10 gifts for a 5-year-old girl, chosen by how she plays
When you are choosing gifts for a 5-year-old girl, notice what she does on an ordinary afternoon when nobody has suggested anything: the game she sets up, who she asks to join in, what she carries from room to room. I’d look for one gift that gives her more of that, whether she plays alone at the table or wants someone else in the game. These ten ideas go by kind of play and interest, from building, making and moving about to games, puzzles, singing, drawing, growing things and a day out, and each of them would suit any child who plays that way. One good gift is enough.
1. LEGO Friends Heartlake City Rabbit Hotel, 42679
Age: 5 years+
Some children build so they can play afterwards, and this LEGO Friends set has a story waiting once the last brick is on. The 161 pieces make a rabbit hotel with a hatch for the animals, a sleeping area with beds and a carrot-shaped rug. Then Paisley and Leo can welcome the two toy rabbits, brush them and settle them down for the night. LEGO gives 5+ for set 42679, while many Friends sets start at 6, so check the number if you look at others in the range.
A little way to play: Ask which rabbit arrives first and what it wants from the hotel, then act out the welcome together.
5 years+ · LEGO Friends 42679 · 161 pieces · 2 figures and 2 toy rabbits · Care accessories such as a brush
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2. Djeco Rainbow wooden beads, DJ09823
Age: 4 years+
For a child who likes sorting little things before making something to wear, this Djeco box has about 400 beads to pick through: pastel and metallic wooden beads in different shapes, flower beads set with small plastic stones, and charms shaped like cat heads, clouds and rainbow stars. Lay a pattern out on the table, then thread it onto a length of the pink thread as a bracelet or a necklace. Djeco gives 4+; at five, a repeating pattern or a whole necklace makes it a longer project. A round bead is about 1 cm, so keep the box away from younger siblings.
A little way to play: Choose one charm for the middle of a necklace together, then let your child build the pattern outwards so both sides match.
4 years+ · Djeco DJ09823, Rainbow · About 400 beads, including charms · 6 m of pink thread · Round bead about 1 cm, charm about 2.5 × 2 cm · Small parts: keep from younger siblings
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3. small foot elastic jump ropes with butterfly holders, set of 5, 1814
Age: 5 years+
For a child who would rather be jumping than sitting, this brings the old playground game of elastics home. Stretch one between two friends’ ankles, or two chair legs if nobody is free, then jump in, out and across, raising it as the game gets harder. The set has five elastics of about 200 cm, each kept free of knots on a wooden butterfly holder, so there are enough to share at a party. The maker, small foot, gives 5+. It needs room to jump and someone or something to hold the other end.
A little way to play: Set the elastic at ankle height and take turns: jump in, jump out, land on it. Move it up only when your child asks.
5 years+ · small foot 1814 · Set of 5 elastics, about 200 cm each · Wooden butterfly holders · Needs two people or chair legs
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4. Plus-Plus Basic, 600 pieces
Age: 5 years+
For a child who likes to start with no plan and see what happens, Plus-Plus Mini Basic is 600 copies of one small interlocking piece, 20 × 12 mm. What it turns into is up to them: a flat mosaic on the table, or a 3D model that grows upwards and changes direction halfway. Unlike a set with one finished model in mind, these identical pieces leave the idea to your child. The pieces are small, so keep them away from younger siblings. I’d put a tray underneath at the table.
A little way to play: Pick one word, such as bridge or creature, build your own versions side by side and see how different they turn out.
5 years+, shop listings vary · Plus-Plus 52129, Mini Basic 600 · 600 identical interlocking pieces, 20 × 12 mm · For flat mosaics and 3D models · Small pieces: keep from younger siblings
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5. Dobble Kids
Age: 4 years+
For a family that likes a quick game while the food is on the way, Dobble Kids needs sharp eyes, and the cards are pictures only. Any two of the 30 cards share exactly one animal, and the fun is in spotting it first. Each card has six animals, fewer than in the original Dobble, and there are five mini-games. It is listed from 4 years, but at five it still plays fast with older children and adults, and it is small enough to carry. This is the Dutch edition, so expect the rules in Dutch rather than English.
A little way to play: Start slowly: turn over two cards, name the animal they share, then see how quickly you can both find the next one.
4 years+ · Dobble Kids, Dutch edition · EAN 3558380013716 · 30 picture cards, 6 animals per card · 5 mini-games
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6. Dislocati karaoke set with 2 Bluetooth microphones
Age: 3 years+
For a child who sings along to everything and likes an audience, this set has two microphones, so a friend, brother or sister can take the other part. There are disco lights with six modes, voice effects including a monster voice, and a way to reduce the original vocals. The music comes from a phone or tablet over Bluetooth, a TF card or AUX, so an adult will need to set it up first. The listing’s 3 to 15 years and up to six hours per charge are the seller’s own figures, so treat them as a guide.
