37 Best Gifts for 5 Year Olds in 2026 (From a Mom of 4)
Our youngest, Rosie, is almost 5, which makes this my fourth time shopping for gifts for 5 year olds. By now I have a pretty good idea of which gifts get played with for years and which ones don’t.
With four kids between 4 and 11, a lot of toys, games and books have come through our house. Some were a phase. Others got passed down from kid to kid and are still in the playroom, and a few we love enough that we buy them again to give as gifts. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you.
So what are the best gifts for 5 year olds? The ones that still get pulled out a year later. I’ve organized this list by type of play, with separate sections for the board games and books we’ve loved at this age and a short list of things we skip, so you can jump straight to what you need.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
| If you want | Start with |
|---|---|
| The one toy worth the investment | Magna-Tiles |
| Active play | Micro scooter or a balance bike |
| A first board game | Candy Land, then Outfoxed |
| Screen-free listening | Yoto Player or Toniebox |
| A science gift | Butterfly Garden or the Talking Microscope |
| Quiet time | Spirograph Junior or a Paint by Sticker book |
| A small gift or stocking stuffer | Water Wow books, Kwik Stix or Hi Ho! Cherry-O |
What We’re Giving Rosie This Year
[ELISABETH: add 2 to 4 sentences on what you’re giving Rosie and why, or delete this section.]
Best Building and STEM Toys for 5 Year Olds
These are the toys that have lasted the longest at our house, plus a few science gifts we love.
Magna-Tiles
Our all time favorite toy (specialty sets available)
We bought our first set of Magna-Tiles for Lincoln’s second birthday, and they’re the best toys we’ve ever invested in. By the time he was almost 5 he was building parking garages, mazes and ramps for his cars. We added a second set after a year and a half, and later the train cars. Four kids later, these are still huge in our house, and they’re the first thing I’d buy for a 5 year old who doesn’t have them.
LEGO Duplo
easier to build and play with than legos
Beginner LEGO sets are fine at this age, but at 5 I still feel like we prefer Duplos. My parents have huge classroom sets from when I was younger, and my kids love playing with them whenever we’re there.
Wooden Train Set
still a hit at 7
Our wooden train set has been a favorite for years. It gained the most interest once the kids turned 3, because before that they needed help building the track. We use a more elaborate Melissa & Doug set in the playroom and the IKEA set at my parents’ house, and you can keep adding track as they grow.
Marble Run
still a huge hit at 10
This is one that provides YEARS of entertainment. At 4, Lincoln would ask for a little help getting started and then happily play alone for hours, adjusting the track on his own. You can buy multiples of the set and build bigger runs, too. We also have a wooden version that was a big Christmas gift one year but is probably best for ages 6+.
Insect Lore Butterfly Garden
a fun christmas gift our kids loved
The Butterfly Garden is great. Kids watch caterpillars turn into butterflies inside a mesh habitat and then let them go outside, so the gift keeps going for weeks after it’s opened. Check whether your kit comes with live caterpillars or a voucher to order them, so you can time it.
GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope
Best for: ages 4+
The Talking Microscope is great for a curious 5 year old. It comes with its own slides and tells kids facts about what they’re looking at, so they can use it without needing to read.
LeapFrog Globe
years of entertainment
We also love our Leap Frog globe. It’s the kind of gift a kid can keep using long after 5.
Best Pretend Play Toys for 5 Year Olds
Calico Critters
keep the imagination alive!
Calico Critters are a more recent love at our house. The little animal families and their furniture are small and detailed, which makes them a much better fit for 5 than for toddlers.
Playmobil Sets
lego alternative
If you want something that is more about play and less about building, Playmobil are a great alternative to legos. We’ve mostly had these for our boys but there are plenty of girl leaning sets, too.
Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage
Best for: ages 4+
Hot Wheels, always. We loved the Ultimate Garage for a few years, and a handful of new cars is one of the easiest small gifts to add on. This one is still the most played with toy at my house when friends come over.
Dress-Ups and Costume Pieces
Best for: ages 2+
Dress-ups are still a win here. For a long stretch, my kids dressed up as animals a couple of times a week and crawled around their room. We have a bin of costume pieces like capes and animal ears that go on right over pajamas.
