“100+ Best Educational Gift Ideas for 5-year-old boys” is the only gift guide you need to help find the perfect gift for your five-year-old.
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The best gifts are going to be interest-based depending on your child.
Little boys need productive, meaningful work to help occupy their minds, body, and hands.
The best toys for all children are open-ended, allowing the child to use their imagination with them.
Other things that make the best gifts involve an aspect of skill building, physical activity, hand-eye coordination, or facilitating a level of independence.
Looking for these qualities in Christmas gifts or for birthdays is key in choosing the best educational gifts.
I hope you find some inspiration for your gifts in this list of 100+ Best Educational Gift Ideas for 5-Year-Old Boys.
100+ Best Educational Gift Ideas for 5-Year-Old Boys
Puzzles
First, we have puzzles.
I Am puzzles– these puzzles are my 5-year-old son’s absolute favorite thing right now.
Sometimes my boys finish the same puzzle 3 times in one day.
These are the types of toys that make the best educational gift ideas for 5-year-old boys and toys I love to purchase for my children- the ones they play with for hours and come back to again and again.
The I Am puzzles have so many different animal puzzles to choose from that are perfect for the whole family to do together for some quality time or for young kids who are up for the challenge of a bigger puzzle.
If your five-year-old is not quite to the 100 puzzle piece level yet, Melissa and Doug make great floor puzzles with large pieces that my children love.
They have a wide variety of piece counts and themes, they are sure to have one your little boy will love.
This seems to be a good piece amount for my five-year-old but go with your child’s skill level.
The large pieces of floor puzzles are fantastic for little hands to put together.
These logic puzzles for littles are great for young minds.
Board Games
Next, we love board games.
These are tried and true board games in our home that our children love. I like knowing that they can take out these games and play well with their siblings without much parental involvement.
But these are also great for a family game night while you have some quality time and maybe some ice cream together.
(I cannot find this available except on eBay- so sorry!)
This game is wonderful because there are three different levels of play depending on the age of the child. If there is an older brother or older sister, they can play at the higher level while the little ones can enjoy the same game while playing the younger version. This game is a big hit in our house.
These bingo and matching games have many different variations and I love the illustrations. We like to stock our game cupboard with very fun, high-quality games. These make for the best family game nights.
This is another family favorite educational game. My children pull this one out to play together all the time. The rules, play, and clean up, are all super simple.
Games like these make the perfect kind of gift for children of all age groups.
This game may have a bit of a learning curve for a little one but I think it is straightforward enough that they will be able to enjoy it with an adult or older sibling and grow with the game as they age.
I like activities and games that help my child reach the next level and still be enjoyable for them as they stretch their capabilities.
STEM toys
Gifts that engage little minds make the best educational gift ideas for 5-year-old boys. Here are some of our favorites.
Building
We love Lego in our home. On some rainy days, you will find my children playing Lego all. day. long.
They like the sets that come with mini figures and enjoy building on building mats to save their creations for longer.
A box of basic blocks and a book to inspire some creation ideas is a recipe for fun masterpieces.
Magnetic tiles are a big hit in our home. From the littlest toddler to the big kids. I have found that the Magnatile brand and the Picasso Tile brand are compatible with each other.
The Picasso tiles are typically less expensive and they have some cool variations such as linking trains, a marble run, as well as a track set.
These open-ended toys make great gifts for older kids and young children alike. Perfect gift for five-year-olds.
Geography
A globe paired with some books on geography can make a great gift and spark a new interest in other areas of the world.
Science
We were gifted a Kiwico subscription last year for Christmas and the children enjoyed putting together the STEM activities. These kits are perfect to pull out on a rainy day.
If you are not wanting extra toy clutter, the great thing about these boxes is that once you are finished and the interest has worn off, the kits can be disposed of and not contribute to the clutter.
My husband is an avid rock hound. His interest has sparked new interest in my children. They love looking at the polished rocks and would love their own little rock tumbler.
A telescope is wonderful for kids of all ages. If you have a little one who would be interested in stars, a good quality telescope with a book of constellations makes such a fun Christmas or birthday present.
Along the same lines as the telescope, a microscope is wonderful for rainy days.
We have this talking microscope that provides fun facts about the slide and is great for independent play.
We observed butterflies last year in our homeschool and it was such a fun and memorable experience for my children. You can read more about our experience here.
Last year my boys were gifted stomp rockets and had a great time launching them as high as they could in our backyard.
Activity books
There are many different types of activity books out there. These have been some of our favorites.
First off, we have sticker books.
My son will work on sticker books for hours. These have been a go-to for in the car or sitting in church.
Depending on where your child is at with learning letters and numbers, they also have a sticker-by-letter version of these sticker books.
Unit study of interest
Next on the list are unit studies.
Unit studies can be such a fun way for children to dive deeper into a topic of interest. I have enjoyed a few of these studies with my children.
