25 Best Toys and Gifts for 5-Year-Old Boys Who Have Everything

Loading these cars into their launchers, they look just like a flat rectangle. Then, kids are amazed as they shoot out of the launchers and pop into a 3D car shape, all while zooming at fast speeds. "He loved the novelty of this toy," one parent tester said. "He showed it to a lot of people." Parents also appreciated how little storage space they needed. Ages 5+

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Kids and Lab experts alike were charmed by this on-the-go gecko, whose silicone limbs bounce around just enough to make it look like it's really alive. It's controlled by an easy-to-use remote, and the red LEDs in its eyes are the perfect finishing touch. Ages 4+

Good Housekeeping testers have long loved jumping, stomping and stamping to launch a Stomp Rocket into the air. Now they can do the same with three different types of planes — a looper, a glider and a wildcat — which are known for doing different types of aerial tricks, including curving in the air, soaring as high as possible or doing stunts. Plus, when they experiment with force, flight paths and wind, they're learning STEM skills. Ages 5+

Move over, fortune tellers — now e have a Force N' Teller who can answer yes-or-no questions about the future. It has about 40 different responses to questions, and LEDs animate its eyes in an entertaining way as it talks. Kids and parents liked the cartoony design, too. Ages 4+

This book is perfect for kids who love vehicles, but it also has a good message about naming and understand feelings. My daughter enjoyed noticing the different ways in which Cranky’s morning went awry, and we talked about how she would feel if she were in Cranky’s place,” one parent said. Ages 4–8

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Kids can use these boards to use up all their energy by doing spins, pretending to surf, doing flips and more. They come in a range of colors and accommodate kids up to 4 feet tall, but the Spooner Board Pro is a little longer for taller kids. Ages 2+

Yes, this toy really does have an odor to it, but parents were relieved to learn that it doesn't smell bad — it either smells like banana or burned popcorn. Kids adored everything about it. "His favorite thing was that it produced smoke rings when he used it," one parent tester said. "He has had fart sound and smell gizmos before, but never anything that took the toy beyond just sounds." Ages 4+

The voice of Emily Calandrelli, who kids know as the star of Emily's Wonder Lab, guides kids through real NASA images of space with this talking telescope. With it, kids can learn facts about space and all the amazing things that exist beyond our planet. And, if they want to look small instead of big, there's also the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Microscope. Ages 4+

Little scientists can get an introduction to the Earth with this all-in-one science kit. First, they can build a pom-pom volcano, which will clue them into some of the planet's geologic forces. Then, they can break open two real geodes and see the crystals inside. Ages 5+

They're not just playing with cards, they're learning the basics of coding! This set comes with challenge cards that feature a problem, and kids have to code the rescue vehicle to come in and save the day. The car comes with three shells that turn it into a police car, fire truck or construction vehicle, and Good Housekeeping testers said that it was really easy to learn how to get them to go. Ages 4+

Kids will be amazed at the mosaic scenes they create when they match the correct stickers to the right spaces, filling in a picture (and placing the sticker in the right space helps with their fine motor coordination, too). The book comes with 10 scenes, all with an outer-space theme, but if they like it, they can move on to dinosaurs, zoo animals and other motifs. Ages 5+

Kids can customize these Playmobil figures in all sorts of ways, since this community hero-themed set comes with six figures and a whole range of heads, legs, arms and accessories you can use on them. Playmobil says there are more than 1,000 combinations in each box, which means their imaginary worlds can expand that much more.

This puzzle is made from 72 thick, sturdy pieces, which is just the right level of challenge for a 5-year-old who's ready for more complex puzzles. When it's put together, it features some of the favorite attractions around Washington, DC, so there's a social studies lesson in there, too. Ages 5+

If they try to help you with the Wordle every day, give them this, which is an innovative way to get them to practice sounding out letters and spelling words. The letters are on wheels, so kids can spin each and see how changing one letter can change a whole word. It also comes with cards to help them practice different sight words. Ages 3+

We'd call this a board game, but there's no board — there's a hungry, angry sofa who needs to be fed! Kids can leave items on the cushions, and then the couch reacts differently depending on what it's fed: It makes faces, and then either eats the items up or spits them out. Good Housekeeping kid testers loved seeing the couch's different expressions. Ages 5+

Kids can combine and re-combine the translucent shapes to make endless art projects, then trace and color them in. It'll get them experimenting with color mixing and how shapes can work together to make a larger picture. The set comes with three markers, 22 shape clings, three “Complete the Scene” transparency sheets, along with a light-up board that holds the markers. Ages 3+

Instead of crayons that color in one hue, this gives you a range of colors in every stroke (it even looks cool just sitting in the box). The end is pointed and the sides are flat, so kids can use the end for fine lines and the sides for coloring in a big area. They also don't roll off the table. Ages 3+

This game gets kids to work on matching and memory skills, and at the same time teaches them about countries around the world. There are 24 pairs to match, each representing a different place around the globe. Ages 5+

If they like hearing about ghosts, witches and the macabre, this book will give them 50 eerie tales to chew on. Their origins come from all over the world, so they can learn more about folkore and myths from different countries when they read it. Ages 5+

Good Housekeeping testers loved using these as fidget toys, seeing the different ways the liquids moved through the bottles. But each one also has an emotion that goes with it — angry, scared, happy or worried — so they can be used to start conversations about feelings. Ages 3+

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