The 22 Best Toys for 6 Year Olds of 2021

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Buying toys for first graders isn’t easy! The best toys for a 6-year-old will depend on the interests of your child and how they like to play and relax. The toys on our favorites list fall under a few different categories, like learning, tech, games, and active play.

For kids aged 6 and older, a Lego kit might be a fun challenge that takes them hours to complete and a board game might be great to play with siblings or friends. Disney-themed items are always popular, as is anything that makes your child feel more grown-up.

No matter who you’re buying for, our list of favorite toys is great for all kinds of kids. Encouraging play is just as important for older children as it is for toddlers and infants. Here are our top picks for best toys for 6-year-olds.

Holiday Shopping Tip

Many retailers are currently experiencing shipping delays due to disruptions in the global supply chain. As a result, we recommend shopping for the holiday season early to avoid delays.

Our Top Picks

Basic Fun Cutetitos Donutitos at Amazon

With each purchase being a mystery, there are 12 different Cutetitos to collect with some being very rare.

Disney Mad Tea Party Game at Amazon

A great game for the whole family that can be played with 2 players all the way up to 10.

Spinmaster Etch A Sketch at Spinmaster.com

Use the knobs to draw anything that comes to the imagination, then give it a shake and it erases the screen to a blank canvas.

Guess Who? Board Game at Amazon

This guessing game is a fun and lighthearted board game for the entire family that engages children in verbal communication.

VTech KidiZoom Creator Cam at Amazon

Let your kid be a creator with this camera! With 20+ backgrounds and the ability to create your own.

Think Fun Rush Hour Junior at Amazon

Let your kid be a creator with this camera! With 20+ backgrounds and the ability to create your own

Fat Brain Toys Squigz at Amazon

With 8 different shapes, the flexible pieces connect easily and pop apart to create whatever your child imagines.

LEGO Super Mario Adventures at Amazon

Players must overcome enemies and obstacles while enjoying the instant responses via the LCD screens and speaker.

Fat Brain Toys Crankity Brainteaser at Amazon

A perfect teaser for 6-year-olds, this puzzle encourages problem solving and concentration.

Diliss Walkie Talkie for Kids at Amazon

Fostering communication skills, these have a 3-mile range, a flashlight and are easy to use.

Based on the trend of pet owners wrapping their pets in blankets like a burrito, Cutetitos are a variety of stuffed animals wrapped in a burrito blanket. With each purchase being a mystery, there are 12 different Cutetitos to collect with some being very rare.

Just be ready for your child to ask for another one to add to their collection!

A great game for the whole family, it can be played with 2 players all the way up to 10. The game comes with 12 teacups in three sizes and four colors where each player plays a card and creates wacky stacks of teacups. Fans of the game say it's a mix between Jenga and Uno, but so much better than both!

A classic toy that has been entertaining kids (and adults) since 1960, the Etch A Sketch blank canvas and pencil-free drawing fosters endless creativity. Use the knobs to draw anything that comes to the imagination, then give it a shake and it erases the screen to a blank canvas.

Tried and tested, the Etch A Sketch is still around for a reason.

This original guessing game is a fun and lighthearted board game for the entire family that engages children in verbal communication. Each player chooses a mystery character, and through a process of elimination, you go back and forth trying to guess by asking yes or no questions.

The artwork is fun and is a good way for kids to practice reading and memorizing the names on the cards.

Let your kid be a creator with this camera! With 20+ backgrounds and the ability to create your own, the camera is easy for kids to use with a battery that will last for up to 2 hours. It comes with a tripod and the option of front-facing or selfie mode, which is a huge hit.

Parents can rest easy with the worry of accidental content sharing as this device is not connected to wifi.

A game your child can play alone, Rush Hour Junior teaches logic and sequential reasoning. Parents are big fans of the multi-level challenges ranging from beginner to expert that can grow with your child. Easy to transport, this game is perfect to take on the go or on a long road trip.

A toy innovation that encourages experimentation and fine motor skills, Squiz can be used almost anywhere there is a surface to stick to. With 8 different shapes, the flexible pieces connect easily and pop apart to create whatever your child imagines.

LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Course

LEGO is a crowd favorite, and this Super Mario kit is no exception. Combining the fun of building, players must overcome enemies and obstacles while enjoying the instant responses via the LCD screens and speaker. Great for solo or group play, kids will love the free app that is available to enhance the experience.

A perfect teaser for 6-year-olds, this puzzle encourages problem solving and concentration. The object is to build a puzzle solution between the red gear and the yellow wheel without moving them. The manufacturer suggests it is best for ages 6+ but with four levels of problem-solving this teaser can be used for a few years.

This seems like a step back from technology these days, but these Walkie Talkies for kids show your 6-year old that there are ways to communicate outside of a screen. Fostering communication skills, these have a 3-mile range, a flashlight and are easy to use.

Take them to the park, on a road trip, or just have fun communicating from room to room in the house.

Convenient to take anywhere, the Go Pop! Roundo is great at entertaining. The object of the game is to be the player who forces the opponent to pop the last bubble, so you must think ahead. It can also be used as a fidget toy that can help relieve stress and anxiety.

This tracing pad is great for the little artist to practice their fine motor skills. The pad comes with content to trace right away, 10 sheets of paper and a set of 12 Crayola colored pencils.

Reviewers make note that you don’t have to purchase expensive tracing paper once you run out and plain white paper will work great with this product.

Learning is fun with these magnetic tiles and they are a great way to introduce your child to colors, shapes, and architectural design. Watch your child’s imagination soar as they create their own worlds and characters to get lost in for hours. The best part is that you won't be in physical agony if you accidentally step on one of the pieces.