Melissa & Doug Cake Set and Play Food
Best for: ages 2+
Play food is still a huge win at our house. Lincoln used to spend half an hour at a time mixing salads with the cutting food sets and serving them to people, and our current favorite is the Melissa & Doug cake set paired with a tea set.
Sarah’s Play Silks
Best for: ages 2+
We got play silks for Rosie, and they’re great. A silk can be a cape, a blanket for a doll or a river for toy animals. I did a lot of brand research before purchasing, and Sarah’s are supposed to be the best.
Best Active and Outdoor Gifts for 5 Year Olds
Micro Scooter
Best for: ages 2 to 5 (Mini) or 5+ (Maxi)
Aside from Magna-Tiles, this is the best money we’ve spent on toys. We first ordered Micro Minis as a potty training reward for our son, and they’ve lasted through multiple kids. The Mini fits ages 2 to 5 and the Maxi takes over from there, so check which size makes sense before you order. I share more in my Micro Mini scooter review.
Strider Balance Bike
Best for: ages 3 to 6
If your 5 year old doesn’t have a balance bike yet, I’d start there. They learn to balance first, which makes pedals much easier later.
Roller Blades
Best for: ages 4+
Roller blades are so fun at this age. I’d look for an adjustable pair so they last through more than one shoe size, and add a helmet and pads to the gift.
Stomp Rocket
Best for: ages 3+
Stomp Rockets are fun! We got these from grandparents and the kids have loved them! Kids jump on the launch pad and a foam rocket shoots into the air. It needs no batteries, and it’s easy for a few kids to take turns.
Walkie Talkies
Best for: ages 4+
Walkie talkies are always fun. They’re an easy pick for a kid with siblings or neighbors to play with. Just make sure to get batteries. We’ve had this set a few different times over the years.
Nugget Play Couch
Best for: ages 2+
We have two Nugget couches, and they have been SO loved. We use them for forts, “sleepovers” in the playroom and family movie night, and my older kids still use them now.
Best Board Games for 5 Year Olds
These are our yeses for this age. None of them require reading.
Candy Land
Best for: ages 3+
If they don’t have this yet, everyone needs Candy Land. There’s no reading and no strategy, just colors, which makes it a great first board game. The Disney Princess edition is fun if she loves princesses.
Let’s Go Fishin’
Best for: ages 4+
This is a great early board game that we’ve loved. The pond spins while the fish open and close their mouths, and kids try to catch them with little fishing poles.
Hi Ho! Cherry-O
Best for: ages 3 to 6
Another game we love. Kids spin and pick cherries off their tree to fill a bucket, so they’re practicing counting the whole time.
Outfoxed!
Best for: ages 5+
Outfoxed is a yes from us. It’s a cooperative game, so everyone works together to figure out which fox stole the pot pie. That helps a lot at an age when losing to a sibling is still hard.
Sequence for Kids
Best for: ages 3 to 6
Sequence for Kids gets a yes too. You play a card and put a chip on the matching animal, and four in a row wins.
Rush Hour Jr.
Best for: ages 5+
Rush Hour Jr. is our pick for playing alone. It’s a one-player logic puzzle where kids slide cars out of the way to free the ice cream truck, and the challenge cards get harder as they go.
One I can’t vouch for yet: Zingo. I’ve heard good things, but we haven’t played it, so it’s not on this list.
Best Books for 5 Year Olds (and How We Listen to Them)
For screen-free listening, the two big options are the Yoto and the Toniebox. I think Tonies are more fun for little fingers, but a Yoto is easier for kids to grow with.
Yoto Player
Best for: ages 3 to 12
Kids slide in a card to play a story, and the library goes well beyond picture books, which is why I think it’s easier to grow with. Magic Tree House were the first books we did on ours. We have the Yoto mini and I love that it isn’t a full screen (and it is cheaper).
Toniebox
Best for: ages 3+
Tonies are little figures that kids set on top of the box to start a story. I think they’re more fun for little fingers, so this is the one I’d look at for a younger 5.
Magic Tree House
Best for: ages 5+
Magic Tree House were the first books we did on the Yoto. The chapters are short, so they’re a good first step from picture books into longer stories.
Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon
Best for: ages 5+
For longer read-alouds, this is our pick. It has all three My Father’s Dragon books in one volume. I read through so many lists when finding the first read-aloud chapter book and this one kept coming up.
