Violin or Viola - which would you choose for a 5 year old?

Viola. Dd plays violin, ds1 viola. Both musically talented, but I see again and again situations where viola playing ds1 gets the same opportunities as his older violin playing sister (who practices a lot more conscientiously and is 2 abrsm grades above him).
A conductor friend told me that viola was an inspired as they're always in short supply, and their teacher admits that its easier for viola players to get into ensembles as there's less competition.
With this in mind, Dd has taken up viola as her 3rd instrument.

No need to buy violas to start with, just string an appropriately sized violin as a viola. It's only now that ds has hit a teen growth spurt that we've been able to buy a proper viola (and they're still cheaper than cellos or brass instruments!)

Viola!

Violin.

Pros of violin:

• Smaller (makes it easier)
• Lots of choice new and second hand as you move from smaller to larger instruments (my DC progressed through 1/10, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 7/8 and 4/4.
• There is more sheet music available for child violin players.

Pros of viola:

• will make yr child popular when it comes to playing duets or joining a quartet or orchestra
• beautiful deep sound
• a little bit different, which some children prefer

Yes, it's easy to swap between them and some strings players play both.

Once you learn one its easy to swap to the other. DS does his grades on violin and plays viola in local orchestra.

Think of your ears and go for a brass instrument. Screeching cat is about right.

If she enjoys playing one she'd most likely enjoy playing the other. However, violin players are over represented in every situation and if she did keep playing she'd get loads of opportunities as a viola player - many a string quartet idea ends up abandoned when the enthusiastic violin and cello players can't find a viola player

Violin is more popular so there may be more opportunities but also more competition to play in an orchestra, say, at school.
Viola is the less commonly chosen string instruments for beginners - I love it, I think mainly because its a bit lower in pitch.

Having said that, consider cello which is even lower and does not sound to screechy and like tortured-cat when played by a young beginning virtuouso

Strange

I saw the title and thought it was a baby name thread - I was about to post that Violin is not a name ffs.

don't have an opinion on instruments though