13 Better Toys & Gifts for 5 Year Old Boys

By the time most little boys reach the age of 5 they are ready to begin formal schooling. Their fine motor skills have improved a good deal, they are beginning to read and write and are being introduced to a lot of new things.

With so many new things in your child’s life that they need to absorb, playtime should be fun and allow your son to relax and have fun. In this list we have selected some premium and highly rated toys for 5 year old boys that they will truly enjoy and allow them to express themselves through play.

In a Rush? See Our Top 3 Picks Just Below

Top Pick: Hot Wheels Race Track

Runner Up: Razor Kick Scooter

2nd Runner Up: Lego City Fire Station

Our Criteria for Choosing The Best Toys and Gifts for Five Year Old Boys

If you are like most shoppers you want to want what criteria we use when choosing toys and gifts for your child. We actually try to keep things simple and have just two criteria for determining which toys and gifts makes our list. These two criteria are:

Educational Value

The first thing we look at is the educational value of the toy. This includes the toy’s ability to aid a child’s physical, mental and emotional development. We look for toys that help a child develop their fine and gross motor skills as well as their hand/eye coordination. In addition, we try to choose toys that help a child develop their reasoning, problem solving, and organizational skills as well as encouraging their creativity and imagination.

Entertainment Value

We also look at the entertainment value of each toy we select including the toy’s ability to hold the child’s attention, its versatility to be used in more than one and the durability of each toy. We also look at the elusive “fun factor” that makes a child want to play with one toy over another in their toy box.

The Best Gift Ideas & Toys for 5 Year Old Boys List

1. Hot Wheels Corkscrew Race Track

Race cars and tracks are often a much wished for birthday or Christmas gift for young boys and this fun corkscrew race track will provide them hours of fun. This Hot Wheels Race Track has three loops and 3 crash zones along with high powered boosters to help get the car with the loops without crashing. This set will connect to other hot wheels sets for even more exciting fun.

This race track will help the child work on their problem solving skills and allow for all types of imaginative play.

Positives

Tracks are nice and stable

Kids love watching cars race around the track

Negatives

Some problems with the car launcher

2. A Marble Run

Marble runs make great Christmas or 5th birthday presents providing not just a few hours of fun, but years of fun. The Hape Quadrilla wooden marble run is built for years and years of use. The run can be built in a variety of different ways, limited only by the child’s imagination. There are seven different colored blocks with each block serving a different function.

This marble run helps to teach kids code and STEM principles in a fun way. It helps children develop spatial thinking while aiding in the development of fine motor skills.

Positives

Great quality

Everything fits together well

Negatives

Falls own if bumped

3. Stencil Set

If you are looking for a gift for a young boy that will encourage creativity then this 54-piece stencil set is ideal. There are over 300 shapes that include jungle animals, farm animals, sea animals, space, Christmas, dinosaurs, the alphabet and so much more. The set also comes with paper, color pencils, a sharpener, pen and a case for storing everything.

This stencil set will not only help the child improve their fine motor skills, but will also allow them to let their creative juices flow.

Positives

Great storage case

Stencils are quite sturdy

Negatives

Some of the areas in the stencils are extremely small making them difficult to get the pencil in

4. Lego City Fire Station

This Lego City Fire Station will make a great Christmas or birthday present for any boy age 5 on your shopping list. Kids will love building a 3 level fire station and then making up rescue adventures. This 509 piece fire station has a scout tower, separate garage, off road truck, light and sound bricks, 4 mini figures, drone with actually spinning rotors, and a water scooter.

These blocks can be used with other Lego blocks and building sets for even more building fun and more adventures. The set will help children improve their hand/eye coordination, fine motor skills, and problems solving skills.

Positives

Step by step visual guide

Great for imaginative play

Negatives

Lots of tiny parts

5. Razor 2 Scooter

This Razor 2 scooter will make a great birthday or Christmas gift for a young boy. Made of quality aircraft grade aluminum This scooter has a T deck design and inline urethane wheels. It comes with an all new wheelie bar and rear fender brake.

This scooter is not only fun to ride but will help a child improve their gross motor skills, as well as balance. We do recommend that any child riding a scooter wear protective clothing.

