If you’ve been looking for the best toy or gift for a 5 year old girl, this carefully crafted list is just what you need. This hand-picked selection is perfectly suited to her complex role play and fantasy games, her refined motor skills, and her newfound ability to concentrate and solve puzzles.
Remember, whilst she may act more grown up, play is still her primary method of learning.
Our picks of the best new toys & gifts for 5-year-old girls
#1
Our opinion
Nothing says childhood like a good pair of roller skates.
Available in several sizes, these Firestarter Skates (check price on Amazon) have a Velcro closure while sporting a lace-up design. The urethane wheels are replaceable, and can even be tightened to provide a slower maximum speed.
These skates can be used in a rink or outside on the pavement.
Why She’ll Love Them: They’re fashionable and functional, so she will be the envy of the neighborhood when she sports these skates.
#2
Our opinion
The multi-award-winning Moonlite Storybook Projector (check price on Amazon) is an ingenious little device that clips to mom or dads smartphone and uses its torch to project images onto the wall. And here’s where it gets even cleverer.
The images in the ‘story reels’ match stories that are read from the smartphone. So mom or dad can read the story from their phone using the Moonlite app and, at the same time, project the corresponding image as they go. The app also plays cute sound effects to create a truly immersive storytelling experience.
The result is a magical ‘moonlit’ storytime that will have your girl entranced. Check out the video below to see it in action.
Why She’ll Love It: This starter kit comes with two magical stories and is neatly packaged in a book-like box that will sit on the shelf with her other favorite tales.
#3
Our opinion
Help your little angel grow her very own garden in this fairy castle. Calla’s castle (check price on Amazon) is equipped to grow a variety of plants and is a really creative way for your little girl to learn about sustaining the environment. Little details like a chandelier and swinging doors will add to the excitement. The fairy, Calla, can even fly using an attachable cord.
Why She’ll Love It: Think back to the first time you planted a seed and saw it grow into a beautiful plant and how great that made you feel. Now, you can enjoy that experience with her!
#4
Our opinion
This is a great kit for a girl who loves her fairy tales. It comes with a mini Belle and Beast/Prince, and she can assemble several other castle characters to join the cast.
The LEGO Disney Palace (check price on Amazon) itself is a two-story creation with plenty of rooms, like the library and kitchen, that your daughter can build.
As always, LEGO toys are great for working on fine motor skills, direction following, and creative play.
Why She’ll Love It: Once she finishes building the palace, she will be able to engage in lots of imaginative free play.
#5
Our opinion
This gorgeous gray and white striped children’s teepee (check price on Amazon) is perfect for her playroom. Made from 100% cotton canvas and wooden pine poles, it feels natural, earthy, and soft to touch. At 47.2 inches by 70.9 inches and with a height of 53.9 inches, it is big enough to create a fun hideaway for a 5-year-old while fitting comfortably in most children’s rooms.
This teepee has a cute 5-wall design and comes with a removable floor mat.
Why She’ll Love It: It comes with a matching carry case so she can take it on holidays or sleepovers.
#6
Our opinion
This minion won’t help your kiddo take over the world, but it will offer hours of entertainment.
Turbo Dave (check price on Amazon) has over 140 phrases, sounds, and jokes that are activated by touch and noise, as well as from your smartphone or tablet if you download the bonus app.
Your daughter can play games with Dave, control his movements, and even learn some coding with the bonus block-based coding option.
Why She’ll Love It: It’s a despicably fun toy that she can use for free play or structured learning.
#7
Our opinion
Any five year old girl would love playing with a dollhouse. The Majestic Mansion dollhouse (check price on Amazon) takes it to another level. Your five year old will stay entertained for hours playing with the little toy family along with all its features and accessories. The dollhouse is composed of eight rooms that can be decorated as she pleases. It includes an elevator, garage, and pets. All features that make this mansion dollhouse much cooler than an ordinary dollhouse.
Why She’ll Love It: A four feet mansion dollhouse will make her imagination go wild. She’s guaranteed to enjoy decorating all the different rooms and acting out scenes with the toy family.
#8
Our opinion
Is there a better way to get your kiddo outdoors than giving them their very own ATV?
This four-wheeler Yamaha Ride-on Quad (check price on Amazon) has two speeds and can drive in reverse. With a top speed of 5 mph, assembling this vehicle is fairly straightforward and can be done in under 30 minutes.
The tires are hard plastic with good traction capability, and the battery provides up to three hours of continuous use.
