Five-year-olds can follow rules and take turns in games with other kids, so a simple board game can fill a cozy afternoon of winter break.
Pediatricians point to card and board games as an easy way for families to have fun together. We gathered gifts that bring everyone to the table, and they start right below.
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Science and discovery
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American brand
Crouching over beetles in the yard is how he spends most of his time outside, and this talking microscope brings that curiosity indoors.
He peers through the eyepiece while it speaks facts out loud, so nobody has to read them to him first.
Games and puzzles
Japanese brand
This Pop Up Super Mario game gives a kindergartner who loves Mario a family showdown at the table.
It has Classic Play, Coin Collection and Team Play modes. He can pick a mode after dinner and let everyone join in.
Science and discovery
American brand
This STEM Explorers magnetic science kit puts real science play in the hands of a curious five-year-old.
Its maker labels it for ages 5 and up, so he can start exploring right away. After school, he can sort his toy bin into things a magnet moves and things that stay put.
Building setsAges 5+
94 pieces · set 60312
Danish brand
Christmas morning can start with a build: this LEGO City set snaps together into a patrol car, officer included.
Every siren he imitates now has a cruiser to match. Once it's done, the car can hide at the bottom of the stairs, set to chase a toy racer zipping past.
Vehicles
In the backyard sandbox, he runs every step of the job: shovel sand into the Tonka's bed, drive it to the far corner, tip it out, then back up for another load.
It's the same routine as the road crews he stops to watch, only now he's the one running it.
Games and puzzlesAges 4+
American brand
Hand this over on Christmas afternoon, and his first magic show can start before the wrapping paper is cleared away.
Each trick comes with a secret method only he learns, so for once the grown-ups are the ones left guessing. He can practice one trick until it runs smoothly, then add the next to his act.
American brand
Baseboards are his favorite racetrack, and this tent adds a garage he can crawl into right along with the cars.
Hot Wheels track pieces can hook up to it, so racers roll straight inside and wait behind the roll-up door between heats.
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Ages 3 to 7
German brand
This jungle-themed GraviTrax Junior marble run lets a five-year-old builder lay out a course himself.
The maker rates it for ages 3 to 7, which puts him squarely in the range. On Christmas afternoon, he can rearrange the track pieces and race the marble down a new route.
American brand
Magna-Tiles microMAGS are the travel version of magnetic tiles, ready for a kindergartner's building streak on the go.
He can raise a tower beside his plate while the family waits for dinner at a restaurant.
Ages 4+
137 pieces (Playmobil) · set 71530
German brand
This Playmobil pirate ship has 137 pieces and floats, so a kindergartner can sail his crew from the bathtub to the backyard pool.
He aims the swiveling cannons at sea monsters, then hunts for treasure.
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Any time something in the house needs fixing, he's right there asking to help, and this VTech toolbox puts a toy drill with electronic learning play in his own hands.
When a cabinet door squeaks, he can pick a tool and get to work beside you.
American brand
Square by square, this pixel puzzle turns a grid into a blocky picture a five-year-old can copy.
The maker labels it for ages 5+. He matches each color to the design, then checks his work against it.
American brand
Air Toobz Evo hands a five-year-old who loves building ramps and chutes an air-driven course to design.
He decides where every tube bends, so each new route is one he planned himself. After dinner, he can rebuild it across the playroom and see whether a sharper turn works.
American brand
These pattern blocks suit a five-year-old who likes sorting shapes and making pictures.
He can copy a design from his head, such as a butterfly, then flip pieces to see which ones fill each gap. The maker labels the set for ages 3+.
This take-apart play engine hands a car-mad five-year-old a motor of his own to fix.
He loves peering under the hood, so here he pulls parts off and fits them back. On Christmas afternoon, he can run a repair shop on the rug for the family.
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American brand
Long zigzags of standing tiles across the coffee table come down with one push and a loud clatter.
Between topples, he can count the dots and match them end to end, so the same box also holds a quieter game to play with you.
Should the boy you're buying for beg to sit in on every family game night, here is one pitched at his age.
The maker labels it for ages 3 to 8, which puts a kindergartner comfortably inside the range. Its undersea board stays out on the kitchen table until everyone at home has moved a piece across the reef.
Ages 5+
When you want something a five-year-old can share with the whole family, KerPlunk carries a maker label of ages 5 and up.
He wants a real place among the grown-ups, not a watered-down version kept just for him. His penciled tally of wins from game night ends up taped to the box lid.
Dutch brand
His favorite prank is sneaking up on a napping grown-up, and this Goliath game hands him that same sly mission.
