Best gifts for 6-year-olds: From books to games

Best: For imaginative play

Rating: 9/10

Playmobil is always a good bet for this age group, and we particularly liked the fact this set has a fillable water enclosure. We found it easy to fill up and clean, and the rotating platform gave it an extra element of interactivity. As Dr Gummer explains, “Props that support role play can be popular at this age and children may create elaborate make-believe worlds with small world figures, dolls, or teddies”. If the happy sounds coming from our six-year-old playing with this in the bathroom are anything to go by, your giftee will be playing with this well past Christmas.

Best: For L.O.L. doll obsessives

Rating: 7/10

If you’ve ever bought the individual L.O.L. Surprise! dolls for a little one, you know they cost an arm and a leg for what seems like a very small gift. So we were pleased to find this glamper van, which – although expensive – does actually make a substantial gift, and doubles up as a handy place to store all the individual dolls in. There are lots of small accessories included, a fancy light-up pool, and bunk beds that fit both the small dolls and the larger L.O.L. Surprise! fashion dolls. Just bear in mind you’ll need to buy any dolls separately – a bit annoying considering the price – so we’d recommend this for any L.O.L. fan who’s already built a bit of a collection.

Best: For encouraging independence

Rating: 8/10

Kidly stocks a carefully curated edit of toys for younger children, with a focus on eco-conscious brands and design-led products. This portable wooden Moulin Rory toolbox includes a saw, a hammer, a flat head and a Philips screwdriver, a ruler and a pencil. They’re all real tools, not toys, made with wooden handles and just the right size for little hands to have a go at their very own woodworking projects. The presentation is second-to-none, and this is the kind of gift they can pass on to their own little people one day.

Best: For the latest craze

Rating: 7/10

There were some serious squeals of joy from our testers when the Orbeez came out. These squishy water beads – which are actually super-absorbent polymers originally created to add moisture to soil – are apparently A Thing on various social media channels, and another great option for sensory play. The kit includes 1,000 clear Orbeez and some food colouring, which you use to dye the beads in different shades. They’re non-toxic and biodegradable, but don’t flush them down the loo when your kids are done squishing – leave them out in the sun and they’ll shrink back to dry pellets.

Best: For unexpected fun

Rating: 7/10

From the makers of Fingerlings, My Squishy Little Dumplings launched this summer and were an instant win with our testers. As the name suggests, these palm-sized, dumpling-shaped characters have a squishy head that – when squeezed – pops out a little body underneath. The different characters coo and gurgle as you play with them and chuck them around, although we were pleasantly surprised that the volume was fairly quiet. In all honesty, it’s hard to put our finger on why these were such a hit, but as any primary school parent knows – there’s no point arguing with a six-year-old.

Best: For crafty kids

Rating: 9/10

If you want to give a gift that’ll last, consider a ToucanBox subscription. Every month your recipient will get a craft kit delivered to their door, and you can choose from a three, six or 12 month sub. The crafts are really varied – we loved trying out the Halloween and Christmas-themed boxes and our tester only needed a little help here and there. The gift subscription is sent via an E-certificate that they’ll need to activate before the boxes start arriving, but there’s an option to add a gift pack for an extra £10 so they get a colour-in craft apron to open on the day itself.