Gift guide · 12 ideas
Gifts for kids ages 5 to 10
A five-year-old and a ten-year-old want very different things, so each idea here says which ages it suits, from first scooters to first telescopes.
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Between five and ten, kids change fast: the one who wanted magnetic tiles last Christmas may be asking for a telescope or a bracelet kit this year. What lasts at every age is a present that gives them something to do, again and again: ride it, build it, make something with it, sing into it, take it to a sleepover.
Some ideas suit the five-year-old end, some the ten-year-old end and some every age between, and each says which. Each comes with our pick from one of our top lists, chosen for a child; a few are marked 6 and up on the box and the marble run 8 and up, so check before buying for a five-year-old.
A two-wheel scooter
Around five or six, the three-wheeler starts to look like a little kid’s ride. A folding two-wheeler is quicker down the sidewalk, and its handlebar rises as they grow, so it still fits at ten.
Razor A Kick Scooter
$30–$50
Two wheels for the ride to school, from about age five: Razor’s original folding kick scooter has an aluminum frame that weighs about 4.6 lb, a handlebar that adjusts as they grow, and a rear-fender brake for the back foot.
What owners say: Children pick it up quickly, and it’s sturdy for their size, with a fold that’s simple to work. Some families report a year of daily rides from one.
A closer look: Check the height before each ride: the handlebar should sit around waist height, and it’s quick to raise as they grow. Practice pressing the rear fender with the back foot to slow down, then fold it to carry into school or tuck under a café table.
- Ages 5 and up
- Folds, weighs 4.6 lb
- Rear-fender foot brake
Magnetic building tiles
From five to about eight, a magnetic-tile castle can take over the living room floor for a week. Every build comes down in seconds, so tomorrow’s can be a garage, a rocket or a zoo.
MAGNA-TILES Classic 100-Piece Set
$100–$150
Magnets strong enough to hold a tall build together, in 100 translucent tiles of six colors: 54 squares (four of them large) and 46 triangles in three shapes. Each tile has a lattice inside to keep it from cracking and rivets that hold the magnets in place, and the maker backs them for life against defects.
What owners say: Owners say the tiles survive years of heavy use without cracking and that the magnets hold a build together, and many call it the toy that gets played with most. The price is the only complaint.
A closer look: A hundred pieces is enough for two children to build side by side without running short of squares. Build on a window ledge and the colors throw stained-glass light across the floor; a shallow bin keeps the pieces easy to find and quick to put away.
- 100 pieces
- Ages 3 and up
- Lifetime warranty against defects
A mini karaoke machine
Five-year-olds sing along to movie soundtracks; ten-year-olds stage talent shows at sleepovers. With two wireless mics, nobody waits long for a turn.
YLL Mini Karaoke Machine with 2 Wireless Mics (K1)
$20–$30
A palm-sized speaker with two real wireless mics, lights that pulse to the beat and four voice-changing effects, and a button that turns the vocals down on a track so a child can sing the lead. A headphone jack on the back lets them practice without the whole house listening.
What owners say: Owners say it’s loud and clear for its size and just right for small hands, and that the mics look the part. Children love the light show, and pairing with a phone or tablet is painless.
A closer look: Set it up with a playlist of their songs before the party and the first singer is up in seconds. Keep the mic heads away from the speaker to avoid the squeal, and use the headphone jack for late-evening practice. It fits in a backpack for sleepovers.
- 2 wireless mics
- 5W mini speaker
- 4 voice-changing effects
A first telescope
By eight or so, the bedtime questions turn to planets. A small telescope, set up with a grown-up on a clear night, brings the Moon’s craters into view, and soon the answers start coming from them.
Celestron Travel Scope 70 with Backpack
$75–$100
A grab-and-go 70mm refractor that packs into its own backpack with a full-height tripod, ready for camping trips and dark-sky sites. Celestron grew out of a telescope the engineer Tom Johnson built for his two sons; his firm started making telescopes in 1960.
What owners say: It goes together quickly and carries easily into the field, and many see it as a good first scope for children. The catches: a very wobbly tripod, and some never got a clear view.
A closer look: Its erect-image diagonal shows the view the right way up, so by day it doubles as a spotting scope for birds and boats. The legs adjust from 22 to 52 in, short enough to stand it on a picnic table. There’s no phone adapter in the box, so add a universal one for photos of the Moon.
