17 best gifts and toys for six-year-olds to inspire fun and learning

It’s no exaggeration to say both our testers (and their parents) are absolutely obsessed with this award-winning game. The premise is simple: slot specific shapes into an allotted space in a bespoke wooden tray, which is divided up using a slider. There are more than 500 challenges, known as slams, to attempt – and found in the accompanying book – from simple three-piece puzzles to fitting all 12 into place. If this sounds complex, we can assure you it’s not. It’s so easy to grasp and instantly satisfying – much like a jigsaw puzzle – when pieces start to slot into place.

It’s engaging to the point of being completely addictive, all the while giving any brain a proper workout. The game is especially good for six-year-olds, as it hones spatial awareness and basic geometry skills. The brightly coloured pieces are really appealing and tactile, too.

What made this buy the best overall gift is that six-year-olds will never outgrow the game – only enjoying it more as they mature. The brilliant bonus is that parents won’t be bored playing it, either. In fact, we’d wager it’s played even after the children are in bed.

Like holding the moon in your hand, this small but mighty ball glows in the dark, thanks to an integrated light.

Made from “zero gravity” foam, the ball is lightweight and designed to be as bouncy and fast as possible. It’s almost comically quick.

Our testers love the pop sound effect when the ball hits a hard surface – this contact is what activates the light – and ran themselves ragged trying to keep up with it.

What’s really cool about this is that where most outdoor games must stop when darkness falls, the moonshine ball will carry on lighting up.

We know this looks absolutely horrific and, at first sight, could easily be filed under “gifts to give to your worst enemy’s child”, but bear with us, because this is actually genius.

It is, as the name suggests, the chance for children to make their very own monster by adding all sorts of exciting elements into a central chamber and waiting for the creature to emerge – from actual mist!

What’s so compelling about the set – and good for children – is that it doesn’t offer instant gratification. There is work involved in order to see results, and that means creative, resourceful, experimental and inventive play.

There was a genuine sense of awe as the beast started to reveal itself and showcase its special powers to our (frankly gobsmacked) six-year-old tester. Think warning sirens, a fearsome roar and the promise of pandemonium (just a normal day, then?). We’re not in one-hit wonder territory here – the beast lab can be used again and again.

This dinosaur-themed alphabet print could well be the perfect starting point for budding art collectors with a penchant for palaeontology.

It’s A3 in size, arrives ready to frame (which we advise doing ahead of wrapping and popping under the tree) and features hand-drawn illustrations of dinosaurs for each letter of the alphabet; including velociraptor and of course the T-Rex.

What our six-year-old really loved about this print was all the clues within the poster: the details and minutiae that illustrator Helen Leslie captures so beautifully.

It’s hard to think of anything more inviting to a six-year-old than a machine with colourful compartments and levers, which is why this scrapbooking station is so inviting.

It essentially offers little creatives a one-stop shop to customise paper, stickers and adhesive tape with gems and pens, which will in turn elevate books, journals and notepads.

Our little tester was especially enamoured with a stamping feature – paper is placed in a slim case before it’s fed through a special gap in the machine, helped by a rotating lever. The result? Excellent embossing.

Best of all, it’s neat – like a desk organiser – and every element has its place, which encourages tidiness.

If shows are a family tradition, this charming magnetic theatre makes for a fitting gift. The sleek, compact box opens into a small but perfectly formed and beautifully illustrated scene, with the stage set for the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

The eponymous protagonist, her grandmother, the wolf and the hunter are all rendered in wood with magnetic bottoms – all the better for moving around on stage with the help of two sticks (each fitted with magnets). These are cleverly concealed beneath the set, so budding thespians can work their magic in secret, and move smoothly.

Our tester absolutely adored playing with this – even introducing a couple of Sylvanian family hedgehogs and a LOL doll from stage left. Who needs the West End?

Friendship bracelets 21st-century style – these tiny, colourful, intricately linked bands are all the craze, and interest in them shows no sign of waning.

This kit has everything you need to get to work, including hundreds of bands, decorative beads and charms, plus “G” clips for easy fastening. There’s a frame and tools that are designed for ease of use, but – thanks to an older sibling with plenty of loomi experience – these were all but abandoned in favour of a simple thumb and forefinger method of weaving, which we have to say did seem like the simpler option by far.

Any worries that it was too difficult a skill for a six-year-old to master were dispelled when, just like riding a bike, little ones suddenly got it and were thereafter rarely seen without a half-formed bracelet hanging off their digits.

Chances of you and everyone in your household having forearms entirely covered in these within hours of your six-year-old receiving this gift? We’d have to say high.

It’s never too early to start collecting brilliant pieces of art, and this hand-painted design print by Yaya Studio is both playful and stylish – presenting a stellar addition to any six-year-old’s bedroom. With bright colours, a bold motif and a positive message, this makes for a great gift that will be admired every day and give very good vibes for years to come.

If your little recipient wouldn’t be tickled pink by this colourway, there’s a juicy orange version to consider, too. By the same token, there are three sizes to choose between – from relatively subtle A4 to gloriously wall-dominating A2.

Printed onto high-quality 250gsm matte paper, the finish is lovely and of a gorgeous, rich quality. Be aware that the print is not framed but, luckily, getting your hands on a ready-made one that won’t break the bank is easy.

Fitting nine different coloured shapes into a grid populated by seven blockers faster than your opponent can (who has an identical grid, shapes and blocker arrangements) is the name of the game here. And it’s one of the most addictive games we’ve come across in ages. It’s hard to overstate just how good this is – though, the fact it’s a larger version of the best-selling and multi-award-winning game should be some indication.

