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At 5 years old, children are learning how to play in groups and what it means to cooperate — two skills they’ll use on a daily basis as they start kindergarten. They may still struggle with sharing a favorite toy or reaching a consensus on which game to play. But they’re starting to have a better handle on their emotions and learning how to work through problems and conflicts, says George Sachs, a child psychologist and founder of the Sachs Center in Manhattan. You may even overhear them practicing their conflict-resolution skills via their dolls or while pretending to be a veterinarian who specializes in dragons and unicorns.
Meanwhile, they are also learning to write letters and simple words like their name, “dog,” and “cat,” and they are likely incorporating them into the drawings they make, says Jeannette Corey, director of the Bank Street Family Center. And giving them opportunities to practice these skills doesn’t have to feel like school, because there are tons of toys to support these milestones without them even knowing it. The 30+ gifts below have been recommended by pros like Sachs and Corey as well as toy buyers, trend experts, educators, and highly discerning parents. They include creative toys, toys that encourage a 5-year-old’s burgeoning social skills, and toys that will help them expend some of their seemingly endless energy. Several of them also recently made our list of toys that are expensive but worth it — which means, yes, that some of the best toys for 5-year-olds require a bit of an investment. But perhaps there’s some comfort in knowing that 5-year-olds are at an ideal age for playing creatively and getting as much payoff as possible out of a thoughtful toy-store splurge.
We’ve organized the list by price, so if you have a specific budget in mind, you can use the table of contents to skip right to that section. Otherwise, read all the way through for a full picture of what 5-year-olds are into.
Meanwhile, if you’re also shopping for kids in other age groups, we have gift guides for 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds, and 12-year-olds — plus the meticulously curated Strategist Toy Store, filled with all our greatest hits.
Update on December 13, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
Under $25
By age 5, children who have previously been obsessed with making mini-cupcakes and pizzas out of Play-Doh are skilled enough to make sculptures worth saving. Air-dry modeling clay is just as satisfying to squeeze and squish and will permanently harden after a few days. Tze Chun, founder of Uprise Art, recommended this 24-color set in our guide to the best art supplies for kids; it includes cutting tools, extra plastic to keep unfinished projects from drying out, and an idea book for making specific shapes. The brand also sells 7-ounce packs of six different solid colors in case your child needs enough blue for an entire ocean.
According to Fjona Berisha, a sales associate at the NYC toy store Kidding Around, 5-year-olds and their parents both love these postcard-size Dover Little Activity Books, which have center pages full of stickers that kids can use to decorate the background scene printed on the inside cover. This one features an empty silver sundae dish they can fill with scoops of ice cream, fruit, gummy worms, sprinkles, and other toppings. There are also designs where they can decorate a pumpkin or fill a pet store with animals.
Rebecca Calavan, mom and cofounder of Milk Teeth, recommends this geode-smashing kit with included safety goggles and magnifying glass. “As they get older, there’s a lot of interest in digging, excavating, and so on,” she says. “I like to give things you get to crack open or break apart.”
As kids get more confident in their gross motor skills, they also risk falling and hurting themselves on the monkey bars or other playground equipment. This means that at any given time in elementary school, there usually are at least a couple children with an arm or a leg in a cast. So when Calavan heard that her Milk Teeth co-founder Catherine Newell-Hanson’s 5-year-old daughter had broken her arm, Calavan ordered a stuffy with a matching cast as a gift. “My son and I picked the animal, which body part to put the cast on, and the color of the cast,” says Calavan, adding that the gift was a huge hit. “She was so excited and we were sitting outside at a pizza restaurant when she opened it, and all the other diners lost their minds over how cute it was. Then she brought it into school the next day.”
Like basic wooden blocks, bouncy balls are a perfect open-ended toy, says Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, a professor of child psychology at the University of Delaware and author of Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children. This set of two Nerf super-high-bounce balls can bounce up to 50 feet in the air and will inspire dozens of game possibilities. I also love Crocodile Creek’s textured rubber playground balls, which are super bouncy and lightweight. They come in multiple sizes (four, five, and seven inches), and they are available in nearly endless colorful patterns, from unicorns and mermaids to insects and outer space. Or, for a more aesthetic option, the toy store Camp has its own line of rubber playground balls with especially stylish prints, like this Matisse-ish flower design.
