10 Gift Ideas for a 5 Year Old Boy
Buying for a five-year-old boy can be tricky — they’ve usually got plenty of opinions, endless energy and a wish list that changes by the day! From toys that get them moving to creative activities, building sets and games the whole family can enjoy, I’ve rounded up 10 brilliant gift ideas with something for every kind of five-year-old.
Hot Wheels Race Track
Where to buy: Amazon
Perfect for little car fans who love making up races, crashes and challenges. With different track configurations to experiment with, it’s the kind of toy they can keep changing rather than playing with once and forgetting about. Add a few favourite Hot Wheels cars and you’ve got hours of racing fun.
Monster Jam Smash & Bash Grave Digger Remote Control Indoor & Outdoor Car
Where to buy: Amazon
A brilliant choice for kids who like their toys LOUD, fast and slightly chaotic! This chunky Grave Digger remote-control truck is made for smashing, crashing and racing around both indoors and outside — exactly the sort of present that gets an immediate reaction when they unwrap it.
Scooter
Where to buy: Argos
Sometimes the simplest presents are the ones that get used the most. A scooter is brilliant for trips to the park, family walks and burning off some of that seemingly endless five-year-old energy — and at around £15, this one is a great-value bigger gift too.
Lego Box
Where to buy: Argos
You really can't go far wrong with a big box of LEGO at this age. There are no instructions they have to follow, so they can build whatever they dream up, knock it down and start all over again. It's a gift that encourages creativity and imagination and can be played with again and again.
Football Goal
Where to buy: Amazon
Perfect for football-mad five-year-olds — or simply kids who need an excuse to run around outside! A goal instantly turns the garden into their own mini football pitch and is great for practising shots, playing with friends or challenging the grown-ups to a match.
Crayola Airbrush Marker
Where to buy: Argos
A really fun alternative to an ordinary colouring set. Kids can use the airbrush-style marker to create colourful pictures, patterns and effects, making arts and crafts feel that little bit more exciting. A lovely option for creative kids who already have approximately 4,000 felt-tip pens.
Magna-Tiles Rail Racers
Where to buy: Argos
Part building toy, part race track and a great one for kids who love creating things. They can design their own tracks and experiment with different layouts before sending the vehicles racing around their creation — giving them something new to build each time they play.
Kinetic Sand Construction Site Sand Box Set
Where to buy: Smyths
Kinetic Sand is wonderfully messy without being quite as horrifying as bringing an actual sandpit into the house. 😂 This construction set adds vehicles and building-themed play, so kids can dig, squash, shape and rebuild their little construction site over and over again.
My First Science Kit
Where to buy: Amazon
A great gift for curious kids who are forever asking “but WHY?” This beginner-friendly science kit turns learning into something they can actually get stuck into, with hands-on experiments that introduce simple science concepts while still feeling like play.
Hungry Hungry Hippos Board Game
Where to buy: Argos
An absolute classic — and five is a brilliant age to start introducing more family games. Hungry Hungry Hippos is quick, silly and easy to understand, so there aren't twenty minutes of explaining rules before anyone gets to play. Great for family game nights and inevitably gets far more competitive than it should.
My Top Pick
If I had to choose just one, I'd go for the LEGO box. It's one of those gifts that can be completely different every time they open it — one day they're building a car, the next it's a house, a spaceship or something that apparently definitely is a dinosaur even though you can't quite see it. It encourages creativity, problem-solving and independent play, and unlike plenty of toys, it's something they're unlikely to outgrow anytime soon.