The Best Flashlights For Kids To Light Up The Night

Melissa & Doug seems to make everything — and that includes kids’ flashlights! This one, which is designed for ages three and up, has 1,500+ 5-star ratings. The firefly design is pretty cute, but it’s still practical, and easy for a little one to hold. The on/off switch is simple for kids to find because it’s bright yellow. Note: The flashlight uses 2 AA batteries, but they are not included. One happy parent noted, “We bought this flashlight for our two year old who has recently taken up a fear of sleeping in the dark. He LOVES his flashlight… The light is bright, but not blinding, which was an important factor when choosing a flashlight for him as I feared he would look straight at the light when alone in his room at night. This was a great buy!”

Need more than one kids’ flashlight, perhaps for a family camping trip? Prevent (or try to prevent) sibling fights over a single flashlight with this cute set of four. Each is in the shape of a different animal: a monkey, a cow,  a tiger, and a penguin who vaguely resembles Pingu. The design has a flashlight bulb on the top and also a lantern-style light on each animal’s belly. The three AAA batteries, which are included, will keep the light shining for 2.5 hours. Bonus: The flashlights have a one-year return policy. One reviewer wrote, “These flashlights are cute and very versatile… I bought this for my kid who loves sleeping with flashlights. He can easily turn it on and off.” 

Here’s a great buy for a Disney-loving kid! It’s also a good excuse for you and your family to rewatch Frozen. This LED flashlight can be used in three different ways! It transforms into a lantern, desk lamp, and flashlight. has three lighting modes, including a low setting. The handle helps keep the flashlight from being dropped all the time, although the design does seem pretty sturdy. The three AA batteries it needs are not included.

Have a little Thomas fan in your family? Look no further! This colorful and fun flashlight for kids has Thomas’s smiling train-face right on the front, plus it’s easy to turn on and off. This flashlight takes eight AA batteries, which kinda seems like a lot, but one parent noted in the Q & A section of the product page that the batteries in her son’s flashlight have lasted for six months so far. Another wrote a review to say, “One of my son’s favorite gifts. He uses this all the time at night and in bed. He has used it constantly for over two months and no problems with the product or having to replace the batteries.”

Since this flashlight is made by VTech, it’s not surprising that it’s designed to teach. This thing does a ton of stuff! Besides doing its job as a flashlight (you turn it on with a cute turtle button!), it can shine six colors of light when you spin the ring, teaches kids about colors, animals, and letters, plays music and nature sounds, and provides a fun game to play. Since it’s designed for toddlers, it has a big handle to make it easy for them to hold. Bonus feature: It automatically shuts off so your kid doesn’t run down the batteries all the time. Amazingly, it has 5,000+ 5-star reviews. (Have a kid who loves everything pink? No worries: Besides the pictured red, a version with two pretty shades of pink is available too.)

This LED flashlight for kids is a bestseller on Amazon and has hundreds of 5-star ratings. At 2”, it’s perfect for hanging from a backpack or camping bag with the included carabiner. There are lots of animal designs to choose from: black bear, blue turtle, green turtle, brown T-Rex, green T-Rex, gorilla, panda, polar bear, and dog. (“One of these things is not like the other…”) The light is very bright, so this one might be better for older kids. (Note that you need to hold down the button to keep it shining.) The required batteries are included. Interestingly, these little lights are popular among pediatricians and pediatric nurses, but many parents have left reviews, too, including one that notes, “I bought one for my oldest to see if she liked it, then my younger daughter wanted one too. SO I ended up buying another one.” 

I’ve gotta say, some parents might find this bug’s face a bit creepy, but I’m sure the majority of kids will think it’s really cute. It’s designed for kiddos aged three to seven, and it’s large, so it’s easy for them to handle. And no rolling away (or off of a table) for this flashlight — its feet (six, to stay accurate!) keep it steady on flat surfaces. It runs on two AA batteries, not included. (If your little one takes a liking to this bug character, it’s also featured on a bowling game, a kids’ folding chair, and a bug house.) One parent noted, “Our almost 3 year old son loves it! He goes to bed with it every night and when he can’t find it he asks me for it and won’t go to sleep until we find it. It’s sturdy and well made. It’s been thrown around a few times and it still works perfect!”

This LED lantern comes from an actual camping-gear company, Coleman — so it’d be the perfect choice for your next family camping adventure. The 680 5-star ratings will attest to that, too! This flashlight is water-resistant, which is a nice feature to have when you’re outdoors, and the five LEDs will never need replacing. You don’t get to choose which of the four colors (green, blue, orange, and red) you’ll receive, but each of them look great. (If you have a choosy kid, just don’t show them the pictures, to be safe!) The four AA batteries (not included) will run the flashlight for up to 16 hours. One of the reviewers raved, “Awesome little lantern! … My daughter can’t wait to take it camping. Until then, she loves using it at night in her room. … I love that it looks like the real deal.”

Your little truck fan will love this John Deere flashlight for kids. Who knew that flashlights came in truck shapes? This sturdy model would be perfect for pretend play — and when you squeeze the handle, the hood lifts up and reveals the flashlight underneath. (A word to the wise: The truck also makes noise.) The two required AA batteries are included, and the flashlight has a handy auto-shutoff feature. One of the dozens of positive reviews noted, “My son absolutely loves the Roll N Go Flashlight! He can roll it around like a tractor alone or turn its light on for added fun! The handle is easy to squeeze to turn the light on and makes tractor noises when squeezed. It’s great for the nighttime bathroom trips and indoor tent days.” 

This is for all the dino lovers and future paleontologists out there! This flashlight projector, er, projects 24 dinosaur images (from three slide discs) onto walls and ceilings when the lights are off. The images (you can adjust the focus) are clear and up to one meter wide. This product, which also works as a regular flashlight, is designed for kids ages three and up, and batteries are included. One parent noted, “Got this for my 5y boy and he loves the flashlight as well as the pictures that come with it. Easy to use and very durable with a 5y. Kept him busy for hours.” (Key phrase: “busy for hours”!) 

Do you have a budding astronomer in the family? Check out this cool moon flashlight projector! Although its design seems to be inspired by a pregnancy test, it actually projects images of the moon onto the wall or ceiling when you use it in a dark room. I have to say, for a $7 item, the projections shown in the customer-submitted images look pretty impressive! The flashlight, which is made for kids five and up, runs on three AG-13 batteries (small button batteries), which are included. Here is one of the hundreds of 5-star reviews: “I bought this as a gift for my daughter. She is so fascinated with the moon, and she loves this moon flashlight. The moon protected onto the wall is bright, and realistic. She can’t wait to use it when it gets dark outside.”