Best toys for 6 year olds 2024, tried and tested by parents and children

She adds: "They also have better fine motor skills, so will be up for more activities that require dexterity and more careful handling."

Related: MadeForMums Toy Awards 2024: Winners revealed!

Luckily for you, we've got plenty of toys below that will keep your child thinking and engrossed for hours at a time. From brands like Simbrix and Playmobil, we've got products to keep them engaged in imaginative play, plus lots of outdoor toys to keep them active.

Helen goes on to say that by this point your child will have "an ever-increasing interest in friendship and belonging and will enjoy playing with others" so there's also items on this list that are perfect for sharing.

"Children of this age tend to enjoy problem-solving toys, such as puzzles and construction sets. They still really like structured activities, so kits and builds where you produce something at the end are nearly always a good choice," continues Helen.

"This is also an age where games and toys that require simple reading or counting can be a hit, as well as games that are themed around science and nature." So without further ado, here's the best toys for 6 year olds.

To save some money this Christmas, check out our best Black Friday toy deals roundup for the best savings so far.

Best toys for 6 year olds at a glance

Best trending toys for 6 year olds

• Great for a furry friendship: Furby, £74.99
• Great for interactive nurturing: Bitzee Interactive Digital Pet, £24.99
• Great for collectible fun: Bubiloons Confetti Party, £5
• Great budget buy: Scrunchems Fortune Teller Squish Ball, £3.59

Best construction toys for 6 year olds

• Great for creative construction: Simbrix Range, £4.99-£24.99
• Great for fine-finger skills: GigaBots Energy Core, £5
• Great for problem-solving skills: Geomag Supercolor 78 pcs, £22.49
• Great for puzzle fun: Star Wars Grogu 3D Puzzle Ball, £14.99
• Great for future engineers: Plus-Plus Learn to Build Robots, £12.99

Best educational toys for 6 year olds

• Great for science lovers: Clementoni The History of Life on Earth, £24.99
• Great for numeracy skills: Orchard Toys First Times Tables Games, £9.50
• Great for video-making fun: Little Tikes Tobi 2 Director's Camera, £52.34
• Great for nature exploration: GeoSafari Jr Kidnoculars Extreme, £28.96

Best outdoor toys for 6 year olds

• Great for active fun: Kickmaster Quick Up Football Goal & Target, £21.99
• Great for budding young cyclists: Frog City 53, £550
• Great for wow-factor action: Xootz Ride-On Bumper Car, £179.99

Best role-play toys for 6 year olds

• Great for horse-based role play: Schleich Horse Club Lakeside Riding Centre, £69.99
• Great for hairdresser-based role play: Sylvanian Families Pony's Stylish Hair Salon, £38.95
• Great for dinosaur role play: Imaginext Jurassic World Mega Stomp & Rumble Giga Dino, £53.99
• Great for animal-based role play: Playmobil Family Fun Large Zoo, £99.94
• Great for superhero role play: Imaginext DC Super Friends Gotham City Jail, £30.99
• Great for fashion fun: Rainbow High Spring 23 Collection, £29.99

Best craft toys for 6 year olds

• Great for craft-based fun: So Bomb DIY Bath Bomb Factory, £20
• Great for concentration: Solar System Scratch Art, £4.95 for a 10-pack

Jump to:

• Best construction toys for 6 year olds
• Best educational toys for 6 year olds
• Best outdoor toys for 6 year olds
• Best role-play toys for 6 year olds
• Best craft toys for 6 year olds
• Best trending toys for 6 year olds

What are the best toys for 6 year olds?

Additional writing and product selection by Gill Crawshaw

Best trending toys for 6 year olds

1. Furby, £74.99

— Great for a furry friendship

Available at: Amazon, The Entertainer and John Lewis

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: 12.7cm x 22.86cm x 22.86cm | Batteries: 4 AA batteries (not included) | Awards: Editor's Choice, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

There’s a lot to love about the latest iteration of the nostalgic furry friend, Furby. It responds to touch, movement, and voice command, including hugs, pats, belly tickles, shaking, and feeding of its pretend pizza charm. Children can speak to the Furby and engage in a two-way conversation and the more you play, the more fun features and functions you can unlock, evolving over time. There are five voice activated modes and over 600 responses, including lights, sounds, and 10 songs, as well as interactive games.

