5.5 yo - present ideas

[SarahWoodruff]

DD will get a new scooter as her 'main present' for Christmas, having outgrown her mini Micro. But I have no ideas for stocking fillers or suggestions for relatives. In particular, my very sweet brother tends (despite my pleas) to get something large and slightly unsuitable and I'd like to channel him towards something that will get used since I can't seem to persuade him to just get her a book.

She doesn't like: dolls. Also uninterested in clothes, bath bombs, lip balm etc.

She likes but has lots of: Lego, magformers, art/ craft stuff, Sylvanian families, soft toys. Already has a tracing pad which gets lots of use. She does dance, swimming and gymnastics but doesn't need any extra kit for those (we have limited space anyway and she has a folding bar thing for swinging on). She likes climbing trees but that's not very helpful....

She is interested in animals and science generally (refuses all kids' movies and insists on watching David Attenborough). She loves to read - she has plenty of books but I will certainly get her a couple of new ones. However, we mostly use the library as she gets through books very quickly and we have a small house which is already full of books. Apart from reading she loves maths but is less keen on writing (we are working on this but I don't think Christmas is all about educational improvement!)

My only brainwave was a kids' microscope but anything at a reasonable price point gets very mixed reviews as far as I can see.

Any creative ideas would be very welcome!

[Lcb123]

Can you suggest relatives contribute to a trip to a museum (sounds like she’d love a natural history museum or science museum)? As an aunt I’d much rather do that than buy an unwanted gift.

[17caterpillars1mouse]

Galt do some great science kits - smaller ones like bubble lab then larger ones like rainbow lab or glow lab. They have also started doing themed craft kits which we haven't tried but look good, I think it was an under the sea one I was looking at.

Dd6 has asked for a globe but otherwise it's all Lego friends here that she wants.

I've also got her a world map and space jigsaw (though am also tempted by the hape space puzzle) and a chocolate lolly maker (it looks a faff but she keeps asking)

Other ideas
Stickers that you colour in
First cross stitch kit
Playmobil space rocket
Pop up space book
Hama beads
Musical jewellery box

[17caterpillars1mouse]

Btw off topic but what kind of David Attenborough things does she watch. I think my DD would love documentaries if only she would give them a chance and stop watching Pokémon and miraculous Ladybug lol. He loves science but it hasn't extended into her TV choices yet

[MrsHaggis]

Gem Excavation Kit
Lacing beads, my 5.5 yr old is on pretty intricate ones now and makes headbands and necklaces on her own.
Scratch Art
Slinky
Rocket balloons

[liveforsummer]

Binoculars and a bird watching book. Dd loved that at that age

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

I find Rex London good for stocking fillers. My DD is 4.5 so a bit younger but I've got her...
Magnifying glass
Mouse in a matchbox toy
Chalk eggs
A gymnastics ribbon
Mug cake mix
Nice bubble bath
Chocolate coins
Notebook with padlock
Hairband

[lavendermouse]

Have a look on the den kit co. They have some great outdoorsy gifts.

[liveforsummer]

Oh and the hatch your own butterflies is great. Only problem for Xmas is that you can't get the caterpillars until it's warm enough to release them as butterflies which might be tough at 5 to wait.

[SarahWoodruff]

@17caterpillars1mouse she loves Blue Planet and Frozen Planet, with some supervision to avoid anything too traumatic (orcas killing seal cubs etc).

[Mrsfussypants1]

Dgd (6) loves her binoculars too. And her aldi copy den kit. The globe can't remember if it's leapfrog, but it's the one with the bbc content built in with the screen and pen was what we bought her last Christmas along with a bean bag, she was 5.5. She's spotted the playmobil wiltopia research center and other pieces recently and has put them on her list, but we've no room for anymore bigger playmobil sets.

[Mrsfussypants1]

Forgot to add that the globe and bean bag were big hits. She loves her yoto and we had toyed with buying a mini for journeys but opted for a 2 wheeled micro instead.

[HauntersGonnaHaunt]

www.brightminds.co.uk/collections/maths-learning/products/learning-resources-maths-mat-challenge

What about a Maths dance mat? I kind of want one myself. Sorry if it's above budget.

A subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine? Squishmallow of her favourite animal?

[LokiDokiArtichoki]

A kindle? Takes up less space than books

[mamatoTails]

Oh one of my 5 year old DDs loves blue planet/frozen planet too! She loves going on adventures & exploring and is keen on helping the environment, swimming with fish and looking at the sea life.

If I find any good gifts related to the above I'll comment. Love the binoculars suggestion.

[MarshaBradyo]

Love the idea of a gymnastics ribbon for dd

[GoldenGorilla]

If she likes climbing trees have you seen gorilla gyms? We have one for rainy days when they still need to swing and climb.

the dance maths mat looks great, that’s going on my list now.

[SarahWoodruff]

@mamatoTails they sound like kindred spirits! I've seen pocket microscopes (about £6 from the RSPB website) which would be fun for trips to the forest. And there are lots of good books. But actual items are sometimes tricky.

Thank you for all the suggestions!

[SkankingWombat]

Polly Pocket? They are nice and small, and kept my DDs quiet for ages when they were 5.

Thinking about the tree climbing, does that mean you have trees in your garden? How about one of those tight ropes you stretch between 2 trees?

I second the Galt science kits - they're great!

[BunnyBerries]

Magic set
Coding robot
Ball run like Gravitrax

[HoobleDooble]

How about booking a zoo experience day for some time just after Christmas? Most zoos do a range of experiences for different age groups. You could book it then print out the details for her to open.

[Harridan1981]

Handheld microscopes are great, you can get quite reasonable ones for a good price. Likewise a solar system projector for her room.

[Chunkymonkey123]

My 5.5 year old sounds very similar. At the weekend he played the ‘brain box’ inventions game and loved it. You can get different subjects. It’s labelled 8+ but you can adapt it. I’ve also just got him Pictionary from Aldi and the archery set from Aldi as he tried it at holiday club and enjoyed it.

[DinosaurOfFire]

What about Schleich figures? They have some sets where they have coordinated with National Geographic, they have ranger set ups, lots of different playsets as well as the animals themselves.

[Chunkymonkey123]

@GoldenGorilla would you recommend the gorilla gym then? It’s quite expensive so they’d need to get a good amount of use out of it! Looking at the ladder they must only be able to climb up two steps?

[GoldenGorilla]

@Chunkymonkey123 - yeah, our boys can only go up and down two or three steps of the ladder but they yet still enjoy it, plus the trapeze and the swing. They’re on it a lot (like a few times a day). They’re both very active and need a lot of exercise.