30 Best Gifts and Toys for 6

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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+

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+

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

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 LEGO set was based on designs from the real moon rover, so it has details like 12 sets of wheels that help it roll over the lunar surface. It comes with three, modern-looking scientist minifigures, though our hearts will always belong to the original LEGO astronaut. Ages 6+

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+

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+

Experts from the Good Housekeeping Institute walk kids through the steps of thinking like a scientist with this book. It takes kids through 22 hands-on experiments that they can do around the house, looking at everything from food science to the nature in their backyards. Ages 4+

Kids love miniature versions of pretty much everything — and board games are no exception. World's Smallest has come up with playable, tiny versions of classic games, and Good Housekeeping testers loved marveling over all the little details. In addition to Battleship, you can find favorites like Candy Land, Sorry, Operation, Mouse Trap and Monopoly. Ages 6+

For kids who like art and engineering, this is an activity book with a city-planning twist. Modeled after the character in Iggy Peck, Architect, the activities encourage kids to think big (imagine a new cityscape, or what dwellings would look like on Mars) and small (design building details, like a gargoyle). Ages 4+

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+

Pair this genius starter kit with a tablet to bring game pieces and play to life. No Wi-Fi is necessary to start playing the included games, you just need the parent app and a child who's ready to learn. They can play five gaming apps and improve their skills in numbers, Tangram puzzles and words at their own pace, since the games are designed with beginner and expert levels in mind. This kit is for the iPad, but Osmo also makes kits compatible with Fire tablets. Ages 6+

Mushrooms are having a moment, and if kids want to get in on the trend, they can use this toadstool as both a science activity and a room decoration. It's an actual terrarium that lets them grow live plants — fast-sprouting chia seeds to be exact — but it also comes with stickers, accessories and even a gnome that'll let them decorate it to look like an enchanted woodland object. Ages 6+

You get two puzzles in one with this jigsaw set: One side features an illustration of a marching band, while the other is a grid of the instruments used in that band, so they can show off their musical knowledge. It comes with 100 pieces, which makes it a good challenge for 6-year-olds. Ages 6+

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+

Kids step into the role of video game designer with a set that melds the real and virtual worlds together. First, kids draw out their levels — including characters, obstacles, hazards, goals and movable objects — on paper with markers. Then they can scan their drawing into an app that'll turn it into a playable level, which they can then tweak and add power-ups. It's for ages 6+, but kids younger than 10 probably need adult help. 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+

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+

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+

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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