Children can care for Furby by feeding them, combing their furhawk, and dressing them up with clip-on beads and fashion accessories that are included. Parents can update Furby via an app to keep it up to date with fresh content including new games and activities.

She's so much fun and I really like the colour of her fur. Her singing & dancing makes me laugh. She's saying different things to me now which is really cool.

2. Bitzee Interactive Digital Pet, £32.99

— Great for interactive nurturing

Available at: Amazon and Argos

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: ‎14.94cm x 11.76cm x 14.94 cm | Batteries: 3 x AA batteries (included) | Awards: Bronze, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

Bitzee is a modern twist on the 90s electronic toy: a colourful digital pet displayed on a small flickering screen inside a palm-sized plastic box. Bitzee responds to real-life swipes, tilts, shakes and touches with sounds and reactions.

Each digital Bitzee character starts as a baby and you help it grow by interacting with the pet on the screen using a variety of actions including feeding it, playing with it, rocking it to sleep, cleaning up after it and giving it love. The more you play with the Bitzee, the more pets you’ll get. Each pet will then grow from a baby, to adult, to the highest level which is Super Bitzee. You can also unlock unique outfits and games and collect treats in your virtual treat jar. There’s more play potential beyond the Bitzee characters as there are 15 different mini games to take part in too.

I like the way we pet him and when we unlock different pets. I like all the different pets we can unlock. I like all the stuff he can do, like laughing when I stroke him.

3. Bubiloons Confetti Party, £10

– Great for collectible fun

Available at: Argos and Amazon

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L12cm x W10cm x H13cm | Batteries: None

Open up one of these little cupcakes and (if you've shaken it before), confetti will fly out to reveal your mystery 10cm-high Bubiloon figure, mini balloons and a bubble blower. Stick the bubble blower in the Bubiloon's mouth and squeeze its head and you can blow up the mini balloons, which you can then roll about in confetti, decorate with accessories and display on special sticks. There are 13 different Bubiloons to collect.

She has blown the balloons up, deflated them and repeated more times than I can count! We played catch with the balloons, and she’s found more ways to play with this than I could've thought of.

4. Scrunchems Fortune Teller Squish Ball, £3.59

— Great budget buy

Available at: Hamleys and Amazon

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 5-6 | Batteries: None

This budget buy doubles as both stress ball and Magic 8 fortune teller. Squish it in any way and one of the 6 fortunes will pop out the hole.

I love it this, it is so cool – I get to ask it lots of questions and it gives me the answers! I love that when you squeeze it the middle is blue and swirly. You can shake it, squeeze it, throw it, roll it and ask it questions! Can I keep it?

Best construction toys for 6 year olds

5. Simbrix Range, £4.99-£24.99

— Great for creative construction

Available at: Amazon

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6-9 years | Size: Various | Batteries: N/A | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

If you’re looking for a gift for the creative in your house, then the colourful Simbrix construction range is a great place to start. The simple interlocking pieces come in a wide array of colours and can be arranged into almost any 2D or 3D pattern your child can dream up. The real selling point for the Simbrix range is its simplicity. Unlike other construction toys, Simbrix pieces are all the same shape and size, placing the focus on what your child wants to create as opposed to the complexity of the construction process itself. Each set also comes with a tray to sort and organise the pieces making for remarkably mess free play.

She loves the range of colours and the fact its reusable means she can do different designs again and again — however she's kept most of them!

6. GigaBots Energy Core, £16

– Great for fine finger skills

Available at: The Entertainer and Amazon

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: Varies but between H25cm to 33cm (once built) | Batteries: None

Inside the grey plastic ball are 33 pieces to build into a brightly coloured, fully posable robot figure that can be played with or displayed. The pieces connect with a satisfying pop and there are clear picture instructions to follow – and, when you're done, you can disassemble the robot and store it back in the ball, ready to build another day. There are 6 GigaBot Energy Cores to collect: Gripbot, Scarpbot, Blaze, Hazbot, Hyrobot and Fragbot.

I like the robot's futuristic design and I like that I can twist and bend his body parts.

