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39 of the Best Gift Ideas for 5-Year-Old Boys

Finding the perfect gift ideas for 5-year-old boys is easy with this comprehensive list. From art supplies to building sets to outdoor toys, the kindergartener in your life is sure to be thrilled with this awesome selection. 

best gift ideas for 5 year old boys

Art Supplies

Art supplies make an awesome Christmas or birthday gift for 5-year-old boys. These children are bursting with creativity and have tons of ideas to explore. Why not provide them with some fun creative materials to help them express their imaginative sides? 

  1. Crayola Light-Up Tracing Pad:  These light-up pads make tracing easier by illuminating the paper from the back, making it easier to see the tracing lines. Kit includes 1 light-up tracing pad, a graphite pencil, 12 short colored pencils, 10 tracing sheets, and 10 blank sheets. 
  1. Super Art Coloring Kit: Your little artist will have everything they need to create their next masterpiece with this extensive coloring supply bundle. It includes crayons, glitter crayons, construction paper crayons, Pipsqueaks Skinnies markers, short colored pencils, coloring pages, mini construction paper sheets, a washable glue stick, colored chalk, classic ultra-clean broad line markers, and a reusable storage tub. Check out these kids’ art storage ideas for creative ways to display and store all that amazing art. 
  1. Ultimate Craft Box: Doing crafts is a great way to increase fine motor skills and keep little ones busy on a rainy day. With a complete craft kit, your five-year-old boy can let his imagination run wild. Set includes six different colors of glitter glue, white glue, fuzzy sticks, pom poms, acrylic gemstones, embroidery thread, wiggly eyes, scissors, glitter, pony beads, craft sticks, sequins, a storage case, a project booklet, foam sheets, foam stickers, and feathers.
  1. Wooden Drawing Stencils Kit:  These handmade wooden stencils help kids develop hand-eye coordination while also doubling as mini-puzzles. The stencil set includes 50 wooden stencil boards, 50 wooden inner boards, 6 colored pencils, 6 colored markers, 1 pencil case with sharpener, 1 drawing notebook, 1 reference paper, 1 stencil bag, and 1 art kit storage box. 

Board Games

Board games are the staples of family game nights and there’s no better time to start introducing kids to these games than when they’re young. Pick up one or two of these cool board games and enjoy hours of laughter together as a family. 

  1. Card and Token Organizer Tray: Little hands can find it difficult to hold and organize all the cards required for board and card games. This neat 3D-printed card organizer gives them an easy way to organize their cards so they can focus on playing the game. This wooden version is nice too, though it doesn’t have a place for organizing tokens. 
  1. Guess in 10: Guess in 10 is kind of like 20 questions, but you only get 10 of them. Choose the game theme that will resonate most with your little guy. Options include Animal Planet, Dinosaurs, Underwater Animals, Junior Food We Eat, and Junior Inside My House. Kids learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills while trying to deduce quickly which animal is on the card. 
  1. Hot Potato: The classic game of hot potato involves tossing a potato or other small object to other people in a circle as quickly as you can. This modern version uses a soft electronic potato that plays its own music. Squeeze it to get going, then toss it til the music stops. If you’re caught with the spud when it does, you get a potato chip card. Collect three cards and you’re out. 
  1. Monopoly Junior, Dinosaur Edition: In this Junior edition of Monopoly, players move around the board earning money to feed the dinosaurs they collect. It’s the perfect way to introduce 5-year-olds to some new types of dinosaurs. 
  1. Rapid Rumble: Rapid Rumble is a great game for 5-year-old boys who are starting to recognize letters and the sounds they make, and it’s also a good game for them to grow into. Players race to name words in different categories that start with specific letters. The objective is to get through all of the letter cards as quickly as possible. It’s a fun way to help kids learn to identify starting sounds.
  1. Taco vs. Burrito: Taco vs Burrito is a fun, fast-paced card game that allows players to build their own tacos and burritos. The object of the game is to build the most valuable meal by collecting ingredients such as chocolate-covered shrimp, month-old sushi, or cotton candy by playing cards from their hands.

Need more gift ideas? Check out some of these other gift guides:

Books

Five-year-olds are a fun age group to buy books for as there are so many great options out there. From bedtime stories to early readers to read-aloud chapter books, it’s hard to narrow down the best books for kindergarten with such a great selection. Here are a few of our top picks. 

