Inside: Here are the best, most loved toys that five-year-olds will want to play with so you won’t waste your money. Plus, a printable toy cheat sheet to keep or share.
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My kids loooove toys. They are always scoping out the hottest new toys. So as a mom of three kids, I’ve become somewhat of an expert on finding the best toys that kids want to play with.
In fact, I’ve created a community on Facebook and Instagram for parents who are passionate about finding fun ways to connect and play with their kids. There, I often share activities and toys we love.
And although I am an advocate of experience gifts and books, which is why I created a list of the best books for kids. I also know that kids love to open gifts. And family and friends are often asking what they can buy for the kids. Now, you can just send them this article with a little winky face.
Or another option is to create an Amazon wish list. Then, as you see toys throughout the year, add them to the wishlist so that when an occasion comes up, you’ve got plenty of ideas to choose from.
To busy for that? I’ve gotcha covered, I’ve got a curated link in my Play Learn Connect Amazon Shop with every toy from this article. Done and done.
Best Toys for Five-Year-Olds 2020
I’ve compiled a list of the hottest new toys for five-year-olds. And I’ve broken it into a few categories; technology, movement, pretend play, and building toys.
Here’s a quick overview for anyone who likes to skim (like me). Or scroll to the bottom for the free printable toy cheat sheet:
Technology Toys
Movement Toys
Pretend Play Toys
Building Toys
Related: Ten Ways to Encourage Imagination Through Constructive Play
Technology Toys for Five-Year-Olds
Guilty confession, my kids are often better at quickly figuring out new techie toys than I am. Anyone else? My son can pick up a toy and press all of the right buttons intuitively.
If your five-year-old is into technology toys, like mine, then these are the toys to check out this year.
Drone
We’ve tested A LOT of drones, but every single one ended up broken or busted after a while until we found *the one*.
Funny story… my son tried on his jacket from the last season and reached in his pocket to find, “So much money!” Ha! He discovered his piggy bank money from that last year in his pocket and decided he must have a new airplane drone. After much researching, we decided on this one.
It has been the best drone we’ve had. Some of my favorite features are that it comes with two rechargeable batteries, it’s lightweight, easy enough for my three-year-old to fly, it can do a 360, and most importantly, it hasn’t broken after quite a bit of use. You can check it out here. Let me know if you give it a try!
Robot
It was love at first sight when we watched the cool video Amazon features for this robot. Both my son and daughter were begging to try this robot. He comes in blue and pink, smart marketing.
This rechargeable, remote-controlled robot made the list of best toys for five-year-olds because it can talk, dance, can be programmed to do a series of movements (great intro to coding), plays music, and our favorite feature – it’s gesture-controlled. This means that it responds to hand gestures as controls. Pretty awesome. Get your robot toy here.
Osmo Little Genius
If you have an iPad at home, your kids are likely begging you to play on it all of the time. With Osmo Little Genius, I don’t have to feel guilty about them spending time on their device. Here’s how it works:
Osmo has several leveled kits; I picked the one that is ideal for ages 3-5 because I like the skills that it covers. The package does NOT come with a smart device, so you must have your own. To use this techie toy, you download the app to your smart device and set your device on the base from the kit.
I found it incredibly helpful to watch the videos that are under the photos on Amazon to quickly understand how the Osmo works. My favorite video was the one called “Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit.”
So inside the kit, you’ll find everything you’ll need to play the learning games, like the silicone sticks and rings (that are dishwasher safe), costume pieces, Osmo base, and the silicone mat. With these pieces, kids can use hands-on learning to practice letter formation and phonics, create pictures and animals, dress and feed characters (+ learn about social emotional skills), and experience problem-solving adventures through stories.
See why this toy has won awards and is at the top of the holiday toy list by checking out the Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit. Want to practice harder skills? Check out all of the numerous Osmo kits that are available here.
Digital Camera
One day I was digging through the boxes in my basement and found an old digital camera circa 2008. My kids took one look and were clambering for a turn to try it out. Believe it or not, it still worked. However, we learned very quickly that having a camera that has a protective drop-proof cover is crucial. Rest in peace, old camera.
Enter the digital camera for kids with a protective shockproof shell. This camera is a great deal compared to its competition and without sacrificing any of the ideal features. This camera has a perfect sized LCD screen (3.5 inches), comes with a 32GB SD card for photo storage, is ultra-durable and lightweight, battery life that lasts 2-6 hours, and has a rechargeable battery. My only complaint with this camera is that it doesn’t come in more colors. I wish they had a blue or red option.
To see this pink digital camera for kids, click here, or check out this comparable blue digital camera with similar features and good reviews.
Flying Toy Ball
Ok, so obviously we are really into flying toys, but this one is a must-see. For $10ish, you can fly this light-up, rechargeable ball with only your hands. Our favorite feature of this flying toy ball is that it’s fun to play with multiple people. As the ball flies around the room, everyone can take a turn putting their hand under the ball to get it to fly. And this toy ball can go up to 15 feet high.
See this flying toy ball in action here.
Related: Gifts for Toddlers 1-3: 10 Popular Gifts Kids Want per Age
Movement Toys for Five-Year-Olds
We live in Michigan, which means that in the winter here, it gets cold. Like SUPER cold. But I’m sure no matter where you live, it’d be nice to have your kids have some quality toys to help expend some of that pent up energy.
We like to make obstacle courses like this one, with items from around the house. This list of movement toys will help get your kids up and moving and having tons of fun.
Stepping Stones
Have you ever seen these stepping stones in action? They are so cool. With different heights, colors, and shapes, kids can hone their gross motor and balancing skills. We like to scatter them around in a room and jump from one to the next.