A large part of its appeal is it can be played alone if an opponent isn’t to hand. Not only this but it’s just as popular among adults as it is children – so playing is no hardship. In fact, we think most adults with Genius Square in the house would play it on their own, given half the chance.

There’s a lot about this game that gives it the right to its name, but being an activity that provides youngsters with the chance to hone their spatial awareness, strategy and logic skills is a total boon. We found that the assembly of the block pieces was a particularly teachable moment. Best of all? There are 62,208 possible puzzle combinations – and always at least one solution – so the chance of ever getting bored is slim.

If you’re shopping for a crafty six-year-old, this decoupage kit could well mark the end of your search. Containing all that’s needed to make a patchwork unicorn – paper-maché model, four sheets of pre-cut stickers (plus eye stickers) and a special glitter glue – this is a super-simple introduction to a skill that’s both absorbing and fun.

What is ingenious about this kit is how easy it makes a potentially messy and confusing pastime. It allows for total creativity in terms of decorative choice: there’s no chance of getting anything wrong. It’s also really lovely that, after all the designing and placing and sticking is over, there will be an ornament to keep forever. There’s also a giraffe version, if unicorns are a little too out of this world for your kids.

If insects, leaves, feathers and wildflowers are what make your six-year-old recipient tick, this simple tool will elevate their experience of the great outdoors. It’s essentially a hand-held viewing device into which spotter cards can be slotted, which make for easy identification of all sorts of flora and fauna.

What’s especially cool is there’s a constellations slide too, so young night owls can compare the images with what’s twinkling overhead on a clear night. There’s also a secret compartment, so little treasures such as nuts or petals can be safely stored for further inspection, and a code included which, when used online, unlocks more comprehensive information about the items on the spotter guide.

Cosy, cute and cool, these trapper hats, complete with little ears, are just the ticket for any kid with a sense of fun. Six-year-olds, who are all about exploring their individuality, will be tickled pink by any of these hats (there are a host of colourways and patterns), which will absolutely attract at least one “where did you get that?” per outing.

But they’re more than just stylish – these hats ensure warmth, thanks to being lined with Thinsulate fabric, jersey and faux fur. They’re also waterproof. We recommend the six-to-eight-year-old size option but smaller six-year-olds might find it a little roomy.

These hats are so cool, parents will want them too, and the good news is they also come in adult sizes.

A lightweight (232g), dual-lens digital camera that prints inkless labels in 10 seconds, designed especially for children – this is a completely brilliant gift idea for six-year-olds. Not least because it will hopefully put a stop to the collections of 300 selfies that they like to take on their parents’ phones.

The camera can transfer photos wirelessly and it has its own mobile app for label creation. It’s easy to hold, with smooth, round corners, plus a little stand and a strap for being out and about. On the camera itself, there is a selfie mode and plenty of frames and filters, which kept our tester amused for hours.

The camera itself only prints in black and white – for colour photographs, images should be transferred to a printer, laptop or PC.

We appreciate this isn’t the most budget-friendly gift – it’s definitely main-present territory – but the camera is built to last and will be of interest to its recipient all the way up to adulthood.

The human body is laid bare and ready for dissection in what is essentially a wooden puzzle. However, it includes some 76 magnets to assemble the different parts of a magnetic map board, which details the body at different levels – skeleton, organs, muscles and skin. Meanwhile, there are information cards in no fewer than 12 different languages, including French, Russian, Japanese and Dutch.

Our tester approached this puzzle with gusto – and needed to be reminded this was likely a marathon, not a sprint. There is plenty of scope for talking about different parts of the anatomy, and our mini tester was really proud to be able to relay some of what she knew already and apply it to the boards, but also to learn more about how a human body is constructed and works. Needless to say, the wooden pointer stick was possibly the biggest hit of all.

Another brilliant and rather off-the-wall game, happy salmon involves cards, instructions and actions. Each player (there can be up to four) has a pile of cards. On each card is an instruction – “fist bump” or “high five”, for example – and the player must find someone else to perform the action with. When an action is complete, those cards are discarded. The winner is the first player to have no cards left.

This is a high-energy game, so expect lots of shouting and a general sense of chaos. Our tester got competitive really quickly and was furious when she couldn’t find a partner, but this didn’t stop her wanting to play again... and again... and again, which is always a good sign.

Both book and craft, this is a no-brainer for budding bird watchers. This gorgeously illustrated hardback contains pieces for 10 press-out European birds, from a blue tit to a barn owl. The pieces are slotted together to form model birds, which can be used as decorations – our tester is mid-way through making a bird-themed garland.

The pieces can also be pressed back into the pages of the book, to be used again. This aspect felt important to us – affording the recipient repeated enjoyment is crucial for a gift to be truly cherished.

As well as the pop-out part of the volume, this is also a reference book. Insightful but easy to access information – from what food the birds eat to how they feature in myth and legend – features on the colourful spreads.

It looks like a calculator – it’s handheld and has a numbers-only interface and window – and it is, in part, but Math Whiz is so much more.

It’s essentially an electronic flash card generator, offering a variety of quizzes across addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in eight skill levels, so progress and challenge are both guaranteed. There are lots of encouraging motifs, such as smiley faces, to maintain morale and motivation.

Obviously, this will be a hit for children who love numbers, but what we thought was genius was, thanks to it posing as a game with lights and sounds (mute is possible, don’t worry) – it feels fun and not like learning at all. A six-year-old choosing to brush up their numeracy skills? Watch it happen. If both of our testers are anything to go by, they’ll be on this game for hours at a time.