A complete recharge of the battery takes about 14 hours, so be sure to plan ahead when you want to take this ATV out of the garage for the day.
Why She’ll Love It: It’s her very own four-wheeler, so it’s safe to say that she’ll have a blast.
#9
Our opinion
Made of durable plastic parts, this play-set will entertain all of your little equestrian’s needs letting her own imagination create beautiful stories that she can bring to life. She’ll be able to build fences, open doors, and exercise her horses. The riding center has its own hay racks, drinking troughs, and tack holder. It’s even decorated with pretty stickers and has little flowers under the windows.
Why She’ll Love It: She’ll be able to fully explore all of the possibilities of having fun with her horses while taking care of them and keeping them safe.
#10
Our opinion
This is a great toy if your daughter wants to have a medieval adventure. It comes with several figures and accessories, and she can use any of the PLAYMOBIL Super 4 sets to add on to her fun.
The Black Baron’s Castle (check price on Amazon) folds up for easy transport, so it’s perfect for show and tell at school or for play dates.
Why She’ll Love It: Your imaginative little girl will be able to create plenty of scenarios with this set.
#11
Our opinion
If you’re looking for a group activity that your young daughter can participate in, look no further.
Race to the Roof (check price on Amazon) is a game that involves a race between players where the attic is the finish line. You can expand your child’s vocabulary by identifying the objects drawn on the house-board, and each game has enough variation to keep your child engaged.
Why She’ll Love It: It’s a simple but fun game, with rounds lasting about 20 minutes to prevent her from becoming bored.
#12
Our opinion
Whether your kiddo wants an awesome Halloween costume or just needs some extra flair for her role-playing games, she’ll love this official Disney Moana outfit (check price on Amazon).
The skirt is cute, with that authentic Moana fringe, and the top is nicely detailed.
Many parents report that it runs a bit on the big side, so keep that in mind when you are picking a size.
Why She’ll Love It: This costume does a great job at staying true to its source material, so she’ll really feel like she has slipped into the Moana character as she plays.
#13
Our opinion
Does your kiddo have an inclination towards science? Even if the answer is no, odds are, she will get a kick out of this toy.
The Water Rocket (check price on Amazon) is easy to assemble, and she can watch her creation fly up to thirty feet in the air. Although the kit includes a bottle, you can grab any empty soda bottle for future uses.
One thing this kit doesn’t come with is a bicycle pump, which is necessary for the launch.
Why She’ll Love It: Although it’s great educational fun, let’s face it; the real cherry on the cake will be when she gets to see her creation fly into the air.
#14
Our opinion
If you have an iPad and the Osmo Genius Kit (check price on Amazon), then you’re all set to use this fun expansion pack.
With three included games, your daughter can work on her creative skills, problem-solving abilities, and much more. This add-on comes with a Creative Board and erasable markers; once the included markers run out, you can purchase any dry-erase marker to use on the board.
Easy to set up, this is an excellent way to put that iPad to good use.
Why She’ll Love It: Whether she wants to solve a puzzle or create her own pictures, this toy will capture her imagination.
#15
Our opinion
If you dread seeing your kiddo tear open yet another pack of sticky slime, you’ll both love the low-mess fun of Playfoam Pals Fantasy Friends (check price on Amazon). Made of tiny foam balls that hold together, never dry out, and can be sculpted into her very own creations, playfoam is a great alternative to messier sculpting mediums that still inspires creativity and imagination in kids. This two-pack of Playfoam Pals also features two surprise toys nestled within the foam inside the orbs, so she’ll be extra eager to open them up and see which of the fantasy friends she’s collected.
Why She’ll Love It: Not only will she be able to sculpt cool creations with her playfoam, she’ll also discover two surprise toys inside the orbs
#16
Our opinion
This is a great toy for working on early geometry lessons and fine-motor skills. You can purchase additional PicassoTiles (check price on Amazon) building sets so your girl can design even larger creations, but there are certainly enough pieces here to have plenty of fun.
Why She’ll Love It: She’ll get to learn about colors, shapes, and magnets as she builds. This is a great kit for her to play with by herself, but can also be enjoyed in groups.