According to Kelly Harris Smith, founder of Boston-based art center Minni, Ooly Chunkies tempera paint sticks are universal and great for every age but especially ideal for impatient kindergartners. “They dry quickly, are washable, and the artwork made from overlapping or blending colors is often surprisingly beautiful,” she says. They were also recommended to us by Natalie Ebel, co-founder of Backdrop, who tells us “they go on smooth and look almost like gouache.” The sticks are nontoxic and easy for little kids to hold. And for Halloween or everyday dress-up, Ooly has a similar set of body and face paint sticks called “Body Doodlers.”
Games that can engage children of varying ages and abilities, like this one that combines owl-themed balance blocks with Jenga-style game play, are wonderful tools for building self confidence and good sportsmanship, says Deb Vilas, director of the Child Life Program at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Vilas first encountered a version of Ze Balancéo blocks while volunteering at a summer camp in the Czech Republic. “It doesn’t require language to play, and kids with special needs enjoyed it alongside more typically developing children,” she says. Roll the die to see which shape block you must add next without knocking over the entire structure. Then, once all the blocks are in place, roll again to see which you must remove on your turn.
Spot It! is a palm-size matching game that challenges kids to find the two identical images between two cards before other players do. And since it can be played by up to eight people at a time, it’s a great family game to keep in your bag for restaurants and doctor’s office waiting rooms. This one is animal-themed, but the game also comes in a bunch of different variations, including camping, numbers, and licensed editions like Disney characters and Paw Patrol.
Perler Beads are great for honing the already advanced fine motor control of a 5-year-old, while also allowing for open-ended artistic creation — the rainbow colors can be put in endless combinations onto pegboards in all kinds of shapes. “By this age, they’re not going to eat the small pieces, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Golinkoff says, adding that her grandchildren love playing with them.
KiwiCo sells a wide range of individual craft sets and STEM kits, but it’s most well known for its monthly subscription boxes, including one for the 3-to-6 age range. Each kit has hands-on maker and art projects that are perfectly suited to the rapidly developing mind of the kindergartner and early-elementary-school child. “This subscription fosters collaboration, problem-solving, and independence,” says Halley Loeb Rossler, a special-education teacher from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rossler notes that in her own home, her boys look forward to the delivery of their boxes every month.
Kids go wild for stomp rockets — a fact well acknowledged by both Sachs and Strategist contributor Steven John, who saw his own son take to them as early as age 2. At that age, he was more of a spectator than a rocket launcher, though, and by age 5, kids have the balance and strength to send a rocket soaring skyward, something they will do repeatedly. Kids can take turns blasting them off, allowing their parents and other adults to actually talk for a bit.
Under $50
Last year’s hot Ninja Turtles toy was a Pizza Fire Delivery Van with a motorized pizza launcher. This year, it’s this series of mix-and-match Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures. Each one has removable arms, legs, and heads that you can swap for the body parts of other characters — Leonardo’s head on Shredder’s body, for example — to delightfully Frankensteinian effect.
This new interactive toy from Hatchimals is one of 2024’s hottest holiday toys. A bit like a cross between a Magic Mixies and a Furby, it takes kids through a series of prompts that culminates in the birth of a pink or purple winged baby unicorn. You simply cuddle, tap, rock, and lift the egg until it starts to crack and emit magical mist and music; once the baby unicorn emerges, kids can feed it, teach it to “talk,” play peekaboo, and tickle or pet it to make it flutter its wings and dance.
Golinkoff likes how walkie-talkies encourage collaboration, communication, and creativity. And Dr. Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, an assistant research professor at the National Institute for Early Education Research, is a fan because they encourage turn-taking and are a really fun way to practice and develop language and communication skills. This high-quality pair has three different channels, allowing for multiple lines of communication and a range of nearly two miles, making them ideal for use all over the neighborhood or even during visits to the zoo or amusement park (the quiet-crisp audio quality is especially helpful in such noisy environments).
Maileg toys have a cultlike following akin to MagnaTiles or LEGOs. And like those toys, they can be quite pricey but are made to last. There is an entire mouse universe including dollhouses, vehicles, furniture, lots and lots of mice, and even a pumpkin carriage on wheels.
