Building & Playsets

The 56 Best Toys for 6-Year-Olds

The 56 Best Toys for 6-Year-Olds

As the parent of a 6-year-old, I love how independent my daughter is these days. She’s forming her own social groups and enjoys doing more things independently, yet is still firmly in the world of make-believe and pretend play. 

If you’re shopping for toys for a 6-year-old, it’s understandable that you want to avoid video games or screen-based activities in favor of a real-world toy that’s more engaging. Toys for 6-year-olds should be something they can manage independently without struggling. Yet, they should also be challenging and stimulating enough to hold their attention and cater to their interests if possible. 

To help find those toys you’ll both love, we interviewed child development experts and surveyed 774 parents and 101 members of our staff about their favorite toys. With their expertise and insights in mind, we created this list of the best toys for 6-year-olds that are age-appropriate, screen-free, and won’t get abandoned 10 minutes after they open the box. 

Our Favorites

Arts and Crafts for 6 Year-Olds 

You really can’t go wrong with basic arts and crafts for any age, but 6-year-olds in particular can be the ideal age for crafty gifting. This age group has the dexterity and maturity to handle slightly more advanced crafts like a jewelry-making kit—but they’re still young enough to enjoy the simple fun of coloring and scribbling. 

STEM and Tech Toys for 6-Year-Olds

STEM toys are designed to combine the educational components of science, technology, engineering, and math. They’re helpful for all ages, but 6-year-olds especially can get a kick out of everything from puzzles to STEM-focused games. And if you have a budding coder on your hands, we’re especially fond of this screen-free coder starter kit that introduces the concepts of coding but doesn’t require a computer.

Pretend Play Toys for 6-Year-Olds

Technology may have its place, but good old-fashioned pretend play is the foundation for creativity and learning for 6-year-olds. Everything from Gabby’s Dollhouse toys to gymnast-themed Barbie sets will send kindergarteners’ imaginations soaring. Allowing kids free time to indulge in pretend play has many benefits, from building their creativity and independence to teaching skills like emotional regulation. 

Building Toys for 6-Year-Olds

We’ve rounded up a mix of different building toys that will appeal to all 6-year-olds, including a Playmobile Pirate set that can be enjoyed both during building and after, as kids play with the included characters. We also like building toys that can be used on the go, like these travel-sized Magna-Tiles. (Just be sure to keep them away from young kids, as they are smaller-sized magnetic tiles.)

Sensory and Social-Emotional Learning Toys for 6-Year-Olds

Sensory toys can help children regulate their emotions and manage sensory overload. For instance, sensory toys can expose your kids to different textures, boost motor and brain development, and inspire creativity. If you’re okay with Play-Doh in the house, your 6-year-old will delight in whipping up a batch of pretend cupcakes or cookies for you (pro tip: if you have multiple kids, a Play-Doh “baking competition” is always a fun way to spend an afternoon!).

Sports and Outdoor Toys for 6-Year-Olds

I personally love it when people buy my kids outdoor and sports-related toys because they feel like a gift to me as well—I so appreciate anything that gets my kids outdoors and moving more. If you have a big birthday or special occasion coming up, a new Radio Flyer bike might be the ideal gift, while a smaller occasion may call for some light-up rockets that will soar in the sky.

Puzzles and Board Games for 6-Year-Olds

Board games and puzzles can be a simple way to get the whole family to spend time together. Your 6-year-old will enjoy leading a rousing game of Uno No Mercy or bringing a version of Connect Four to life in a reimagined way. Whatever game you play, the benefits of bonding as a family will be the real win.

Our Review Process

To create our list of the best toys for 6-year-olds, we started by surveying 774 parents and 101 Parents staffers to learn more about their children’s favorite toys. We also queried our editors who spend all year learning about the latest releases from major and independent toy brands. In speaking to both parents and experts, we dug deep to discover what the kids liked about the toys, focusing on these specific features:

  • Longevity: Once the initial excitement wore off, did the toy feature longevity? Did they find new and surprising ways to play with these toys? 
  • Assembly: Were the toys easy for caregivers to put together? 
  • Independence: Could kids manage the toys independently or did caregivers have to constantly intervene?
  • Value: Were the toys worth their cost?

Our Experts

We consulted with these healthcare professionals about how to shop for the best toys for 6-year-olds:

  • LeMeita Smith, PhD, LPC, NCC, a psychological advisor at Tarotoo and director of clinical services at United Health Services 
  • Reena B. Patel, parenting expert, positive psychologist, and licensed board-certified behavior analyst
  • Lyndsey R. Garbi, MD, pediatrician, co-founder and chief medical officer of Blueberry Pediatrics, and member of the Parents Review Board

How to Choose the Best Toys for 6-Year-Olds

Picking a toy that puts a smile on your child’s face and makes you happy in the process doesn’t have to be difficult. Choosing the best toy for a 6-year-old can be as simple as picking up something that caters to their interests. But if you need some help choosing a toy for your favorite 6-year-old, here are a few factors to keep in mind.

  • Developmental Milestones: 6-year-olds are just entering middle childhood, a developmental period between the ages of 6 and 8. During this stage, children need more support and encouragement to navigate a much larger world than in previous years. Dr. Garbi recommends allowing 6-year-olds to create their own activities and use their imagination as a way to foster their mental development.
  • Age Recommendations: Toy makers list age guidelines for a reason and experts recommend following them, even if the 6-year-old in your life is particularly mature or smart. Dr. Garbi advises people to choose a toy that is age-appropriate “so it remains fun to accomplish the end goal.” 
  • Interests: It’s okay to occasionally introduce a toy outside of your child’s general interests. But to ensure longevity, consider what holds their attention the longest and shop accordingly. Also, don’t feel bound by rigid gender stereotypes. If a girl loves building toys and abandons baby dolls, buying her dolls because you want her to play with them is going to lead to frustration on both sides. Consider the messages you’re sending about gender norms with every gift you purchase for a child.
  • Safety: For this age range, avoid toys with sharp edges or hinges that can create pinch points. Also avoid toys that encourage aggressive behavior, which Smith says can negatively “impact a child’s social and emotional development…Instead look for toys that encourage cooperation, problem-solving, and positive social interactions.”
  • Educational Value: Learning through play is still paramount for this age group—especially for educational concepts like STEAM. Toys like the Ravensburger Gravitrax Starter Set Marble Run or the Magic Mixies Pixlings dolls are incredibly creative and immersive, giving children a beginner lesson in engineering and chemistry respectively. “Toys that can guide them through a building process, and require thought and motor skills are excellent,” Dr. Garbi says. Toys that encourage problem-solving, strategy, and deductive reasoning without stress are ideal for this goal.
  • Cost: To get the most value for your money, look for durable construction and options that are most aligned with their child’s interests. Often, toys that can be played with in multiple configurations such as marble runs or building toys, as well as those that encourage pretend play or require a certain degree of skill to master, tend to have the most staying power. 

Who We Are

Dorian Smith-Garcia is a health and parenting writer at Parents and a mom of one 6-year-old daughter. She’s a big fan of gender-neutral toys since her daughter loves building sets, food toy sets, and arts and crafts. While her daughter loves all things Gabby’s Dollhouse, she still hasn’t really embraced traditional dolls, no matter how many Barbies her grandparents send her.

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