While these don’t look like much from the outside, they will be a toy your child does not tire of. They are perfect for sensory and tactile stimulation and can be stretched, pulled, twirled, wrapped, and squeezed. Each unit is 12 inches long made with quality material and stretches up to 8 feet.

If you have a kid who enjoys Connect 4, Sequence is a great next step. A strategy game that uses animals that have unicorns and dragons as wild cards that add fun and excitement. Ideal for little ones between 3 and 6 years old, there is a version for adults and big kids that your tot can graduate too after they've mastered this one.

The award-winning Wiggle Car has made our list of top toys for its emphasis on physical activity and ease of use just by turning the steering wheel back and forth. The wheels are safe for indoor and outdoor uses and can hold up to 220 pounds.

It is important to find books that your kid wants to pick up from an early age and Dragons Love Tacos is a must-have on the shelf. A charming story about how a boy tries to befriend the dragons through tacos of course. No real moral to the story, just a really fun and silly book to enjoy.

With a sense of humor, this book will teach your kid about emotions and following directions, all through just a simple yellow dot! A great interactive story as the adventurous dot wiggles pushes, and jumps off the page.

This handheld device comes with 12 preloaded games and does not need to be connected to the WiFi. Educational and entertaining, your child can hatch and grow virtual Rockit Pets from eggs to adults. These fit the bill for those gamers in the family.

Although this gift works for kids of all ages, a first grader is the perfect age for this high-speed remote control car. Let them take it outdoors for hours more fun, or create videos of high-speed chases.

This is the perfect toy for imaginative play, problem-solving, and fun. Friends and siblings will love this fort-building kit, and it’s great for kids of all ages. The next step up from a simple tent, creative play, and fort building with this kit will keep your 6-year-old busy for hours.

This beautifully written and illustrated book about what each state in the U.S.A has to offer is a great gift for a 6-year-old who constantly asks, “Why?”. This book will keep a little one busy for hours and is a great learning resource.

What to Look for When Shopping for Toys for 6 Year Olds

Interests

At 6 years old, kids either have or are in the process of transitioning from preschool to kindergarten and their interests may very well transition right along with them. This can make it tough to spot the toy that’s just right for them or one that will maintain their interest for more than a week. Thankfully, even though they’re starting to become more socially aware, if they have a clear interest in something they’re still at an age where they will be fully devoted to it.

Use these interests as a guide to help you find the best toy for them. If they come home from school every day, presenting the 20 pictures they drew, then look for a toy that lets them flex their artistic muscles a little bit. Or, if they’re the kind of kid who would rather be running outside than doing anything else, a toy that allows them to get energy out and be physical would likely be of interest to them.

Whatever it is that makes your 6-year-old light up, whether it’s a character, activity, or school subject, see if you can find an age-appropriate toy that lets them explore it even more than they already have.

Milestones

For the first four or five years of a kid’s life, their development is pretty predictable, both in skill and timing. However, pediatrician, Dr. David L. Hill, M.D., FAAP, explains that these developmental milestones “tend to cluster from ages 5 to 10,” which makes it “hard to distinguish...what [kind of toy] might suit a 6-year-old but not an 8-year-old.” Since the pacing of a child’s development isn’t quite as easy to predict around age 6, the best thing you can do is invest in toys that are age-appropriate and align with the milestones associated with middle childhood (between 6 and 8 years old). Some ideas include:

Kids around this age are beginning to put more emphasis on their social circles through friendships and teamwork, so a toy they can play with other people, like the Dilis Walkie-Talkies for Kids (view on Amazon) would be a good pick.
A Wiggle Car by Mastermind Toys (view on Mastermind Toys) is a great pick for 6-year-olds because they tend to have a lot of energy and are continuing to develop their cognitive function.
In middle childhood, kids are continuing to strengthen their fine motor skills and mastering their coordination, so the Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad (view on Amazon) is a fun way to help aid in that development.

Entertainment Value

While a 6-year-old’s attention span will continue to grow, they’re still pretty young and if a toy is not entertaining enough to keep them occupied, then it won’t get played with. You will want to make sure that the toy you pick out is appropriate for their age (something too young will be boring, and a toy that’s too advanced will seem too challenging to be fun) as well as their general development as that’s the sweet spot for entertainment.

If they’re learning to read, a game that helps them learn their sight words may be a lot of fun, or if they enjoy building things then a more complex puzzle might keep their attention.

Why Trust Verywell Family?

Deanna McCormack is a freelance writer & creative consultant based in Scottsdale, Arizona. She enjoys working with startups and regularly covers product launches in the lifestyle, beauty, and motherhood space. She has a 3-year-old son and an infant daughter and is the co-founder of Loonie Kid, a Canadian clothing company for kids and toddlers.

Additional reporting by Ashley Ziegler

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Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

CDC. Child development: middle childhood (6-8 years old) | cdc. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 22 Best Toys for 6 Year Olds of 2021

Keep kids busy for hours

Basic Fun Cutetitos Donutitos

Disney Mad Tea Party Game

Spinmaster Etch A Sketch

Guess Who? Board Game

VTech KidiZoom Creator Cam

Think Fun Rush Hour Junior 5+

Fat Brain Toys Squigz

LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Course

Fat Brain Toys Crankity Brainteaser

Diliss Walkie Talkie for Kids

FoxMind Go Pop! Roundo

Crayola Light Up Tracing Board

PicassoTiles Set

Impresa Monkey Noodles

Jax Sequence for Kids

MasterMindToys Wiggle Car

Dragons Love Tacos

Let’s Play!

LeapFrog Rockit Twist

Free To Fly Remote Control Car

Tiny Land Fort Building Kit

The 50 States