Positives

Lightweight but sturdy

Easy to assemble

Negatives

Some users found their scooter broke after only a few months of use.

6. Arts and Craft Kit

Young children love being creative so giving them Christmas gifts that will allow their creativity to flow will make a great gift for any young kindergarten age boy on your shopping list. This Art and crafts box has over 200 craft pieces including clothes pins, pipe cleaners, felt circles, round wooden beads, craft sticks, google eyes and so much more.

This craft kit will allow any child to tackle a number of projects while helping them further develop their fine motor skills as well as problem solving skills.

Positives

Comes with an idea sheet to get the child started

Good quality materials

Negatives

Kids may need a little help getting started

7. Forts Building Set

This Fort building set makes a great gift for any child who wants to build their own private hideaway. This kit comes with 85 pieces in all including 54 sticks and 31 balls . The balls are the connectors into which the sticks fit allowing the child to design the building anyway they would like. Igloo, spaceship, castle, tent or sailing ship. Whatever their imagination allows.

This kit provides tons of fun for children and they can change the design whenever they want. It is great for helping children improve their spatial skills as well as problem solving skills. You do have to supply your own covering to make the fort complete.

Positives

Rods and balls are quite durable

Lots of pieces

Negatives

Not too easy to put together

8. Vtech Race and Learn

If you are looking for a great gift for a 5 year old then this Vtech Race and Learn will be a great hit. This toy features 9 race courses that your child can navigate pretending to drive a car, motorcycle or jet. Best of all while driving they will get to practice their letter and number recognition and be learning how to read and spell certain words. A fun and painless way for children to learn through play.

Positives

Well constructed

Helpful in learning to spell

Negatives

Screen is very small

9. Voice Remote Controlled Car

This realistic voice controlled car will be great fun for any young child and makes for a great birthday gift. It comes with 6 rechargeable bullets that the child can shoot by command and comes with a rechargeable battery and USB charger.

Positives

Easy for young children to control

Pretty durable

Negatives

So far there is nothing that parents dislike about this car

10. Flying Disc Launcher

This flying disc launcher is a fun outdoor toy for young kids because they can play alone or with someone else. The set comes with 2 launches and will fly about 100 feet in the air and then you can catch it when it comes back down. These launches take 6AA batteries.

Positives

Kids love seeing how high discs can fly

Discs are soft plastic

Negatives

Can get cut if you put your finger inside the launcher when launching

11. Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course Set

This Ninja Warrior Line is a great spring or summer birthday gift for the active young child. This line will help your child improve their gross motor skills and strength, balance and so much more. This line has rings, a rope ladder, monkey bars and a slackline kit. You will be able to watch the child’s confidence grow as they are able to navigate more and more of the line. Best of all this line has a user weight of 400 pounds so the entire family can play together

Positives

Can hang as many obstacles as you want

Line has room to add more accessories

Negatives

Must have trees to install this line

What Are Good Gifts to Get for a 5 Year Old Boy Who Has Everything?

You may find yourself in a situation where the 5 year old you want to give a gift too has too many toys. If you happen to find yourself in this type of situation then here are some alternate gifts you can consider.

1. A Child Size Desk

This child size desk has a sturdy metal frame and is made using MDF board. The top can be titled up to 40 degrees and has an anti-fall stopper to hold it in place. There is under the desk top storage in which the child can store paper, pencils, pencil sharpeners and more so that they have everything they need to complete their homework or draw.

Positives

Perfect size for young children

Looks great in a child’s room

Negatives

Some desks come with missing parts

2. Warm Winter Coat

A warm winter coat makes a great gift for young boys who like to spend time outside during the winter months. This coat is extremely warm and comfortable.

Positives

Nice variety of sizes

Super warm

Negatives

Zipper tends to break

Tips for Finding the Perfect Gift Idea for a 5 Year Old Boy

Consider the child’s growing interest both in toys and what he is learning in school.
Look for toys that will continue to help the child develop necessary skills at the age of 5 and beyond.
Make sure that some toys offer opportunities for open play and a chance to use their imagination.