Check out the list below of my Small Shop recommendations for beautiful unit studies.
Then, we have the best coloring books I have found.
These coloring books are beautiful and so well done. They are not cheesy and encourage best effort of staying in the lines. We love these in our home.
Dover activity books
Dover activity books are going in our children’s stockings this year. They have fun sticker variations and coloring books. These are great to keep in the diaper bag, purse, or in the car for longer rides and waiting in appointments.
Last, but not least, we have been enjoying how to draw books.
Lately, my children have been all about drawing. I like to provide some books to inspire them in their efforts.
These are very easy to find in thrift stores!
Art supplies & Handcrafts
This kit is a huge win in our home. We have tons of cardboard (thank you Costco), which means we have tons of material for endless imaginative play.
The make.do website is full of inspiring ideas for children to start their creating and go from there.
From a small cardboard camera to building large fruit stands or castles, the opportunities are endless with this building kit and the tools are kid-friendly.
My children have so much fun with kinetic sand. We use the sand in our geography lessons for school but it also provides hours of creative play for little kids. I like to keep our sand in a plastic tray with a latching lid.
We love watercolor in our home. These are easy to bring out on the nature trail and easy to clean up. The paints dry quickly and pairing with a watercolor notebook, all of the paintings can be kept in one place. My children love these.
What little child doesn’t love a paper or wood plane that they can fly?
Quality colored pencils and pouch
If you have an aspiring artist, getting a quality set of colored pencils can be a special gift.
I have found when I purchase just a little bit higher quality supplies, my children enjoy the craft more and the results.
We like to provide quality of supplies based on the responsibility and care they take with the supplies.
This helps them learn to care for things well and not misuse what they have.
These nature stamps are very fun to add to a nature notebook or for making cards.
I love the website forsmallhands.com. They have so many real kitchen gadgets and tools for children to use and be able to be more independent in the kitchen.
Paired with a fun child apron, these would make a great gift.
Imaginary play
Cars like Hot Wheels, remote-control cars, paired with a ramp or track make great gifts that little boys love.
These are easy to store in the living room and play with on a rainy day.
Music
Musical instruments
If you have an aspiring musician, the right-sized instrument can be a wonderful surprise.
Fiddle, harmonicas, recorders, pianos, or smaller instruments can be very fun for little hands to build music appreciation and skill.
Books
This is the primary gift we are gifting for Christmas to our young children this year.
I love that you can build your own Yoto card so we can download our favorite audiobooks for them to listen to again and again.
I have also seen homeschool moms upload school readings or musical pieces to these cards, I think this is a great way to gift something that has multiple uses yet the child can enjoy on their own.
The Yoto Mini-player is great for listening to audiobooks on road trips. Pair with a nice set of child headphones and this would make a nice Christmas or birthday gift.
Some of our favorite audiobooks to upload to a Yoto card or gift the CD/audio recording:
The Green Ember narrated by Joel Clarkson
Chronicles of Narnia Radio Theater by Focus on the Family
Charlotte’s Web narrated by Meryl Streep
I would love to know some of your favorite audiobooks for 5-year-olds in the comments below!
Children’s books
These books are so much fun for scavenger hunts, and learning about nature, and different animals.
Having a variety of engaging nature books sparks a child’s imagination and is an easy way to inspire more outdoor time and less screen time.
Little Book of Woodland Bird Songs
This book is full of ideas for hands-on play.
They offer great options for setting up a maker station in your home for your little guy to build, create, and engage in different ways with building materials.
I have found the best way to start a child on a path of new skills begins with inspiring ideas. Books provide inspiring ideas for our children.
Frog and Toad
Mouse Soup
Animal encyclopedia
My children love flipping through an animal encyclopedia. They like to see all the different types of animals out in the world that don’t live in our backyard.
My five-year-old loves fairy tales. Tales of right and wrong, a hero winning the day, and stories that bring his imagination to another land.
Fairy Tales are great at doing this and this collection is a beautiful, easy-to-hold set for little hands.
Faith books:
These have been very impactful faith-based books in our home.
With wonderful illustrations, my five-year-old boy imparticular goes for these titles before most of the others in our home library.
Little Pilgrim’s Big Journey I, II, and III
We do not own these but I have seen and heard good things. Character-building stories for little ones.
Read aloud books
This is not an exhaustive list of books for five-year-old boys but just a few select favorites from our home library.
Pairing a nice set of books for a child to treasure on an exclusive shelf along with their own personalized library stamp can make a thoughtful gift for your little reader.
For more ideas on books for kindergarteners, you can reference this post here.
The illustrations are gorgeous in this book. My children all love this story read aloud at bedtime.
Burgess Bird Book, and his other stories
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Fairy Tales
50 Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
Physical activities
These ideas are gifts that help children build gross motor skills.
