36 Expert-Approved Toys for 5-Year-Old Girls Who Love to Be Creative

This set comes with a case and a series of stampers, and as kids send the Kinetic Sand through the stampers it looks like it has an animated effect — very cool! "They loved that it had a little briefcase to hold the sand," one parent said — and parents also appreciated that the sand contained some of the mess. In addition to the stampers, it has other sand tools like a crinkle cutter. Ages 5+

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Add three, eight-inch Squishmallows to their collection in one go with this gift set. The Squishmallows inside will be a surprise, which only adds to the excitement. Ages 3+

Bindi Irwin lends her voice to this talking microscope, which comes loaded with more than 100 scientific facts. The slides feature 60 beautiful full-color images, and you can switch it to quiz mode to see how much your kids retain. And if you want to make it a set, you can also get the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Telescope. Ages 3+

Digital pets have been a trend for a while now, and Bitzee puts a pixelated twist on them. The character inside the pod reacts to a kid's swipes, tilts and other touches. As kids play games, they can collect more magical characters in the same pod. "She seemed to be able to talk to it and it would do what she wanted," one parent tester said. Ages 5+

They can create their own sparkly art scenes without paint, without glue and — yes! — without loose glitter. With this set, kids just select a puffy sticker and rub a special, sparkly foil onto it, and the shimmer transfers without any mess! They can then stick the stickers onto different backgrounds. There are a few themes to choose from, including animals, unicorns and princesses, dinosaurs, dress-up and outer space. Ages 4+

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Good Housekeeping Institute testers really responded to this book, which features a Wednesday Addams-like character who grows a garden of unusual plants, giving kids another way of relating to those who are different. Parents also liked looking at the garden. "Every page's illustrations merit a close look," one said. Ages 2–6

For kids who love to make up their own stories, this kit helps them get their creativity flowing. It comes with two hardbound books, and also writing prompts, vocabulary lists, stickers and markers to let kids fill them up. "She loved the about-the-author section," one parent tester said. Ages 5+

Two kid favorites — LEGO and Gabby's Dollhouse — come together in this Seal-holding building set. It comes with figures of Gabby, Pandy Paws and Kitty Fairy, and kids can build the treehouse, garden and playground for them to frolic in. At just 130 pieces, it's good for those just starting out with LEGO building sets. Ages 4+

Hi, Barbie! There's a trend in toys to miniaturize everything, and Barbie is no exception. This set comes with three, 1.5-inch tall Barbie dolls, and a Dream Camper, Dream Boat, Dream Plane and DreamHouse for them to have adventures in. "The dollhouse and dolls are small enough that they don't take up much space, but they still engage my child's imagination for pretend play," one parent tester said. Ages 4+

She can dress up as Rapunzel, Ariel, Tiana and Jasmine with this 21-piece truck full of Disney Princess clothing and accessories. The trunk comes with everything they need, including tops, skirts, bracelets, rings, headbands and stickers. There's also a second trunk with outfits for Aurora, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White. Ages 3+

With this game, kids have to shake the chicken to see what color card they have to use, do the action on the card, and pass the chicken along — all before the time runs out. The fast pace of the passing game and the nature of actions means that, even though this is a family game, kids are sneakily getting in some active time. Family testers loved the silliness of the game.

If Ada Twist, Scientist has them forming hypotheses and designing experiments, channel that energy into this project book. There are ideas for more than 40 projects to complete, including tracking the phases of the moon or building an aquascope. Ages 5+

They'll feel like a fairy curled up onto flower petals when they lounge on this oversized, 30" floor pillow. It comes in many different colors, and the petals have a soft, corduroy texture to them. No age recommendation given

The next best thing to getting a real dog, this interactive friend has more than 60 sounds and reactions, making it remarkably lifelike. Kids also liked the weighted paws, soft fur and the fact that it comes with different combinations of eye colors and secret birthmarks. Caring for toy animals helps kids practice empathy, and this one definitely inspired kids to do so: "She has been brining the puppy with her when we leave the house, sleeping with it, feeding it and is overall so affectionate with it," one parent tester said. Ages 4+

Kids can pick up the basics of sewing with a plastic needle and pre-cut pieces. This kit comes with two cardstock projects they can practice with before moving on to make their own cupcake plush, cookie keychain and pizza pocket — all adorable. Ages 4+

Testers were dazzled by the big reveal this toy offers. First, kids have to mix up some dough with the included ingredients — a fun, sensory experience. After they shape and mold it, they pop it in the toy oven, the timer ticks and — ding! — out pops a much bigger stuffed animal. It's even warm to the touch, like it's fresh out of the oven, and smells sweet, too. And if they already have the oven, they can move on to the Cookez Makery pancake pan or refrigerator toy, which have more surprises in store. Ages 4+

One of these bath bombs is all they'll need to level up their tub time. There are so many sensory experiences in one bomb: It fizzes, it turns the water colors, each one has a different fragrance and — best of all — there's a surprise, squishy toy inside. Ages 3+

At 5 years old, kids are ready for more of a challenge when it comes to jigsaw puzzles, and this 72-piece puzzle is just the right amount of difficult. And, when it's done, it makes a 21" x 14" picture of a band, so they'll feel accomplished. Ages 5+

Kids can plant real seeds around the border of this play set, and watch as a garden magically grows. Then, a fairy and a unicorn figure can frolic around the flowers, across the bridge, into the light-up mushroom house (it turns on when you blow on it) and past the working water pump. Good Housekeeping Institute parent testers say this has just the right amount of features so it encourages open-ended play, but still has enough to keep kids interested. Ages 4+

Now they can take their favorite animal with them wherever they go. No age recommendation given

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