Choosing a gift for a 5 year old seems easy, until you are standing in the toy shop. A 5 year old can focus on something for quite a while and mostly wants to do things on their own. Whether you are looking for a gift for a 5 year old boy or a 5 year old girl: toys that only do something when you press a button get boring fast. Toys your child can build or make something with stay fun much longer. Below are seven ideas, with a note on which child each one suits.

What suits a 5 year old?

Five is the age where imagination and practical skills come together. Your child makes up a story and wants to actually build it: a castle for the cuddly toys, a garage for the cars, a zoo on the floor. Cutting, gluing and colouring get better every month, and a task with two or three steps usually works without help.

Your child cannot read yet, so pick toys with pictures instead of text. And check the age on the box carefully. Some gifts your child sees with an older brother or sister are only suitable from age 6. More on that below.

7 gifts for a 5 year old

1. Themed magnetic tiles

Magnetic tiles are magnetic building pieces that click together, so your child quickly sees something take shape. A themed set gives an instant story to play with. Think of a farm with animals in Farmyard Frenzy or a jungle with tiles to colour in yourself in Jungle Journey. All sets are suitable from age 3, so a 5 year old can build with them independently.

2. A magnetic marble run

Does your child already have tiles, or love things that roll? With the Marble Adventure Track your child builds a marble run with curves and slopes. If the track does not work, your child moves a piece and tries again. A nice gift to start on together and then leave to your child.

3. A logic game with challenges

Children of 5 love finding the solution themselves. The maze puzzle with 118 challenges is recommended for ages 4 to 8. Your child builds a route that lets the dino car take the ball to the finish. The challenges are split into four levels, so your child starts easy and can keep going for years.

4. A cardboard craft kit

A cardboard building kit, like a rhino, a hippo or an ice cream van, goes together without glue or tools. Then your child colours it in with the markers that come with it. A 5 year old will need a hand now and then with building, but does the decorating completely alone. Small enough for a birthday party and big enough to proudly carry around.

5. An LCD drawing tablet

An LCD drawing tablet is a flat screen without apps or internet. Your child draws with a stylus and wipes everything away with one button. Handy in the car or at a cafe, and nice for practising the first letters of their own name. No paper, no markers that dry out.

6. A fidget building set for on the go

The fidget string building set has nine patterns and thirty coloured strings. Each pattern works on its own as a fidget toy, or your child connects them into a cube or a little house. Suitable from age 3 and small enough for a backpack.

7. A bigger themed set as the main gift

Looking for one big gift, for the birthday itself or for the holidays? Choose a larger set your child can enjoy for months. A fire station, a police headquarters or a rocket going to Mars: in our magnetic tiles you will find sets with different themes that you can also combine.

What about the 3D pen?

Many 5 year olds see a 3D pen with an older child and want one straight away. Still, it is wise to wait a little. The cordless Fits4Kids 3D pens are suitable from age 6. A drawing tablet or a craft kit is a nice step in between, and the 3D pen can be the gift for the next birthday. Ideas for that age are in gifts for 6 year olds.

A gift for a 5 year old boy or girl?

Many parents search separately for boys and girls, but at this age that says little. Look at how your child plays instead. A builder will be happy with magnetic tiles or a marble run. A child who always draws or colours gets more out of a drawing tablet or a craft kit. And a child who likes figuring things out will dive into a logic game. More gifts for this age are in toys for ages 4 to 6.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good gift for a 5 year old?

Something your child can build, craft or puzzle with, such as themed magnetic tiles, a cardboard craft kit or a logic game with challenges at different levels. At this age, children mostly want to show what they made themselves.

Is a 3D pen suitable for a 5 year old?

No. The cordless Fits4Kids 3D pens are suitable from age 6. If your child wants to draw now, choose an LCD drawing tablet and save the 3D pen for the next birthday.

What should I give a 5 year old boy or girl?

Look at what your child likes to do rather than at boys or girls toys. A builder will enjoy magnetic tiles, a drawer a drawing tablet and a puzzler a logic game.

What is a good small gift for a 5 year old's birthday party?

A cardboard craft kit or the fidget string building set. Both are small enough to bring to a party, and the child can get started right away.

Do you know what your child loves most, building, crafting or puzzling? Then you know which gift it will be.