7. Geomag Supercolor 78 pcs, £48

– Great for problem-solving skills

Available at: Amazon

Age suitability: 5+| Best for age: 6+ | Size: Various | Batteries: None

This 78-piece set contains colourful magnetic rods, balls and shapes that 'stick' together and create different shapes, patterns and objects. The rods and shapes are made of recycled plastic, and the pack comes with an instruction booklet featuring 7 suggested designs.

It is a little expensive, but it's very well made and you can instantly see the quality. It's a toy that would continue to appeal to your child when they're older, and you know it would last for years.

8. Star Wars Grogu 3D Puzzle Ball, £14.99

— Great for puzzle fun

Available from: Very and Amazon

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: 13cm x 13cm x 13cm | Batteries: None | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

Take puzzling to a whole new dimension with this 3D puzzle in the shape of Grogu from Star Wars, The Mandalorian. Fans of Star Wars and puzzles will love this unique, 72 piece jigsaw where pieces click and stay together without the use of glue - or the force - to make the shape of Grogu’s distinctive green head. In a clever move, each piece is numbered on the reverse to help with putting the puzzle together.

He now wants to take it apart and redo it.

9. Plus-Plus Learn to Build Robots, £12.99

— Great for future engineers

Available at: Amazon

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 5-8 | Size: H‎16.2cm x W24.7cm x D4.5 cm| Batteries: None

Let your child's imagination run wild, and improve their fine motor skills with this Robot construction kit. Out of 250 colourful blocks you can assemble robots (or anything else you want) of all shapes and sizes.

The robots are funny ¬– I like the way the legs move; some have wheels to make them go. They’re a bit tricky but I love them. I’m making a family of robots and am going to do the bigger robot tomorrow.

Best educational toys for 6 year olds

10. Clementoni The History of Life on Earth, £24.99

— Great for science lovers

Available at: Amazon and Smyths Toys

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L45.1cm x W7cm x H31.1cm | Batteries: None | Awards: Editor’s Choice, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

This innovative science kit contains over 50 experiments that combine the physical world and digital media and takes your child on a journey through time by discovering how life has involved on earth. Alongside an impressive array of components that your child can use to complete fun hands-on scientific experiments, such as a measuring beaker, chisel and hammer, you also get tutorials, educational videos, virtual tours and 3D models in augmented reality. Use the included Virtual Reality viewer to interact with the virtual environment and see the past come to life.

It’s a really fun thing to play with. It’s a really exciting set with lots of different things to learn about life on Earth.

11. Orchard Toys First Times Tables, £9.50

– Great for numeracy skills

Available at: Amazon and Orchard Toys

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: Various | Batteries: None

This teacher-tested educational board game with a pancake theme is designed to support your child with their 2, 5 and 10 times tables. You spin the spinner, solve the sum on the pancake before using the spatula to flip it over and find out the answer. Comes with 30 pancake cards, 4 place setting boards, 1 card spatula, a spinner and 3 number line boards. For 2 to 4 players.

She can’t wait to show her teacher and friends what she has learnt. Both my girls play this game nicely together, help each other and laugh.

12. Little Tikes Tobi 2 Director's Camera, £52.34

– Great for video-making fun

Available at: Amazon

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L10cm x W15cm x H27cm | Batteries: 1 LiPo rechargeable (included, with USB cable)

This kid-friendly high-definition camera is just the thing for taking selfies, playing games, shooting videos, editing footage and adding cool effects. It features a tripod/selfie stick, green screen with 40 animated backgrounds, flip-out lens and microSD slot for more storage space.

It’s a great toy and makes me feel like a big girl.

13. GeoSafari Jr Kidnoculars Extreme, £28.95

– Great for nature exploration

Available at: Amazon and Learning Resources

Age suitability 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L19cm x W18cm x H9cm | Batteries: 2 x AAA (not included)

These child-friendly binoculars have 3 x no-focus magnification, a built-in audio amplifier and a safety strap. They're lightweight, durable and have a touch of scuba-mask cool about them.

I thought this toy was amazing. Jamir loved the fact that it had headphones connected to it. It kept him occupied for a good long time, and he's been bringing them with him on the way to school to see what he can see.

