Whether you're a parent or the cool uncle/aunt/godparent/family friend, coming up with present inspiration can be tricky - luckily, we've got you covered. As well as providing loads of toy ideas based off our real-life experience and testing, we also keep our eyes peeled for the best bargains too. And we've found an incredible deal on this toy that makes the grade in our round up of the best mix and make toys.
Toys are a safe best when it comes to gifts for children aged 12 and under - at the younger end of the scale, you might be looking at the best sensory toys or best interactive books for babies, but as they get older, you might find yourself a bit clueless about what toys are popular and what's suitable for different ages.
Mix and make toys are growing in popularity and can make the perfect gift for kids from five years. Toys like this not only help to spark a child's creativity and imagination, but also introduce delayed gratification into play and foster an understanding of process, as there are steps to follow before kids can get to the good stuff. And right now, one of our top picks of the mix and make toys out there, Beast Labs Shark Beast Creator, is available with a staggering 50 per cent off. But you'll need to be quick to snap it up before the offer ends.
Beast Labs Shark Beast Creator is an excellent and immersive mix and make toy - you can read our Beast Labs Shark Beast Creator review to see why. Perfect for kids aged five and over, this Beast Labs playset involves completing a 'scientific experiment' in order to create a shark beast to help save the world. In addition to the experiment, which consists of adding various fizzing, bubbling and dissolvable elements into water, there are 60+ visual and sound effects, including the very fun 'bio-mist. And that's all before the surprise reveal of the shark beast, which becomes a fun interactive toy in its own right.
All of these features mean that this playset has quite a hefty RRP of £89.99. If this is beyond your budget, we've got good news for you - we've found it available for just £44.99 (that's a whopping 50 per cent saving) at both Amazon and John Lewis.
With its free delivery for Prime members, the Amazon offering technically works out cheaper. If you buy from John Lewis, and this is the only item you buy, you'll be about £5 shy of the threshold for free delivery (standard delivery costs £4.50), but there is plenty of choice on the John Lewis site that could easily see you over that £50 threshold.
Looking for something similar? You might also be interested in our review of the Cookeez Makery oven, which is another great mix and make toy that kids will love. For little explorers, one of the best dinosaur toys could also be a winning gift idea. There's also this gloopy toy that kids will love (but their parents won't).
