25+ holiday gifts to delight any 5-year-old

Stomp Rockets are one of those toys that check all the boxes. They’re simple, battery-free, great for a wide range of ages and endlessly engaging. Their new NASA collection includes three foam renditions of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Saturn V Rocket, and the SLS Rocket which can be launched up to 100 feet by the sheer force of a well orchestrated stomp. (It’s as satisfying as it sounds.)

A top-rated favorite year after year, Crayola’s Inspiration Art Case comes with 140 crayons, markers, and colored pencils to create an endless collection of masterpieces. We love how the neatly packed case encourages them to keep their supplies organized–the fact it’s travel-ready is just a bonus!

What’s more classic than finding a shiny new bike under the tree? Prevelo’s high-quality Alpha series offers six different sizes to span from the balance bike stage all the way through elementary school, but for first time two-wheelers, check out the Alpha Two. It’s incredibly light and proportionally smaller than most other 16″ bikes on the market. With that in mind, it makes an excellent ride for newbies and otherwise cautious kiddos as they have plenty of comfort and control. It’s also equipped with hand brakes only (no coaster brakes here!) which are easy for small hands to grab. It comes in four great colors (silver, blue, pink, and red) each of which feature matte black forks which look super sharp in our opinion!

Packed with 500 shimmery, glittery stickers, this is the sticker book for the smallest Swifties.

From long days at school to navigating more complex emotions, being five can be pretty exhausting. Add a bit of calm to their downtime snuggles with the soothing stuffies from Bumpas. The lovable monsters feature weighted arms that can settle on their shoulders and stay put, hands-free while they decompress. They’re great for kiddos with anxiety or sensory issues, but also a treat for any kid who just needs a hug. (That’s all of them!)

Get them involved in your next home project with this kid-friendly tool from Handy Famm. The 3-in-1 bird design isn’t just cute–it’s the real deal! With an ergonomic shape that’s easy for small hands to hold and a built-in level and and angle finder, it offers a safe way for them to help with jobs big and small.

Sensory play, but make it sustainable. Made with 100% ocean-bound recycled plastic, the Kinetic Sand Project Planet Turtle Beach set comes with a mama turtle that molds perfect eggs right in her shell. Tuck one of the babies inside along with the sand and then hatch them when they’re ready to return to the sea. We love that the box itself provides a tidy place to play and that there’s no useless packaging to add to the garbage pile.

If there’s one thing all 5-year-olds love, it’s play dough. But one can only roll out so many snakes before they start looking for other ways to play. One of our favorite gifts this year is this jam-packed bucket of colorful hands, feet, eyes, hats, mouths, antenna and mustaches that turn dough into an endless parade of silly creatures. We love how it sparks the imagination and keeps them coming back to create something new and different every time.

The endlessly creative playsets from Follies will crack their imagination wide open. Inside the box they’ll find 40 interlocking pieces that can be assembled into endless combinations–one day a castle, the next a puppet theater starring their most-beloved stuffies. The colorful Bauhaus-inspired designs make it a joy to have take over your living room, and because they don’t require an adult’s help to put together, consider the hours of quiet solo play time a gift to everyone in the house.

Who decided being a know-it-all is a bad thing? This colorful compendium offers answers to all your kindergartner’s burning questions like “why do elephants have trunks?” and “why are clouds different shapes?” so they can flex their knowledge at share time. The clear and digestible answers are verified by Brittanica experts and span a wide variety of topics.

At 5, you can start to phase out games of chance like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders (you’re welcome) in favor of games that start to work their strategic thinking. Outfoxed is a favorite among parents and kids alike for its engaging game play that tests their thinking skills without being overly difficult. If Clue and Guess Who had a baby, this is the game that would result. It’s even fun for adults to play!

The reusable LCD drawing boards from Boogie Board are a super fun way for your kindergartner to doodle and practice their writing skills. Three texture tools and 18 templates help them master writing their letters and numbers as well as create temporary masterpieces that disappear with the press of a button. It’s perfect for restaurants and travel, too!

100-piece puzzles are great for 5-year-olds. Not so hard it’s discouraging but easy enough to complete without help. One of our top picks? The glow-in-the-dark designs from Mudpuppy which make the finished the product even more impressive!

