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Mar 14, 2024

30 Best Gifts and Toys for 6

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process. Tested by experts and

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Tested by experts and kid-approved.

By the time kids are 6, they're starting to know what topics interest them most. And there's no better way to nurture their interest than through play. If they love science, there's plenty of STEM sets that let them do experiments or solve problems at home. If they love art, there are DIY crafts and kits that'll let them make the most of their creativity. And if they just love to play, there are board games that'll hone their critical thinking and play sets that'll get their imaginations all fired up.

So, when it comes time to get gifts for kids of this age, the hardest part is knowing which ones to choose. The Good Housekeeping Institute takes the subject of play very seriously, testing toys with the same rigorous process it uses for home appliances or beauty items. First, experts call in their favorites and test them in the labs for safety and durability. Then, they send the toys into homes where actual 6-year-olds can weigh in on if they're fun to use or not. (And, fine, parents get to give feedback, too, but they're not as important as the kids.) The best of the best go on to win Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards. This year, these rose to the top as the best toys and gifts for 6-year-olds in 2023, including some new and old Toy Award winners.

Lots of their favorites really took the idea of STEAM to heart, incorporating both creative and scientific elements. And others were just plain fun. But whatever they're into, you're bound to find a gift here for any 6-year-old on your list.

They'll be making all-new masterpieces with this art set, which gives them a little help in the drawing department. It comes with various pictures that they can trace, but the real fun is when they start combining them and layering them on top of each other — adding accessories to a character, for example, or using shapes like stars to give the whole thing more pizzazz. It even lights up, which helps them see the lines to trace. Ages 6+

Uh-oh, there's a cat burglar on the loose! If kids put money on top of this innocent-looking box, a feline thief will poke its head out, pause for a second and then snatch the money away. Users say it has a lot of personality for a bank, and it just might encourage kids to save up their coins. Ages 3+

The pieces of this DIY set are actually plastic tiles that interlock, kind of like a 3D puzzles, and building them can help improve fine motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination. The kit also includes LED string lights to make each creation glow in the dark. Each kit (sold separately) can make three different projects, and when they're done, they'll love displaying it in their room. Ages 6+

This pair of race cars is totally kid-powered — they stomp on the launchers and watch the vehicles go! Players can set up a traditional race and see which car goes farther, or they can use the included ramp and see which car will fly off it first. Ages 5+

Let them build something they can actually crawl inside with this fort-building 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 do have to provide the sheets to drape over them. Ages 5+

Good Housekeeping Institute Lab experts say this is a good drone for kids because they don't have to master the buttons on a remote control — the whole thing is powered with their hands. (They also found it to be very budget-friendly.) Once kids get the hang of it, they can learn to do stunts by grabbing the "trick stick." Ages 4+

RELATED: The Best Drones for Kids

Even adults came away from this book saying they learned more about the science of puddles, and the ecosystems that depend on puddles, than they ever knew before. A Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award Winner, the book was also a hit with parents and kids who say they got more and more out of it every time they read it. Ages 4+

RELATED: The Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Awards

Introduce them to the world of 3D printing with this pen set. It creates plastic that hardens immediately but is not hot to touch! Kid testers really liked it, and even their parents noticed how much time they spent engaging with it. One note: Keep the end of the stylus clean, so it won't jam up. Ages 6+

This game comes with cards that challenge kids to use different pieces to try and construct successful roller coaster rides. And when they want a break from the cards, they can design their own roller coaster track while building creative play skills. The set includes a game board, 39 tracks, 36 posts, one roller coaster car to test all the tracks and 40 challenge cards. Ages 6+

Made for two to four players, Gnomes at Night makes for an excellent family game night. The object of the game is to retrieve all 12 stolen treasures a thief stole from the queen and return them to her 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+

Know a 6-year-old with a "Keep Out" sign on their door? Instead of knocking, let them build a hand-cranked device that rings a real bell as a doorbell. They'll learn scientific principles like friction and engineering as they screw the gears into place. Ages 6+

Good Housekeeping testers were wowed when the real mist inside this crystal ball cleared and they realized they summoned a new Mixie friend. Once the spell was cast and the Mixie appeared, kids could also play games with it, do more spells and ask it for their fortunes. Ages 5+

Open the blind bag, and one of two beings will emerge: You'll either get a cute baby kitten, or a sour infant pickle. (Okay, the Gherkins are kind of cute, too.) Either way, it comes with a crinkly blanket. The characters are soft bean-filled bags, so they work as fidget toys or something that can easily be stuffed in a backpack. Ages 4+

There area a lot of different skills that go into pulling off a magic trick in front of an audience. Magicians need hand-eye coordination, confidence in public speaking and creative storytelling and the ability to remember sequences of steps. They can work on all these attributes and more with this kit, which gives them enough materials and instructions to pull off 20 different magic tricks. They'll be able to access instructional videos online that'll walk them through all the steps. Ages 6+

When they're sitting at a restaurant, waiting for an appointment to start or just need a bit of quiet solo time, this is the perfect activity. They'll get to make 10 intricate pictures of different animals by placing stickers into the right spaces. If they like it, there are books with other themes, like pets or undersea life. Ages 5+

Using one of five free apps, kids 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 5+

The T. rex may take up most of the spotlight, but the diplodocus just looks cooler, in our opinion. This puzzle challenges kids to make a 3-D diplodocus that'll stand up on its own. And it's big, too, standing at 19" long by 10" tall. Ages 4+

Kids have an easier time throwing and catching these flying discs. The cutout center makes them easy to grasp, and they're soft so they don't hurt fingers or knuckles when they're caught. This has given them a huge following, earning nearly 15,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. Ages 3+

The experts from the Good Housekeeping Institute test kitchens have developed more than 100 simple recipes that kids can try at home. They'll be whipping up everything from smoothies to lasagna based on the easy-to-follow instructions. Ages 6+

If you have a Pokémon fan at home, you can get them off their screens and sharpening their strategy skills with this game, which walks them through how to play the Pokémon trading card game. Even those who have never played it before can pick up the up-to-date rules, and it comes with three ready-to-use decks (Pikachu, Eevee and Cinderace). Ages 6+

RELATED: The Best Pokémon Gifts for Fans of All Ages

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.

Rachel Rothman (she/her) is the chief technologist and executive technical director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she oversees testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also manages GH’s growing research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems. During her 15 years at Good Housekeeping, Rachel has had the opportunity to evaluate thousands of products, including toys and cars for GH’s annual awards programs and countless innovative breakthroughs in consumer tech and home improvement.

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