Are you ready for the holidays, or looking for some ideas? And here are some of the some of the pieces that were new to our family, or that the kids were particularly drawn to this year
5 Years: Gift Ideas
At 5 kids are ready for more complex builds and more involved independent play. Bring on the fancier blocks! and the Ball Runs! Grimms and Grapat are geofenced, so these items are not directly linked on this page, but instead have buttons below.
Stepped Roofs from Grimms are cool for decorating buildings, fun to add steps into a build, make amazing sounds in ball runs, but even independantly are a really fun building challenge.
Bauspiel window blocks will brighten any build! the light sparkles through them, they stack well, and can make any build feel fancier. Magnificent with 1001 Nights!
Grimms 1001 Nights building set is amazing for castles and fun for ball runs. with a variety of sizes and deocoration pieces, your builder has a lot of options!
Grimms Bridges are wonderful earlier for driving cars, good at 5 for driving cars, and marvelous from 5 on for more complex scenery, builds and ball runs.
If building ball runs is on your to-do list, a set of building boards is an invaluable addition to your set. they’re super fun in builds as well for spanning wide stretches. One of very few sets on these lists that aren’t a great stand-alone.
The Grimms Square puzzle is a fun stand-alone set, but if you buy the puzzle booklet, is a spot-on three-dimensional building challenge for the 5+ set. (note–this set comes in a couple of sizes, we like the “large” size)
The Bauspiel Dragon’s Lair is also an Octopus’s cave, a Mermaid’s hide-out, or the perfect camping spot. This set has just enough structure to help give young builders a concept, but enough freedom to encourage creative new play (and it’s beautiful on the shelf)
The Bauspiel Circles blocks are brilliant in ball runs. they give a gentle swooping motion, and are wide enough that its a little easier to keep the ball on the track (so helpful with young ball run builders).
Miss 5 got this Loog Guitar for her birthday, and I wish I’d found it sooner–I’m so excited for her to have an accessible way to start learning music that will produce a good tone.
The Hape Quadrilla Ball Runs are a great all-in-one ballrun set. At 5, my kids could nearly build these independently, so it gives a good approachable challenge, adaptable to the child. As small as 3, my kids loved to play with these once built.
Sleeping Queens is a great game for age 5 with a bit of strategy, a bit of luck, and no need to be able to read to play it builds a good sense of independence in game play.
Stockmar Modeling Wax is a fun sidestep from playdough. Fingers stay cleaner, it lasts much longer, and the kids LOVE building food and other accessories to go with their small world play
Gonge pedaling Go-Go is perfect for the hallway, the patio, or any flat surface. We keep it as an inside toy–good motor skills and muscle organization (and most of all) energy burning!
Some Smug Slug is witty, entertaining and full of fun vocabulary and alliteration without loosing sight of the story. Fun at any age, but satisfying for any kid working on letter recognition!
The Word Collector speaks to a 5-year-old’s need to feel in charge of the world, while bringing in more fun words and relatable illustrations.
Duns Sweden is some of our favorite kid clothes. Responsibly made, beautiful colorful patterns, and soft fabrics. It’s hard to go wrong with Scandi style!
The Tea Collection clothing company is known for drawing inspiration from different regions of the world. Each season they visit a new local. A fun way to incorporate art and culture into your kid’s wardrobe
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At first glance, the Bauspiel Giant Rainbow looks familiar and perhaps similar to other sets, but on closer inspection, the size and proportions reveal that really it plays more like a remarkable set of blocks than the typical rainbow stacker.
Each year as earth day rolls around the kids and I talk about changes we can make to live more responsibly. Sometimes it means using less of things, sometimes using different things, sometimes it means looking for ways to use things longer, and other times it means making new choices next time you shop. Here are a few of our favorites.