Plus Plus building sets — which have won all kinds of awards and develop engineering, design, and fine motor skills — are an all-time favorite of New York psychiatrist and mother of twin boys Vanessa Carroll, who says the toy holds her kids’ attention more than any other. “Normally, when the boys get home from school, the first thing they want to do is eat a snack,” Carroll says. “Then they got this as a birthday gift. All of a sudden, I’d be waiting and waiting for them in the kitchen, calling their names to come to eat, and 30 minutes later they were still on the floor of the playroom, making these intricate mosaic designs and building 3-D shapes like UFOs.” The pieces require hand-eye coordination, Carroll explains, so 5 is definitely a good starting age.
Like many other experts I have interviewed, Lizzie Assa, founder of The Workspace for Children and mother of three, emphasized the importance of open-ended toys that do more than just one thing and continue to grow with kids for years and years. She mentioned several types of magnetic building toys — including, of course, Magna-Tiles — and highlighted one of her personal favorites, the Australian brand Connetix. “I think a large collection of magnetic tiles is such a great investment,” she says, noting that many of the different brands are compatible with each other. Connetix tiles feature a beveled design that makes them look like gems and come in a wide range of bright colors and pastels, or you can get totally clear ones (perfect for an icy Elsa build). The magnetic base plates above help strengthen large builds and can serve as helpful floor grids. And the car bases can be linked from end to end, have real rubber wheels, and can be used as a chassis for cars, trucks, boats, or trains.
With this kit, kids can build a variety of wacky robots and then actually watch them move, explains Laurie Schacht, chief toy officer of The Toy Insider. A step-by-step storybook manual (reading is required) follows Ty and Karlie, two young engineers, as they help fix the robots at the robot factory. The manual makes everything manageable with minimal adult assistance required. After assembling the Lego-like blocks, kids will connect their structure to a ready-made motor.
Under $100
The original Gravitrax modular marble run is in our guide to the best gifts for 7-year-olds, with a note that it’s a bit of a challenge for that age. Now, you can get Gravitrax Junior with pieces sized for little hands. Berisha says these sets are really cool and fun for kids of mixed ages to work on together. Compared to the set designed for older kids, this one is easier to assemble and available in a few different themes: jungle, arctic, desert, and ocean. Each box comes with multiple possible track layouts as well as baseplates, marbles, a bridge, slopes, curves, a seesaw, cardboard animals, and 3-D themed decorative elements.
Ebel recommends these colored pencils, which her 5-year-old loves because they are so “soft” and easy to draw with. “Nothing is more frustrating than a colored pencil that doesn’t really work,” Ebel says, “but these Prismacolor ones go on so smoothly,” making them a great gift for budding illustrators.
Swiss brand Caran D’Ache is also known for its high-quality art supplies. This kid-focused travel kit comes with a set of watercolor pencils, a set of watercolor pastels, a reservoir brush for mess-free painting on the go, travel-themed stickers, a carrying case, and a dozen postcards with line drawings you can color in.
The Vtech Kidizoom creator cam might look more like a toy than a real camera, and in some ways it is, thanks to its 20-plus animated backgrounds and special effects. But it is indeed a genuine camera with a built-in microphone that records videos kids can upload to a computer via the included USB cable. Golinkoff loves that the camera fosters connection with parents who would like to teach their kids about moviemaking and photography.
It’s a simple fact that 5-year-olds love forts. As a base toy, these tubes and balls make fun tunnels, cubes, and other structures, but when you add your own blankets and sheets, the fun goes up a notch or three. Sachs thinks the free-building involved here is pretty instructive, but your 5-year-old will just think it’s cool.
Magna-Tiles have been recommended by almost every parent and development expert we’ve talked to in the last few years. That’s because they support a wide range of developmental skills, keep kids engaged in independent play, and are fun for the whole family. We mentioned the basic starter set of Magna-Tiles in our gift guide for 3-year-olds. And while growing a collection gets pricey quick, the many different styles available help add a ton of play value. For more enthusiastic builders and kids who love things with wheels, consider this set of downhill road tiles, extra road pieces, and corresponding cars.
For New York Magazine features writer and mom of two Kathryn VanArendonk, the Yoto Mini, a kid-friendly audio player, is one of a few kids’ essentials she would immediately repurchase if it got lost or somehow destroyed. In VanArendonk’s eyes, the Yoto is a superior choice for older kids compared to the younger-skewing Toniebox, because it can hold longer tracks of audio and it lets you skip ahead to exactly the track you are looking for. She also loves how much freedom it gives her kids to listen to the books and podcasts they like.
