Six-year-olds are a laugh a minute. As they move from kindergarten to first grade, the best toys and gifts for 6-year-olds capture their sense of humor and fair play and teach them the art of working together.
“Children at this age are typically very social and aware of rules and fairness. And they are curious about how things work,” says Marie Conti, head of The Wetherill School in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, and a board member of the American Montessori Society.
Based on that insight, we have rounded up the best kids' stocking stuffers and gifts for 6-year-olds below. There's something for every type of kid from the sports lover to the crafty one.
Stocking stuffers for 6-year-olds
These silicone popping toys are all the rage at schools — and the good news is, they’re also a great stress reliever and especially helpful for a fidgety 6-year-old.
One cube, endless shapes! This customizable fidget toy can be shaped and shifted in tons of ways thanks to the 64 magnets built into it. Bonus: It also glows in the dark!
One of the season's hottest new releases in the fidget realm is this collection of clickety, clackety keyboard keys available in dozens of different styles and characters. If your child prefers the full keyboard experience, Clickeez has them covered with an ultimate starter set, too.
These aren’t just your ordinary plush toys. Inside each is an assortment of letters and symbols that your little ones will be entertained trying to find. “These are adorable and my daughter loves them! I’ll totally play with them too!!” raves one five-star reviewer.
Educational toys for 6-year-olds
Science kits like this are a great option for 6-year-olds, says child development specialist Tovah Klein, the author of “How Toddlers Thrive.” This highly-rated terrarium kit introduces them to the fundamentals of what it takes to grow and nurture an ecosystem.
Make your own gummy candies with this science experiment that turns into a yummy snack, with fruit punch and tropical pineapple flavors. Kids learn about luminescence and create candies that glow in the dark under an included black light.
Smartivity makes some of our favorite screen-free toys, and this realistic-looking rocket launcher is high on our wish lists this year. With easy-to-follow instructions (including video), all of the materials they need and ideas for other experiments beyond the main event, this STEAM kit makes for a great introduction to fundamental engineering concepts.
The budding astronaut can construct a model of the solar system that spins, plus launch a pair of orbiter spaceships using pumps. They’ll also learn about the history of space exploration and fun facts about astronaut training.
This build-your-own track combines the excitement of a racetrack with the creative engineering challenge of a marble run that lets them create their own course. It includes a launcher, swoops and a loop-de-loop.
Classic dominoes let a child be the engineer for an epic chain reaction. Setting up their own designs can be hours of fun.
Board games and puzzles for 6-year-olds
Conti says this is a classic board game for 6-year-olds — plus it’s fun for the whole family. Make your way across the board with lots of jumping and bumping to keep it lively.
This clever game has two sets of questions — one for kids and one for parents — with fun challenges mixed in. Teams set their own stakes, such as an extra dessert if the kids win or a completed chore if Mom and Dad take the prize.
Does your 6-year-old already have a competitive side? Spoons will surely bring it out, if so. With five spoons, and a regular deck of cards, you’ll have everything you need for a little healthy competition during family game night.
For the adventurer curious about what else is out there, this challenging glow-in-the-dark jigsaw serves as an enticing sneak peek into all kinds of space wonders.
Practice counting and sorting with a fun, fast-paced game that distracts from the fact that they’re learning. Two to four players roll their set of dice and keep doing so until you collect the same of every number.
Plus Plus building toys are smaller than the familiar Lego brick and allow building in a new way. This set becomes a puzzle and artwork suitable for hanging on the wall.
This glow-in-the-dark puzzle has over 100 pieces, a nice challenge for a 6-year-old. They’ll get a feeling of satisfaction when they turn out the lights to see the finished product glow!
Sporting equipment is great for motor skills and a 6-year-old’s love of competition. This over-the-door basketball hoop brings the game down to size so they can make a shot, if not quite dunk.
Learn to play chess with this set that weaves strategy with storytelling. Each chess piece has its own story to help teach the concepts of chess.
Arts and crafts kits for 6-year-olds
This bestselling art kit will keep the 6-year-old in your life mesmerized for hours. With over 5,300 verified five-star ratings, it comes with a design tray, five different paint colors, 10 art sheets and more.
Colorful pens and pencils are always a great gift for creative minds and budding artists. This pencil set is extra sweet, thanks to their scents inspired by popular treats. From marshmallows to donuts, they make doing homework and drawing in notepads a lot more fun.
If your 6-year-old prefers writing and doodling with ink instead of pencils, these glitter gel pens will be a great addition to their collection. Sold in a pack of 12, each is individually fruit-scented for extra delicious drawings.
Slime gets a satisfying texture update in this easy, Gifts We Love award-winning kit that combines chemistry with fine motor skills. This Elmer's set includes mix-ins that make it fluffy and shimmery!
