The Best Toys and Gifts for 5-Year-Old Girls

Five-year-old girls are bursting with curiosity, fueled by resilience, and soak up everything about their environments. They need toys that invite them to explore, imagine, and play in order to help them figure out what this big world means.

Believe me, I’m a kindergarten teacher. Five-year-old girls are little geniuses that don’t need much to help them learn. In fact, the simpler the toy, the better for this age.

Table of Contents

What Should I Take into Consideration When Buying a Gift for a 5-Year-Old Girl?
Conclusion

What Should I Take into Consideration When Buying a Gift for a 5-Year-Old Girl?

As a kindergarten teacher, I also know that kids, and especially 5-year-olds, are incredibly perceptive and impressionable. Whether it looks like they are listening or not (hello, short attention spans) they absorb everything adults say. Your words matter, especially when you’re talking about the futures of bright young girls.

In fact, parents’ and teachers’ expectations of their children are shown to be both “a cause and an effect” of strong academic performance. When children are told they will be great, they tend to fulfill this narrative.

So if we only give girls gifts of dolls, little princess sets, and play kitchens, we’re sending the message that they only need to practice skills found in the home. While these are important from a holistic perspective, there is so much more potential found in our 5-year-old girls that might go unnoticed with these toys.

In the name of giving a gift that actually matters, here’s a list of the best toys for 5-year-old girls that nourish the whole child inside of them: the artist, activist, scientist, director, leader, and dreamer.

#1. Dicfeos Shatterproof Magnifying Glass (for the Wild Child)

Kids don’t need much to soak up the magic of the great outdoors. What more could you need with puddles to jump into, branches to swing from, and flowers to pick? However, the best gifts for 5-year-old girls who love to be outside will extend their learning and wonder of nature even more.

Magnifying glasses are a great example. Small enough to fit in a kid’s back pocket, they can reveal worlds within worlds – all in their own back yard. They help kids uncover bug colonies under rocks, tadpoles in ponds, and forests of moss on the sides of logs. What might have been overlooked in nature can be on full display with a magnifying glass.

The Dicgeos Shatterproof Magnifying Glass is not one of those plastic toys – it’s a sturdy instrument, with a scratch-free glass lens that magnifies objects 4 times. It is coated in rubber, so it’s perfect for puddle-jumping adventures that are prone to tumbles. This set comes with two magnifying glasses.

The Good: Not only does this magnifying glass have the weight and power of a professional tool, but it is kid-friendly-durable, advertised as having “shatterproof glass.” And they aren’t lying. I’ve seen my students use these like golf clubs and you wouldn’t know the difference. They are seriously high quality.

The Not-So-Good: The 4.1 inch-long handle can be a bit big for tiny hands. It’s just a little awkward for young kids to hold at first. But in a short amount of time, they get used to the weight and quickly adapt to the magnifying glass’s size.

Who It’s For: For little girls who could spend hours and hours outside searching for four-leaf clovers, climbing trees, and sifting through the dirt for fun, natural treasures. This magnifying glass could also be the inspiration to get some kids outside who have not yet experienced the joy of getting muddy.

#2. Women of NASA LEGO Set (for the Junior Astronaut)

When you think of an astronaut, who comes to mind? John Glenn? Neil Armstrong?

What about the 59 women who have flown in space? Unfortunately, the field of astrophysics has historically been a male-dominated career field. But that is changing every day as the world falsifies stereotypes that women are not as “good” at math and science as men. I mean, hey, we just had our first all-female spacewalk!

Part of breaking the gender barrier to space is in norming the image of women as astronauts. This fun Women of NASA LEGO Set helps to achieve just that. Rather than with the generic and conspicuously male LEGO people, kids can build rockets and space stations with four of the pioneering women of NASA.

The set comes with 231 pieces and features Nancy Grace Roman and her posable Hubble Space Telescope, Margaret Hamilton and representations of her books of Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) onboard flight software source code, and Mae Jemison and Sally Ride and a LEGO-replica of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

The Good: The set allows 5-year-old girls to role play space travel, moon landings, and mission control with figures that look like them, allowing them to imagine themselves as astronauts. They can also exercise their fine motor skills as they build rockets, space stations, and telescopes.

The Not-So-Good: I’m usually not a fan of these LEGO sets because they stifle creativity. Kids are limited to build what is pictured on the box. I’d much rather give a child a box of random legos and let them build whatever they want.

