24 Great Toys for 6-Year-Olds, According to Parents

Your schoolkid will feel more on top of what's going on when they can help post the day of the week, the calendar date, the weather and even how they feel on this magnetic calendar. It can also show events coming up, like lessons or holidays.

Younger kids can use sidewalk chalk, but 6-year-olds—with their improved art skills and budding writing chops— will have more fun, making roadways for their bikes, marking the prices for their lemonade stand or decorating the entire driveway with animals and flowers. This inexpensive set has 48 different colors.

Little smarties will love trying to guess each animal by asking yes or no questions in this easy card game, on our list of no-fail birthday gifts. There's also a junior version for ages 3 to 6, for kids who need fewer words and more picture clues. And there are a ton of more sets, so you can play to your child's passions, such as a Guess in 10 Marvel edition, Guess in 10 Sports and Guess in 10 Vehicles.

Where do things go that are flushed down the toilet? How does an X-ray work? Six-year-olds are full of questions that get increasingly difficult to answer. Fuel their curiosity with this book, one that some of our editors use with their kids, instead of turning to Google.

Your 6-year-old is ready to learn rules, strategy and the art of both gracefully losing and winning, and Trouble — a 60-year-old game! — is perfect for teaching all of those lessons since it's fast and a good mix of smarts and luck. Plus popping the dice is so satisfying! Two to four people play together, making it useful for playdates and grandparent visits, too.

Every parent knows that kids have a penchant for playing with random items like cardboard boxes, Band-Aids, and tape. That's why this road PlayTape is sure to get their motors running! It’s deceptive in its brilliant simplicity: all you do is peel and stick the paper-based tape to a flat surface, and kids have an instant highway or race track upon which all their matchbox cars and toy trucks can vroom through the house. It peels up easily, leaving no residue, so it’s safe for floors, walls, and furniture.

Less is more for young kids learning to read, so they’re entertained by reading as opposed to left feeling frustrated. This graphic novel features two stories in one, and it’s just the ticket to combine learning with fun to foster a love of reading in beginning readers. Short sentences are paired with engaging graphics to tell a story in the style of a comic book. Lovable characters Stick and Stone embark on a scavenger hunt, seek ice cream, build a campfire, and visit the beach along the way.

It’s not a “Mom” tattoo (yet) but kids can still wear their heart on their sleeve with these colorful and cheery vegetable-based ink temporary tattoos. The tin comes with 10 non-toxic tattoos that each last about two to four days.

Early elementary kids will still put on a costume and act out parts, but more often than that they like to act out storylines with toys, where they can guide many characters at once. These Playmobil knights are great because kids can swap around all the costume parts, customizing their knights, then send them out on missions. Inexpensive explansion packs, like this fire horse, are available too.

Playing with clay can improve a child’s fine motor skills and foster better dexterity, which leads to better handwriting. But all kids need to know about this clay kit is that they can bring six vibrant animals to life with just a few rolls and pinches of the compound.

A favorite STEAM toy, this box of more than three hundred rocks and crystals gives a 6-year-old lots to sort through, categorize and ponder, and it's a fun collection to pull out and show a friend, too.

LEGO sets for 6-year-olds are more detailed playsets, with hundreds of pieces to build and play with. This cafe lends itself to all kinds of scenarios with three characters, a vespa, a dog, and inside, a counter with an espresso machine, pastries and cakes.

A dino lover is still likely obsessed at age 6, and now they're old enough to really appreciate the finely rendered realism of an 11-inch-tall Schleich T-Rex. It's great for pretend-play and for putting their own stamp on their room decor.

Getting your first real watch is a big deal, and this one is tailormade for first graders. It teaches the essentials of counting and fractions and uses blocks of color to help little kids understand what hour it is. It's available in butterflies, sharks or dinosaur designs.

You don't have to go all the way with a Barbie Dreamhouse to have fun with the fashion-doll line. With Stacie's summer camp set, she can set up her tent, roast marshmallows and go adventuring in the kayak, with our without other dolls (maybe a playdate's Barbie) along for the trip.

If your kid has collected an impressive number of toy cars at this point, this Speedway Hauler can store at least 25 of them, and it opens up into a 6-foot-long racetrack where two cars can race at a time.

You’re sure to garner a scream for ice cream with this ‘cool’ science kit that teaches kids the chemistry and chemical reactions behind the making of ice cream and sorbet. They’ll explore ice crystal formation and learn more about stabilizers. The kit doesn’t come with any food, so you'll need to buy ingredients—including sugar, milk, cream and rock salt—separately.

Apartment Therapy founder (and dad) Maxwell Ryan calls this star projector his favorite gift to give kids of any age. When his daughter was little she loved it as a nightlight, and as a teen she still considered it a cool ambient light show. "It’s the ONLY thing that has appealed to her at all ages, and that I didn’t expect," Ryan says. "Consider this the gift that keeps giving."

At this age, children are transitioning into easy chapter books but if they’re not quite there, Yoto is a great way to pique their interest. It's a screen-free alternative for book and music lovers. The player uses easy-to-insert cards to play music and stories, and it also functions as an “okay to wake” clock. With the "make your own" card, a parent or child can read a story or leave a message that can be replayed — that can be a great way to prompt your child to make up their own tale.

It seems most kids learn to ride a pedal bike between about ages 4 and 6, so if your child isn't already pedaling, now is a good time. Guardian's 20-inch bike is a highly rated starter bike that should be the right size for the next couple of years. Grab a kid's helmet, too.

An easel they can stand at makes a fun and functional gift that's perfect for a 6-year-old. This solid wood easel includes a whiteboard, a chalkboard, a refillable paper roll holder and three paint pots. You'll want to buy the art supplies separately; Crayola sells a 10-pack of washable paint.

This Climbing Rope with Disc Tree Seat can be affixed in many outdoor spaces, from tree branch to a play set. It sways gently back and forth while your child climbs and can hold up to 200 pounds.

A 6-year-old is more careful with their dolls than a 4-year-old, which is why kids this age might get their first "special" doll friend. Less a baby and more of a buddy, this 18-inch doll comes in four possible hair and skin combinatioins, and you can buy extra clothes.