This fun kit teaches paper airplane folding with the colorful paper included, and you can use the instructions with your child’s own designs. “We had my 6-year-old grandson visit for 5 days. I bought several activities for us to do while he was here. This was by far the thing he enjoyed doing most! This kit is amazing!” raves one verified five-star reviewer.
Gift them with everything they need to make basic friendship bracelets, including 10 spools of string, guided instructions for multiple patterns and a dedicated spot to craft.
Keep your 6-year-old occupied with a clay set that includes sculpting tools as well as 36 different colors, for endless creations and experiments. This easy-to-use kit will help them practice patience, as they wait for their sculptures to air dry.
This drawing tablet is a reusable canvas with the high-tech look of an iPad. Kids can make art with the included gel markers or remove the front and use the light-up background for tracing familiar characters or designs. Pens get tucked inside to keep the whole kit together.
Deputy managing editor editor Jess Bender says she’s gifting this to her nephew. “My brother-in-law wants him to be more in touch with his artistic side,” she says. “This comes with an interactive app to craft a lot of cool clay figures.”
Whether they’re looking for an activity to complete poolside or you have a beach vacation planned for this summer that you want to get them excited for, this coastal-themed bead set allows them to craft one necklace or two bracelets.
If they're still trying to figure out which crafts they most gravitate towards, they can use this "limitless" 1,000-piece library to guide them in the right direction while further teaching them the concept of open-ended play. "My daughter has found endless reasons to return to this kit," says Shop TODAY editor Rebecca Brown. "I love how many compartments there are, too."
Books for 6-year-olds
For the 6-year-old who has taken an interest in reading and wants to venture into their first chapter books, Junie B. Jones has been captivating audiences since 1992.
Re-issued as part of Scholastic’s Acorn line for emerging readers, this tale from “Captain Underpants” and “Dog Man” creator Dav Pilkey could ignite years of fandom. There are more dragon books in the series, and the whole Acorn line is worth discovering.
From the creator of the beloved “Narwhal and Jelly” series comes a new graphic novel chapter book series about a mutant potato with an outsized sense of confidence, his grumpy brother and small-potato sister.
There’s no one in the world exactly like you, and what a wonderful thing to celebrate. This is a book of affirmations, with a helpful author’s note on “I am” meditations.
In this follow-up to “The Most Magnificent Thing,” a girl who loves making things runs out of ideas. Her journey to come up with something new will promote growth mindset when your little maker feels stuck.
This picture book shows in a child-friendly way what it’s like to move to a new place where you don’t understand what people are saying — and how to break past that barrier to friendship. It will inspire empathy for any 6-year-old.
This jewel box of a book is a lyrical list of things that are big, small, and in between — like the caterpillar that once was an egg but will soon fly. Its small details create a big picture of the world for the curious 6-year-old.
When Louis’ grandma says there are enough dogs in the neighborhood, he begins his own doggy census to prove her wrong. It celebrates the love of dogs and grandparents alike.
There’s no better way to get them into reading chapter books than with a classic like Amelia Bedelia! Each book features short, fast-paced chapters, funny characters and black and white illustrations on each page to help keep them engaged.
How do we find courage? A paper bag over the head might not seem like the best approach, but it helps one little girl (and one little bear) find a way to overcome their fears in this sweet book that might encourage young readers to do the same.
Rabbit wants to find a gift for his Nana and starts a quest to find something extra-special. He’ll consult the moon and a volcano on the way to finding just the right thing.
Other gifts for 6-year-olds
These walkie-talkies are perfect for the social play that 6-year-olds crave. The gizmos let them run around and scheme together at the same time.
American Girl dolls have delivered millions of smiles during the holidays across generations, and this year's Girl of the Year should continue that joy streak. Raquel Reyes (the great-great granddaughter of Samantha Parkington) has tons of interests and hobbies that take up much of her time, from playing with her cousins to learning how to be a DJ to taste-testing paletas!
What do 6-year-olds like to do?
They’re beginning to unleash an exciting superpower: reading. Emerging readers will appreciate building their skills with a mix of picture books, funny graphic novels, easy readers and longer chapter books that parents can read at night.
“When they’re beginning to learn to read, we really want all reading to be affirming for them,” says Nina Lindsay, president of the Association for Library Service to Children. That means the best books for 6-year-olds let them follow their interests, whether they’re drawn to picture books or comics.
Meet the experts
- Marie Conti is Director of Regional Community Relations for American Montessori Society. She was the former head of The Wetherill School in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. Conti is based in Greater Philadelphia.
- Nina Lindsay is a former president of the Association for Library Service to Children.
- Tovah Klein is an adjunct associate professor and the director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development.
Don’t forget to check out Shop TODAY’s other gift guides to find the perfect present for every kid on your list including babies, 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds and 10-year-olds.
