Christmas gifts for a 5 year old: 63 picks from a paediatric OT
Christmas gifts for a 5 year old: 63 picks from a paediatric OT
Here are my Christmas gift picks for five-year-olds, grouped by type of play. Crafts, games with rules, science and building, for kids who are starting to plan what they want to make.
Prices checked October 2026, and they change often. Some links are affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. More at the bottom.
Pretend play out in the world
7 giftsOnce kids have played a lot around what happens inside the home, they tend to shift their play to things outside the home: shops, cafés and restaurants.
This has all the tools a kid needs to run a pizza shop, or maybe an Italian restaurant. Lots of skill opportunities: taking orders, following instructions to prep the pizza, remembering someone's order, practicing money skills and communication.
Lots of characters, and they actually stand up, so they work in pretend play. Going to work in a uniform, then coming home and changing into a home outfit: playing out daily routines.
A whole zoo of little soft friends. Brilliant for hiding games and endless storylines.
A stage for shows and made-up stories. The puppet does the talking, which suits some kids.
Character figures for open-ended pretend play. Superhero stories, good vs bad, rescue missions. Rich imaginative play that kids come back to again and again.
With a cash register, they can run pretty much any business: a beauty salon, a barbershop, a restaurant or a café. It helps with maths and money skills too. The only downside is the US play money. I couldn't find a version with Australian money, but you can buy some or print out Australian notes to go with it.
It can turn into an ice cream shop, or be a bigger part of a restaurant scene.
Kitchen, garden and life skills
3 giftsI'm a fan of getting kids involved in real jobs at a young age. Skills and independence, with supervision.
A lacing board means they can have a go at it when nobody is waiting by the door.
Kids this age are old enough to start learning kitchen skills with supervision, and these minimise the risk of cuts.
They can get involved in the gardening too.
Drawing, writing and cutting
7 giftsI find the more fun, different ways you have to draw and write, the better engagement you'll get than with just regular pencil and paper.
Draw courses, trace bodies, play hopscotch, write letters. Chalk is one of those things that buys hours of outdoor creative play.
Great for kids who are into craft, and a good one to take out and about.
A great portable one for the car or when you're travelling, but they do have a battery, so be mindful of that.
Twist-up crayons that glide on, so they don't need to press hard to get colour.
A great comprehensive kit with pencils, textas, crayons and some paper. Pull it out, then pack it all away into the case when they're finished.
Twenty-five cutting activities in order: snipping first, then straight lines, then curves.
Something different and unique that serves a few purposes. A sensory tool for kids who like light-up things, a way to draw and make patterns, or a board for games like Connect Four. Portable enough for the car, too.
Crafts and quiet time
6 gifts
Glowing reviews, and a great one to buy as an inexpensive gift or for travel.
Puffy reusable stickers that go on and come off over and over. Great fine motor work, and they travel well.
Inexpensive and great for travel. It can be quite a mindful activity, but I'd only gift this to a child who will sit for a while and work on one crafty project, which probably isn't every kid.
A super cute activity where kids use their creativity to express their style. Relatively inexpensive, so great if you're on a budget.
This one is just the egg, but click through and look at related products: Crazy Aaron's has lots of different putties. I like the search and find ones, with little pieces hidden inside to look for. Quite mindful, as well as being a fidget. Great for kids who are into slime or benefit from having something to do with their hands.
For craft lovers. They put tiny beads together to make a creation, then you iron it and the heat sticks the beads together.
Sensory play
3 giftsHands-on play that resets, so they can do it all again.
Silks for play are one of the most underrated toys. Peek-a-boo, dress-up, dancing, sensory exploration. Endless uses.
Awesome sensory play that you can just set up and pack back away.
Decorate the little characters and give them personalities, then wash them off in the little bathtub and start again.
Games
10 giftsBoard games are great for turn taking, waiting and a bit of anticipation. I love, love, love cooperative games, because they take out the winning and losing part, which is hard at this age. You've got more chance of everyone having a good time if you choose cooperative over competitive, and even games designed to have a winner and a loser can be played in a cooperative way.
Simple, quick and a little bit cheeky. Matching, holding a hand of cards, and learning to keep a poker face.
Another early board game built around going shopping, and Bluey gets them in.
A really popular card game, and lots of fun for all ages. I enjoy playing it as an adult, so it's a really family-friendly one to get. There are lots of different versions too.
A first 'real' card game. Matching, turn-taking, losing well.
A great strategy game, with chances for strategic thinking, problem solving and turn taking. Being two-player, it's a good level while they're still getting used to games with rules.
Quite a practical game. Easy to follow, easy to learn, and you don't have to wait long for your turn.
I love the theme. An early board game linked to a real life skill, going shopping. That's a win.
It's got some strategy to it, and you can work on it together.
