Gear

The Best Gifts for 5-Year-Olds

From crafting to molding to STEM learning, these toys do it all.

by Donna Freydkin
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
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The best gifts and toys for 5-year-olds should acknowledge their developmental milestones. Many 5-year-olds can tell simple stories using full sentences, count to 10 or beyond, copy geometric shapes, and maybe even draw a person with accurate body parts. They probably have friends, and might like to sing and dance, skip, climb, and somersault. It’s bye-bye diapers (because your kid is using the potty), hello books, and, if you’re lucky, the start of table manners. It stands to reason that gifts should play to their strengths, and include toys that encourage them to explore the big, wide world around them.

The experts at the National Association for the Education of Young Children have a few guidelines for choosing the best gifts for 5-year-olds. Kids this age have longer attention spans than toddlers; they ask a lot of questions and like to experiment with toys. And they now get the hang of playing with friends, and maybe even know how to share. The gift you choose for the 5-year-olds in your life should reflect that. Some of the best kids books of all time are great, but when it comes to the holidays, toys are still king.

A Guide to Buying Gifts for 5-year-olds

  • Child-sized “real” toys like play food sets, and kitchens
  • Dress-up toys for pretend play
  • Blocks that snap together and building blocks
  • Construction and transportation toys
  • Ride-on toys and toys that promote physical activity
  • Creative toys, like paints and chalk, as well as modeling clay

From toy cars to interactive pets to STEM toys, there’s plenty on this list to excite any kindergartener.

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The Best Creative Play Toys for 5-Year-Olds

Open Play Construction Set by Plus Plus
Builder Construction Set by Brio
Ooly
Cat Parade Gel Crayons

The cat heads at the bottom of each crayon are cute, they the and twist up barrels deliver brilliant colors in a form somewhere between a paint and a crayon. They can also deliver a watercolor effect if coupled with some water and a paintbrush.

$18
Magnetic Foam Building Blocks by Blockaroo
Melissa and Doug Fold and Go Dollhouse
Tumble Trax Magnetic Marble Run by Learning Resources
Detective Set by Plan Toys
Quadrilla Wooden Marble Run by Hape
City Holiday Camper Van Building Kit by Lego
Duplo Classic Deluxe Brick Box by LEGO
City Space Mars Research Shuttle by Lego
Woodland Animal Ballerina Magnetic Dress-Up by Mudpuppy
Emergency Services HQ by Hape

The Best STEM and Educational Toys for 5-Year-Olds

GeoSafari Jr. Talking Globe by Educational Insights
Beaker Creatures Monsterglow Lab by Learning Resources
The Amazing Tightrope-Walking Gyrobot by Thames & Kosmos
Botley The Coding Robot 2.0 by Learning Resources
Science 4 You Green Science Kit by PlayMonster
First Robot Pet Shop by Thames & Kosmos
Junior Metal Detector for Kids by National Geographic
Pendulonium STEM Challenge by Learning Resources
Break-Open Geodes by National Geographic
Circuit Explorer Rover by Educational Insights
Ooze Labs Chemistry Station Science Experiment Kit by Thames & Kosmos
Design & Drill Space Circuits by Educational Insights
Design & Drill SparkleBot by Educational Insights
Geomag Magnetic Toys by Geomagworld
Magic Bean Garden by Creativity for Kids

The Best Active Toys for 5-Year-Olds

Wooden Wobble Balance Board by Kinderfeets
Fat Brain Toys
Sky Nook

The Skynook distills the best features of a hammock, swing, and pillowy lounge chair into a safe and endlessly fun play zone for a five-year-old. The almost fully encircling cloth sides double as both safety precaution (they made the Skynook hard to fall out of) and comforting device because they make the swing-hammock hybrid easier to cuddle up into.

$36
Dick's Sporting Goods
T-Ball Mike Trout Series Glove by Rawlings

Your child might not be ready for the Major League, but he or she has a better shot at getting there with the right gear. This Trout-approved T-Ball glove is stitched from soft pigskin leather for a broke-in feel from first catch.

$40
Mixy Squish Deluxe Pack by Horizon Group
Make Your Own: Birdhouse by Toysmith
Expo Scooter by Mongoose

The Best Artistic Toys for 5-Year-Olds

Social Stationery Kit by STMT
Ultimate Light Board Drawing Tablet by Crayola
Mega Slime Kit by National Geographic
Glow In The Dark Rock Painting Kit by Creativity for Kids
Create with Clay Dinosaurs by Creativity for Kids
Paper Bowl Kit by Craft-tastic
Butterfly Friends Wooden Bead Set by Melissa & Doug
Make a Fox Friend by Craft-tastic
Deluxe Magic Set by Melissa & Doug
Sparkle N' Grow Butterfly Terrarium by Creativity For Kids
3D Pen Set for Kids by 3Doodler
Pipsticks
Monthly Sticker Subscription Box by Pipsticks

What's better than stickers? Stickers that arrive every single month, that's what. Kids get a load of various stickers, plus paper and a pouch.

$18
Maisonette
Player One Voice Recorder by Brandnewnoise

What looks like a funky wooden box is actually a very cool voice recorder, which picks up sounds including singing, talking, and storytelling, and then plays it back. Either in slow, fast, or regular mode.

$89
Grow ’n Glow Terrarium by Creativity for Kids

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