There’s also a “full-size” Yoto player that offers all the same features as the more portable Mini, for families who want to use it as more of a “keep it on the nightstand” device. The full-size Yoto has a nightlight and room thermometer and promises a longer battery life, better sound quality, and wireless charging capability. Both the Mini and the full-size Yoto players have an alarm-clock function, too.
“Dramatic play at this age can be more sophisticated,” says Figueras-Daniel, who adds that “having detailed accessories” like those in this horse-farm set adds to the play. The barn has two stalls, a loft area, and a fence. Plus it comes with an English-style rider and a western one, two horses, one foal, a cat and kitten, squirrels, birds, feeding buckets, a water trough, a wheelbarrow, grooming brushes, a pitchfork, fencing, and many other accessories — in other words, everything a 5-year-old might need to recreate a true-to-life scene. The attention to detail, and the vast array of other Playmobil sets you can use in concert with this one, makes it engaging for friends, parents, and caregivers too. Playing with an adult or friend can do even more to grow young minds: As Figueras-Daniel explains, it will “help build vocabulary as children create scenarios and dialogue among the animals.”
This microscope helps kids learn about everything from the ants in their backyard to the snowflakes on their front stoop. “It’s a microscope, but it’s also a camera, so you can take it on the go and magnify objects indoors and outdoors,” says Adrienne Appel, senior director of communications at the Toy Association. If you turn off the zoom, it also works as a standard camera, letting kids take pictures and videos that they can upload to the computer.
When selecting a doll for any child, Kristin Morency Goldman, senior adviser of strategic communications at The Toy Association, says representation is key and helps children of all races understand and feel included in the world around them. Goldman recommends this 18-inch Zoe doll, whose textured hair can be washed and styled.
$100 and up
One of the most essential toys for any kid is a scooter, and Carrie Wren of Two Wheeling Tots agrees with most of the parents and experts we have talked to that Micro Kickboard makes the best scooters on the market. “Their attention to detail, quality of design, and precision of build just can’t be beat,” she says. “No one really comes close, even though everyone tries to copy them.” The brand’s scooters are known for being lightweight and easy to use for toddlers all the way up to tweens. This one is designed for kids from roughly 5 to 12 years old and can support up to 110 pounds. Plus the handlebars are adjustable so it can grow with your child. Note that this scooter comes in the Mini size that is rated for kids from 2 to 5, if your child is on the smaller side (and this wonderfully thorough guide from the brand can help you determine which size to choose).
A classic wooden-train set will keep most kids busy for hours and can even hold a top spot in their toy rotation for years on end. Artist Aaron Luckman and wife Birgit Wurster, who are parents to a kindergartener, recommend spending a bit of extra money on a starter set from Brio and then adding less expensive, compatible pieces from Ikea and Melissa & Doug. This cargo railway set is unique in that it comes with a handy storage bin, a battery-powered engine, three cranes, a truck, a bridge, mountainous rocks, and a crossing signal.
(Editor’s Note: This railway set may not arrive before Christmas.)
“I absolutely, absolutely love a large play silk,” says Assa, recommending Sarah’s Silks as her top pick despite their high price tag. She loves that they are a truly open-ended toy that will grow with your child and are developmentally appropriate for a range of ages. Plus she says the quality of Sarah’s Silks makes them last for years and years. We included the brand’s mini-set in our toy guide for 1-year-olds, but as kids get bigger they will need bigger play scarves to use as capes, dresses, ocean or sky backdrops, blankets for dolls, or props for magic tricks. This set includes 17 primary- and pastel-colored scarves that each measure 17 by 35 inches.
“I usually give people blocks because I think it’s kind of like a lost art,” says Figueras-Daniel. She notes that blocks continue to be powerful educational tools for children as old as 9. Blocks like this NYC set teach kids cause and effect, spatial awareness, and fine motor skills while preparing them for learning math. The set will inspire conversations about city life and let New Yorker kids build block versions of their own backyard.
If you’ve got a kid who never tires of fort-making, you might be ready for Super Space magnetic building panels. They’re basically life-size MagnaTiles that kids can use to build playhouses, spaceships, and lots more. Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio has a set at home that she and her two daughters love playing with. Though they are great for a variety of ages, Trolio suggests 5 or 6 as a good starting point, because by then kids are a little bigger and more capable of building larger structures with them. They are also super-compact when stacked neatly, and thus very easy to store in a corner or under a couch.
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