A little way to play: Pick one song your child knows well, let them choose a voice effect for the first verse, then sing the chorus together.
3–15 years, per the listing · Dislocati · 2 Bluetooth microphones · Music by Bluetooth, TF card or AUX · Rechargeable · Adult to set up
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7. Crayola Inspiration Art Case, 140-piece set
Age: 5 years+
For a child who draws on anything within reach, this case keeps wax crayons, mini coloured pencils, washable felt-tips and large blank sheets in one place. A five-year-old can plan something big on a 25 × 34 cm sheet, start in crayon and go over the details in felt-tip, then close the case and carry it to a grandparent’s house. This is the Crayola Inspiration Art Case, sold as the 140-piece set. Crayola gives 5+, and the listing says to use it under adult supervision.
A little way to play: Fold a large sheet in half. Your child draws the top of a creature, you draw the bottom without looking, then open it up.
5 years+ · Crayola Inspiration Art Case · 140-piece set in a carrying case · Blank sheets 25 × 34 cm · Use with adult supervision
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8. SmartGames Colour Code, SG 090
Age: 5 years+
For a child who likes a quiet puzzle with a clear answer at the end, SmartGames Colour Code is a game for one player. Choose a picture in the booklet, pick the tiles it needs from the 18 transparent ones and stack them in the holder one at a time, deciding which comes next and which way round it goes, until the stack matches the picture. There are 100 challenges with solutions, and they get harder as the booklet goes on, so start at the front. SmartGames gives 5 years to adult.
A little way to play: Before stacking, ask your child which tile they think goes in first and why, then see whether the finished stack matches the picture.
5 years+ · SmartGames Colour Code SG 090 · Holder and 18 transparent tiles · Booklet of 100 challenges with solutions · One player
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9. Hape Growing Gardeners Greenhouse, E5580
Age: 4 years+
For a child who wants to see something actually change, this small greenhouse sits on a windowsill. Roll paper around the bamboo mould to make pots, fill them with soil, press in seeds, close the transparent cover over the base tray and look in every morning. The pots are biodegradable and can be planted out with the seedling. Hape gives 4+. I’d make the first pots together, then leave the watering to your child. Seeds and soil are not included and paper is not listed, so add all three to the gift.
A little way to play: Write the date on a paper pot, put it where your child can reach it and take a look together each morning.
4 years+ · Hape E5580 · Base tray, transparent cover and bamboo pot mould · Seeds and soil not included · Paper not listed
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10. A day at Efteling, Kaatsheuvel
Age: Suggested for ages 3–12
When the shelves are full and stories are what your child keeps asking for, a day at Efteling in Kaatsheuvel is a gift that takes up no room at home. You can wander through the Fairytale Forest looking for tales you know, then let your child pick the next family ride. Accompanying adults need admission too, each ride has its own height and supervision rules, and the ticket has date conditions, so check all of them and agree a day with the family first. If Noord-Brabant is a long way for you, there are more days out for five- and six-year-olds.
A little way to play: Retell a fairy tale at home the night before, then see on the day whether you can spot it in the Fairytale Forest.
Suggested for ages 3–12 · Efteling, Kaatsheuvel · Accompanying adults need admission · Check ride height and supervision rules · Check the ticket’s date conditions
View on efteling.comBrowse catalogue gifts for ages 5–6
What is a good present for a 5-year-old girl?
Start with what she asks to do again. Plus-Plus suits a child who likes to invent, the Crayola case or the Djeco beads suit one who likes making things, Colour Code suits one who likes solving puzzles alone, and the elastics suit one who wants to be up and moving. If she has only just turned five and a set marked 5+ looks like a stretch, our hands-on ideas for a 4-year-old may suit her better for now.
What is popular with 5-year-old girls right now?
Gift lists for this age mention art supplies and craft kits, alongside pretend play, science, sport and building. One Dutch list adds kids’ karaoke. Shop results lean on LEGO Friends and film and TV characters, so a favourite character may count for more than anything here. Popular is a starting point, and no toy belongs to one group of children. Our ten ideas for a 5-year-old boy include a camera, walkie-talkies and iron-on beads she may like as much.
What do you give a girl who is turning five?
I don’t think one gift suits every five-year-old, so I’d ask what she plays with now and what the family already owns. Then think about what the gift needs: a greenhouse needs a windowsill, elastics need someone to hold the other end, and a day at Efteling needs a date that works for the grown-ups. When several relatives are buying at once, a birthday wishlist shows what she would like, so two people don’t arrive with the same box.
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