I do appreciate that this set features the likes of such visionary women. I would just advise that it be used in coordination with a larger set of free legos.

Who It’s For: This is a great gift to nourish a five-year-old girl’s interest in astronomy, space, physics, and anything in the sky.

#3. Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar (for the Rock Star)

The best time to teach a child an instrument is when they are young because they have the patience and time that an academics- and extracurricular-strapped adolescent does not have. Plus, the benefits of music in a 5-year-old’s life are endless. It activates and strengthens cognitive development, teaches hand-eye coordination, and helps kids develop motor skills.

Not to mention the incredible potential for children to express themselves creatively while having buckets of fun.

The Loog Mini Acoustic Guitar is a real guitar made of real wood. It tunes like a guitar, is strung like a guitar, and plays like a guitar. Because it’s one real guitar!

Loog Guitar’s mission is to bring real instruments to children so that they develop a deeply-ingrained passion and respect for music. This is not your typical plastic toy instrument, and it’s not a ukulele. The mini guitar has only three strings along a narrow neck, which is perfectly designed to be comfortable for short fingers.

The guitar comes in a range of different colors and the accompanying app comes withvideo lessons, a tuner, and even a digital book of songs.

The Good: The motto of Loog is “Learn on a Loog, Play any Guitar.” And it’s true! What’s genius about this is that the finger placement is exactly the same as it would be on a six-string guitar, making the transition to a larger instrument easy once your 5-year-old girl is older.

The Not-So-Good: Though the narrow neck and small body make this guitar easy to play for tiny hands, it does not quite sound like a full-fledged guitar. You might consider the Loog Pro Acoustic Guitar, which also has only three strings, but is a bit larger and therefore produces a fuller sound. It is recommended for children ages 8+, but 5-year-olds could also strum around on it.

Who It’s For: This is a great gift for little girls who tend to tap their toes along with songs on the radio.

#4. Kiss Naturals Bath Bomb Kit (for the Spa Aficionado)

Listen, there is nothing wrong with a girl indulging in her femininity. In fact, it is important for every little girl to learn to embrace her natural beauty, inside and out. And if a girl wants to be a “girly” little princess or a fierce fashion designer, let her. After all, it is indeed possible for girls to be both feminine and a leader.

Before five-year-old girls are mature enough to explore make-up or nail polish, one way to indulge in beauty routines is through self-care. In fact, we – girls and boys, young and old – all need self-care in our lives. We might as well encourage kids as young as five to start a rejuvenating routine early so that they learn how to set boundaries and simply relax when they can.

Cue the Bath Bomb.

In case you haven’t soaked up its luxurious benefits already, a Bath Bomb is a fun ball of smelly goodness that fizzles when you drop it in the bath. It’s kind of like an Alka-Seltzer tablet, except instead of aspirin, it deposits essential oils into your luscious bath, leaving your skin feeling silky and fragrant. They’re also just super fun to watch dissolve.

The Kiss Naturals Bath Bomb Kit invites kids to be chemists as they make their very own Bath Bombs. The set includes a heart-shaped silicone mold that creates eight Bath Bombs and cloth carrying cases in which to store them. It also comes with a packet of dry ingredients and a bottle of witch hazel, which when mixed together, apparently yields a magical bath toy.

All of the ingredients are completely organic. The packaging is made of 100% recycled materials.

The Good: Since this is a DIY kit, it enables little girls not just to indulge in a wellness experience, but to experiment as chemists. They will leave understanding a bit more about how the wet and dry ingredients react to form a solid structure. The kit comes with an educational pamphlet that explains exactly how it happens.

The Not-So-Good: Most of the ingredients come packaged in a single sealed bag, forcing the child to make all of the Bath Bombs at once. This is only a problem if you wanted to make the Bath Bombs one at a time, which is impossible with this kit. Otherwise, it will be completed in a single-use.

Who It’s For: Budding chemists who are not afraid to let loose and relax. This is also one of the best gifts for crafty kids and for those who appreciate the satisfaction of making something with their own hands.

#5. Crayola Multi-Cultural Crayons (for the Artist)

We have a problem when the only crayon colors available for kids to illustrate their deep umber or creamy peach skin tones are pink, black, brown, and white.

We need to give little girls the building blocks they deserve to depict who they are so that they can be comfortable in and love their own skin.

