Best Toys for Big Kids {4 – 6 years}

Please Note :: We are so excited to be partnering together with our sponsor Kid to Kid – Houston Galleria for a fun series of posts dedicated to OUR favorite toys for the littlest of babies to the biggest of boys and girls.  At Kid to Kid, you can buy gently used toys for a fraction of the price as well as a few select new toys at an absolute bargain too!  So start making those lists and checking them twice because your holiday shopping helpers are finally here, and up next – toys for kids ages 4-6 years old!

I am so excited for this Christmas season. My twins are 4 1/2 and in my opinion, the perfect age for anticipating all the magic that comes with Christmas :: celebrating our Savior’s birth, decorating galore, yummy goodies, choosing gifts, and of course, Santa! Because this year they truly “get it”, I can’t wait to shop for the perfect gifts for each of them. To me there is nothing better than sitting back with a cup of coffee and watching their eyes dance with excitement as they rip into their presents.

I’m also a known procrastinator {last year I was THAT mom out at the toy store on Christmas Eve morning}, so this year I’ve pledged to wrap up my shopping and wrapping by December 1st so I can enjoy the rest of the holiday season. I’ve been all over Google and have selected some awesome gifts for kids ages 4-6 years old. We typically do one big “Santa gift” and then a handful of smaller, less expensive ones, so there will be some splurges on here, along with the practical and fun! Hopefully it will make your shopping that much easier as well! Here we go…

Best Toys for Big Kids, ages 4 to 6. 10 numbered toys as follows: 1 colorful tiles, 2 legos, 3 a dinosaur with wheels for feet, 4 dolls, 5 an easel, 6 a scooter, 7 Monopoly, 8 books, 9 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 10 An Elsa doll from Frozen. Logo: Houston moms blog. Logo: Kid to Kid.

1. Magna-Tiles

Let’s just start with my hands-down FAVORITE, shall we? We.heart.magnatiles. They are seriously amazing. We got the starter set for the kids last year {32 pieces} and then Santa had to make another trip to the store to buy the 100 piece set. The larger set isn’t cheap, but trust me, it’s worth it for the hours and hours of entertainment. You will be shocked how creative your children will get with these colorful tiles. My kiddos have constructed castles, parking garages, tunnels, houses, and everything in between. Add it to your list, pronto! {Also, a little fun fact :: if you are on Instagram, you can hashtag #magnatiles and many times their company will respond back to you and perhaps even feature your child’s creation! Follow their Instagram account.}

2. Legos

When I put a call out to my friends with older children on their favorite gifts, Legos was repeated over and over and over. This oldie but goodie never goes out of style. My kids have recently gotten into Legos and what they can create with their daddy’s old set is incredible! This year my son will likely find this Jake set under the tree, and I definitely have my eye on this Princess castle for my little girl. But I especially love Legos because they don’t have to be gender specific. My girl loves building boats and cars as much as my son, so don’t limit the girls to just the pink and purple ones! Great tool for establishing fine motor skills for the younger set, and as they get older, they can follow more of the specific building patterns.

3. Zoomer Dino

My best friend’s 6 year old son clued me on this one. Apparently it’s the hot new item for boys in this age group. This dino, controlled by a remote, rolls around on 2 wheels, stomping and growling. But the real fun comes when your child can help “tame the dino” as he knows where you are and what your child is doing. Ry Guy may just find this one from Santa as well. At around $100, he’s a pricey dino – but I’ve been assured he’s worth every penny for his educational merits as well. And if you look around at various sites, you can probably find him about $20 bucks cheaper.

4. American Girls Dolls

Oh, how I have been counting down the years until I could buy an American Girl Doll for my daughter! I have such fond memories of playing with Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly from years ago – not to mention devouring their series of books. I love that they still have the larger, classic dolls but also the smaller Bitty Babies for the younger kids. Personally, I think we are getting the Bitty Twins this year because, obviously. My friend with older girls recommends waiting until age 6 to buy the larger dolls so they are more likely to take precious care of them. And how much fun would it be to throw in a gift certificate for reservations to have tea or lunch with your little girl and her doll at the American Girl Bistro at Memorial City Mall?