Using their body and being physically active is something my little boys need daily. They like to test their limits and see what they can do.
These gifts are great for those active little guys, making them an essential mention in this list of 100+ Best Educational Gift Ideas for 5-Year-Old Boys.
This couch can be turned into a fort or be a nice little couch for resting and reading.
The cushions are light enough for children to maneuver on their own. The possibilities are endless!
Similar to the couch, a fort-building kit can provide hours of fun. My children like to drape their fort with a flat sheet or two.
An agility ladder can be fun for an indoor obstacle course to get energy out on a rainy day. This toy is nice because it can be taken outside or used indoors.
Along with a set of foam basketballs, a basketball hoop can be a great addition to a little boy’s bedroom.
Foam balls
Another fun addition to a little boy’s bedroom is a pull-up bar. Great option for getting out energy on a rainy day.
If you have a bigger sized bedroom or playroom, rock climbing pegs can be a fun addition to the walls for little boys.
Outdoor toys
Any toy that gets my children outside, is great in my opinion. These gifts that provide hours of imaginative play and help children get some fresh air make the best gifts.
These bows from Bear Archery make very cool gifts. We gifted one to my five-year-old when he turned five and set up a cardboard target in the backyard.
He has been able to learn how to care for his prized gift, exercise good safety habits, and enjoy this interactive toy. I recommend purchasing the ground quiver along with the bow for a place to put the arrows to avoid them being stepped on.
This has been one of the top in my list of 100+ best educational gift ideas for 5-year-old boys that I have found to date.
Toolset
A tool set along with building materials makes a very fun gift for a five-year-old. With a little bit of instruction at the beginning on safety and handling, a tool set can be hours of creativity and building fine motor skills for a little guy.
Wood carving set and balsa wood
Along with a toolset, our son loves his wood carving tool created with little hands in mind. Paired with some soft balsa wood, this kid-friendly tool makes a great gift.
These obstacle course features look like so much fun for all age groups! What a great way to get kids outside, off of screens, and be physically active.
Experience-based gifts
I love experience-based gifts. These can include passes or memberships, they can also be great for hosting birthday parties as part of the gift to your child for their birthday. What little boy doesn’t love a trip to the zoo or trampoline park?
Memberships and lessons will depend on what is available to you locally unless they are online, but these experiences make the top of my list out of the 100+ best educational gift ideas for 5-year-old boys.
Camping trip
Fishing trip
Zoo membership
Children’s Museum Membership
Science Center experience or membership
Planetarium Visit Experience
We have a local planetarium viewing that I cannot wait to bring my children to. What a fun way to spend some family time and capture a child’s attention with an experience like this.
Gymnastics membership
Trampoline park membership
Rock climbing gym membership
Pool membership
Lessons
Lessons are a wonderful gift for the child who has a specific interest in learning said new skill.
Lessons can also be a great place to work on social skills, make a new friend, and build confidence in a child as they grow in learning these new skills.
Ju-jitsu lessons
Music Lessons (VMA)– use code BRECTO10 for 10% off lessons.
Art classes
In person classes would be a lot of fun but if you are looking for an online option, here are a few to look into.
Themed Gift Ideas
#1 Star-gazer
– Telescope
-Constellation book
-Planetarium experience
#2 Construction Interest
-Small hands toolset
-Tool belt
-Supplies for building
-Cardboard construction kit
-Construction dress-up
#3 Knight
-Dover coloring book
-Dress up
-Stick horse
-Cardboard kit for building a castle
or
-Fort couch
#4 Hiking + Nature walks
-Binoculars or pocket microscope
-Field guides
-Nature books
-Hiking hat/vest
-Nature bag
-Water bottle
#5 Sports
-Sports equipment
-Sportsbooks
-Dover coloring book
-Game tickets to a sports event
-Dress up
#6 Outdoorsmen
-Archery bow, target, quiver
-Fishing pole
-Camo dress-up
-Nature books
-Survival guidebooks
-Wilderness coloring book
-Wildlife Unit Study
#7 Aspiring Chef
-Kitchen tools
-Children’s apron
-Kids cookbook
-Unit study
#8 Young Artists
-Art supplies
-How to draw books
-Art classes (online or in-person)
-Clay/paint/pastels
#9 Bookworm
– Reading light
-Bookmarks
-Library stamp
-Collections of favorite books
Small Shops
One final note on gift purchasing. I love shopping small and supporting creators over major companies.
Check out some of my favorite shops for shopping these 100+ gift ideas, below.
These small shop links are non-affiliate. Just sharing small shops that I have favorites or have purchased from and love.
Unit Studies
Wooden toys
- From Jennifer: wooden toys, swords, slingshots, etc.
- WoodNPoppy: wooden water table, accessories, and sensory play.
Books
What other things would you add to this list of 100+ Best Educational Gift Ideas for 5-year-old boys? Please share in the comments below!