  1. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!: The Pigeon is infamous for his sneaky tactics. He knows how to manipulate you into getting what he wants, and that was just what the bus driver meant when he warned you not to let him drive the bus. But this fast-talking bird knows every trick in the book. Kids and parents alike will love his hilarious attempts to get you to cave in and the fit he throws when you don’t. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus was Willems’ first book, for which he won the Caldecott Honor.
  1. Regards to the Man in the Moon:  When Louie’s friends laugh at him because of his pop’s junk collection, his pop tells him, “All a person needs is some imagination! And a little of that stuff can take you right out of this world.” Louie takes the words to heart and he and his friend Susie set off in search of adventure. Pretty soon, all the other kids want to come too, but their imaginations aren’t quite as strong. Louie and Susie encourage them, and pretty soon, they’ve got the whole neighborhood lining up to play.
  1. Ada Twist, Scientist:  From the author of Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect, comes Ada Twist, Scientist, a book about a curious little girl who just can’t stop asking ‘Why?’ Her parents and teacher try to keep up with her, but as she grows, so does her curiosity. She questions everything she encounters: “What does it do?”, “When will it?”, “Why does it?” One day in grade two, she runs into a problem she can’t solve—the source of a mysteriously awful smell. In her quest to find the answer, she goes a little too far and gets into big trouble.
  1. The Llama Who Had No Pajama: This is a delightful collection of poetry by a former U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. The Llama Who Had No Pajama is a series of 100 fun, silly, irresistible poems that children will love to read again and again. Covering everything from centipedes to whales, from balloons to windshield wipers, from roller-skating in spring to ice-skating in winter, the poems convey the experiences of childhood with a timeless freshness.
  1. Pete the Cat Phonics Fun: This set includes 12 simple Pete the Cat stories to help kids bridge the gap into reading independently. Practicing with I Can Read! books on a daily basis is a good way to increase kids’ exposure to phonics and increase their comfort level with reading. 
  1. The Ralph Mouse Collection: For read-aloud books for kindergarten, you can’t go wrong with classic Beverly Cleary books. From Ramona the Pest to Henry Huggins to The Mouse and the Motorcycle, she offers delightful stories for young children that parents can read again and again without tiring. This collection includes the three books in the Ralph S. Mouse series. 

Building Sets

Building sets are another fun way for kids to supercharge their creativity and make their own creations. From wooden blocks to marble runs, these fun gifts offer many hours of amusement. 

  1. Build a Bird Bungalow: With this kit, children build a birdhouse with wood, nails, and glue, paint it, and hang it from the included chain. It’s a fun project for young boys to work on their building skills while also hopefully attracting birds to the yard for viewing. 
  1. Construction Toy Set: This is the perfect gift for young kids who love construction vehicles and building sets like LEGO. With 100 pieces, kids will learn how to make eight different construction vehicles with real working mechanics. 
  1. KEVA Maker Bot Maze: KEVA planks put the child’s imagination at the forefront with their simplicity and endlessly customizable building options. This set allows kids to make a maze for a bot using KEVA planks along with a variety of doodads and gizmos. 
  1. Quadrilla Wooden Marble Run: Inspired by Da Vinci circles, this marble run has seven different color blocks each with a different function. This collectible wooden set offers countless hours of fun and limitless building possibilities. 

Creative Toys

Some of the best gift ideas for 5-year-old boys are the ones that let them use their imaginations to play out many new scenarios and ideas. They provide ongoing enjoyment for months or years and integrate well with the child’s other interests through imaginative play. 

  1. Coffee Shop Wooden Playset: Five year olds will love playing barista in this pretend coffee shop. They can pretend to make frappuccinos, espressos, pastries, and more and serve customers at a counter or drive-thru. The set includes a rotating cash register, credit card, and barista apron. 
  1. Plush Puppet Set: With twelve plush puppet animals, your little boy will be able to put on puppet shows to delight the whole family. They can also use the puppets for independent play and make up all kinds of fun stories on their own. 
  1. Pretend Play Clothes: Playtime is even more fun when you can dress up as different characters and act out different roles. This set includes three costumes (safari explorer, chef, and construction worker) while this more this larger bundle includes five (construction worker, policeman, firefighter, doctor, and surgeon).

Educational Toys

The top gifts aren’t merely entertaining; they are often educational too. Whether you want to do some gardening with kids and are hoping to spark your child’s interests or are interested in introducing them to a wide variety of experiences educational toys are the perfect opportunity to do so. 

  1. Grow ‘N Glow Terrarium: DIY terrariums make great gifts that kids can build and tend to over a longer period of time. This one features a potting mix, chia and wheat grass seeds, glow-in-the-dark forest figurines, and constellation stickers. Kids will have so much fun building their ecosystem and watching it grow in the following days. 
  1. My First Root Viewer: An indoor gardening kit makes a wonderful gift for nature-loving kids. This educational toy lets them grow root vegetables in a clear container so they can observe how the roots grow down as the plants get larger on the top. 
  1. Tacto Doctor: This doctor’s playset for kids lets them transform a tablet into an interactive clinic and engages kids with educational screen time. Featuring story-driven games, Tacto Doctor helps kids develop problem-solving skills and social-emotional intelligence. 