This hit me when I was leading a social and emotional lesson (SEL) in my kindergarten class in which we were drawing self-portraits to display our current emotions. What began as a fun lesson on feelings left me shocked at how the children chose to represent their skin tones.

A handful of my 5-year-old students depicted their self-portraits with shades that did not match their own skin. Instead, they used colors that reflected Eurocentric beauty standards that are unfairly upheld by the media. My Black students were coloring their self-portraits lighter than their natural skin tone and my White students were coloring their self-portraits tanner.

The children were not authentically representing who they are, and that is a signal that we have work to do to show them that all little girls are beautiful. But they didn’t even have the tools to do so! How could they capture the finesse of their skin tone when the only colors they had were black, white, brown, and pink?

The Crayola Colors of the World Multicultural Crayons contain 24 crayons that portray subtle skin tone shades from “Deepest Almond” to “Light Rose.” They also contain an additional 8 crayons (like hazel) intended to color eyes.

The Good: These crayons motivate little girls to reflect on, capture, and proudly celebrate what they look like. They promote positive identity development by empowering girls to accurately illustrate what makes them beautiful.

The Not-So-Good: This box of 32 crayons is actually a box of 24 crayons to match skin tones and an additional 8 “classic crayons.” It just seems like an excuse to inflate the number of crayons in the box without actually delivering a wider selection. I know I always need an extra red or green crayon when my kids’ crayons break, so maybe it’s not such a bad thing that they throw in a couple extra.

Who It’s For: All girls. This is an important tool to introduce conversations about identity and self-love with your child.

#6. Risebrite Real Cooking Set (for the Creative Chef)

I don’t know about you, but every time I step into the kitchen, whether I’m preparing a 20-ingredient lasagna or pouring a bowl of cereal, my child asks to help. It’s adorable! And usually ends up being a ton of fun.

The thing is, kindergarteners are so eager to please. They revel in positive guidance from both adults and fellow peers and look for any opportunity to merit praise. Have you noticed that your kid will help with just about anything? It’s their developing brain’s way of soaking up their environment and learning how to be independent.

So if your little girl asks to help prepare dinner, it is helpful to put away the Play-Doh and board games and make space for her at the counter. And with the Risebrite Real Cooking Set, she can do just about anything – under your supervision, of course.

The Real Cooking Set includes a fun kid apron, a chef hat, 1 turner, 1 spatula, 1 set of tongs, 1 mixing spoon, 1 cutting board, measuring spoons, and measuring cups. It also includes a recipe book with directions on how to cook five meals – steak and potatoes, chicken teriyaki, chicken noodle soup, mac and cheese, and pancakes.

The set of utensils are not toys, but they are made for kids. They are made of high-quality, food-grade silicone material and come in an assortment of different colors. They are BPA-free, phthalate- and lead-free, and are dishwasher safe as well.

The Good: These are real cooking utensils, just a little smaller for 5-year-old girl hands, which is important to help your child grow accustomed to the intricacies of cooking. I would even cook with them if I needed to!

That being said, since they are designed to withstand the hot, hot heat of cooking, they should only be used under close adult supervision.

The Not-So-Good: There are a few important tools missing from this set if you really want your little one to grow into a master chef, like a child-safe knife and a small mixing bowl. These can easily be added as your child grows more used to the kitchen.

Who It’s For: Any little girl who has a growling tummy! Especially those who find peace and calm in the kitchen. With time, she may earn a real chef’s hat!

#7. Primo Toys Cubetto Coding Robot (for the Potential Programmer)

What do you do when you want to maintain a zero-screen time policy for your 5-year-old girl, but also feel compelled to expose your little one to the fascinating world of robotics?

Believe it or not, you can do both. Yes, there exists a wooden robot that children as young as 3 years old can program. You heard me – kids can write their own code, program a robot, and watch it explore the world on its own – all without a computer screen.

Primo Toys’ Cubetto Coding Robot is a fun wooden robot that uses a tactile coding language comprised of a series of blocks that snap together like LEGOs onto a separate wooden programming board. Each block denotes an action that tells Cubetto how to move.

The robot can move forward, left, right, backward, or complete a random movement, kind of like a board game. See? Sounds simple, right? Even for those of us with a limited attention span.

