Starting at $7, these 54 engaging gifts promise hours of fun for the 5-year-old in your life
Discover amazing toys and gifts for 5 year old boys that will get kids moving, thinking, inventing, exploring, building, and playing. Don’t forget to consider a variety of books, games, toys, and clothes. You Might Also Like: Best Books for 4-and 5-Year Olds The Best Educational Games for Preschoolers Activity Books for Preschoolers Ages 3 – 5
Best Gifts for 5 Year Old Boys (That They’ll Love)
Discover amazing toys and gifts for 5 year old boys that will get kids moving, thinking, inventing, exploring, building, and playing. Don’t forget to consider a variety of books, games, toys, and clothes. You Might Also Like: Best Books for 4-and 5-Year Olds The Best Educational Games for Preschoolers Activity Books for Preschoolers Ages 3 – 5
The Best Gifts for 5 Year Old Boys
Plasma Car
Kids (my own included) love to cruise around on this super fun car. It’s great for inside or outside, too. (Even on my hardwood floors.)
Hurry Up, Chicken Butt
See how many activities you can complete before the timer goes off. Fast-paced and fun, this game encourages quick thinking, creativity, and physical activity.
Zingo
Kids adore this literacy game– it’s a fun way to build reading skills for pre-readers and beginning readers!
Pets Alive Chirpy Birds
Crack open the plastic egg to see which Chirpy Bird you’ve adopted — this one is Owl! It will mimic what you say and say it back to you.
LEGO Mickey Castle
Do you like castles and Disney? Build a medieval castle for Mickey and his friends, including a buildable dragon. 
Gears, Gears, Gears Robot Factory
My kids and their friends love this gear kit SO MUCH. Parents, you’ll love to see how the gears inspire creativity through building and engineering. See my full review here. I recommend this gift for 5 year old boys and girls. 
LeapFrog Magic Adventure Globe
This is an interactive globe. Tap on it with the stylus to learn about places, cultures, languages, animals, and more. 
Hot Wheels Batman 5-Pack
Boys and girls absolutely love Hot Wheels vehicles; they make great stocking stuffers, too. 
Bakugan GeoForge Dragonoid 7 in 1
Battle Geogan Bakugan and use the 8 cards to power it up. 
Story Time Chess
Let your five year olds learn to play chess with chess pieces with unique stories and 30 mini-games, all of which teach children the rules of the chess game. 
Pizza with Everything on It by Kyle Scheele, illustrated by Andy J. Pizza
What happens when a pizza-loving boy decides he should add EVERYTHING on top of his pizza? Pickles and apples, books and pencils, the White House, and a particle accelerator…so many toppings! Before long, the pizza begins to collapse in on itself and turns into a black hole!! Will it ever become a pizza again? 
Primal Rock Jaw
Rock Jaw is in the primal form of a crocodile. Watch as his goo changes and stretches him up to three times his size. 
Shark Floor Puzzle
A shark-shaped puzzle made of sturdy pieces with shiny foil accents. 
Imaginext Pirate Ship
Pretend play pirates with swords who capture prisoners in the ship’s hull. Or, launch cannons and make someone walk the plank. 
Uncle Milton Moon In My Room
Watch the moon’s lunar phases that you can change with a remote control. 
Highlights Hidden Pictures Sticker Book
Use the stickers to find the hidden objects. It’s fun! My kids always preferred the sticker hidden picture books to the color books. 
Dragons Slips and Ladders
For 2 – 4 players, this is a fun fantasy version of Chutes and Ladders with knights, princesses, and dragons.
Hot Wheels Garage Playset
This cool garage comes with a car wash, elevator, loop stunt, a dragon, and 50 parking spots. Includes 2 hot wheels!
Counting Puzzles
Kids need to learn to match the number word to the numeral, and these ten pairs of puzzles will help.
My First Castle Panic
For 1 to 4 players, stop the monsters from smashing the castle!
Razor Kick Scooter Junior
Scooters build up balance and gross motor skills but 5 year old kids don’t know that– they just think they’re awesome. Notice that this junior scooter has three wheels not two for more stability.
Chutes and Ladders
Another classic game that remains a favorite for kids — my own included. The first player to reach the 100 square wins. It’s a game of chance, but for some reason, my kids always win. What’s up with that? 
Animal Village Create a Story
Cards with woodland animal characters, locations, and props encourage imagination and storytelling. 
Don’t Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog) by Mike Boldt
HILARIOUS! Narrated by Chip, a dog with a big personality, Chip helpfully gives us the dos and don’ts for life. “Do: Eat Socks…Don’t eat bees.” 5 year old kids will crack up through the whole story and will love the clever ending. 
Crayola Pip-Squeaks Washable Markers
This carrying case makes it easy to carry your markers anywhere. And washable markers are a must-buy arts and crafts gift for creative kids!
Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf by Davide Cali and Marianna Balducci
Clever, hilarious, and filled with so many juicy things like counting and storytelling with a demanding reader, this 2022 picture book begs for multiple readings. The narrator begins with a short, 2-sentence story about the three little pigs on the abacus that the wolf eats. Except– the reader demands a longer story. So the narrator tries again, adding more pigs to the abacus and more short stories. Count all the pigs and notice the pigs grouped by colors and numbers. Fantastic!
