Kindergartners have active minds and are constantly learning. The best gifts for them center around these two traits. But it’s easier said than done finding the perfect gift. You don’t want to miss the mark, missing out on that excited, little-kid smile when they tear through the colorful paper into the perfect gift. It’s also a major win when it’s educational.
But what do you get to get that huge grin? What gift is the right one? There’s a lot of toys, games and kits to go through and get lost in. To help get you started on what the best gift is, we’ve compiled the five best gifts for 5-year-olds. They won’t even realize they’re learning.
So here we go, in no specific order:
Codo the Programmable Robot Elephant
Bring home an elephant with an amazing set of tricks. Coming pre-assembled, you just need to add batteries and your little one can get started playing right away. The robot mimics the motions of a real elephant producing smiles all around. Your children will love the tricks, dance moves and interactive games Codo is loaded with. And with an easy-to-use remote that looks like a TV remote, they’ll have no trouble taking control.
This little elephant is an office favorite – it’s just so cute. The tricks are amazing and leave all who see it wondering how Codo can do it. The video just doesn’t do it justice.
Codo the Programmable Robot Elephant (#3157236)
Build Your Bubble Machine
Everyone loves bubbles. I will stand by this until the end. And this is a fun, safe way to use liquid bubbles to teach your little one about electrical circuits. Build and complete the circuit to assemble the machine and get it working. The machine won’t work until you have the circuit assembled correctly, so your child will be eager to show off what they built before they turn it on and start the bubble party.
There’s a reason that you can’t say the word bubbles and sound angry, and there’s a reason that I keep this machine on my desk: bubbles are tons of fun! The marketing manager had me build this so we could see how it works. And while I had a moment where I put something in the wrong place, it did give me a better look at how circuits worked. And once it was assembled, everyone in the department wanted to see the bubbles.
Build Your Own Bubble Machine (#3157329)
Chocolate Pen
This is a great family bonding moment. The pen does require a little trial and error and is best with adult supervision. I’ll be entirely honest, while your creations will be tasty, the early ones won’t be the prettiest or most detailed. I recommend grabbing some refills (#3157608) right away, but the pen also works with chocolate melts that you can buy at most grocery stores. Having extra chocolate on hand will help keep your family practicing.
Start simple, but the learning curve is a big part of the fun here as you learn to and eventually master this chocolate art. Even every failure and mistake will taste DELICIOUS.
A coworker actually bought a bunch of these pens to have a chocolate party with her sister and nieces. They all had so much fun and shared more than a few laughs. Some creations turned out a bit better than others, but every creation was delicious and none of them lasted past the afternoon.
Steve Spangler’s String Slime MEGA Kit
Slime has always been fun, but this is a stringy, new take perfect for your little ones. Produce over 120’ of colorful, fluorescent slime strings that are gooey on the inside.
It’s as weird and fun as it looks. As you help your kids, you’ll want to get involved too. You can’t help but pull on the slime strings, tear them apart and reseal them. Plus, it works in chemistry principles easy for kindergarteners to understand. They’ll explore chain reactions in a way they can understand.
And since there’s no glue or mixing, it’s not a big mess. My oldest sister has long since banned slime from her house due to the mess it makes, but this is my workaround. Minimal mess but all the possibilities. I’ve gotten my nieces and nephews to admit this is better than normal slime.
Steve Spangler’s String Slime MEGA Kit (#3157030)
Create Your Own Scratch Light Box
Another no mess but all the fun winner right here. This arts and crafts project produces 8 scratch off designs where your young one will input the details they imagine onto the premade design. They even get to completely scratch in their own design. They’ll be able to transform each design into a personalized masterpiece. When the design is complete, the box is reused to turn into the light-up box. Just pop the chosen design into the box and light it up!
The moment I got the information about this box, I knew I loved it. No matter what, you get a beautiful end product. It makes a great piece of décor or nightlight. Plus, you reuse the box – so less trash! The sample went home with the marketing manager and it was never seen again, so I take that as a good sign.
Create Your Own Scratch Light Box (#3157483)
The Final Run Down
Kids love fun and parents love to see them learning. All of these products combine that in some way. Whether you’re leaning toward robotics, cooking, crafting, chemistry or electricity, you’ll be able to find the perfect gift.
And if you’re stuck on what to get, remember, when in doubt, pick what you’ll have fun helping them with. That’s what I do.
If there’s something else you’re looking for, check out our gift guides for kids a little older at 8+.