That’s because it is. One of the objectives of Cubetto is to “demystify tech,” making programming ever more accessible and understandable, even before a child can read or write. It really is so easy to manipulate that kids as young as 5 could do it themselves. And yet, it teaches basic programming.

The creators of Cubetto also drew inspiration from the Montessori philosophy for their design. Along with being screenless, Cubetto calls on kids to learn by doing, rather than by following an instruction book.

Cubetto weighs 3.3 lbs. (1.5kg) and uses six AA batteries. It requires a Bluetooth connection in order to sync with the programming board. It comes with an activity book that dictates stories that Cubetto could follow.

The Good: Cubetto is designed such that a young child could figure out how to use it all by themselves. And seriously, they can. Parents and teachers may feel tempted to intervene to show kids the “right” way to program the robot, but in allowing children to do it themselves, they exercise their problem-solving muscles and become more and more comfortable with the world of coding. The confidence gained to code independently is especially important for little girls, who have been historically excluded from the computer science industry.

The Not-So-Good: The recommended age range is for 3- to 6-year-olds. While the activity book is engaging, once you figure out how to use Cubetto, there isn’t much room for extension. Some 5-year-olds may be ready for something more advanced once they’ve played enough games with Cubetto’s coding language, but it serves as a great introduction.

Who It’s For: This is the perfect gift for little girls who are interested in how computers work, and who could also use the time away from screens.

#8 Lammily Doll (for the Girl Who Loves Dolls)

There are a lot of dolls on the market who flaunt a little too much of what they’ve got, if you will. I’m not saying it’s wrong for a woman to be proud of how she looks, but what these dolls are displaying is actually impossible to achieve.

Stick thin waists, eyes the size of saucers, permanent eyeshadow, and legs that literally go on for miles.

The danger is that little girls will look at these dolls and start to wonder, why don’t I look like this?

Fortunately, there is a fashion doll on the market that is made according to typical human body proportions. The Lammily doll is eleven inches tall and takes on the waist, leg, and arm measurements of an average 19-year-old woman. She also has articulated elbows, hands, knees, and feet so that finally, she can wear more than just high heels and do anything from kick a soccer ball to dance in Swan Lake.

The doll is a bit curvier, shorter, and does not sport as much make-up as a Barbie doll, and she is absolutely beautiful. In fact, Lammily’s slogan is, “Average is Beautiful.”

There are three different Lammily Dolls: The “Traveler”, who is a light-skinned woman with dark brown hair; the “Photographer” who is a dark-skinned woman with black, curly hair; and the “Animal Rescuer,” who is a light-skinned man, described to “not have a six-pack, but he has a fantastic sense of humor.”

Each doll comes with a fun little book that illustrates their story. Additional outfits and accessories, such as wheelchairs, beds, and Lammily Marks, which are stickers of scars, acne, and cellulite, are for sale separately.

The Good: The Lammily Doll is a doll with which you can confidently let your kids play without fear of setting them up to establish unhealthy beauty standards that lead to low self-esteem and even self-harm.

In fact, a 2016 study found that girls as young as six years old who played with Barbie dolls, which are widely known to possess unrealistic body proportions, expressed more complaints about their own bodies than girls who played with dolls who had more proportional bodies. The goal of the Lammily Doll is to avoid this comparison with an untenable beauty standard so that your little girl will accept and love her body as it is.

The Not-So-Good: For a doll that is supposed to look like real kids, it’s unfortunate that there are only three different dolls to choose from. It would be beneficial if there could be a doll that represents a wider range of races and lifestyles.

Who It’s For: All little girls who like to play with dolls. I repeat, all little girls who like to play with dolls. This is one of the best toys for a child who likes to engage in imaginative play using real-life expectations.

#9. Books That Feature Female Protagonists(for the Book Worm)

There are only four books on the list of 69 Caldecott Medal and Honor winners since 2000 that have animal protagonists that are clearly identified as female. Of the best 100 picture books from both Scholastic and Time magazine, fewer than 10 have female non-human characters.

Why is this a problem? Because when our little girls read book after book in which every character from a crayon to a hungry caterpillar is identified as a boy, they can’t help but internalize that they live in a male-dominated world where girls are the exception.

They learn that they don’t fit into certain spheres, that only boys are heroes, and that they belong on the sidelines.

Of course, this isn’t true. Girls are just as impactful, clever, and courageous as boys, and this should not surprise you.