LEGO Sets

In my experience, you can’t go wrong with a LEGO set at this age. They are one of the best toy investments you can make as kids will literally play with them for years and, when they’re done with them (if that day ever comes), you can always resell them if you don’t want to hang onto them. 

Just don’t count on that day coming anytime soon. Those little plastic bricks will likely be gracing your floor for at least another decade. 

  1. Classic LEGO set: Between about four and six, kids start to transition away from the larger blocks like Duplo towards the smaller blocks and more intricate sets that LEGO offers. For 5-year-old boys who are just getting into LEGO, a classic set is a great way to start building up their collection. With 1,000 bricks in vibrant colors, this large collection lets kids make cars, houses, animals, or whatever else they can dream up. 
  1. LEGO City Mobile Police Dog Training: With 197 pieces, two minifigures, two dogs, and several fun structures to build, this smaller LEGO set is the perfect toy for 5-year-olds who love animals, building sets, and police play. 
  1. LEGO City Fire Rescue Boat: This is another great LEGO city that is a great gift idea for little guys who are new to LEGO. The rescue boat floats on water, so kids can roleplay their rescue missions in real water. 

Outdoor Toys

If you want to encourage kids to spend some more time outside, the right toys can make all the difference. Young kids are naturally drawn to the outdoors, but having something fun to do once they’re there always helps. 

Inspire group play by going for sports equipment or stomp rockets or foster more independent skills with solo devices like a pogo stick or a Micro scooter. 

  1. Micro scooter: Micro scooters offer smooth-gliding, motion-activated light-up front wheels and a stable ride for young children. The three wheels keep it balanced and the foldable T-bar makes it easy to fold and carry. 
  1. Pogo stick: A classic pogo stick is a great way for kids to build their balancing skills while burning off energy outside. This one features a fully enclosed spring and non-slip foot pads with a wide bounce tip for increased stability, balance, and control. 
  1. Sports equipment: Help kids build up their supply of sports equipment with a sweet multi-pack. This one includes a basketball, a soccer ball, a volleyball, a playground ball, a football, a pump, and a water-resistant carrying tote. 
  1. Stomp Rockets: What could be more gratifying than jumping on a rocket launch stand and sending a foam rocket high into the sky? For a 5-year-old? Probably not much. These durable Stomp Rockets are sure to become a favorite toy quickly once kids get the knack for making them soar. 

Stem Toys

STEM toys introduce kids to science, tech, engineering, and math concepts through games and creative play. These fields are expanding quickly and kids who develop an early interest in these areas will likely carry that interest with them through high school and beyond. 

There’s no time like the presence to start building up these skills and nurturing their curiosity when it comes to STEM topics. 

  1. Fraction Wedges Set: Start teaching kids about fractions from a young age (before they have a chance to become scary!) with this amazing handmade toy. With various wedge sizes representing everything from 1/10 to a whole, kids will become familiar with the concept of fractions years ahead of schedule. 
  1. Interactive gear game: This stem toy challenges kids to add gears to the game box in a way that allows all of the gears to rotate together. The interactive gear game helps build creative thinking and logistical skills as well as kids’ imaginations. 
  1. Robots in Motion Building Set: This cool toy robot helps kids master engineering, math, and critical thinking skills as they design their own robot creations with gears, arms, wheels, treads, and more. 

Toy Vehicles

Though your 5-year-old’s collection of toy vehicles is probably already sizeable, it may need a bit of an update now that he’s moving into his school-age years. He may enjoy smaller vehicles, bigger vehicles, or those that are a little bit more advanced like a remote-controlled car. 

  1. Remote-controlled car: This 360° stunt car with remote control can move forward, backward, flip all the way around, and more. With LED lights and anti-crash durable tires, it can stand up to rough environments like beaches and wetlands. 
  1. Hot Wheels car set: Hot Wheels have been an ever-popular toy option since 1968, and they’re still a big hit with kids today. For kids who just starting out collecting tiny cars, this 20-piece set is a great way to go.  
  1. Toy truck: Five-year-old boys usually cannot get enough trucks. This aesthetic recycling truck is made of 80 percent ISCC-certified plastic and is designed to promote the act of recycling through play-based learning. The lever actually works to pick up curbside bins and empty them into the truck. 

Need more gift ideas? Check out some of these other gift guides:

Which of these options do you think are the coolest gift ideas for 5-year-old boys? Leave us a comment below and let us know which ones you love the most.