5 year old doesnt play with anything? ?

[iwanttobeadragonthisyear]

DSD lives here full time, she has but doesn't play with
dolls house
lots of lego
puzzles
make up
books
bike

she does play dress up... but we have pretty much done all we can do on that score for Christmas shes getting anna elsa olaf and jasmine dress uo sets.
we have her a few little creative bits which she will enjoy... but not regularly just when she can be bothered

but what else can we get her? and tell other people to get when they ask

Take her to a toy shop and see what she likes

What does she do if she does not play? Does she watch tv or just join in family activities eg help make tea or just chat? If none of this lends itself to a present, even if that's a DVD or a toy based on a tv show/film, then I would ask anyone who asks you for an idea to choose something they think she'd like or get a book that if she can't/does not want to read herself then you can read her. If they choose something you haven't suggested then it may be they randomly hit on something dsd absolutely loves that you and she had not thought of before. Alternatively, stuff like hair clips, the children's jewellery you find in supermarkets or accessorize, etc doesn't need playing with but might still be appreciated, especially if she likes dressing up.

My oldest is a similar age and she has never really played. Any toys given always get a great initial reaction but rarely last longer than half an hour.

This year we are getting her a tablet. We are crazy. I know.

Other things she likes, the Talking Ben/Tom toy that was out a few years ago, endless giggles from that. It repeats what you say in a funny voice.

Colouring, crafty things, a cd player and cds. Mmmm. Think thats it.

She has to be right in the centre of everything which doesn't lend itself to solitary play.

A play tent of some kind maybe? Or a baking set if she likes to help out in the kitchen, you could always pretend to be chefs!

Some ideas:

Bike
Scooter
Telescope/binoculars
Metal detector
Kite
Art set
Books

Puppet theatre? This could be a good interactive toy to play with you - you could take turns being audience and puppet master/story teller

Play tent - good accessory for dress up, can change its purpose to match her dress up identity.

Play kitchen and accessories

Doctor's kit

Ds is like this. It's not that he doesn't play, he'd just rather 'be' the character rather than moving around a small world toy. His main present is a motorbike, which probably isn't very helpful to you but he's also getting another dressing up outfit, walkie talkies and a telescope from family and a kidizoom watch and a book set from us ( rather than Santa, who's 'just' bringing the mororbike and gear).

Baking stuff? Kids recipe book?

You could always ask people to get her clothes, if she "has" to be bought a present by lots of people but has no interest in "stuff". Does she like clothes? (Maybe, if she likes dressing up).

Things for her bedroom? New rug/ wastepaper bin/ lamp/ clock/ blind on a theme... Frozen ones if that's what she's into.

Lessons - riding or instrument... maybe (borderline old enough, depending on her personality).

Does she like books or any particular films? How about a show that you could take her to with her favourite characters in?

The children in my family didn't really like playing with toys either. I've found that what works for us is 'encouraging' them with the toys. Ds really likes trucks, so OH builds obstacles courses and finds things ds can load onto the trucks.

My extrovert DS has never really enjoyed solitary play (apart from building toys such as Kapla or Magnatiles). He prefers activities where he can interact with others, such as board games or cooking or sports. If she has this type of personality, I would suggest looking at board games or something she can enjoy together with others.

My DD has enjoyed the card game Sleeping Queens from around 5yo, but there are also lots of age appropriate games from Orchard Toys, Zoch, Ravensburger and Haba:

www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D364146031&field-keywords=zoch&rh=n%3A468292%2Cn%3A364143031%2Cn%3A364146031%2Ck%3Azoch

www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D364146031&field-keywords=orchard+toys&rh=n%3A468292%2Cn%3A364143031%2Cn%3A364146031%2Ck%3Aorchard+toys

www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D364146031&field-keywords=ravensburger&rh=n%3A468292%2Cn%3A364143031%2Cn%3A364146031%2Ck%3Aravensburger

www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D364146031&field-keywords=haba&rh=n%3A468292%2Cn%3A364143031%2Cn%3A364146031%2Ck%3Ahaba

Also, something as simple as marbles seems to often be a successful gift! Appeals both to those who like to start collections/count/sort, and to those who like pretty/sparkly things in general. Perhaps along with a pretty box?