And fortunately, there are a growing number of high-quality picture books that appropriately tell the stories of girls for who they really are – as leaders, explorers, and day-savers.

A Mighty Girl’s list of the Top 100 Picture Books features a selection of artfully written and beautifully illustrated books that showcase female protagonists doing the fantastic things they do.

The set includes a range of fictional picture books and also biographies of notable women.

A Mighty Girl has also published a list of Picture Books Starring Black Mighty Girls. While there has been an increase in books starring kids of color over the past decade, as of 2018, a University of Wisconsin-Madison study found that only 10% of children’s books featured black characters.

All kids deserve to read stories about characters who share their experiences, and this list seeks to make that possible. Greater diversity in books also helps cultivate connection and empathy with characters who might look different than the reader.

The Good: You can filter this list according to age so that you can find the perfect birthday or Christmas gift for your 5-year-old girl.

The Not-So-Good: It’s only too bad that this list isn’t longer. Hopefully, the demand for books with female protagonists will grow, encouraging more authors to tell the stories of women and girls.

Who It’s For: Everybody! Of course, the teacher in me urges that books are the perfect gift.

Anddon’t hide these books when your little girl’s brother comes into the room. There are no “boy books” and “girl books,” which is an unfortunate idea reinforced by how we market books to children. It also needs to be normed to boys that girls and women can be leading protagonists in books and in the world.

#10. Fairy Tale Doors (for the Imaginers)

Do you ever hike past rushing streams or mossy logs or hollowed-out trees and think that it would be the perfect dwelling for a leprechaun? I know I do, and I know that a bunch of 5-year-olds agree!

A 5-year-old’s imagination is boundless. She craves pretend play not just because it’s super fun, but because it is an essential component of their brain development.

When kids engage in imaginative play to conjure up stories about elves or pretend to be fairies, they are also exercising cognitive flexibility. In imagining themselves through a different perspective, they are able to practice interacting in different scenarios in a safe and secure environment. They can think through different problems that they wouldn’t always encounter in real life, growing to be stronger emotionally and cognitively.

Believe me, you want to nourish a child’s imagination. Encourage her to dream and pretend. She’ll thank you later for her solid problem-solving skills.

For the children who spend hours outside, imagining new and old worlds filled with magical creatures, there are these handmade Fairy Tale Doors. Prop them against a crook in a tree or along a mossy bluff and just watch how your child’s imagination blooms into life. Plus, they are absolutely adorable.

The Fairy Tale Doors are made of wood and polymer clay and are embellished with paint and wood stain.

The Good: These fairy tale doors are completely handmade, yet so simple. They invite the child to do the heavy lifting of imagining and creating their own story and world. The doors are mere embellishments, yet such a satisfying touch.

The Not-So-Good: While it is so wonderful to support small businesses, they are shipped from the Netherlands through Etsy. You will need an Etsy account to purchase them. This can easily be overcome with a quick registration.

Who It’s For: Kids who spend time exploring the wonder of the great outdoors. These doors might also incentivize children who are afraid to play outside to view nature in a different way.

#11. Mondo Bloxx Brick Block Set (for the Engineer-in-Training)

I know I’m not the only parent who has curated the perfect birthday or holiday or Christmas gift for a 5-year-old girl only to find that their favorite part about it is…the box.

I mean, I guess I get it. Boxes are pretty cool. You can go inside of them, walk on top of them, imagine around them, build over with them…can you blame our kiddos with boundless imagination and an eagerness to creative to love something as simple as a box? There are a million ways to play with them!

While not one single big box, the Mondo Bloxx Brick Block Set contains 40 smaller boxes that look like bricks.

That’s all this is. A set of cardboard boxes.

And they are exactly what your 5-year-old wants. Not a board game, not Play-Doh, not nail polish, not a jewelry box. All a kindergartener wants (and really, all she needs) is a set of fun boxes.

Beyond satisfying her imagination’s urge to build forts, caves, and towers, she can exercise her fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as she places the bricks together to support one another. The fun games kids can play are absolutely endless.

The Good: These boxes are made of sturdy, high-quality, yet recycled, materials that are made in the USA. You can rest assured that this extremely simple toy also leaves a tiny environmental footprint.

The Not-So-Good: Get ready, you will need to assemble all of the boxes yourself. Yes, the set includes only 40 flat boxes. Think of it as a moving meditation as you complete the repetitive task of folding and tucking. The effort is worth the time!