Rosie Revere, Engineer, Ada Twist, Scientist and Iggy Peck, Architect
Best for: ages 5 to 7
We love all three of these picture books by Andrea Beaty (and yes, we have a Rosie of our own). They’re rhyming stories about kids who build things and ask a lot of questions. Buy the whole set or just start with “Rosie Revere, Engineer.”
Best Art and Craft Gifts for 5 Year Olds
Spirograph Junior
Best for: ages 3+
We’ve gotten this set and we’ve given this set, and we love it. The chunky gears are made for smaller hands than the original Spirograph.
Light-Up Tracing Board
Best for: ages 5+
Light-up tracing boards make coloring just a little more fun, and they’re great for fine motor skills too.
Kids’ Camera
Best for: ages 4+
Kids’ cameras are fun. I stay away from the instant-print ones because the film is so expensive, and a simple digital camera lets them take as many pictures as they want.
Kwik Stix Solid Tempera Paint
Best for: ages 3+
Kwik Stix are solid tempera paint in a twist-up stick, so kids get the look of paint without water cups or brushes. We first found them because a preschool teacher requested them for her classroom.
Fuse Bead Kit
Best for: ages 5+ with a grown-up
Perler beads are a favorite at our house. A 5 year old will need a grown-up nearby, and an adult handles the iron.
Paint by Sticker Kids
Best for: ages 5+
Paint by Sticker books are a great quiet-time activity. Kids match numbered stickers to the page to build a picture, and we love gifting these too.
Water Wow Books
Best for: ages 3 to 6
We bought these for church years ago, and they’ve held up remarkably well. Even kids as old as 6 or 7 ask to play with them at our house, so 5 is not too old.
For more ideas, see my full list of the best art supplies for kids.
What We Skip for 5 Year Olds
Instant cameras. The film is so expensive that I stay away from them. A regular kids’ camera is a better gift.
Single-use toys. If there is one right way to play with a toy, I’m less likely to buy it. I’m looking for things that leave room for creativity and imagination. I know, there are a few on this list (like the learning globe) that are less creative but, as a general rule, I’m looking for mostly open-ended toys and then a few fun others.
How to Choose Gifts for a 5 Year Old
After four kids, the gifts that last have a few things in common. They’re open-ended, so a child can play with them in a dozen different ways. They grow with your child, like Magna-Tiles that start as roads and become castles. We’re also looking for things that are good quality and can be handed down.
You also don’t need a lot. For birthday gifts or Christmas gifts, I like to pair one bigger gift with a few small ones from this list. If you need small add-ons, here are my cheap kids stocking stuffers, and if you’re shopping for a younger sibling too, these are the best toys for 2 year olds.
Conclusion: What Would I Buy a 5 Year Old First?
If I were shopping for a 5 year old today, I’d start with Magna-Tiles, a Micro scooter, Candy Land (if they somehow don’t have it), a Yoto and Spirograph Junior. Those are the ones I’d feel most confident giving.
If the 5 year old in your life already has all of that, go to the board games next.
FAQs About Gifts for 5 Year Olds
Open-ended toys they can grow with, a first board game and a few good books. At our house that has meant Magna-Tiles, a Micro scooter, Candy Land and a Yoto.
Start with what she’s into. If she loves princesses, the Disney Princess edition of Candy Land is fun, and if she loves animals I’d look at Calico Critters or the Butterfly Garden. Magna-Tiles, a scooter and Spirograph Junior work for any 5 year old.
The same rule applies. For a kid who loves cars, the Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage was loved for a few years here, and a marble run kept Lincoln busy for hours at a time. Stomp Rockets and walkie talkies are fun for getting outside.
The Talking Microscope, the Butterfly Garden and a globe are science gifts we love, and Rush Hour Jr. is a great logic puzzle. Hi Ho! Cherry-O sneaks in counting practice.
Candy Land, Let’s Go Fishin’, Hi Ho! Cherry-O, Outfoxed, Sequence for Kids and Rush Hour Jr. are our picks. None of them require reading.
Books, new cards for a Yoto and art supplies. A balance bike or a scooter is a good pick if you want something that gets them outside.
You don’t need many. I like one bigger gift with a few small ones.