Perfect for veterinarians-in-training, this engaging kit from KiwiCo comes with all the tools they need to keep their stuffies in tip-top shape including a working stethoscope, syringe, and other essentials as well as a reusable check up form to record their assessments. To deepen their learning, it also includes wooden organ and muscle systems as well as a buildable light table and animal cards to examine fractures.

Handmade in Minnesota from from natural ingredients, the surprise Bubble Bombs from Two Sisters make bath time extra fun. Unlike regular bath bombs, these colorful, scented bombs fill the tub with bubbles as they dissolve. And the best part? Each one has a squishy treasure hidden inside!

If your 5-year-old has expressed an interest in getting involved in food prep, why not let them? Cutting, chopping and prepping fruits and veggies is a great way to get little ones involved in cooking (with supervision of course). This set from the iconic French brand Opinel offers the real thing with safety measures that keep it age-appropriate.

Keep them busy while also sharpening their observational skills with this low-lift (on your part!) scavenger hunt game. Each of the 50 cards contains a two-part prompt that sends them on a mission to find things like “a picture of an animal” or “something that smells good.” It’s quick and easy to play with just a parent and kiddo or a whole crew.

What is Clixo? Well, a better question might be what isn’t it? A flexible, magnetic and modern-twist on building toys, Clixo sets invite kids to create any 2D or 3D structures they can dream up. The pieces, which are made from a durable and eco-friendly material they can bend and twist, feature secure magnets at the ends that click together with an impressive hold. Their recently-released tropical birds pack allows kids to create a variety of colorful creatures complete with flapping wings.

Learning to read can be exciting, but also totally overwhelming. LeapFrog has tons of toys to help make the process fun, but this is one of our favorites. When paired with LeapFrog’s library of great books, the LeapReader stylus can help when they get stuck, reading any word they tap with it and also uncover hidden sounds and facts throughout the pages. This particular set gets them started with 10 fresh titles they’ll want to read again and again.

There’s something about coloring on things that aren’t paper that’s oh-so-appealing to kids. Give them an opportunity to do just that with Crayola’s Scribble Scrubbies. Their brand new jumbo Wilbur–an adorable French bulldog–is designed to be colored, washed and colored again to keep the fun going. The posable pup comes with five washable markers and a mini scrub brush for clean up.

While building with LEGO is second nature to most five-year-olds, kits with too many steps can get overwhelming. That’s why we’re loving these quick-hit monsters which offer both open-ended building and the satisfaction of completing a model in just a few minutes.

Or, simply let the imagination flow with this open-ended LEGO set. Your kiddo can come up with endless possibilities thanks to this 484-piece box of blocks. It’s sure to keep them (and you, be honest!) busy for hours.

The classic childhood game gets a thrilling makeover that’s perfect for shark lovers. With ten colorfully illustrated shark species, it’s a fun way to learn about numbers, colors and their favorite sea-faring predator.

This is a board game and puzzle in one. The set comes with a collection of colorful cars and 40 different challenge cards that will help your kiddo think about space planning and problem-solving all in one.

This one is for all our STEM kiddos out there! The GeoSmart Flip Bot combines the fun of magnetic tile building with the thrill of remote controlled vehicle racing in one awesome kit. Inside they’ll find 30 colorful geometric pieces which can be used to create a variety of vehicle styles. Once their build is complete, it can flip, spin or zoom around the house via the wireless controller. On your mark, get set, GO!

I love a good multi-tasker and this wearable blanket is such fun because it’s a costume and a cozy blanket at the same time. The adorable styles from The Company Store include a variety of animals and can even be personalized with your kiddo’s name. And when the fun is over, they can wrap themselves up in their costume and take a quick snooze.

What’s more fun that a brand new set of markers? A brand new set of color changing markers. Each color has a secret alter-ego that’s revealed when they doodle over top with the other end!

If “The Nutcracker Suite” is on constant refrain in your house, too, your kiddo will love flipping through the dreamy illustrations and pushing on the pages to hear Tchaikovsky’s music come to life—all on their own.