Our oldest is about to turn seven and I now feel I have a good grasp on what six-year-olds really enjoy. Below you’ll find gift ideas in a variety of categories for 6-year-olds. I never differentiate gifts or toys based on gender because what you enjoy doing and playing with as a child has NOTHING to do with your gender. Try to get to know the child you are shopping for and their particular interests but these gift ideas have been real winners for many kids we know.

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Birthday Tradition

Before we get into the gift ideas I want to share a birthday tradition we now use with each of our children. A friend shared this with me a few years ago and I thought it was brilliant.

You offer the birthday child three options. Option number one is to throw a party and invite the whole class. In the past, we’ve had a bowling party, a party at a gymnastics place, etc. Another option is to invite a few friends over for a party at home and then the child will get a more expensive gift. The last option is a trip with Mom and Dad. All the options have approximately the same budget.

It gives the child choices and takes the pressure off the parents to choose the right option. I would have chosen wrong every year! My “shy” child has surprisingly often chosen the class party option. Maybe this is a new tradition you might want to start with your family.

Now on to the gift ideas!

Experiences

As always, I think experiences make the absolute best gifts.

To gift an experience you’ll usually be giving a gift card. I like to pair it with a book or small item that relates to the experience. For example, if you are giving a gift card to a water park you could wrap up a pair of goggles to go with it.

We attended one child’s birthday party in which a small gift card to a local bakery ended up being one of the biggest hits despite all the toys opened.

Tickets to Disney on Ice is still one of my daughter’s favorite gifts of all time.

Building Toys

I think building toys are great for all ages and stages.

Legos are amazing and not a day goes by when our six-year-old doesn’t play with the building blocks.

The theme of the birthday party this year is even going to be Legos!

Imaginative Play

At the age of six, my child doesn’t seem to want to dress up as much anymore but still fully plays with dolls often in imaginative play typically when playing with other children.

Barbies and all their accessories are always great gifts.

I grew up with American Girl dolls which are still around but these dolls are very similar and are much more reasonably priced. You can buy outfits and accessories separately as well.

Educational Gifts/Technology

Books/Magazines

For each age, I typically pick one or two gifts to give for each birthday party we attend to make my life easier (fewer decisions).

For 6-year-olds, one of my go-to gifts is this joke book. First graders are getting the hang of reading and think jokes are hilarious but aren’t great at forming their own yet. A joke book is an inexpensive, winning gift.

All of our kids love the Yoto player including our six-year-old. Some of her favorite audiobook cards for the Yoto player this year have been; Anne of Green Gables, the Ramona series, and the Hotel Flamingo series.

As a kid, nothing is better than getting mail. Having a magazine subscription to look forward to is a really fun gift. My six-year-old loves getting her subscription to National Geographic Kids.

If you can find out what books the child is interested in you can never go wrong with gifting a book.

Science Kits

Our child has especially enjoyed receiving science kits as gifts. Some grow gems, some are more about creating experiments. I don’t have a particular one I would recommend more than others. Most have been good but almost all need a parent involved so keep that in mind.

Tablet

For Christmas, we got our 6-year-old an Ipad because the Amazon Fire kids’ tablets are garbage. We know that she’ll be able to use the Ipad for years to come.

We allow her to watch Netflix on the Ipad occasionally (especially on long road trips). But the main reason we got it is so that she can FaceTime her grandparents and play Osmo games.

Osmo are educational games our 6-year-old enjoys playing on her Ipad at home. We currently have the package with math, reading, tangrams, and drawing but she is asking for more Osmo games for her upcoming birthday.

Games

We are a big game family. We love board games and card games. Some of my 6-year-old’s favorite games include Sequence for Kids, Eye Found It, and Charades for Kids.

Arts & Crafts

Sometimes an inexpensive gift can be the most used and loved. We got these gel pens for our 6-year-old for Christmas and she uses them constantly.

The Crayola art case has been a huge win and great to travel with.

Outdoor Gifts

This year we added a tennis racket and rollerblades to our six-year-old’s sports gear collection and they both have gotten a lot of use.

These reusable water balloons are an awesome gift for all ages!

Find out what sport the child enjoys or maybe wants to try out this year. Kids grow so fast. New equipment and new uniforms are often needed.

Clothing

Kids don’t always get excited about clothing gifts but I like to take my kids shopping before their birthday parties to pick out clothes they need (and like) for the upcoming season.

For example, my daughter picked out a new swimsuit, sandals, and cute new shirts for summer. Now when people gift her these items at her party we already know she will fit them and that she likes the styles.

To see many more ideas check out any of these other former gift guides because many ideas will still be relevant for 6-year-olds;

Experience Gifts

Gifts for 3-Year-Olds

Gifts for 2-Year-Olds

Gifts for 1-Year-Olds