If you have a 5-year-old, a) God bless you and b) it might be time to start thinking about kindergarten learning. This means that when it comes to birthday gifts (or any gifts) and toys for 5 year olds, start thinking stem toys, toddler puzzles and all the things that get them learning (while having fun). As your little one officially starts their school education â woohoo, more #MeTime for you, mama! â you might notice more pressure on the shoulds.
âThere is often a new emphasis on what children âshouldâ be able to know and do by the time they enter kindergarten,â says Lisa B. Fiore, Professor and Co-chair, Education & Director of the Child Homelessness Initiative at Lesley University. Now that thereâs more emphasis on academic progress, Fiore explains to Scary Mommy, itâs important to support your childâs personal interests.
âItâs important for caregivers to recognize that their own expectations may not sync with a childâs natural rhythms or interests,â Fiore explains. âItâs therefore critical to support childrenâs interests, to ask questions of experts and educators if there are concerns about a childâs development, and continue to allow children to develop their own passions and explore their evolving skills and interests.â
You know what helps with that, mamas? Toys! No, seriously, toys can be totally educational and really help your kid hone in on their skills, likes, and dislikes.
At 5 years old, typically children are writing, reading, sounding out their words, and beginning to develop more elaborate scenarios for play with other children,â adds Pamela Morris, MSEd, Early Childhood Director of the Early Childhood Learning Center at the East Valley JCC in Chandler, AZ.
With all these expert recommendations in mind, these are the top toys and educational gifts for the 5-year-old in your life.
Books for Toddlers
According to Morris, rhyming books are even better at this age âespecially with funny words thrown in.â Morris says that books with repetitive refrains (i.e. Brown Bear, Brown Bear) is a another great option âbecause kids at this age are starting to read and they can read these books easily which helps them start to recognize words in other books and it is an upward spiral from there.â
Fiore adds, âBooks that include adventure and sometimes mishaps are often big hits. Children enjoy predicting what might happen, and they like to catch the author or adult in something thatâs âwrongâ based on their evolving understanding of the world.â
Even children can enjoy non-fiction books about heroes that they can identify with. (Itâs not just us adults!)
âChildrenâs joy in making music and listening to music is evident from birth,â says Fiore. âChildrenâs dexterity improves over time and having the opportunity to play instruments encourages their exploration. Some children enjoy âjam bandâ activity, where they can play together and come up with their own âhitsâ and favorites.â Morris says if your child is musically inclined and you are considering lessons, âthen I would look into the Recorder, simple guitar or simple piano if your child is truly interested.â
Speaking of STEM toys, anything that challenges your childâs brain is a good go-to. According to Fiore, âItâs never too early to give a child a toy or material that encourages exploration of the natural world and how things work and fit together to create something new.â
Fiore adds, âChildren might love being given an old/broken radio or telephone and a screwdriver so that they can explore what the inside looks like. If youâre thinking more about robotics or maker-space materials, then I think there are absolutely some items that children can play with to get a sense of âbotsâ and how pieces fit together to create something new.â
Morris agrees. âUsing technology as a tool instead of a toy is also very helpful to start at this age â using the tablets or phones with parent participation to look up their favorite song on YouTube or read a story on the tablet â these are all great options!â
âInteractive games with friends are terrific, and itâs important to both allow children to select their game-playing friends as well as to encourage children to interact with people that they donât know as well yet,â says Fiore. âChildren may like to create new rules for familiar games, and to stretch the rules to see how they can create new interpretations of games. Depending on the children in a classroom, family backgrounds and cultural traditions can infuse new play opportunities into the setting, too.â
âBikes of different kinds are always a favorite,â says Fiore. âSome children may move from three- to two-wheel bikes at this age, depending on their opportunities for practice and their own physical development. It can be helpful to have some bikes without pedals so that children can practice their balance by âwalkingâ the bikes as opposed to riding them.â
âAll opportunities for art and creative activity are so important, particularly with open-ended expression,â says Fiore. âDifferent materials, such as natural materials found in the neighborhood as well as recyclables, are wonderful additions to the materials.â According to Fiore, clay, in particular, is a really important material. âIt gets children to use their hands and fingers, itâs âforgivingâ in the sense that a little water can refresh or change something that someone wishes to change about the clay (for a limited time). It gives children the opportunity to pound, poke, pinch, cut, tear, roll, etc. There is something really special about clay â the scent, feel, and transformative experience of waiting for clay to dry (or fire if using a kiln).â Other favorite materials for kids to experiment with, according to Morris, include markers, colored pencils, stickers, and foam.