GIFT GUIDE
Kindergarten Gifts
Gifts for a 5-Year-Old or 6-Year-Old
From toys that stand the test of time to board games that are anything but boring, we found the best kindergarten products for a five-year-old or six-year-old. Our list of loot is kid-tested, teacher approved, and full of options for any family, so get wrappin'!
Pinball Painter
This activity kit adds some major excitement to the act of painting, by letting kids shoot giant pinballs at globs of paint.
Decorate-Your-Own Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle
This puzzle-painting kit is an exercise in uncomplicated fun, and contains everything your child needs to paint a puzzle design that can be taken apart and put back together again and again.
Project Panda (Adventures of Riley)
This wonderful series, created in conjunction with The Smithsonian Institute and the World Wildlife Federation, is packed with facts from real scientists. A fun way to spark an interest in animals and geography, and a bridge between fiction and non-fiction.
Pick-Up Words
A fun way for kinders to practice and memorize the high-frequency words that are often a stumbling block for beginning readers, and work their fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination in the process.
Tree Blocks
Talk about toys au natural! Every set is hand cut from a different set of branches, which means that each one is a mix of sometimes odd shapes, from tiny twigs to chunky burled discs.
The Lion and the Mouse
This gorgeous adaptation of Aesop's famous fable has no words. Kids play storyteller, as they narrate Pinkney's beautiful illustrations of this tale, in which a little mouse helps free the king of the jungle in his hour of need.
Crazy Hair
A mad romp from the team behind Coraline, this kid-pleaser is wildly imaginative, with just a bit of spookiness thrown in.
Calafant Castle
This fun and relatively quick and easy construction project offers a set of numbered photo instructions, so kids don't need to read in order to tackle it!
Ducks in a Row
Along the lines of tic-tac-toe, but a bit more involved and quirky, this game works logic and spatial reasoning skills, while it teaches kids to think ahead. Like checkers, players move one square at a time: up and down, side to side, or diagonally.
Whizizzle Phonics Card Game
A bit like the game Uno, but with words rather than numbers, players must match the cards in their hand either by vowel sound, beginning sound, or ending sound.
Now I'm Reading Games: Word Dominoes
The set comes with a short story that introduces rhyming word families and a pile of colorful cardboard tiles. Sort of like Scrabble for beginners, each player must build words using the tiles in his hand, slapping a "fr" on an "og" or a "w" on a "ow".
Kids' Favorite Card Games
A fun, back-to-basics toy sure to bring many hours of family fun, and lay the foundation for sportsmanship, turn-taking, and patience: skills which do not come easily to five-year-olds.
Hullabaloo
Want a zany game that gets kids moving, encourages them to listen, think, and follow instructions, and is simple to learn? Hullabaloo fits the bill!
Bug Hotel
With a solid wood frame, yellow mesh walls for easy breathing, and a porthole stenciled with flowers, this toy makes for a wonderful bug getaway, and a great way to introduce your child to insect life, up close.
Chickyboom
This folksy farmyard balancing act is the perfect antidote to complicated games that don't stand the test of time. Simple, fun, and with loads of replay potential, it's easy enough for young children to learn in moments.
Jeremy Draws a Monster
Unique and beautiful illustrations make this quirky story a fun and compelling read, inviting children to dance the line between imagination and reality.
