27 best toys that every five-year-old will love

This mess-free kit will keep them engaged for hours once they get the hang of it. Each kit includes six foam princesses and over 700 pieces of fabric to create their dresses from, making it excellent value. The premise is simple — use the "magical wand" to poke each piece of fabric through the pin board. Trust us, it's strangely addictive. Ages 4+

Little Moana fans will be delighted by the many play features found within this boat. A wave becomes a water slide, a platform rises to reveal a sleeping area with a hammock and there's even a little dinghy for Heihei and his coconut hat. It also comes with a small Moana figure and 10 accessories. Ages 3+

If they're already lucky enough to own a Toniebox, give it a freshen up with these Pocket Tonies.

Inspired by Tom Percival’s best selling books, this collection features mindfulness exercises by children’s instructor Ciaran Ivanovic. They tackle everything from taming tempers to soothing anxiety and are the perfect tool to teach children about their emotions and open communication. Ages 5+

Kids can serve up pretend hot drinks with this wooden countertop coffee machine, which is designed to spark imaginative play. The coffee pods can be inserted into the removable portafilter, and there's also a milk frother, pretty cup and a spoon. When not in use, the pods can be safely stored on top of the machine so you don't lose them. Ages 3+

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 colours and secret birthmarks.

Caring for toy animals helps kids practise empathy, and this one definitely inspired kids to do so. "She has been bringing the puppy with her when we leave the house, sleeping with it, feeding it and is overall so affectionate with it,” one parent told us. Ages 4+

Whether they're just playing in the garden, or practising their goal kicks before they join their school team, they'll be able to work on their gross motor coordination with this set of football goals. It assembles quickly, can be folded away when not in use, and can be adjusted to suit different heights. No age recommendation given.

Your aspiring restaurateurs can say this is where it all began. This easy-to-follow cookbook is packed with simple recipes they can use to get started on their culinary journey. In addition to instructions on how to make things like apple turnovers and sesame peanut noodles, it also offers interesting info on food types, tools and techniques. It's beautifully illustrated too. Ages 2+

T-Rexes may get all the glory, but true dino fans know the diplodocus is where it's at. If the five-year-old in your life wants one looking down on them from a shelf, first they have to put it together in the form of this 3-D puzzle. Ages 5+

This top-quality kit may feel like an investment, but it's a toy that will grow with them. The pack contains 202 pieces in aesthetically pleasing pastel shades, including magnetic tiles and motion car bases to encourage STEAM learning (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics).

Play alongside them as they create castles, towers, animals and whatever else their imagination can conjur up! Ages 3+

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 said of this one. Ages 5+

Hexagonal-shaped tiles make it easy for kids to quickly build their own marble runs, disassemble them, and put them together again in a new way. These can also act as a play set, since they come with jungle-themed decorations and figures. You can also get an ice-themed starter set, or expansion sets with ocean themes and desert themes. And we love how sturdy the pieces are and how nice they feel to hold. Ages 3+

If they're fans of the empowering Little People, Big Dreams book series, we're confident they'll love this activity book. It contains 100 stickers, colouring pages, dot-to-dot, spot the difference and more, and features a wide array of inspirational figures. It's also a top choice for travelling. Ages 4+

This fun robot is a great way to introduce kids to coding without using screens. During toy testing of the previous version, kids immediately loved it right out of the box.

Now the Botley 2.0 has expanded coding styles (including lights, movement and music), different interactive modes (programme it to be a police car, a ghost or a train) and an accessory kit with 78 pieces. Ages 5+

With this game, kids have to shake the chicken to see what colour 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 game and the nature of actions means that kids are sneakily getting in some active time. Family testers loved the silliness of the game. Ages 4+

Kids can make cool, mosaic-like pictures without glue, markers or paint — instead, they fill in the pictures with pre-cut stickers in different shades. Positioning the sticker in the right spot is good for their fine-motor coordination, and they'll feel accomplished when they see the cool art they've made. Each book comes with 10 scenes to fill in.

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, even better, the case contains some of the mess. In addition to the stampers, it has other sand tools like a crinkle cutter. Ages 5+

This set is the perfect mix of small, guided builds and open-ended play. There are instructions that will help them build a toy car, globe, flower, guitar, smiley emoji, cactus and other fun little figures. Then they can take them apart and use the 1,000 colourful pieces to make their own creations. Ages 5+

Kids will love this fun word and picture rhyming game, which encourages imaginative and social play. Players need to match rhyming pairs to make a silly sentence, then feed them to the slime monster! Ages 5+

Take crafts to the next level with this mess-free airbrushing kit. Little ones simply attach the reusable flexible tube to a colour of their choice, to create amazing spray art effects.

Each kit comes with six felt tips, four printed cards and ten rubber bands to create special stripe effects. A well-priced gift that promotes artistic expression, imagination, and fine motor skills development. Ages 5+

Let those future architects and engineers design their own blanket forts with this set, which comes with 69 pieces (mostly rods and ball connectors). There are plans they can follow to make structures such as a rocket, a castle or an igloo, or they can free-style and build whatever they like. All you have to do is add your own sheets and blankets on top to create a cosy fort. Ages 3+