Who It’s For: This is one of the best gifts for 5-year-old girls who are constantly stealing sheets and couch cushions to build forts in the middle of the living room in order to play their fun games.

#12. Dan&Darci Paint & Plant Pizza Herb Growing Kit(for the Green Thumb)

There’s nothing better than fresh herbs right out of the garden. Grind them up into a pesto, sprinkle them onto a salad, or best of all, bake them on top of a cheesy pizza.

Now your child can savor the satisfaction of growing her own herbs – basil, oregano, and arugula – fit for a pizza with the Dan & Darci Paint & Plant Pizza Herb Growing Kit. This is a fun introductory set to teach 5-year-olds how to care for blooming plants. Kids also get the added benefit of being about to taste their harvest!

It’s so important for young children to learn where their food comes from. Too many of my kindergarten students answer “the grocery store” when asked the origin of their fruits and vegetables.

To furnish an appreciation and understanding of how our food is cultivated from the earth, it is important to let your child get their hands dirty and try out gardening for themselves.

The kit comes with everything you need to bring the herbs to life: an aluminum planter, 3 Expanding-Soil Coir Discs, 3 wooden plant markers, 3 seed packets (basil, oregano, and arugula), a small hand shovel, a watering bottle, a 6-color paint strip, a paint palette, and an instruction booklet.

Kids can paint the planter however they like with the provided supplies, further personalizing their fun gardening experience.

The Good: For those of us who live in apartments, you, fortunately, don’t need an outdoor garden to grow these herbs, just a sunny window ledge, and you’re all set.

The Not-So-Good: You could just make this kit yourself for a fraction of the cost (about $25). However, it is incredibly convenient compiled as a set, and you can reuse most of the items.

Who It’s For: Any little girl who is a budding botanist and has a taste for farm-to-table dining! This is also a fun STEM tool to demonstrate how plants grow.

#13. AppleRound Space Hopper Ball (for the Girl Who is Bouncing off the Walls

There are so many options available to kids who need to burn a little bit of energy – scooters, bicycles, soccer balls, moon boots, badminton courts – the list is endless. However, none of these sporty toys are very good Christmas gifts for 5-year-old girls because you don’t know what they already have in their garage. You also might not know what games they like to play.

Instead, consider an AppleRound Space Hopper Ball. You’ve seen them before. They’re the huge ride-along bouncy balls with a handle for stability – and don’t tell me you haven’t been tempted to try them yourself. They are so fun!

Also known as a Hop Ball, Hippity Hop, Kangaroo Bouncer, or a Jumping Ball, the AppleRound Space Hopper Ball allows kids to experience the levity of bouncing under their own control. It’s one of those gifts that keeps kids active without the potential stress of exercise. It’s actually impossible to ride one of these things without laughing.

The Space Hopper Ball is inflated to 20 inches. The set includes a 9-inch two-way action pump. This model is a pretty marbled blue, and there are other colors available, too. It is rated “safe to play” as it completely meets EU and US Toy Safety Standards.

The Good: I love how you can use these bouncy balls outside and inside, even if you have a scratch-prone, hard-wood floor. Since they are just made of rubber, there is no risk of scuffing your floors.

The Not-So-Good: This model might be a bit too big for our more petit 5-year-old girls. But never fear, they will grow into it in no time.

Who It’s For: For little girls who are still wide awake when they are tucked into bed and are in need of a toy to drain them of some energy.

Conclusion

It isn’t easy finding “perfect” gifts for 5-year-old girls. After all, every child is different. Beyond selecting a toy that you think will help her grow into a well-rounded individual, the best toys are those that you think she will actually enjoy.

Does she really need another jewelry box, board game, or Play-Doh set?

Follow her interests. Look at what she likes and expand on that. Listen to her, and let her words and thoughts guide your decisions.

Of course, it is important to practice discretion to make sure that you are not giving her something that perpetuates unhealthy stereotypes or stunts her growth in any way. Your actions matter and will help shape how she sees herself in the world. It’s unfortunate that this is a burden in today’s world, but it is.

Fortunately, the best gifts for 5-year-old girls are the simple toys that encourage play, those that leave plenty of space for the imagination to flourish, and that cultivate her natural problem-solving skills.

When in doubt, just give her a cardboard box. You’ll be surprised at how many fun adventures she’ll create with it.