TOSY Flying Ring

By Liza Corsillo, a senior writer at the Strategist covering kids’ toys and men’s style.
Updated on Dec. 15, 2025

Because the transition from kindergarten to first grade brings lots of new learning expectations at school, the best holiday gifts for 6-year-olds are toys and games that encourage play for play’s sake. As their language and reading skills continue to develop, kids this age are increasingly interested in telling jokes, being creative, and creating complex narratives through pretend play. Gifts that support them in any of those endeavors will be much appreciated. So feel free to lean into silly and unstructured toys that encourage creativity, like a Minions Fart Blaster, or ones that encourage imagination, like 20 rolls of multi-colored washi tape. To help you check everything off of their wishlists and surprise them with a few gifts they might not see coming, we talked to elementary school parents, child development experts, and toy-trend forecasters about the best gifts to give to a wide range of 6-year-olds.