Five-year-olds start to become truly social as they approach kindergarten, and love group play and games. That means the best gifts for 5-year-olds include classic board games.
“They’re starting to grow out of their egocentrism, so they’re able to understand another’s perspective. They’re more understanding of taking turns and not winning all the time,” says Marie Conti, head of The Wetherill School in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, and a board member of the American Montessori Society.
Whether you’re gifting a 5-year-old who has everything already or one who has a few specific wants, we found some of the best educational toys, games, books and more compelling gifts for kids for this integral year of their childhood.
Active gifts for 5-year-olds
Popular Stomp Rocket toys get a new twist with this jump-to-launch car that flies off the included ramp. "This is such a fun gift because it ends up bringing all the kids together," says former Shop TODAY editor Rebecca Brown. "When my daughter took it outside, everyone on our block came to play it with her."
Is your 5-year-old known for bouncing off the walls? With this pogo stick, they can now bounce for hours. Designed for children aged five to nine, the pogo stick features non-slip foot pegs and foam handles for easy, safe jumping.
Break it down with this fun new dance game for kids ages 3-12. Featuring an eight-button light-up mat, your 5-year-old will love dancing to the flashing arrows and getting exercise in the process. You can also connect to your own music via Bluetooth so you can blast all your favorite tunes from the ‘90s — your kids will love (or hate) it.
This scooter is the perfect gift for the kid that's bursting with energy 24/7. With three wheels, it's designed to safely balance your child as they glide around the neighborhood. The coolest part? It comes with LED light-up wheels that will shine bright as your 5-year-old zooms down the block.
Best toys for 5-year-olds
“My kids LOVE these walkie talkies,” says vice president of commerce Jen Birkhofer. “It helps them bond and they walk around the house talking to each other and hiding. We also take them to parks.”
Let kids enjoy the mystery of unboxing, then snuggle with three surprise pals — perhaps a rainbow unicorn or a stack of pancakes? — that are all perfectly squishable. Plus, Birkhofer says Squishmallows are always on the list for her kids.
This night light will project the moon and stars on your little one’s bedroom walls. You can set the timer so it will turn off by the time they fall asleep.
“One of the toys I’m personally most excited about giving this year is this sporty Barbie hiding inside of a pretty pink-and-white soccer ball,” says deputy managing editor Jess Bender. “The Roll & Reveal concept is super cool from the demo I saw during Toy Fair this year — the doll magically pops out of the ball with some movement!”
Birkhofer says her kids have gotten into slime and, while she’s not typically a fan of making it from scratch, she loves that this kit has everything they need. Inside, they’ll find five slimes and several accessories they can use to customize them.
This kit will not only encourage them to get creative but also help them solve problems as they build the best fort possible. Plus, it glows in the dark, so they'll be excited to see the final result when it's illuminated.
This T-Rex is hungry...for your kid’s Hot Wheels! While it initially acts as a transporter for up to 20 cars, it can also transform into a fierce beast with a two-lane race track down its spine. Parents will also appreciate how helpful this hauler is when it comes to cleanup time and long-term storage.
If you often hang around 5-year-olds, you know they love to take lots and lots of pictures. Instead of sacrificing your phone’s storage space, gift them this instant camera that prints pictures they can decorate and share with friends and family.
This audio storytelling device uses collectible figures called “Tonies” to unlock stories, songs and more. Place a Tonie on top to start the fun; removing it turns it off. Figures include Disney and Sesame Street characters, and even LeVar Burton, and kids can keep adding to their collection.
It’s especially great for bedtime stories and screen-free imagination building, plus it made an appearance on last year’s Shop TODAY’s Hot List as editorial director Adrianna Brach’s “low tech” toy faves.
Best arts and crafts and creative gifts for 5-year-olds
Bring some fun to bath time with these crayons. Your little one can draw pictures and practice their letters on the side of the bathtub. And you can easily wash them off when they’re done.
This rock painting set includes rocks, paints, stickers, glitter glue, googly eyes and more, so the 5-year-old you’re shopping for can craft to their heart’s content.
Learn to doodle some favorite characters from “Elephant and Piggie,” “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” and more, with fun creative prompts.
Are they obsessing over slime? You can't go wrong with this fluffy slime kit that has everything they need to take their slime skills to the next level. It was also a 2024 winner of our Gifts We Love awards.
These neat little sticks give the look of paint without the mess and are perfect for 5-year-old hands. With no water or paint brush necessary, these sticks are perfect for “painting” while on-the-go as well.
"The Ooly x Peanuts collaboration has a lot of creative launches for kids of all ages, but this’ll be great for car rides to my nephew’s grandparents’ apartment and during day trips once school’s out for the summer," says Bender.
The kit comes with four double-ended markers (eight colors total) and 60 pages of games, coloring and stickers.
Sticker lovers can make their own with this kit, which lets them color and press their creations. They can make up to 60 puffy stickers, which can then be placed on a water bottle, school folders, closet doors and more.