Best outdoor toys for 6 year olds

14. Kickmaster Quick Up Football Goal & Target, £19.99

— Great for active fun

Available at: Amazon and JD Williams

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: ‎76cm x 106cm x 76cm | Batteries: None | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

The Kickmaster Quick Up Goal and Target Shot set is a 2-in-1 toy that offers two different modes for honing ball skills. You can set it up as goal target shot, where budding sportspeople can aim a football through different sections. Flip the toy over and it instantly becomes a football goal with net, for free penalty practice.

Created with a pop-up design that children can put together themselves, the Kickmaster Quick Up Football Goal & Target is designed to be lightweight and portable and for easy transportation a storage bag is provided. Worried about windier days? It also comes with anchor pegs for extra stability.

This is absolutely worth the money! It keeps the kids entertained, is great for being competitive on the scoring side too. I love that it's two in one, meaning we can switch it to a proper open goal too. Friends have been round who love this too!

15. Frog City 53 bike, £550

— Great for budding young cyclists

Available at: Frog Bikes, Triton Cycles and North Bikes

Age suitability: 5-7 years | Best for age: 5+ | Weight: 9.71kg | Batteries: None

With a lightweight, step-through frame and tyres specifically suited for riding on concrete and tarmac, the Frog City 53 is a great bike for eager young cyclists who want to get out and ride everyday. Designed to be comfortable and super easy to use for kids, it has youth-specific 8-speed gear shifters, a floating chain glider and some great accessories including kickstand, mudguard, pannier rack and reflectors included

Really well made. It feels really sturdy, the brakes work well, the wheels are great quality, the pedals are smooth going around but also offer enough resistance that cycling feels easy for little legs.

16. Xootz Ride-On Bumper Car, £179.99

– Great for wow-factor action

Available at: Amazon and John Lewis

Age suitability: 18 months+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: L66cm x W66cm x H38cm | Maximum user weight: 30kg| Batteries: 2 x 6V rechargeable (included) | Charging time: 5 hours (18 hours before first use) | Maximum speed: 12km/h (0.75mph)

Strap yourself in (seatbelt included) and you can zoom and 360° spin around your own house, with disco-style flashing lights and a child-friendly joystick control. It has a thick rubberised bumper to protect your furniture and skirtings, and there’s also a remote control (included) for parents to use if your child’s not keen on the joystick. Almost no assembly required: just attach the bumper, click in the headrest and fit the battery. But you will need to charge it for 18 hours before it's ready to go.

I really like playing with it. It looks cool, like it has fire coming out of the glowing lights, and I really like the sound it makes when it moves. I sometimes put toys in it with me so they can have a ride, too.

Best role-play toys for 6 year olds

17. Schleich Horse Club Lakeside Riding Centre, £69.99

– Great for horse-based role play

Available at: Schleich and WH Smith

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L26cm x W68cm x H29cm | Batteries: None

A new riff on Schleich's bestselling Horse Club range, this set includes 3 stables, a hayloft sleeping area with ladder, and fences to make paddocks with. You also get 3 horses, 2 riders and some really top-notch accessories including bridles, blankets, a saddle stand, a pitchfork, hay, straw and even a weeny cat and mouse. The attention to detail is incredible: the hayloft where the riders can sleep has little pillows and sleeping bags and mugs, the riders have hands that will hold mugs and harnesses, and the split stable doors have tiny bolts.

I love the horses and riders most and being able to make them ride them was fun. I also like putting the horses to bed in their stable and then the riders can go to sleep in the roof, which is funny.

18. Sylvanian Families Pony's Stylish Hair Salon, £69.99

– Great for hairdresser-based role play

Available at: Smyths Toys and Amazon

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: L18cm x W26cm x H35cm | Batteries: None

This 2-storey pretend hairdresser’s shop has a reception (with magazines) and a washbasin with reclining chair downstairs and a spiral staircase leading to a styling room with a dressing table upstairs. There are lots of hairstyling accessories, including a hairdryer, curling tongs and shampoo, as well as 2 clip-in hair pieces and a selection of hair clips and bows. Unusually for Sylvanian Families playsets, there is also a figure included: Sally, the pony, who has lots of long hair/mane to brush and style.

It really does provide hours of entertainment and it's a durable, quality toy – although 1 or 2 of the accessories are so small, it might be easy to lose them.

