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A gap-toothed boy throwing his hands up mid-protest over a board game while his grandfather hides a hand of cards and smiles.

The “That’s Not Fair!” Years

Early Elementary: Competence, logic, and best friends

By Alison Richardson, MS·Ages 5–7·Last reviewed

What a five- to seven-year-old is developmentally working on, what they need from a grandparent, and the games and toys that match it.

What should I get my 5-, 6-, or 7-year-old grandchild?

Five- to seven-year-olds want to be good at something, and they want you to notice. Games with real rules finally work at this age, and so do builds and kits with a visible result. Pick something with a skill to climb rather than a toy that is finished the first afternoon.

Five-year-olds can finally play a game with rules and take turns. By six and seven, children want to be good at things: reading, riding, building, winning. Jokes start to land. Friendships become central. And they are old enough to learn a craft, a card game, or a family recipe from you.

Here is what is happening, and what it means for the way you play.

Jump to the toysWhat is happening at this age
5–7 years
Early Elementary

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  1. 0–12 monthsInfants
  2. 1–2 yearsToddlers
  3. 3–4 yearsPreschool
  4. 5–7 yearsEarly Elementary
  5. 8–11 yearsPre-Teens
  6. 12–17 yearsTeens
  7. 18–25 yearsYoung Adults

What is happening

What your grandchild is working on

Body and movement

  • Age 5Hops on one foot. Buttons some buttons.
  • Ages 6–7Movements get smooth and strong, though coordination, endurance, and balance vary a lot from child to child. Fine-motor skill shows up in neat handwriting, dressing, and chores.
  • All agesA sense of body image begins around age 6. Children this age need at least an hour of physical activity a day.

Source: MedlinePlus

Thinking and learning

  • Age 5Counts to 10. Recognizes some numbers. Uses time words like “yesterday” and “tomorrow.” Pays attention to an activity for 5 to 10 minutes. Writes some letters of her name.
  • Age 6Can follow three directions in a row and focus on a task for at least 15 minutes.
  • Age 7Learning shifts from sounding out words toward reading for meaning, a real gear-change that finishes around third grade.

Source: MedlinePlus

Words

  • Age 5Tells a story with at least two events. Answers questions about a book. Keeps a conversation going past three exchanges. Recognizes simple rhymes.
  • Ages 6–7Speaks in complete sentences of 5 to 7 words, growing more complex each year.

Source: MedlinePlus

Feelings and people

  • Age 5Follows rules and takes turns in games with other children. Sings, dances, or acts for you. Does simple chores.
  • Ages 6–7Being accepted by friends becomes a big deal. Friendships are mostly with same-sex peers at first.
  • Ages 6–7Children may “try on” lying, cheating, or taking small things as they work out rules. It is a normal part of learning right from wrong.

Source: MedlinePlus

A note on milestones: the ages above come from the CDC and other national sources and mark what most children can do by that age. They are checkpoints, not deadlines. Every child has their own timeline, and neurodivergent children may follow a different path without it saying anything about how much they can love, learn, or bond. If something worries you, mention it gently to the parents as a teammate, and leave the diagnosing to the pediatrician. Source: CDC

Did you know?

Things you will not find on most milestone sites

These come from peer-reviewed studies. They are the kind of detail that changes how you play.

Riddles and puns start to land around 6 or 7

Getting a pun means holding two meanings of one word at the same time, and that ability arrives around age 6 or 7. Before that, kids laugh at a shoe on someone’s head and at silly sounds. After, wordplay becomes a shared currency between generations. This is the age for your corniest jokes.

Source: McGhee

Kids who know the family stories do better

Children who can answer questions like where their grandparents grew up, how their parents met, or a hard time the family came through score higher on self-esteem and resilience and lower on anxiety. The 20-question scale behind this finding includes several questions about grandparents. The link is a correlation, not a cause, but it is a good reason to tell the stories.

Source: Duke

“Are you going to die, Gran?” gets a different answer at 5 than at 7

Children under about 6 or 7 usually believe death is temporary and reversible. The three parts of a grown-up understanding (it is final, it happens to everyone, the body stops working) usually come together between 5 and 7. So a five-year-old’s question is not the same question a seven-year-old is asking.

Source: Speece & Brent

Attention grows from 15 minutes to an hour

A six-year-old can focus on a task for about 15 minutes. By nine, most can hold it for close to an hour. Game length, project length, and how many steps you give at once can grow right along with them.

Source: MedlinePlus

How to connect at this age

  • Teach them something real: a card game, a craft, a recipe, how to use a tool. This age wants competence, and you have time that parents often do not.
  • Play rule-based games and let them win some, lose some. Turn-taking and losing gracefully are being learned right now.
  • Tell the family stories, including the hard ones that ended well.
  • Bring the jokes. Riddles, knock-knocks, and puns are suddenly funny.
  • Be the low-pressure adult. No grades, no homework fights, just an hour of doing something together.

Sources: MedlinePlus · CDC

So the best toys for this age reward skill, strategy, building, and playing by the rules with someone else. That is what the toys and games below were chosen for.