- 70mm aperture refractor
- Comes with a backpack
- Doubles as a spotting scope
An art case of their own
For the five- to eight-year-old who draws at the kitchen table every evening and hands you the results. A case full of crayons, markers and pencils keeps the fridge door covered all year.
Crayola Inspiration Art Case (140 pieces)
$20–$30
A carry case of 64 crayons, 40 washable markers and 20 short colored pencils, with 15 large sheets of paper and a slot for every piece, so it all goes back where it came from. Crayola marks it for children aged five and up.
What owners say: Owners say the colors are bright with plenty of shades to choose from, and that the case keeps everything organized and goes anywhere.
A closer look: Fifteen sheets go quickly, so keep a pad or a stack of printer paper beside it. The trays make tidying up a quick game of matching each crayon and marker to its gap, and the handle means it can live on a shelf between sessions rather than spread across the table.
- Crayons, markers and pencils
- For ages 5 and up
- Washable markers
A remote-control stunt car
Laps of the kitchen floor, flips on the blacktop, a race against a friend’s car after school. A stunt car that drives either way up suits six- to ten-year-olds, because a crash is just another trick.
QUNREDA 4WD Stunt Car with Swappable Batteries
$20–$30
Flips over and keeps driving the other way up, spins in place and runs through nine stunts from a two-button remote. The two clip-in battery packs swap in seconds without tools, so the fun lasts about 50 minutes.
What owners say: Owners say it keeps children busy for hours indoors and out, and they like how quickly it moves and flips. Reports on how long it holds up, and how long each pack runs, are mixed.
A closer look: Charge both packs the night before the first run, then keep the spare in a pocket and swap it in when the car slows. It’s happiest on flat ground, such as a patio, driveway or playground, where the flips land cleanly, and the red headlights show which end is the front.
- Ages 6 to 12
- Range up to 164 ft
- Two swappable battery packs
A sleeping bag for sleepovers
Sleepovers, backyard campouts, the first night at summer camp: a sleeping bag of their own gets used all year. A full-length one means it still fits when they’re in middle school.
MalloMe 3-Season Sleeping Bag
$20–$30
A roomy rectangular bag, comfortable from 50°F to 77°F and long enough for a six-foot adult. MalloMe sells it as a spring-to-fall bag, and it doubles as a sleepover bag the rest of the year.
What owners say: Warm and well made, it rolls up and stows easily, and families use it for indoor sleepovers as much as for camping. It’s too small for some adults, and a few had the zipper give out completely.
A closer look: Pull the hood’s drawstrings in on chilly nights, and fasten the strap over the zipper so it doesn’t creep open. With a 50°F lower limit it’s a bag for summer camp and mild nights; on a cooler spring weekend, add a fleece blanket inside.
- Comfortable from 50 to 77°F
- Weighs 2.9 lb
- Fits a six-foot adult
A bracelet-making kit
Friendship bracelets get traded at recess and handed out to cousins at Thanksgiving. For six and up, a big box of clay beads with letters for names has enough for all their friends.
Sistenia Clay Bead Bracelet Kit (20,000 pieces, 120 colors)
$10–$20
Six compartment boxes holding about 19,000 flat clay beads in 120 colors, some 150 of each, plus a box of a thousand or so extras: letter beads, hearts, evil eyes, smiley faces, stars, pendants and lobster clasps. Enough for a whole sleepover of bracelet makers, or for anyone who likes to match shades exactly.
What owners say: A rainbow of shades and the pile of charms to go with them are what owners praise, and they say it keeps kids busy through a long afternoon; one calls the possibilities endless. A few found the bead count less generous than they expected.
A closer look: With 120 shades to hand, choosing three or four colors before stringing keeps a bracelet looking planned rather than random. Snap each box shut as soon as you’re done, because a spilled compartment of thin clay discs takes a long time to sort back into its colors.
- About 19,000 clay beads
- 120 colors plus letter beads
- Ages 6 to 14
A first smartwatch
“How long until dinner?” gets easier once they can read a watch themselves. A watch of their own also feels very grown-up between five and eight, and the simpler kids’ smartwatches work without a phone at all.
VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch DX4 (Blue)
$10–$20
Two cameras for selfies and videos, movement and reaction games that get them off the couch, a way to compose music and more than 50 clock faces that help with telling the time, all on a watch made for 4- to 12-year-olds. VTech has been making electronic learning toys since 1980.
What owners say: Owners say it keeps preschoolers and young kids busy for hours and that it helped theirs learn to tell the time, though for a few it stopped working within months, or the battery faded.
A closer look: Set it to English, Spanish or French the first time it’s switched on, then let them choose a clock face. The AR monster game sends them hunting around the house with the camera, and the step-based challenges work best outdoors. It’s splash-proof for hand washing and rain, not for the bathtub or the pool.
- Two cameras for selfies
- Ages 4 to 12
- 50-plus clock faces
Heads up: Charge it with the micro-USB cable in the box from an ordinary USB plug: VTech says not to use a third-party adapter.
View on Amazon See our top 4 kids' smartwatches →A tub of air-dry clay
Dinosaurs, snakes and a lopsided pencil cup for Grandma, all from a tub of real clay that hardens on its own, with no oven. A five-year-old squishes it; a ten-year-old sculpts with it.
Crayola Air Dry Clay (5 lb tub, white)
$10–$20
Five pounds of natural white clay in a tub that seals again, enough for a classroom or plenty of family projects. It takes the classic pottery techniques of coils, slabs, pinch pots and score-and-weld, softens with a splash of water and is made to be painted once it’s dry.
What owners say: Small children can shape it without a struggle, and teachers like it for whole-class crafts and all sorts of projects. Drying times vary a lot, though: some pieces set quickly, others take a good while.
A closer look: Join two pieces by scratching both surfaces, adding a dab of water and pressing them together, and smooth the seam with a wet fingertip. Between sessions, press the lid down firmly or wrap leftovers in plastic, and the clay stays workable for the next project.
- 5 lb of clay
- Resealable tub
- For coils, slabs, pinch pots
Heads up: Chunky pieces take far longer to dry than thin ones, so let a model dry right through before painting it.
View on Amazon See our top 4 air-dry clays →A soccer ball in their size
From a first season of rec league at five to Saturday games at ten, a ball of their own fills the days in between with shots at the garage door. Get the size their league plays with.
adidas Starlancer Club Soccer Ball
$10–$20
A recreational adidas ball in sizes 3, 4 and 5, so the same ball works for a first season in the under-6s and a pickup game with grown-ups. The machine-stitched TPU cover is soft on the foot, with a butyl bladder inside.
What owners say: Parents like its looks and the way it plays, and find it a good first ball for practice in the younger age groups. Some last a season while others rip early, keeping it pumped up is a common gripe, and the stickers are a chore to peel off.
A closer look: Teammates often turn up to practice with the same ball, so write a name on it in permanent marker before the first session. For the park, a bright colorway is easier to find in long grass at dusk.
- Sizes 3, 4 and 5
- Machine-stitched cover
- Soft touch on the foot
A glow-in-the-dark marble run
Kids of eight and up build the track as carefully as they race it, then take it apart for a new design each weekend. The marbles glow, so the best run of the day is the one after lights out.
National Geographic Glowing Marble Run (80 pieces)
$30–$50
Sixty-five tight-fitting track pieces, including five wide bases and fifteen action pieces, so the towers stay up while the marbles zig-zag down, and fifteen glass marbles that glow in the dark after a spell under a lamp. A storage bag keeps it all together, and the learning guide inside explains the physics as they build.
What owners say: Owners call it a well-made toy that becomes an afternoon’s project with the children, and say it’s been a hit with the whole family; several mention the quality of the pieces.
A closer look: Charge the marbles under a bright lamp for a few minutes, switch the lights off and run them: the glow is the part children remember. Build on a hard floor rather than carpet, where the bases sit flat, and keep the pouch for the marbles so none roll under the couch.
- Ages 8 and up
- 65 pieces, 15 glowing marbles
- Storage bag and marble pouch
Tips for buying for kids 5 to 10
- A helmet makes a good second present with the scooter, and wearing it from the very first ride turns it into a habit.
- Telescope makers warn never to look at the sun through one without a solar filter made for it: set it up together after dark, and don’t leave it standing out on a sunny day.
- For a soccer ball, buy the size their league uses: U.S. Soccer’s youth standards call for a size 3 up to the under-8 age group and a size 4 from under-9 through under-12.
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