Books, sticker books, football, board games? Monopoly Junior is a good one at this age.

I also have a dd who doesn't play with toys. I can't help much as I have no idea what to get dd really! But we have has success with:

Board games - she loves junior monopoly, top trumps, dino dice, story dice, ludo. Anything that we will interact with her with!

Craft sets : for her birthday I spent about £30 on two huge craft sets from baker Ross. It's a big set of lots of things to do this and the activities are simple enough she can do them alone (a big problem normally, she doesn't do anything alone!) it's been a huge hit and is still going several months later.

That's the only two big successes we've had! A limited about of luck with a toy school and p.o. She can be "in charge" so I think that's the appeal there! She needs encouragement though. She has requested perfume, lip balm and nail varnish making sets this year. any of those catch her interest.

Dd is like this too. We are getting a trampoline. Also lessons or clubs she can go to work well for our dd- she loves ballet and for her birthday we will probably get her gymnastics or trampoline lessons.
Maybe a magazine subscription if she is into something specific?

Kiddizoom camera, Usborne sticker books, What a Performance Orchard Toys board game, marble run, baking set, scooter, novelty hat (my DD's favourite present one year was a Zebra hat!)

Kiddizoom Camera might be good!

Its not that she doesn't play, like is said up thread, she just IS the play, shes a dog, cat, mummy, Plays with her little sister (10 months), at the moment they are playing in a pile of my woven wraps.

Perfume, lip balm and nail varnish sets we did for her birthday! Cause she soo wanted them, and they lasted about 2 days

Board games we do have in spades but she doesnt seem to have the patiance! Shes very bouncy, loves walking the dogs running, jumping, bouncing everywhere!

We dont have TV on as a regular thing (because between the two children its enough noise for me!! Not because of any other reason), she has a few films, and like every 5 year old i know, loves frozen!

We have a toy kitchen, lots of bits for the real kitchen, trampoline!

Last year we asked for swimming lessons to be paid for... And that worked but this year rather alot of my OHs family are asking to see her open things (one year on one off seeing her at christmas so i do get why, just never sure what to say)

Thank you all! I will look into a lot of these suggestions more

My DD1 is just turned six and seems to be getting more and more into her playmobil/making up stories so we have got her the takealong Unicorn land set as one of her gifts, it is very open ended and might be more fun than a dollhouse. Or how about Hexbugs, both DDs love those and they are bit different than usual 'girl' toys. A popular toy this year for 5/6 yr olds seems to be the smaller robot dogs zoomer zuppies, not as pricey as the bigger ones and seem pretty good. My DD1 got the kiddizoom camera at 2 and still plays with it at six! Does she like baking? I found a really cute ice cream maker for my DD1 which is a fun and different toy.

Ds doesn't really play with toys either. The most successful toy has been the marble run. We've also had some success with lego, hex bugs, trainset and board games, but even those he'll play with for a week then ignore for months.

a karaoke cd player perhaps..? although that wont help with the noise!

Could get some story type cds to go with it too eg Magic Faraway Tree

I'd go with a play tent and a tea set, things she can 'do' when in character.

A puppet theatre with different puppet sets that family could buy?

My 5 yr old likes chopping up magazines and pasting it onto paper.

I suggest an art set with no instructions to allow her to decide what she wants to do.

Mine was similar at that age. Then she learned to read. Now she doesn't play at all!

Hama beads are worth a go.

From a bit younger, she also loved random bits and bobs - wooden mosaic tiles, big threading beads, magnetic letters and numbers, polished stones in a little chest, glass pebbles on a mancala board. Just Stuff, and lots of bags, containers and purses to put them in and transfer from one to the other. She didn't do small world or dressing up really but her Stuff could become anything she wanted. One minute they'd all be fish in the sea (ie on the carpet) and literally the next minute they'd be her friends meeting her for a playdate, or groceries stacked on shelves in the supermarket.

Does she like cuddly toys? Maybe a really nice one, of her favourite animal, this being a nice thing to have, even if she doesn't play with it much?
Ornaments for her room?