At six, many children can read books made for their age on their own. That first taste of independent reading is worth feeding with stories she picks herself.
Many also like to paint and draw, so an art kit makes a nice partner gift, and you can browse our picks for a six-year-old girl below.
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Arts and craftsOur proven pick for this list
The Creativity for Kids Mini Garden lets her plant a little undersea world for her bedroom windowsill.
Living plants need regular watering, so plan on gentle reminders for a while.
Games and puzzles
American brand
Shaky hands set off the buzzer in Operation, where the job is lifting tiny pieces out of the patient with tweezers.
Because a calm touch matters more than reading or strategy, she can face the grown-ups on equal terms.
Arts and crafts
Fashion Angels stickers match a young artist whose drawings always need more characters than her markers can keep up with.
Pressing a design onto paper is quick, so busy scenes come together while the story is fresh in her head. Her finished picture story, stapled into a homemade book, ends up on the fridge door.
American brand
Each customer in her chair gets greeted, fussed over and styled with the pretend tools in this Melissa & Doug salon set.
Dad makes a willing first client, since he gets to keep every hair on his head.
Arts and crafts
American brand
Lines glow the moment she draws them on this Crayola light board, and the effect is strongest with the room lights turned low.
Crayons and paper are easy to come by in most homes; a lit drawing board is the piece of her art corner that's still missing.
Building setsAges 6+
99 pieces · set 21266
Danish brand
The Nether she explores on screen turns into bricks she can hold, with Alex taking on a Blaze and a Wither Skeleton in a lava fight while a Strider wanders nearby.
After the build, her latest in-game battle can play out again and again with real pieces.
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Her own gem-pressed decorations go up on the tree with this Creativity for Kids holiday kit.
Loose gems scatter easily, so a tray on the table saves a hunt under the couch.
Ages 5+
American brand
Sticker by sticker, the butterfly's wings fill in with color, and the finished piece glows once it goes up on a sunny window.
More than 140 stickers come in the kit, and with nothing to mix or wait to dry, she can see the project through by herself.
This glow-in-the-dark paint set for rocks gives a girl turning 6 her own stones to decorate.
Her moons and monsters look different once the lights go out. Afterward she can line the finished rocks along a windowsill.
Ages 3+
American brand
Melissa & Doug's Sticker Wow! fits a six-year-old who decorates every birthday card and envelope before it leaves the house.
Each quick press from the unicorn drops decoration where she wants it, so no fiddly peeling holds up her ideas. The stamper sits on her desk between batches of party invitations, waiting for the next envelope.
The lock on the Peaceable Kingdom Keep Out diary keeps big-sister eyes away from her drawings.
Early writers may fill more pages with pictures than words, which works just as well.
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Pokémon she knows by name become clues in this 100-piece Buffalo Games puzzle, where one ear or tail on a piece tells her where it fits.
The art shows a festive Kanto scene, and a poster of the full picture comes in the box to check against.
American brand
Restaurant waits get quieter when this Educational Insights puzzle comes out of her bag.
Educational Insights recommends it for ages 4 to 7, so a puzzle-loving six-year-old may outgrow it soon.
Ages 6+
German brand
This Ravensburger Zootopia puzzle hands a six-year-old movie fan a scene to put together herself.
The maker rates it for ages six and up, so she can finish it without help. Afterward, the completed picture can stay on the coffee table for the whole family to see.
Slamwich gives a 6-year-old with sharp eyes a card game she can play with her big brother.
She keeps her eyes on the pile and moves fast when her chance comes.
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Ages 6+
475 pieces · set 42684
Danish brand
This LEGO Friends Unicorn Dream Café comes with 3 minidolls, Paisley, Aliya and Iza, to serve in the café she builds.
The 475 pieces make a longer project for a 6-year-old who likes a big build. Afterward she can run the counter and take orders from her toys.
Ages 5+
148 pieces · set 60402
Danish brand
When the six-year-old you're choosing for races toy cars across the rug, this LEGO City monster truck is one she builds herself.
With 148 pieces, the assembly fits her patience, and her Race Driver minifigure soon takes the controls. Her finished vehicle ends up parked at the rug's edge, ready for the next pileup.
American brand
This Learning Resources set gives a 6-year-old builder machines she plans and sets in motion herself.
She stretches her builds across the playroom floor and checks which way each piece turns.
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Ages 3+
Dennis the Wolf, a Minecraft plush from Mattel, gives a young fan of the game a wolf to cuddle and look after.
A creature from the game she talks about all day becomes one she can care for, and a paper collar she colors for him makes a good first accessory.
Glinda steps out of Wicked and into her living room shows with this Mattel fashion doll.
It is a movie tie-in, so it lands best if she has already seen Wicked.
Ages 3+
American brand
Chelsea's pop-up house gives a 6-year-old a home to furnish and run.
It is labeled for ages 3 and up, so she has room to play. She sets up a bedroom, then moves her doll to another room.