5. Melissa & Doug Art Easel

I love anything Melissa & Doug. I think their items are so well-made and designed to last. This art easel is perfect for your budding young artist, and I love all of the trays and containers to hold all of their art supplies. Plus the double-sided is perfect so that siblings can join in on the fun too!

6. Razor Scooter

With the usual mild winters we experience in Houston, I love getting my kids anything that encourages outside activity. Razor scooters are wonderful and so fun for both boys and girls. They even have fun Razor Jr. scooters for the younger age brackets. When we vacationed with my best friend’s family this past summer, her girls {ages 3 up to 8} took their scooters everywhere, even the hotel hallways and lobby. Such a fun gift and various price points – you definitely don’t have to get the $100 version! {Don’t forget the safety elements though – always wear a helmet!}

7. Hasbro Board Games

I don’t think you can go wrong with a new board game this Christmas. I adore family game nights when we enjoy a slice of pizza and break out a new board game. Hasbro has an excellent selection from Monopoly Junior, Sorry, Operation, and even Simon. {Remember Simon??? He’s making a comeback!} In fact, one of our preschool teachers told me that board games can be a wonderful educational tool – the kids are having fun AND learning without even realizing it. Win, win!

8. Lakeshore Learning Sight Word Readers

Christmas is a great time to get wonderful education materials as well. I love, love, love pretty much everything at Lakeshore Learning. These sight word reader collections would be wonderful for the 4-6 age bracket. I love all of the brightly colored pages to keep your child’s attention, plus the books are so well-constructed. We have a set of these Alphabet Books, courtesy of Gigi, and my kids have read, read, and re-read them. You can do so much with all of these sets :: work on sight words, spelling, letter recognition, counting, phonetics, you name it.  Plus, the variety always keeps them interesting!

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Hard to believe this motley crue is still around and hotter than ever. Trust me, by the number of Ninjas I saw trick or treating this past Halloween, little boys still love some TMNT. Such a great price point on these items too :: you can go for the stocking stuffer action figures, various vehicles, a lego set, pajamas, socks, and even underwear. I mean, what 5 year old boy doesn’t want to wear Leonardo?

10. Disney’s Frozen

Clearly I wasn’t going to make it through this list without missing Frozen! Hysteria still reigns over Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and the rest of the crew. I know I’m personally ready to “Let It Go” but my little girl thinks otherwise. Again, more items with great price points. Quinn will likely find an Elsa nightgown on Christmas morning, perhaps more Frozen panties, and then because I’m not completely boring, I do love the doll and dress up combination which usually runs just around $30. Maybe next year some other movie will take over the Frozen tundra. Until then…Santa does what he/she has to do!

I know there are so many more great gifts in this age range so we are opening it up to you! Sound off in the comments what your fave Christmas gifts of 2014 are!


As you start that holiday shopping, don’t forget to stop by and visit our friends at Kid to Kid Houston Galleria to browse both their new and gently used toys.  Remember that they are also currently buying toys, gear, and clothes that your little ones may have outgrown or no longer need, so it’s the perfect way to earn a little extra cash to fuel the shopping too!

Kid to Kid Houston Galleria

1737 Post Oak Boulevard
Houston, TX 77056
713.622.2545

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Meagan Clanahan
Meagan is a Dallas native who has lived in the Katy area for over a decade. She kicked a soccer ball all the way to Louisiana to attend college at her family’s alma mater of LSU, where she promptly fell in love with a Texas Aggie in Baton Rouge for an internship. After swimming back to Texas following Hurricane Katrina, Matt and Meagan fell in love with the Houston area and now couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Following several years of infertility, their miracle twins Ryan and Quinn were born in June of 2010. She believes there is nothing better than a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio, a large Sonic Diet Coke, sushi take-out, Girls Nights Out, and a mindless book to curl up with. Besides playing chauffeur and catering to the whims of her children, Meagan also is the Co-Owner of Houston Moms Blog. You can keep up with Meagan at The Clanahan Fam and on Instagram @meaganclanahan!

4 COMMENTS

  1. I’ve always been looking for great STEM toys. I heard about this new education subscription box from Harvard called CubbyCase contains many amazing STEM toys for kids too! Would be great if you reviewed them! http://cubbycase.com

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