This beginner-friendly stitch kit leaves them with a furry friend as the end result. Reviewers love this screen-free activity because it encourages children to tap into their creative sides, employs hand-eye coordination and gives them the satisfaction of creating something on their own.
Complete with their own little suitcase, activity booklet, puzzles, games and so much more, this subscription box from Little Passports will supply months of fun for your little one.
Best games and puzzles for 5-year-olds
A lighter and safer version of Jenga. The family will have fun stacking these puff balls higher and higher while trying not to let the tower tumble.
A 5-year-old can start tackling bigger puzzles. This out-of-this-world glow-in-the dark design from Mudpuppy adds extra fun with astronaut kittens exploring space.
Encourage a little healthy competition while practicing their spelling in this kid-friendly edition of Bananagrams. Similar to the original, players can spell words to create a crossword-like layout or use the included templates to spell basic words.
Help your 5-year-old learn how to use, spell and read sight words through this fun game from ThinkFun. This game has two board sizes and two levels of play that you can expand into as your little one progresses their language skills. “My daughter received this as a gift for her 5th birthday and it was an instant hit in our house,” says Brown.
More complicated puzzles and building with smaller toys are appealing now, according to Tovah Klein, director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and author of “How Toddlers Thrive.” This building block game allows them to test their patience while stacking and balancing animals on top of each other.
Best STEM toys for 5-year-olds
Gardening is fun for any 5-year-old — there’s magic in watching a plant grow. This kit lets them take scraps and leftovers and turn them into new plants, while learning about food waste and how to fight it. The innovative planter also lets them watch roots grow as the plant stretches upward.
Kids can create their own colorful chimes to hang in the wind, or simply use them on a stand with a mallet for play. The goal of this toy is to play with pitch, seeing how the different lengths of the chimes create different sounds.
Let your child channel their inner scientist with this educational kit that has over 100 experiments for them to try. This science-themed set also includes instructional manuals with illustrations, making it a perfect gift for the holidays or a birthday celebration.
With fact and quiz modes, this talking microscope will give your 5-year-old a love for science that will last for years. The microscope features the voice of Bindi Irwin, an Australian animal enthusiast.
“This is the perfect microscope for preschool/kindergarten age children. The lens is pre-focused, so there is no confusion with trying to dial the correct focus,” one reviewer wrote. “The slides give simple but interesting facts about each plant or animal and are sturdy plastic, so they are virtually unbreakable. Easy for little hands to snap in and out of the guide.”
These snap-on builder bots from Lakeshore allow your little one to mix and match pieces to create different types of bots. Each set comes with 36 wooden builders with snap features that encourage the development of your child’s motor skills.
Best books for 5-year-olds
“One of my girlfriends has been taking her daughter on a journey with introducing her to chapter books, but that journey has been quite arduous with how many poorly written options there are on the market,” says Bender. “Out of all of the books she’s read in the past year, her daughter has absolutely adored all the books in the Isadora Moon series. She sees herself in Moon with how relatable she is with her interests and friends, but with just a bit of a magical twist with how she’s half, fairy half vampire.”
Lizzy buys a cloud and must take it for walks, care for it — and eventually set it free — in this bittersweet book about an unusual connection.
With the feeling of a timeless fable, this new picture book tells the story of a little mouse who carries a house that is much larger than it appears. He makes room at his table for all sorts of animals, even the scary ones.
Mommy leaves on a work trip and throws a child’s life off balance. This thoughtful exploration of her evolving feelings — including not wanting a hug when Mommy returns — normalizes separation anxiety of all kinds.
Mina’s father is always bringing home surprises, like a squirrel that looks suspiciously like a cat, which is a problem for a family of mice. She’ll need the help of a doctor and some stick bugs in this delightfully weird picture book.
A child examines differences from other things in the world, like a tin can and a hyena, with comparisons that will make a reader giggle. In the process, they’ll discover who they’re most like — other humans, who aren’t so different from us.
What do 5-year-olds like to do?
Once they’ve left age 4 and enter age 5, they start school with new challenges but also more focus, which helps them conquer fine motor tasks, complicated physical activities and essential reading strategies.
“They are testing out skills that have gotten stronger as they grow,” says Klein.
As they learn to read, don’t be too quick to push chapter books. “Continuing with storybooks is important, because enjoying the story is a really big part of learning to read,” says Nina Lindsay, president of the Association for Library Service to Children.
Meet the experts
- Marie Conti is Director of Regional Community Relations for American Montessori Society. She was the former head of The Wetherill School in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.
- Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D., is Director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development in New York, as well as the author of “How Toddlers Thrive." She focuses on young children's social and emotional development, as well as parents' experiences raising them.
- Nina Lindsay is a former president of the Association for Library Service to Children.
Don’t forget to check out Shop TODAY’s other gift guides to find the perfect present for every kid on your list including babies, 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds and 10-year-olds.