Ages 4+
592 pieces (Playmobil) · set 70205
German brand
Playmobil's big dollhouse gives a 6-year-old who loves home play a house to furnish room by room.
The maker lists it for ages 4 and up, so it is within her reach. She can set up a kitchen, then act out a family dinner.
German brand
This Braun hairdressing set gives a 6-year-old stylist a toy hairdryer, brush and clips for her own salon.
She can set up a chair by the mirror, fix a doll's hair and then style a parent's.
Mattel's Disney Princess dolls give a six-year-old storyteller a whole royal cast to play with.
Each princess has a movie-style outfit with a skirt or pants that comes off, so she can restyle them. On a rainy afternoon, she might line them up for a royal party.
An Elsa doll head from Disney's Frozen hands a six-year-old fan her favorite character's hair to style.
She knows Elsa's look from watching, so she can copy it, then brush it out and start fresh. On a rainy afternoon, the coffee table becomes her salon, with Elsa waiting in the client's chair.
Ages 3 to 8
German brand
Schleich's Farm World stable gives a 6-year-old a barn full of horse play.
The maker lists it for ages 3 to 8, so it fits her age. She can set up the stalls and plan the day for each pony.
This weighted plush sloth gives a 6-year-old a big, heavy cuddle buddy with long arms that wrap around her.
She can curl up with it during a movie night. A carry bag comes with it, so it stays tidy between hugs.
This Calico Critters van adds a summer treat stand to a 6-year-old's collection of animal families.
She drives it from house to house, taking orders from each family along the way.
Ages 5+
40 pieces (Playmobil) · set 71374
German brand
Runway day comes to her bedroom floor with this Playmobil Color fashion design set.
Small accessories can roll away under furniture, so a lidded box keeps the whole set together.
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A sibling duel in the backyard gets proper gear with this Franklin Sports Nerf fencing set.
It needs a partner to play, so it works best with a sibling or friend around.
This portable basketball hoop gives a 6-year-old who loves shooting baskets a hoop of her own at home.
The height adjusts, so the rim starts low and rises as she grows. She can roll it out to the driveway and take her turns.
Micro's Maxi kick scooter gives a girl at 6 a ride she powers with her own foot.
She pushes off, coasts and picks her own route down the sidewalk. A lap around the block before dinner is an easy way to start.
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American brand
Botley gives a 6-year-old puzzle fan a robot she steers with a plan of her own.
Learning Resources rates it for ages 5 and up, so she starts with simple routes. She lays out a path with toy blocks in the hallway and sees whether Botley reaches the end.
Ages 5 to 10
German brand
Garden beetles get a close-up under this HABA magnifier on an afternoon outside.
Bugs rarely sit still for long, so expect plenty of patient chasing before each good close look.
Mudpuppy's Unicorn Dig! gives a 6-year-old with a sparkly-everything streak a chipping project to share with a grown-up.
They take turns scraping away at it, guessing how close the prize is.
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A six-year-old with a new why every few minutes gets her own question-and-answer book from National Geographic Kids.
The publisher rates it for ages 3 to 7, so it sits well within her reach. At bedtime, she can pick a page and hear the answer read aloud by a parent.
The Day the Crayons Quit hands a crayon-loving six-year-old a funny picture book to read beside her drawings.
She can read it aloud to a parent at the kitchen table, then reach for her own crayons.
Pizza and Taco: Who's the Best? gives a comic-loving six-year-old a graphic novel to read on her own.
The publisher rates it for ages 5 to 8, which matches where she is now. After school, she can curl up on the couch and read it straight through.
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Vehicles
This remote-controlled car turns into a robot at the press of a button, and it suits a 6-year-old who likes to steer.
She can drive it down the hallway, switch forms and send the robot off to explore.
Electronics
Borrowed phones go back to their owners once a six-year-old photographer has the VTech KidiZoom Duo FX camera.
She frames her own pictures of the dog and her toys instead of waiting for a turn. At the park, she snaps the slide from the top, then looks back over her shots.
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Yes. The Melissa & Doug sun catcher has nothing to mix and nothing that needs drying, so she presses the stickers into the butterfly's wings and hangs the finished piece in a sunny window without help. The Zootopia 2 jigsaw puzzle is rated by its maker for her age, so she can piece the movie scene together on her own and leave it out on the table for the family to admire.
A girl who brushes and braids everything within reach gets Elsa's own hair to work on with the Frozen Elsa doll head: she copies the look she knows from the movie, brushes it out and starts fresh at the coffee table. If she would rather run the whole shop, the Melissa & Doug salon set lets her greet each customer, fuss over them and style dolls, friends or a willing dad with the pretend tools.
The Nerf fencing swords are made for head-to-head duels, so they work best when a sibling or friend is around to square off and parry against in the backyard. The Operation board game is the pick for a family table: lifting tiny pieces out of the patient with tweezers calls for a steady hand rather than reading or strategy, so she takes on the adults on equal terms.
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Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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