Dinosaur World Road Race
Create a dinosaur track for your two dinosaur racecars. 
Kids First Science Laboratory
5 year old boys will love these large, plastic scientific tools for long-lasting fun and exploration. The tools include a unique, multipurpose 14-piece screw-together system with tubes, funnels, lids, connectors, and perforated disks that can be used in a multitude of ways. Also included are large and small measuring spoons, a test tube rack, a pipette, a hand magnifier, magnetic rings and stand set, and more.
ZOOB 250 Piece Set
ZOOBs are colorful snap-together plastic gears, axels, and joint pieces. They’re not electronic; they’re totally battery-free. AND WE LOVE THEM! Without a doubt, ZOOBs are one of our most-played with, favorite open-ended toys that have lasted for years of childhood! (If you can’t tell, we highly recommend them.) 
Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex
HILARIOUS — and a guaranteed new read-aloud favorite for your kids. The narrator is trying to find out if Darth Vader is scared of anything. Maybe when this wolfman pops out? Or bites him? Or a vampire? Or a ghost? Black cats? “I AM NOT SCARED. I WILL NEVER BE SCARED. WHO COULD POSSIBLY SCARE LORD VADER?” Apparently, nothing will scare Darth Vader. There’s an unexpectedly tender moment when Darth Vader reveals that he is cursed…and seems sad. Then a surprise ending with what actually displeases, er, scares Darth Vader. What do you think it is? And there’s a second surprise ending, too! 
Design and Drill Bolt Buddies Barn
Use a kid-safe toy drill to build a farm with crops, fences, and animal friends. 
Guess How Much I Love You Toy + Book Set
Read this favorite story to your children and let them play with this cute rabbit plush. A playful reading gift for young readers. 
My ABC Keepsake Book
I think the My ABC Book Keepsake is so cute — it’s filled with eye-catching stickers, punch-out’s and artwork. Create an activity for “A,” a birthday bash for “B”, and a celebration for “C!” 
MindWare Dig It Up! Giant Gem
Excavate a gigantic gem stone with 12 polished gemstones hidden inside! 
My Toothbrush is Missing by Jan Thomas
Dog tells his friends that his toothbrush is missing. Donkey asks Dog to describe it. Which leads to hilarious fun! Because for every description Dog shares (bristles, long handle), Donkey thinks he’s found it — but he finds other things that also fit those descriptions (Fat Cat, a broom, an egg beater, …) Entertaining dialogue, brilliant brightly-colored comic-style illustrations, and a funny, funny ending. Perfection. (Can you tell I love Jan Thomas?) 
Hot Wheels Monster Truck
The oversized body and giant monster wheels make up a super cool 1:24 scale truck that any child will enjoy.
Playmobil Pirates
X marks the spot on Treasure Island. Watch out for rats and cannonballs!
Balance Beans
We think this STEM math and science game is AWESOME. It’s a one-player game that gets us to balance the seesaw, learning physics and logic at the same time. 
Lego City Town City Square
Build your own little town, from its trucks to its coffee shop to its street stands! This LEGO set is full of never ending building fun that will keep children entertained all day! 
Jack and the Beanstalk
A brain-boosting 1 player 3D logic and deduction game with 60 challenges! 
The Original AirFort
Quickly and easily inflate this roomy 4″+ tall fort with a box fan! Then play inside for hours! 
Create with Clay Mythical Creatures
Create a unicorn, dragon and phoenix sculptures with this colorful clay set! 
Playstix
Playstix interlock with a snap-and-lock feature and are color-coded to make building easy. This kit includes 150 Playsitx and an idea booklet with instructions and examples of things you can build. 
LEGO Space Mars Research Shuttle
Build your own space shuttle!
Gift Guides by Age
Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She’s a mother, former teacher and literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House’s Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they’ll love.
Starting at $7, these 54 engaging gifts promise hours of fun for the 5-year-old in your life
Five-year-olds start to become truly social as they approach kindergarten, and love group play and games. That means the best gifts for 5-year-olds include classic board games.
“They’re starting to grow out of their egocentrism, so they’re able to understand another’s perspective. They’re more understanding of taking turns and not winning all the time,” said Marie Conti, head of The Wetherill School in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, and a board member of the American Montessori Society.
Once they’ve left age 4 and enter age 5, they start school with new challenges but also more focus, which helps them conquer fine motor tasks, complicated physical activities and essential reading strategies.
“They are testing out skills that have gotten stronger as they grow,” said Tovah Klein, director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and author of “How Toddlers Thrive.”
As they learn to read, don’t be too quick to push chapter books. “Continuing with storybooks is important, because enjoying the story is a really big part of learning to read,” said Nina Lindsay, president of the Association for Library Service to Children.
Whether you’re gifting a 5-year-old who has everything already or one who has one or two specific wants, we found some of the best educational toys, games, books and more compelling gifts for kids for this integral year of their childhood.
To quickly jump to the category you’re looking for, click on the links below or keep scrolling to see all our picks.