Holding in a giggle while he tiptoes close is his idea of fun, and each move asks for exactly that. The snoozing dad stays asleep only until somebody pushes their luck a step too far.
Ages 5+
American brand
This floor puzzle gives a boy who loves spotting small details a forest scene on one side and a pond on the other.
He can flip it over for a fresh round. The magnifier helps him hunt for hidden critters.
A kindergartner who rounds up the whole family for game night now has a frozen showdown to bring to the table.
He wants a real seat beside the grown-ups, and taking turns around a mammoth puts him right in the circle. His tally of wins ends up in marker on the fridge calendar.
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American brand
Triceratops, stegosaurus, T. rex: he knows them all by name, and this Crayola kit gives him five dinosaur art activities in one box.
Once the first finished dinosaur is on display, four more activities are still waiting in the box for the next one.
American brand
Each Crayola Silly Scents marker has its own smell, so a day of drawing doubles as a guessing game.
Before dinner, he can pass you the caps one by one to sniff and name, then draw with whichever one stumped you. The markers are washable, which helps when the game ends up on his nose.
Ages 3+
American brand
Stickers keep pace with the stories he tells out loud while he plays.
With hundreds to pick from, a hero goes on the page in a second, where drawing one would stall the plot mid-sentence. Each finished page holds a story of his own, and he can walk you through it at bedtime.
American brand
Play-Doh in separate cans gives a five-year-old dough fan a fresh supply to open whenever he wants.
He can squash a lumpy monster out of one can while the others stay sealed for later. Cousins visiting on Christmas afternoon can each get a few cans from him for a sculpting contest.
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Bluey becomes a hide-and-seek partner in this musical figure, which suits a fan who quotes the show nonstop.
He picks the hiding spot and you go looking, and once she's found, he can switch on dance mode or pose her to act out a favorite episode.
Home from kindergarten, a five-year-old who kneels to greet every dog on the block finds a Little Live Pets pup waiting.
Caring for an animal is the job he keeps asking for, and this interactive companion hands it to him. The pup stays tucked under his arm while he tells it about his day.
The Stretch Armstrong Mini hands a fidgety five-year-old a stretchy figure to pull and twist.
His fingers are always busy with something, so a toy made for tugging gives them a job. In the back seat on the way to visit family, he can pull its arms wide to see how far they reach.
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Dinosaur-loving kindergartners get a picture book from National Geographic Kids to read over the holidays.
He can sound out the names with a parent, then quiz the grown-ups on them. It earns a spot on the shelf beside his toy figures.
Holiday rhymes come alive in this Seuss story about the Grinch for a lively little boy.
He joins in with the lines while a parent reads by the fire. By Christmas Eve, he can recite whole pages.
Pizza and Taco: Who's the Best? puts silly food characters and comic panels in a five-year-old's Christmas stocking.
The publisher rates it for ages 5 to 8, so he starts right at the opening of that range. A parent can read the speech bubbles aloud while he follows each panel.
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VehiclesAges 5+
117 pieces (Playmobil) · set 71149
German brand
This Playmobil rescue helicopter has a working winch, lights and sound, so a kindergartner can lift cargo and crew in his pretend missions.
He hooks a load to the chains, then lowers it to the rug. The 117 pieces keep each rescue different.
VehiclesAges 3+
American brand
This wooden school bus comes with play figures and a working door, so a five-year-old can run his own morning route.
He loads the passengers one at a time, then drops them off at the rug.
Outdoor and sports
Wiggly all afternoon?
Here's a seat where bouncing is allowed. He can ride this hopper in laps around the playroom, then take it out to the backyard to see how far he can hop in one go.
Outdoor and sports
A hard stomp on the pad and the launch is airborne, so a kindergartner runs this backyard show alone.
He calls the countdown, then a sibling gets the next turn.
Home
During a long car ride, a five-year-old who quotes Shrek nonstop can squeeze the movie's star on his lap.
Those lines live in his head, and a pillow version of the character gives him a soft audience for them.
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The KerPlunk tabletop game turns on careful, steady-handed moves, with the tension building until somebody makes the move that ends the round, while the Hasbro Gaming ice game has everyone take turns around a mammoth trying not to be the player who breaks the ice. Each is pitched at a kindergartner who wants a real seat beside the grown-ups rather than a watered-down version kept just for him.
A boy who draws before dinner gets a guessing game out of the Silly Scents marker set: each marker carries its own smell, so he can hand you the caps to sniff and name, then draw with whichever stumped you, and the washable ink helps when the game lands on his nose.
The Drill and Learn toolbox puts a toy drill with electronic learning play into his own hands, so when a cabinet door squeaks he can pull out a tool and get to work beside you on the make-believe repair.
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