#17
Our opinion
If a puppy is high on her wish list, you might be able to stave off her demands for the real thing with realistic Ricky, a fluffy plush husky who can perform tricks, respond to her input, and even bark. The battery-powered pal from FurReal Friends (check price on Amazon) can flip his bone in the air, lift his paw to shake, tilt his head and pat his paws, and respond with more than 100 combinations of sound and motion. She can even feed him “treats” and receive licks on the cheek. Because he’s durable and kid-safe, he makes a great teaching tool for talking about how to responsibly care for real pets.
Why She’ll Love It: He’s a realistic puppy toy that can do fun, interactive tricks, inspiring creative play
#18
Our opinion
Kids who love arts and crafts have long enjoyed Klutz books and kits, which inspire creative learning and hands-on engagement. If she already loves modeling dough, she’ll have a blast making clay charms for her very own charm bracelet with Klutz’s Make Clay Charms kit (check price on Bed Bath & Beyond). It includes colorful clay, a sturdy bracelet, a tool for shaping her creations, glaze to make them shine, and the tools she’ll need to create her bracelet and glaze and dry her charms. A 60 page guide is included that makes the step-by-step charm creation process easy, even for new readers.
Why She’ll Love It: She’ll get hands-on experience with sculpting, learn to make cute new creations, and be able to show it all off with her snazzy charm bracelet
#19
Our opinion
Expressing herself through musical instruments is one way your five-year-old girl can expand her creative skill set while also reaping cognitive benefits. Ukuleles (check price on Walmart). are a classic starter instrument, thanks to their easy-to-learn four-string construction. Plucking out simple tunes is a skill she can pick up quickly, and with a little bit of help, she’ll soon be strumming with the pros. This durable brown ukulele is ideal for little learners, featuring carbon nylon strings that are tough to snap and a heart-shaped sound hole that adds some extra charm. A brightly-colored pick is attached via a strong string, making it easy to keep track of.
Why She’ll Love It: It’s a musical instrument of her very own, allowing her to express herself creatively and learn a new skill
#20
Our opinion
Every artsy kid has a few of those sets that pack in markers, crayons, pencils and the lot into a carrying case — they’re fun, but it might be time for arts and crafts sets to have a little overhaul. Kids Made Modern (check price on Walmart) tackles the task with their arts and crafts library, which features over 100 elements for your five-year-old girl’s next big project. Pipe cleaners, beads, fuzzy string, stickers, pom-poms, tools, and more populate the colorful kit, which doesn’t come with instructions or guidelines.
It’s intended to inspire open-ended creativity, suggesting that every kid be inspired to make what’s meaningful to them instead of following a guide; don’t worry, though, there are plenty of project outlines on the web if she’s running short on ideas!
Why She’ll Love It: There are tons of supplies for creating unique projects, as well as quality tools that make her crafting easier
#21
Our opinion
There’s a lot happening on a small scale in our world, and this microscope from Educational Insights (check price on Target) doesn’t just let your kiddo take a look, it provides her with 60 image slides she can view with her new tool. She can hear facts and take quizzes about each image she views with her binocular microscope, as narrated by the Australia Zoo’s Bindi Irwin. The eyepieces of the microscope are bordered with smooth plastic, so looking through the lenses won’t become uncomfortable. The slides are also safe and break-resistant, since they’re made of clear plastic rather than glass.
Why She’ll Love It: She’ll be able to explore a large collection of slides, learning new facts and then playing a trivia game to test her knowledge
What to expect from your 5 year old girl
Your 5 year old girl is developing complex language and reasoning skills. In fact, sometimes she can be a little too clever for her own boots! As well as her cognitive abilities, she is also developing new physical skills and will often love showing them off.
Watch out for some of these developmental milestones (Source):
Body, hand and finger skills
- Balances on tiptoes or one foot;
- Skips;
- Learns skills such as rollerblading or bike riding;
- Cuts with scissors and ties knots;
- Colors carefully within lines
Emotional development
- Enjoys group play more than playing alone;
- May get into competitive sports and physical games;
- Can concentrate for longer;
- Expresses complex emotions like jealousy;
- Aware of bodily needs, eg, being hungry;
- Has become better at sharing
Cognitive development
- Begins to write words;
- Knows right from left;
- Pays more attention to what others are saying;
- Now has vocabulary of over 5,000 words;
- Understands concepts of past, present and future;
- Can discuss the definition of words
Wrapping up
Your 5 year old girl is now a sophisticated little person. However, whilst she will start to talk and act more grown up, don’t forget that she is still a child who loves nothing more than to play and be silly.
This list of toys will perfectly match her developmental stage, providing hours of fun. Let us know how she gets on with them.
