you rip and wiggle, jiggle, and giggle on the ground.
It’s why dads love it “We had a lot of fun playing with this toy. Absolutely hilarious when such a cute toy makes farting noises – provided a lot of laughter in our house!’
T-Rex Truck
Kids will love pretending to be park rangers in the all-new £109.99 T-Rex Truck by Little Tikes®! £109.99
Is it possible? Cool design makes the large T-Rex roar and stimulates children’s imaginations.
Children love to be behind the wheel. Adults love its durability and comfort.
T-Rex Truck’s 360-degree rotating front wheels make it simple to move and its durable, indoor- and outdoor-friendly tyres make it very easy.
It’s why dads love it This was a massive hit with its cool design and roaring noises. The roaring noises can be pulled, pulled, or pushed by Daddy. It is great for both indoors and outdoor use. Very sturdy, well constructed.
UpRoar!
UpRoar! which currently retails on Amazon for £11.99 is a hilarious card game where zero tactics are required
Is it possible? UpRoar! is the £11.99 super simple yet hugely hilarious card game where mooing like an angry cow can win you the game.
You don’t need any tactics to play. Two cards are needed to identify the correct pair of words.
Why dads love it: ‘It’s a perfect game for anyone who likes to laugh a lot. The whole family enjoyed it and Nanny and Grandad even joined in the fun.‘