Kids & Toys
5 Amazon Kids’ Toys Under $14 That Actually Entertain
Tested five Amazon toys and games with my 4-year-old nephew and 7-year-old niece for three weeks. Memory games, puzzles, trains, and flashcards—all under $14. The goal: find which budget toys actually keep kids entertained and which end up ignored in the toy bin.
Results? Three are legitimate winners that get played with daily. One is fine but forgettable. One is honestly a waste of money.
Testing crew: Two kids, ages 4 and 7, plus several playdates. Total cost: $43.08 for five items. Here’s what’s actually worth buying.
Regal Games Memory Matching Card Game
Family-friendly concentration game
Quick Verdict: Six bucks for a game that gets played daily. Total winner.
The Game They Actually Ask For
This is the only toy from this batch that both kids request by name. “Can we play the matching game?” is now a daily question. For $5.94, it’s been played at least 30 times in three weeks.
It’s a classic memory/concentration game with 72 cards (36 matching pairs). The cards are thick and laminated—survived being shuffled by a 4-year-old repeatedly without showing wear. Images are colorful and clear (animals, objects, food).
The game works for multiple ages. The 4-year-old plays with fewer cards (we start with 12 pairs), the 7-year-old plays with the full set. Adults can actually play too without being bored to tears (rare for kids’ games).
It teaches actual skills: memory, concentration, turn-taking. Plus it’s screen-free entertainment that holds attention for 15-20 minutes, which is impressive for preschoolers.
What Works
- Played 30+ times in 3 weeks (kids love it)
- Thick, durable cards survive kid handling
- Works for ages 3-8+ (scalable difficulty)
- Adults can play without losing their minds
- Teaches memory and turn-taking
- Compact storage in included tin
- Only $5.94
What Doesn’t
- Cards can slide around on smooth surfaces
- Tin is small, cards need careful packing
- Some images are generic/not exciting
Bottom Line
This is exactly what you want from a $6 toy: something kids actually play with repeatedly. Great for road trips, rainy days, or just keeping kids entertained. Educational without feeling like homework. Probably the best value toy in this entire review.
Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle Set for Kids
6-pack preschool puzzles ages 3-5
Quick Verdict: Good quality but kids lost interest after a week. Fine, not amazing.
Well-Made But Not Captivating
You get six wooden puzzles for $13.59 (about $2.27 each), which sounds like great value. The quality is solid—thick wooden pieces, bright colors, cute animal designs. But here’s the problem: the kids did each puzzle 2-3 times and then stopped asking for them.
Each puzzle has about 20 pieces, which is perfect for the 4-year-old’s skill level. The 7-year-old found them too easy. The wooden pieces fit together well and the images are adorable (safari animals, farm animals, ocean creatures).
The issue is replayability. Once you’ve done the same puzzle three times, it’s not challenging anymore. Kids need novelty. Compare this to the memory game (which has 36 different matches so it feels fresh each time) and the puzzles just couldn’t compete.
They’re not bad. The quality is legitimately good for the price. But they ended up in the toy bin after week one and haven’t been touched since.
What Works
- Six puzzles for $13.59 is decent value
- Thick, durable wooden pieces
- Bright colors and cute animal designs
- Good difficulty for ages 3-5
- Pieces fit together smoothly
- Come in individual storage bags
What Doesn’t
- Kids lost interest after completing each 2-3 times
- No replay value once memorized
- Too easy for kids over 6
- Storage bags are flimsy plastic
- Similar designs across all six puzzles
Bottom Line
If you need puzzles for a preschooler who’s never done puzzles before, these are fine. Good quality, appropriate difficulty. But don’t expect long-term entertainment. They’re better as a gift or for occasional variety than a go-to toy. At $13.59, they’re decent but not essential.
Handheld Electronic Memory Game
Portable brain teaser for ages 4-8
Quick Verdict: Perfect for car rides. Annoying beeps but keeps kids quiet.
Travel Toy That Actually Works
This is basically an electronic Simon Says game with lights and sounds. Press the buttons in the correct sequence as it gets progressively harder. The 7-year-old is obsessed with beating her high score.
It’s compact and lightweight—perfect for throwing in a bag for restaurants, road trips, or waiting rooms. Battery-powered (takes 3 AAA batteries, not included), so no charging cables needed. The buttons are responsive and the lights are bright enough to see in daylight.
Three difficulty levels keep it engaging. The 4-year-old can play on easy mode, the 7-year-old challenges herself on hard. The learning curve is good—frustrating enough to be engaging but not so hard that kids rage quit.
The MAJOR downside: it’s loud. Every button press beeps. You can’t turn off the sound. After 20 minutes of constant beeping, adults will want to throw it out a window. But kids love it, so… trade-offs.