Gifts & toys

Award-winning toys for early elementary, 5–7 years

Toys and games for the years when kids want to be good at things: this year’s award winners and a few long-time favorites. Each one is matched to something a 5- to 7-year-old is working on, from reading and logic to building, strategy, and playing with friends.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, The Gran Life earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. The price range on each card is a general guide from the maker’s list price; current price and availability are on Amazon. How these toys were chosen →
Cause-and-Effect & Nurturing Play
Spin Master

Jurassic World Primal Hatch

Recognized as: 2026 Toy of the Year (overall winner; also Action Figure of the Year).

The 2026 Toy of the Year: an egg that hatches into an interactive dinosaur; ages 5+.

See it on Amazon
Construction & Problem-Solving
LEGO

LEGO Star Wars SMART Play: Darth Vader's TIE Fighter

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

GH 2026 big-kids winner; LEGO's app-enhanced build for ages 6+.

See it on Amazon
Logic & Creativity
Learning Resources

STEM Explorers Pixel Art Pro

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

Learning Resources' 2026 GH little-kids winner; screen-free pixel-art design.

See it on Amazon
Nurturing Play & Cause-and-Effect
Moose Toys

Little Live Pets My Magical Dragon Skye

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

Moose's 2026 GH little-kids winner; an interactive pet dragon.

See it on Amazon
Executive Functioning & Logic
ThinkFun

Rush Hour Jr.

A longtime favorite that earned The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval (the program closed in 2024).

Traffic jam logic game adapted for younger kids. Builds critical thinking, sequential planning, and frustration tolerance.

Under $25maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Comfort & Social-Emotional
Just Play

Disney Stitch Ultimate Stitch Interactive Feature Plush

Named a 2026 Toy of the Year Winner (Plush Toy of the Year).

The 2026 Plush Toy of the Year (and a GH 2025 winner); responsive plush with sounds and movement.

See it on Amazon
Fine Motor & Imaginative Play
Mattel

Hot Wheels City Ultimate T-Rex Garage

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

Hot Wheels' 2026 GH winner; a large garage playset with a dinosaur feature.

See it on Amazon
Engineering & Electronics
Elenco

Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100

A longtime favorite that earned an ASTRA Play Award in an earlier year.

Color-coded, snap-together components safely introduce young kids to electrical engineering, circuit building, and logic flow.

$25 to $50maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Spatial Reasoning & Patience
Educational Insights

Kanoodle Jr.

A longtime favorite that earned The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval (the program closed in 2024).

Brain-teasing puzzle game requiring players to fit geometric pieces into specific patterns, boosting visual-spatial skills.

Under $25maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Creative Expression & Fine Motor
Crayola

Crayola Ultimate Light Board

Named a 2018 NAPPA Award Winner.

Reusable LED drawing board that highlights neon markers. Encourages practicing writing letters and artistic exploration.

$25 to $50maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Imaginative Role Play & Dexterity
Playmobil

Playmobil City Action Rescue

Detailed figures and vehicles that support complex world-building, fine motor manipulation, and everyday hero storytelling.

$50 to $100maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Humor & Social Play
WOW! Stuff

Minions Palm Puppetronic

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

GH 2026 little-kids winner; a palm-size animatronic puppet.

See it on Amazon
Sensory Play & Fine Motor
Spin Master

Kinetic Sand Sweet Station Set

Recognized as: Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner; 2026 NAPPA Award Winner.

Double 2026 winner; the current Kinetic Sand set with the most play features.

See it on Amazon
Communication & Deductive Logic
Skillmatics

Skillmatics Guess in 10 Junior

Named a 2022 NAPPA Award Winner.

Card game where kids ask questions to guess the animal. Builds vocabulary, categorization skills, and conversational confidence.

Under $25maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Early Literacy & Fast Reflexes
ThinkFun

Zingo! Sight Words

A longtime favorite that earned The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval (the program closed in 2024).

Transforms reading practice into a fast-paced game. Helps early readers recognize essential sight words automatically.

Under $25maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Imaginative Play & Storytelling
Mattel

Barbie Team Barbie Roll and Reveal Pop Star Doll

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

Barbie's 2026 GH winner.

See it on Amazon
Gross Motor & Active Science
Stomp Rocket

Stomp Rocket Dueling Rockets

A longtime favorite that earned an ASTRA Play Award in an earlier year.

Kids run, jump, and stomp to launch foam rockets. Sneaks in lessons on trajectory, force, and aerodynamics while expending energy.

Under $25maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Creativity & Fine Motor
Basic Fun!

Lite-Brite Trace and Dot Glowboard

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

Lite-Brite's 2026 GH winner; a light-up tracing board that updates the classic.

See it on Amazon
Spatial Reasoning & Construction
MAGNA-TILES

MAGNA-TILES Coral Reef 25-Piece Set

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

GH 2026 little-kids winner; ocean-themed magnetic tiles for ages 5-8.

