23 best toys for six-year-olds that let their creativity shine

Just in time for the new Lilo & Stitch film, this 45cm animatronic puppet will wow six-year-olds. It's fully interactive, with over 100 action and sound combinations – from happy to sad – for a pretty realistic playmate. Ages 6+

An investment, yes, but Connetix is truly the gift that grows with your child. Expand their existing collection or get them started with this 212-piece rainbow-coloured pack.

Promoting a whole host of key skills, including logical thinking, engineering, colour recognition and more, they'll be busy building rockets and castles before you know it. Ages 3+

Whether you have a cheese-loving child, or a surfboarding obsessed six-year-old, there is truly a Jellycat for everyone. Whichever one you go for, they're guaranteed to be super soft and snuggly. Ages 0+

If you've noticed them looking longingly at your makeup kit, give them this instead. The pack contains a nail polish and lip gloss that has been specially formulated for children (so it washes off easily with a bit of water!). Ages 3+

This map jigsaw features illustrations, so they'll learn about different parts of the world, while also challenging themselves to complete the puzzle. It comes with 100 pieces, which makes it a good challenge for six-year-olds. Ages 6+

Boys and girls will love this hair clip organiser, which can hang on the back of their bedroom door, and use to proudly show-off their collection.

Skillmatics is our go-to for simple, yet educational games that the whole family will enjoy. It won't take little ones long to learn the rules – ask up to 10 questions to guess the animal on the opposite player's card.

The first to collect seven cards, wins! They'll get a real kick out of guessing correctly, and will learn more about their favourite animals in the process.

Introduce them to the world of 3D printing with this pen set. It creates plastic that hardens immediately but isn't hot to touch! Kids really like it and will spend ages engaging with it. Note: you need to keep the end of the stylus clean to avoid it getting jammed up. Ages 6+

Kids will love throwing and catching this giant ball. It's super squishy and stretchy and looks like a real bubble, yet it's strong enough for them to kick it, throw it, bounce it or even sit on it! Ages 6+

Make maths fun (yes, really!), with this award-winning kit from Learning Resources. Choose a colourful fly swatter and slam it down when you see the right answer on your fly. The player with the most bugs wins. Fast-paced and educational, there are 132 colour-coded flies to teach them their two to 12 times tables. Ages 6+

This game involves balancing marbles on twisted rubber bands, which means it tests players' logic and hand-eye coordination. It's truly a challenge and is great for those who like to flex those problem-solving muscles. Ages 6+

Let them build something they can actually crawl inside with this fort-making set. It comes with rods and connectors, plus plans to help them make structures like an igloo or a rocket ship if they don't want to come up with their own designs. You'll just have to provide the sheets to drape over them. Ages 5+

This kit helps children realise their dreams of writing their own illustrated stories, and it includes helpful items to get them started, such as prompts, suggested vocabulary lists, stickers and markers.

They'll particularly love filling out the “about the author” section. It comes in different themes, including animals, space and unicorns and princesses. Ages 5+

When they're sitting at a restaurant, waiting for an appointment to start or just need a bit of quiet time, this is the perfect activity.

They'll get to make 10 intricate pictures of different animals by placing stickers in the right spaces. If they like it, there are books with other themes, including pets and undersea life. Ages 5+

Perfect for family game night, two to four players must go on a journey to help their cave people find food, all while looking out for the danger of the dino and its magnetic tongue. Ages 5+

This car may be small, but kids will be wowed when it drives up the wall and even onto the ceiling! And yet, it won't damage the paint on the walls. Phew! Ages 4+

Their very first smartwatch is full of clock faces that help them learn how to tell the time, with fun games and activities that keep them active. It even has a camera. Ages 4+

Using one of five free apps, your six-year-old can code Dash to hurl LEGO bricks like a catapult, get it to act like an animal or drive like a delivery truck. As kids grow and really get into coding, they can do more advanced things using coding concepts like loops, events, conditions and sequences. Ages 6+

While the old-school Lite-Brite, with the coloured pegs, will always have a place in our hearts, we must admit that this one, which changes colours with a tap of a finger, is a lot easier.

It's crazily addictive, and once they start they won't want to stop! In addition to making pictures at the touch of a button, it also has an animation function and a few games. Ages 6+

Made for two to four players, Gnomes at Night is a great choice for family board game night.

The idea is to retrieve all 12 stolen treasures and return them to the queen by morning. Players work with a partner to successfully navigate the gnomes through the maze without hitting any walls, all before the timer ends. The stand-up maze comes with four vertical mazes, so each session will be challenging and fun. Ages 6+