19. Jurassic World Dominion, £125

– Great for dinosaur role play

Available at: Amazon

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: L46cm x W41cm x H74cm | Batteries: 3 x CR14 (included)

This extra-large, child-controlled dinosaur bellows, stomps, chomps and thrashes just like it does in the Jurassic World film. And her eyes light up, too. It's very pricey – but there are lots of reduced-price offers around on this one. It's durable, robust and easy to operate: pull the handle or squeeze its tail to unleash a loud roar, twist its tail for head-thrashing action, and push it along on wheels to see it stomp forward with accompanying sound effects.

My son has a few different dinosaur toys but this one stands out. I love the wheels that mean it can be moved around easily. In terms of quality, originality and overall play factor, I am very impressed.

20. Playmobil Family Fun Large Zoo, £59.99

– Great for animal-based role play

Available at: Amazon

Age suitability: 4+ | Best for age: 5+ | Size: L68cm x W30cm x H16cm | Batteries: None

This plastic zoo playset features a visitors’ observation platform and souvenir shop. It comes with 6 figures, 6 penguins, 2 giraffes, a pelican, a butterfly, a mole, a mouse, rocks for the penguins, a tree with giraffe feeder, and smaller accessories including a camera, doughnuts and zoo maps. It's an easy-to-set-up zoo, packed with brilliant little details: there are balloons to buy at the souvenir shop, for example, and a slide for the penguins, along with a bucket of fish to feed them with.

It's great! You can buy tickets and get a map at the entrance, feed the giraffe and penguins, and look through the telescope. There’s even a pile of giraffe poo to clean up, which Samuel found very funny.

21. Imaginext DC Super Friends Gotham City Jail, £31.99

– Great for superhero role play

Available at: Amazon

Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L30cm W13cm x H26cm | Batteries: 3 x LR44 (included)

The superhero-themed jail set has 5 cells, a Batman figure and a Bane figure. Turn a disc to make Bane 'power up' and break out of jail, and then rotate the Bat signal to call Batman for help. It’s not huge and it doesn't 'do' masses but what it does, it does well. Our child tester Finley, 6, really loved how Bane glows when he powers up and how Batman, of course, controls all the cell doors.

22. Rainbow High Spring 23 Collection, £29.99

— Great for fashion fun

Available at: Amazon

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6 | Size: Around 27cm high | Batteries: None | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023

Made up of six new characters, each doll in the Rainbow High Spring 23 Collection is fully articulated with moveable arms and legs and long brushable hair. Each doll is themed on a different colour and is supplied with an outfit and colour-matched accessories. The Rainbow High Spring 23 Collection features dolls with a range of different skin tones, as well as Rainbow High’s first doll that is covered in freckles from head to toe.

Each of the dolls has its own style, themed in a particular colour. Included with the doll are mini accessories such as beauty and hair styling tools, mini phones and laptops, clothes hangers and more. There is also an animated series on YouTube and Netflix which follows the lives of the characters at Rainbow High, although you don’t need to be familiar with this to play with the dolls.

I would say it is worth every penny due to the overall quality of the doll, the added accessories, and the fact it stands out from the crowd in comparison to similar products. The colours really are beautiful and eye-catching, which will really appeal to those children that love anything a bit bolder and brighter than average.

Best craft toys for 6 year olds

23. So Bomb DIY Bath Bomb Factory, £20

– Great for craft-based fun

Available at: Amazon, Smyths Toys and Argos

Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L34cm x W8cm x H31cm | Batteries: None

This is a kit that lets you make 6 bath bombs, including little charms you can pop inside as a 'surprise'. It comes with 3 storage tubes, a moulding shape, pipette and measuring spoon, 12 bags of brightly coloured powder, 2 bags of decorations, and 4 surprise figurines.

24. Solar System Scratch Art, £4.95 for a 10-pack

– Great for concentration

Available at: Baker Ross and Amazon

Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: Various | Batteries: None

This great-value pack includes 10 pre-cut space shapes and a scratch tool which you use to scrape off the specially coated black surface to reveal lovely rainbow colours. It also comes with hanging ribbons so that you can display your creations after you've scratched in all your patterns.

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