Naughty or Nice, the Toys Your Children Want this Christmas

Letters to Father Christmas are being written, the kids are being suspiciously well behaved with the threat of coal in their stockings rather than toys on Christmas morning, and you... have a lot of shopping on your hands. Praise the shopping gods and the invention of online shopping. Avoid the crowded high street, feeling flustered as you yank your scarf off, stepping in from the cold into overly heated shops, and simply do it all from home.

The best part?

There are loads of great deals and advice from yours truly to save your pennies and your sanity! And with a Debenhams voucher code to give you 20% off toys when you spend £25 as well, now is the time to fulfil all your child's Christmas dreams.

The My Favourite Voucher Codes team have scoured the Debenhams toy section to find the perfect gifts for your children this year. And, of course, we've ensured there are a few bargains thrown in there, too.

The Toys You Should Be Buying Children this Christmas

When it comes to what's hot and scrawled right at the top of your child's list, there's always a bit of a dispute on which will be the most popular toys for Christmas this year. Our advice? Shut out the noise.

That overly priced toy may be all well and good with its forecasts to be a sell out shopper favourite, but if it's not the overly priced toy your child actually wants, what's the point? Hey, we can even hope the item at the top of their list doesn't require us to re-mortgage the house.

We've split our picks into three main categories:

• What will keep them occupied for hours so we can crack open the mulled wine and enjoy at least some of our Christmas Day.

• Toys that can get everyone involved for a full blown family occasion like all those Hallmark Christmas films on a constant loop advocate.

• The ones they've given you enough of a headache about, you've relented and given into the short lived excitement a piece of plastic can bring.

Alternatively, you might name the categories...

Construction Toys to Keep Kids Entertained at Christmas

Keep them amused for hours by gifting a set they can spend hours pouring over the instructions and building. It's a good idea to bare in mind whether they're the type to independently get on with piecing a construction set together themselves, or if the set is even tailored to their age group – let's face it, you don't want to be pulled in to do all the hard work for them.

Has your child well and truly been drawn back into the Wizarding World? Everyone is going mad for Fantastic Beasts and who can blame them. If Newt and his friends are a hit with your children, we cannot recommend the Lego 'Newt's Case of Magical Creatures' set enough. Of course, Lego can be pricey and this set remains at full price for £45. However, that doesn't mean we can't help you save money. This week, Debenhams are offering 20% off when you spend £25 on toys. Which means you could save as much as £9 on the Fantastic Beasts Lego set when you buy it with our Debenhams voucher codes.

Looking for a cheaper alternative to keep them entertained in the lull after Christmas dinner? You can't go wrong with a K'Nex set and we think the K'Nex Car Building set will keep all the kids entertained with fun racing events once the cars are complete. Save 20% in the Star Deals week at Debenhams and pay just £12, down from £15.

The Perfect Christmas Board Game

Whether you're a family that often plays board games or not, there's nothing quite like gathering around the coffee table, fire lit to play a few games. From card games to ones renowned for starting family feuds (Monopoly, that is), there's never a more perfect time to all play together. Here are our picks from Debenhams' vast selection.

Hatchimals were a hit last year across kids' letters to Santa and it looks like this toy isn't going anywhere. Branching out, you can now buy Hatchimal bags and so much more. Why not bring out their 'The Eggventure' game for the younger generation and buy for £18. That ain't no yolk!

Want something for all ages including the adults? Can you ever really go wrong with The Game of Life? Reduced to just £16.10 from £23, map out your life, from your home to your job and ever expanding family.

Annual Top Christmas Toy Picks

Now we know we said it's not always worth buying into the hype, but sometimes it's unavoidable. You'll likely find your child has their finger on the pulse more than you do in terms of what's trendy (it's just a rite of passage as you get older, sorry guys!) and they'll be desperate to have the 'in' cool thing like all their friends. So what are the Christmas toy trends this year?

Well, apparently slime... Yes, we're just as confused as you are. But kids are all about the slime and getting their hands dirty – now might be the time to suggest the washing up after your Christmas dinner. Nickleodeon's got your back with their 12 Piece Slime Super Set, offering a variety of coloured slime for your children to get their mucky paws into. Reduced by 1/5, you can buy for £20, down from £25 in Debenhams' Star Deals.

Unicorns are also taking the world by storm. Not just in terms of toys, but in a variety of different merchandise forms. Want unicorn socks? You can get them. Also buy unicorn water bottles, photo frames and other novelty gifts. With a rise in AI technologies (that's Artificial Intelligence to the rest of us), we think Zoomer the 'Enchanted Unicorn' could be a hit, offering interactive options so your child can bond with their very own pet. The best part? It comes house trained! Another year of avoiding the dreaded request for a puppy! Save a whopping £17 and buy for £68, reduced from £85. The real bargain? No vet bills!

We've given you the Practical Gift Guide and now we've got you sorted for the best toys to buy this Christmas. Ensure you browse the range of deals in Debenhams' Half Price Star Deals Week and make use of their 20% off toys code!

May the odds be ever in your favour as you enter the hunger games that is Christmas shopping!

Posted By: Alice Marshall - My Favourite Voucher Codes - 6th December 2018