$25 to $50maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Geology & Delayed Gratification
Blue Marble

National Geographic Super Gemstone Dig Kit

Named a 2025 NAPPA Award Winner.

Excavation kit requiring sustained focus and effort to uncover real gems. Introduces scientific methodology and patience.

See it on Amazon
Open-Ended Engineering
VIAHART

Brainflakes 500 Piece Interlocking Set

A longtime favorite that earned The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval (the program closed in 2024).

Simple disc-shaped pieces that click together at any angle, promoting unstructured architectural creativity and structural integrity.

Under $25maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Balance, Physics & Hand-Eye
Melissa & Doug

Melissa & Doug Suspend Junior

A wire balancing game adapted for younger kids. Highly acclaimed for teaching weight distribution and steady-hand control.

Under $25maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Turn-Taking & Quick Thinking
Relatable / What Do You Meme?

Cows in Space

Recognized as: 2026 Toy of the Year Finalist (Game of the Year); GH 2025 Toy Award Winner.

A fast family card game for ages 6+; 2026 TOTY Game finalist.

See it on Amazon
Imaginative Play & Music
Mattel

KPop Demon Hunters Singing Dolls

Named a Good Housekeeping 2026 Toy Award Winner.

Mattel's 2026 GH little-kids winner, tied to the year's biggest animated hit.

See it on Amazon
Fine Motor & Visual Perception
Basic Fun!

Lite-Brite Ultimate Classic

A longtime favorite that earned The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval (the program closed in 2024).

Updated retro classic that hones pincer grip (placing the pegs) and visual planning, resulting in illuminated artwork.

Under $25maker’s list price
See it on Amazon
Engineering & Spatial Reasoning
Meekins Corp. / Sankyo Toys

Rail Cube Starter Set

Named a 2026 ASTRA Play Award Winner (STEM).

Magnetic monorail-style building; the 2026 ASTRA STEM winner (its Deluxe Set was a 2026 TOTY Construction finalist).

See it at the maker’s site

Not sold on Amazon right now. This is not an affiliate link; we just think it is a great toy.

Behind the list

How these toys were chosen

We did not pick these toys off a bestseller list. Almost every toy on these pages has won a recent award from an organization that tests toys with children and teens. Confirmed awards are named. Here is who they are and how they decide.

Good Housekeeping Institute

Engineers, product analysts, and child psychologists test toys in the GH labs, then send them home with more than 350 kid and parent testers. They check safety (drop tests, pinch points, small parts), durability, clear instructions, and whether kids keep coming back to play.

The Toy Association, Toy of the Year

The toy industry’s top honor. Retail buyers, journalists, academics, and toy designers judge innovation, design, and play value, and the public gets a vote too.

ASTRA Play Awards

Hundreds of independent neighborhood toy-store owners, early-education teachers, and play specialists. They look for open-ended play, imagination, screen-free engagement, and the kind of quality that turns a toy into an heirloom.

Shop TODAY Best Toy Awards

Editors at TODAY narrow the field, then real kids play-test the finalists and the kids’ favorites win.

NAPPA (National Parenting Product Awards)

Early-childhood educators and pediatric specialists paired with family home testers. They judge how well a toy lines up with real developmental milestones, from tummy time and pincer grip to logic and teen maker skills.

For ages 18 to 25

Toy awards stop at the teen years, so the young-adult gifts come mostly from published gift guides at NBC Select and Grown & Flown, with a few award-winning games for the younger end of the range.

Two things we looked for

Open-ended play. The judges asked whether a toy invites a child to play with it again and again in new ways, or whether it is a toy a child plays with once or twice and forgets. The toys here are the first kind.

Kid-tested. Many of these toys were tested by actual children, not just grown-ups with clipboards. One of the ways that works: put a room full of toys in front of a group of kids and watch which ones they go back to. Not every organization used every method, but taken together, these toys were chosen by experts and by kids who played with them.

A few older favorites carry The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval. That program closed in 2024, so we say so and do not claim a year for it.

A note from Alison

Where this list is headed

Alison Richardson, MS, founder of The Gran Life

I am just starting that journey, so right now you will see only a few picks marked Gran Life Recommended. The rest earned their place by winning an award, or by being named in the gift guides above. As I test more, that gold badge will show up more often.

Gran Life Recommended — Alison has had this one in her own hands: used it with her grandchildren, or ordered and inspected it herself.

Gran Life Community Recommended — grandparents in The Gran Life Community have used this one and vouch for it.

Why shop through our links? If a toy is exactly right, wonderful. Buying through our link costs you nothing extra and helps keep our free services going, like the Milestone Message texts. And if a toy is close but not quite it, click the brand name on the Amazon page. It takes you straight to that maker’s store, where you may find the one you were looking for.

grandparent with purpose

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, The Gran Life earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The research behind this page

Sources and references

Everything on this page comes from The Gran Life’s developmental reference guide, which draws on the sources below. Milestone ages are from the CDC and mark what most children (75% or more) can do by that age. Links open the original source.