The Best Toys For 5-Year-Old Boys

Kindergarten-age boys are often bouncy, energetic, inquisitive, and eager to learn. They need fun play outlets for all that spunk, so, what toys will delight, entertain, and even teach your 5-year-old boy? Dinosaurs and cars are a good bet, but overall, the best toys for 5-year-old boys provide enjoyment, learning, and of course, safety.

The best toys for 5-year-old boys should stimulate the child’s mind, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) toys have been especially popular in recent years, says Marisa LaScala, senior parenting and relationships editor for Good Housekeeping magazine.

“We have seen some trends,” LaScala says. “We started to see during the pandemic a big resurgence in toys that fostered learning … especially in the STEM area.”

Experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Parenting Lab tested many toys and gifts for safety and solid construction, and then passed them on to 5-year-old boys to test and approve. The GHI testers would drop them to see if they broke easily, and evaluate the toys for ease of use and durability. Several boys then played with each approved toy and came up with a list of the best toys and gifts for 5-year-old boys.

The good news is that at this age, boys are able to play with toys marked as a choking hazard for toddlers. Plus, by age 5, kids have better fine motor skills and can handle more complex toys than those toys meant for toddlers, LaScala says. They also are more capable of group play with their peers, and they are starting to show more individual interests, like in science and art. Parents and caregivers should tailor their toy choices to their son’s personal interests.

We searched for cool toys and these are our suggestions for the best gifts for your inquisitive, energetic 5-year-old boy.

Puzzle For 5-Year-Old Boys

This cool puzzle, which has an age range starting at 5 and will provide a fun challenge for your boy, made the Good Housekeeping list. The Upbounders The Fun Shop Look & See 72-Piece Search and Find Puzzle offers a fun, multicultural activity where kids will find and identify items throughout the illustration of a toy store.

Dinosaur Toys For 5-Year-Old Boys

Dinosaurs are a big hit with young boys, so any list of the best toys for 5-year-old boys would be remiss without a few prehistoric reptiles. Look at this Floss & Rock Dino Playbox, which is bit of a dinosaur dollhouse. Kids can play with dinosaur figurines and place them in several jungle “rooms,” all in a portable box with a carry handle to take to the grandparents’ house.

For Jurassic-themed creative toys a 5-year-old boy would love, check out Maisonette’s awesome dinosaur puzzles. There is the Floss & Rock Dino 50pc Magic Moving Puzzle, where kids assemble the pieces and then delight in watching the images that appear on a lenticular finish like swinging fairies and jumping unicorns. Another cool dinosaur gift is the Floss & Rock Dino Floor Puzzle, which includes 16 pop-up characters.

Star Wars Toys

Little boys usually love all things “Star Wars,” and the series’ quirky and mighty characters. Check out the line of LEGO brand plush characters, like The Child, Darth Vader, and R2-D2.

The Best Educational Toy For 5-Year-Old Boys

A kindergarten teacher and father of a young boy enthusiastically endorses Magna-Tiles collections, where kids use magnetized tile pieces to build cute things. Many colorful and creative themed kits are on the market, including Magna-Tiles Arctic Animals 25 Piece Set, and Magna-Tiles Jungle Animals 25 Piece Set.

Classic Building Toys For 5-Year-Old Boys

The best toys for 5-year-old boys list must include a classic favorite we loved as kids decades ago: all things LEGO. The plastic building blocks, which stimulate creativity and teach engineering skills, hurt when we step on stray pieces, but they provide kids hours of entertainment. So, check out cute LEGO sets where your boy can make fish and boats, and make sure he picks up all the pieces when finished. And give him a handy KidKraft Building Bricks Play N Store Table, where he can spend hours building with friends.

Best Creative Toy For 5-Year-Old Boys

Introduce your 5-year-old son to the popular joy of folding paper creatively with Open the Joy Origami Bag: Nurture Mindfulness. With this cute set, kids can learn the art of origami in three different sizes and six different colors. This activity is said to help increase a child’s attention span, which is very short at the kindergarten age.

A Kit For Budding Magicians

Abracadabra! A 5-year-old boy can indulge the fantasy of being a magician with Open the Joy Magic Kit: Build Confidence. Through an illustrated, step-by-step guide, he can learn some easy but Mom-wowing magic tricks that professionals do.

The Cutest Vehicles

Boys love playing with cars. Candylab Toys has a line of wooden toy food trucks, where kids can play with the little vehicle and fantasize about their favorite yummy treats. There is the Ice Cream Van, the Hot Dog Van and the Taco Van. (And treat your son to the real food sometimes after a play session.)

Best Train Tracks

Kids love toy trains, but 5-year-olds are a bit young for the kind of set adults have. Check out this two-for-one hit, with both dinosaurs and cars: KidKraft Adventure Tracks: Dino World Volcano Escape. He can pretend to race the little car along the tr ack away from lava and across the Bronto Bridge.