We have an 11 piece set, but there are tons of options when it comes to picking out the perfect balance stepping stones set, see your choices here.
Fort Building Kit
I discovered these fort building connectors by reading an article that had gone viral about them. These connectors even won an award for the best creative fun. This set of 18 silicone connectors allows kids to let their imagination run wild, creating structures in with sticks.
Climbing Rocks
I was feeling adventurous the day we decided to make a climbing wall in our basement would be a good idea. But you know what? It’s so fun.
And I’ve seen clever ways to incorporate the climbing walls in the bedroom on Pinterest too.
Like this bedroom climbing wall or this IKEA bed climbing wall.
Punching Bag and Gloves
My kids love to wrestle and play rough. So this punching bag was a perfect solution for playing rough and getting energy out, all while being safe all at the same time.
Bonus benefit? When my kids are feeling angry, they can now take it out on the punching bag instead of the good old fashioned pillow.
We also got a set of these gloves because c’mon they look so fun. I mean, it’s just not the same without them. Tap here to see the punching bag, boxing gloves or kick pad.
Pretend Play Toys for Five-Year-Olds
Our Generation Doll
My daughter is obsessed with dolls, especially American Girl dolls. However, when we don’t want to dole out the big bucks, the look-alike Our Generation Dolls are a quarter of the cost. Not to mention, they have awesome accessories.
We bought my daughter the matching gourmet kitchen and bunk beds recently. They have tons of fun sets, accessories. and outfits. The best part is the clothes and accessories fit both the Our Generation and American Girl dolls interchangeably.
Plus, they are pretty easy to find at both Target and Amazon.
Barbie Dream Plane
The Barbie Dream Plane is the complete package with overhead luggage compartments (and luggage), a snack cart with accessories, sleeping masks, seat belts, and a traveling puppy – because obviously, Barbie needs that.
It’s perfect for playing with a friend or mom 🙂 because the plane fits two Barbies. Playing pretend has never been more fun.
FurReal Cubby Bear
Cubby Bear is the new Tickle Me Elmo. It’s the toy every kid wants to try, and who can blame them? This interactive bear seems lifelike with over 100 sound animations. The bear can move almost it’s entire body and can do things like hug, play peekaboo, and dance.
I was amazed at how much the kids loved feeding the plush bear and taking care of it with the 3-in-1 accessory.
PJ Masks PJ Seeker
For anyone not familiar with PJ Mask, it’s a kids show about three friends who transform into superheroes when they put on their pajamas. This toy, PJ Masks PJ Seeker, is one of the vehicles from the show that helps the boys save the day.
Hands down, our favorite feature of this vehicle is that it has a “villain capture,” which is a little vault to trap the villain. Not to mention, it comes with a detachable car and a disc shooter, among other cool accessories.
Bring the show alive with this light-up PJ Mask toy.
Related: Summer Toys for Toddlers: How to Have the Best Time
Building Toys for Five-Year-Olds
Building toys are great for encouraging constructive play, along with 7 other researched-based benefits.
LEGO
I’ll never forget the first time my daughter received a LEGO kit for her birthday. She spent three hours meticulously following the directions to construct a LEGO design. It was magical.
I realized for the first time how LEGOs could help children develop perseverance and concentration skills.
In addition to the sets designed to make things like airplanes and castles, I also love the classic LEGO building kit because you can let your imagination go wild, creating new designs.
Wondermakers Design System
We got the chance to explore a few of the Wondermakers design systems this year, including the Campground, Recycling Center, and Town Center. I cannot say enough great things about these toys.
Not only do they encourage the development of critical social skills like teamwork, collaboration, and social competence. Wondermakers sets are unique because of the different fabric, wood, rubber, and plastic textures included in each set. I wrote an article about how they encourage imagination.
They are super fun to play with because, like LEGOs you can use them to create the intended set or you can construct your own design. For example, a straight piece of wood can become a track, cargo, a stick in a fire, the trunk, of a tree or a pillar of a building.
Magnetic Tiles
I can’t say enough positive things about magnetic tiles. They have been the most played with toys in my house over the years.
We’ve built letters, castles, animals, towers, and abstract art with them. They can be used to create designs on the garage door or stacked in the windows to create a stained glass-like design. They are incredibly versatile and totally worth the price tag. We love them so much we have three sets of them, and I might get more. Someone stop me. 🙂
See why we love them so much by checking them out for yourself.
Stem Toy Building Kit
I get super nerdy about finding toys that have a hidden education benefit, and this is one of them. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and it’s a significant focus in the school system to help prepare our little ones for the future. STEM toys encourage problem-solving and critical thinking.
This stem building kit comes with various sized linear pieces and tons of nuts and bolts. We created almost every one of the designs from the guide.
Download Your Free Cheat Sheet: The Best Toys for Five-Year-Olds
Use this cheat sheet of the best toys to help you shop for the next special event to be prepared with quality toys – even when life is busy.
- Download the free cheat sheet here. And if you’re into free printables, join my email broadcast, and as a bonus, you’ll get access to all of my printables! Just click here to subscribe.
- Print. Any paper will do the trick.
- Save or Give. Save the printable for yourself or give it to a friend or loved one looking for toy suggestions.
- Share. Feel free to share this article with all the links and information for easy access.
Here’s a sneak peek of the printable cheat sheet:
Download my FREE printable cheat sheet (pictured above) as a bonus for joining my newsletter:
Best Toys for Five Year Olds
Your Turn
What are your favorite toys for five-year-old kids? Share in a comment below!