The classic buzzing tweezers game, and great for fine-tuning tool skills. In my OT brain, it links directly to using tweezers with more precision, and it's good practice for hand-eye coordination and the small hand movements used for writing and drawing.
Science and how things work
3 giftsFor science-minded kids, and the ones with a "how does that work?" brain.
An excellent lift-the-flap book for kids who are constantly asking how things are built. Lots of cars, trucks, planes and cranes, so great for more mechanically minded kids.
I find science experiments really engaging for a lot of kids. If your child likes mixing things and watching them react and change colour, this is a great pick: DIY volcanoes, and blowing up a balloon without using your breath.
Critical thinking, early coding and problem solving. Set up a puzzle or maze, then plan the instructions to give the mouse so it gets through.
LEGO
3 giftsWhen they're ready to move up from big bricks, a box of LEGO is a good way to try it out and see if they're into it.
Smaller bricks for more complicated builds. It comes with a booklet of things to build, so they can try free play or follow the instructions. A well-priced kit to give LEGO a go, and if they love it, you can build the collection from there.
Bigger box for kids who've outgrown the starter set.
Building
8 giftsFor kids who like to build things, knock them over and figure out how they work. Set it up, see if it works, adjust it: great for problem solving and persistence.
A lovely alternative to ordinary blocks. Open-ended, so what gets made is up to them.
Suction cup building pieces that stick to any smooth surface: bathroom tiles, windows, the fridge. Really creative.
A great first marble run. Twenty-four pieces is about what a five-year-old can build on their own.
Build the track, test the loop, change it when it fails.
The ultimate marble run setup, with extras that make it more fun: a slide, a spinner wheel and different ramps.
For kids who are really into making things and need a step up. A good loose parts set, with screws, wheels, tools and lots of random pieces, so they can use their creativity to make whatever they like.
A road track that can be set up basically anywhere. The pieces fit together like a puzzle, so they build their own shape. Great for kids who love car play or Hot Wheels, race stories, bus stories, or building a bigger town. A great open-ended toy.
Cardboard construction for little engineers. Creativity, teamwork and sustainable play.
Dinosaurs
2 gifts
Really fun, though it's more of a single use. Really cool for kids who are into dinosaurs, because they excavate them and see which species they find.
If growing their collection of larger dinosaurs is the priority, this is another cool egg hatching one.
Active play
7 gifts
A deck of things to find outside, at the park, the beach or the backyard. Great for getting them looking closely and moving.
One of the most versatile cheap toys going. Lightsaber battles, tug of war, tow a scooter board, build forts, balance beams. Endless.
Lay them out and step through the rungs, then change the pattern. Works inside on a rainy day.
Red light green light, with a toy that calls it. Kids run, freeze, and argue about who moved.
For kids who love throwing, this is a great indoor one. It's a mini hoop with soft foam balls, so you can redirect all the throwing and keep it safe.
Cubbies, ramps, boats, obstacle courses. Kids build their own adventures. Families rave about these and they genuinely get used for years.
Jump into it, roll on it, crash into it. Kids who like a heavy landing love these. Pairs well with a lycra swing.
Music, talking and listening
4 gifts
A fun one that not many people think of, because they're not really in the toy category. They can be used for so many games, and they're great for practicing clear communication.
Colour-coded tubes you whack to play real notes. Follow along with YouTube videos to play actual songs together, or grab a song book. Brilliant for music lovers and even better as a family band.
Really popular. I don't have one myself, but I've seen countless parents rave about it. A great screen-free way for kids to listen to music and stories.
Next: Christmas gifts for a 6 year old →
Some links in this post are Amazon affiliate links, and Kidera earns a small commission if you buy through one. It costs you nothing extra and it doesn't change what makes the list. Nobody has paid to be here. Prices were read off Australian retailer pages in September and October 2026.
Brittany has been registered with AHPRA for nearly nine years and has run her own practice for five, working with kids and their families across homes, schools and her clinic. Clinical days are Monday to Wednesday. Thursdays and Fridays she builds Kidera, the child development brand she founded in Perth.
What she doesn't do here: diagnose anything, or tell you what your particular child needs. If something about your child's development is nagging at you, the person to talk to is someone who can actually watch them play, your GP, your child health nurse, or an OT who can do a proper assessment.
Kidera is at kidera.com.au.
Brittany is a paediatric occupational therapist who has been registered with AHPRA for nearly nine years, working with kids and their families across homes, schools and her own clinic in Perth.
Through Kidera she shares her toy picks alongside OT tips for supporting children through play, skill development and goals, drawing on her professional experience and her own opinion. The aim is a community where parents feel supported and confident navigating raising kids, and where other professionals can pick up something useful too.
These are general, evidence-informed strategies. They're not a diagnosis and not a substitute for assessment by a registered health practitioner.