What Works
- Actually holds kids’ attention for 15-20 minutes
- Compact and portable for travel
- Three difficulty levels (ages 4-8+)
- Builds memory and pattern recognition
- Battery-powered (no charging)
- Durable plastic survived drops
What Doesn’t
- LOUD beeping with no volume control
- Batteries not included
- Can be frustrating for younger kids on hard mode
- Repetitive after extended play
Bottom Line
Great travel toy for keeping kids entertained in situations where you need them quiet(ish). The beeping will drive you insane, but the kids will be occupied. Perfect for restaurants, car rides, doctor’s offices. At $7.64, it’s worth it for the peace and quiet alone.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Train Cars
3-pack magnetic wooden train set
Quick Verdict: Melissa & Doug quality at $10. Steal for imaginative play.
The Toy That Sparked Endless Stories
These are simple wooden train cars with magnetic connectors. Three cars for $9.63 from Melissa & Doug (a brand that usually costs 2-3x this price). The 4-year-old plays with these every single day—they’ve become his favorite toy.
The quality is exactly what you’d expect from Melissa & Doug: solid wood construction, smooth edges, bright non-toxic paint. The magnets are strong enough to stay connected during play but not so strong that toddlers can’t disconnect them.
What makes these special is the open-ended play. Kids create train tracks out of books, build tunnels from couch cushions, make up stories about where the trains are going. It’s sparked more imaginative play than any of the electronic toys.
They’re compatible with other wooden train sets (we tested with IKEA and generic brands—all connect fine). So you can build a whole train collection without buying expensive branded sets.
What Works
- Played with daily for 3 weeks straight
- Melissa & Doug quality at budget price
- Solid wood, smooth edges, safe paint
- Strong magnets that actually work
- Encourages imaginative, open-ended play
- Compatible with other wooden train brands
- Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers
What Doesn’t
- Only 3 cars (you’ll want more eventually)
- No track included (just the cars)
- Paint can chip if thrown/dropped hard
Bottom Line
If you have a toddler or preschooler, buy these. They’re the kind of toy that gets played with for years, not weeks. Great quality, safe, and they inspire creativity instead of just flashing lights. At $9.63, they’re cheaper than most electronic toys that’ll be forgotten in a month.
Alphabet Flashcards for Toddlers
Preschool learning activity cards
Quick Verdict: Cheap quality, boring design. Skip unless desperate.
You Get What You Pay For
These alphabet flashcards cost $6.28 for a full set of 26 letters plus activities. Sounds like a deal. In reality, they’re the cheapest-feeling item in this entire review.
The cards are thin cardstock that started bending after the first use. Not laminated or coated, so they’ll get destroyed quickly with regular toddler handling. The colors are dull and the illustrations are generic clip art quality.
The 4-year-old wasn’t interested at all. Compared to the other toys in this batch, these just felt… boring. There are way better alphabet learning tools out there (books, magnetic letters, apps) that are more engaging.
The “learning activities” on the back are just basic prompts like “find something that starts with A.” Nothing special or creative. We used them twice and then they went in a drawer.
What Works
- Only $6.28 for full alphabet set
- Covers all 26 letters plus activities
- Compact size for travel
What Doesn’t
- Thin, cheap cardstock (not durable)
- Cards bend and crease easily
- Dull colors and generic illustrations
- Kids found them boring
- Activities on back are uninspired
- Not laminated or protected
- Won’t last with regular toddler use
Bottom Line
Save your $6 and buy magnetic alphabet letters instead, or just use free YouTube alphabet videos. These flashcards feel cheap, look boring, and won’t survive more than a few weeks of use. The low price isn’t worth it when the product is this underwhelming.
The Parent’s Verdict: What’s Actually Worth Buying?
ABSOLUTE WINNERS: The memory matching game ($5.94) and Melissa & Doug train cars ($9.63) are both played with daily. Buy them without hesitation. These are the toys that’ll actually get used.
GOOD FOR SPECIFIC NEEDS: The handheld memory game ($7.64) is perfect for travel despite the annoying beeps. The wooden puzzles ($13.59) are fine for first-time puzzlers but won’t hold interest long-term.
SKIP IT: The alphabet flashcards ($6.28) are the only true disappointment. Cheap quality, boring design, kids ignored them after two uses.
Total spent: $43.08 for five toys. Three are keepers (60% success rate). Not bad for budget toy shopping.
The lesson? With kids’ toys, engagement matters more than price. The $6 memory game gets played 10x more than the $14 puzzle set. And classic toys (wooden trains, matching games) beat electronic gadgets for long-term play value. Focus on open-ended toys that spark imagination rather than toys with one specific function.
Stop Buying Toys That Get Ignored
Get our weekly email with actually-tested toy reviews and kid product finds. Real testing with real kids. Join 12,847 smart parents.
Get Weekly Reviews