Five is a good age for kids to engage in active play. It’s a period of development characterized by better muscle coordination, which means they are expected to achieve more movement milestones like running, swinging, climbing, and hopping. At this age, they will also be able to manipulate things with their hands and fingers, so it’s an excellent time to teach them to start writing or drawing.
Play is central to a five-year-old’s physical, mental, social, and emotional development. Pretend play will be particularly appealing, so you might see them engrossed in fantasy stories and dramatizations. Five is also when you start to see them becoming more social and playing with other kids. They might be able to share some of their stuff with playmates, although not so easily with their favorite ones.
There are abundant benefits to having your child engage in playful activities. Play invites curiosity and encourages exploration. Both of which are necessary to help five-year-olds cultivate creativity and foundational skills for developing their intellect.
Socially, it helps them improve their communication and vocabulary and develop empathy as they navigate the nuanced world of friendship and social interaction.
That said, it is crucial to expose your five-year-old to the joy of play—with a bit of parental regulation.
A Caveat
Many parents these days understandably lack the time or attentional resources necessary to scrutinize every kind of game their kids are exposed to. As a result, they resort to easily accessible digital games that keep kids engrossed for hours. While online games are notoriously effective at engaging a clingy child’s attention, many are also dangerously addictive.
So if possible, set some ground rules for digital play. Here are some safety tips:
- Only allow them to play one game at a time.
- Restrict the duration of game time.
- Don’t allow them to eat snacks while playing.
- Strictly follow age guidelines when choosing games for them to play.
Now that these are established, here are some of the most recommended video games to entertain a restless five-year-old.
Best Video Games for 5-Year-Olds
If you’re one of the millennial parents who grew up with the classic SNES games, you’re probably familiar with the frustration and thrill of playing this legendary kart racing game. Parents will love the nostalgia of seeing their favorite characters on the screen once again, while kids acquire the priceless achievement of beating their friends to the finish line.
Made for Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Mario Kart 8 Deluxe supports up to four players, as did the original. It features a beginner mode specifically to entice the younger players and can be played on the TV on a split screen or Switch.
Available for Xbox and PC, this enchanting fairy tale offers a visual virtual adventure that’s simply perfect for kids. The backdrop is stunning, and the gameplay is simple enough for a five-year-old to figure out. But more importantly, it has a beautiful storyline and a cast of unique characters to captivate a child’s imagination. Overall, Ori and the Will of the Wisps will be a fantastic introduction to video games, one that will surely give your kids an unforgettable experience.
Rocket League’s entertainment appeal is for all ages. With such a simple objective as shooting a soccer ball into the goal net, a five-year-old can quickly learn to enjoy the game in no time. Instead of bipedal characters kicking the ball to the goal line, the only twist is that you have four-wheeled, rocket-powered, acrobatic automobiles jumping, flipping, and boosting to lob the ball across the field. There are so many ways to outmaneuver other players, and it can be frustrating at times, but it’s also what makes the game extremely entertaining.
Is your five-year-old a walking ball of pure energy? Looking for a fun pastime that does not involve too much mental stimulation? Then Just Dance 2021 is the perfect game for them. Better played with other kids or with the rest of the family, this interactive game challenges players to move to the beat and dance to some family-friendly songs with easy-to-follow and challenging sets of choreographies. It’s a game not just for kids but for the whole gang too!
A more laidback choice from the rest of this selection, Pokemon Snap is an easygoing yet still absorbing game that takes your little adventurer to the classic world of Pokemon. A new addition to the Pokemon gaming family, this single-player game leads the player to journey through jungles, beaches, and other hotspots, searching for Pokemon to photograph. The game is available on Nintendo Switch.
If you don’t have a gaming system or don’t want to introduce your child to one yet, don’t worry. There are plenty of amazing games from PBS Kids that expose your kids to topics like engineering, storytelling, and reading that you can access on a phone, tablet, or desktop.
MentalUP is another excellent resource for educational games, and they are easily accessible without the need for complex gaming equipment.
Best Physical Games for 5-Year-Olds
Hopscotch
This classic childhood favorite requires nothing but a coin or a stone, a piece of chalk, and a little bit of hopping finesse to enjoy. The rule of the game is simple: the player tosses a small object toward one of the squares on the hopscotch grid and hops on one foot down to the end of the grid and back without the other foot touching the ground.
You can buy a pre-made hopscotch grid, but part of the entertainment is being able to draw different variations of the grid using just chalk on the pavement. It’s a fantastic game enjoyed by generations of children and is easily a playground favorite among kids even as young as five years old.
Another exciting option for kids seeking an active and engaging game is the fun Gaga ball pit. This popular game involves players trying to hit a ball with their hands while avoiding being hit themselves. Played in a unique, enclosed space called a gaga pit, children can have a blast while improving their agility, coordination, and overall physical fitness. Perfect for 5-year-olds, the fun Gaga ball pit provides a thrilling and enjoyable experience for all participants.
Dress-up and Roleplay
Five is a fertile age for children’s imagination. It’s an age where they start to get curious about their social environment, explore the grand possibilities of fiction, and engage in creative roleplay. At this age, your child will love dressing up and playing the part of their beloved characters, fictional or real. Nurture their creative spirit at a young age by exposing them to a wide variety of styles, from the extraordinary pomp of medieval fashion to the whimsical designs of their favorite cartoon characters.
Kerplunk
Adults will remember Kerplunk as the childhood counterpart of Jenga. In this game, players take turns removing a straw from the tube while trying to drop as few marbles as possible. Once a straw is touched partially, the player must commit to removing it. At the end of the game, the player with the fewest number of dropped marbles wins. The mechanics are so simple, and winning relies heavily on physical adeptness, something that kids at five are starting to learn.
LEGO
There are no rules to playing LEGO, and that’s what makes them brilliant. Encourage your kid’s imagination to run wild as they play to their heart’s content, building whatever their imagination and tiny little hands manage to come up with. Playing with LEGO have many benefits, including the following:
- It fosters creativity and experimentation.
- Legos help them develop their fine motor skills as they manipulate things with their hands and fingers
- It trains their perseverance as they try to manage the familiar frustration that comes with LEGO-building.
- It strengthens teamwork and social skills while playing with others.
Scavenger Hunt
A child’s childhood is never complete without a proper scavenger hunt. Kids enjoy the thrill of finding hidden objects, especially the excitement of spotting them before others do. All the elements that make a scavenger hunt particularly electrifying to a five-year-old are there: the joy of collecting items, running around in the great outdoors, and getting to play with other kids. It’s a great social activity with lots of mental and physical stimulation that engages them fully. It’s also fun to organize with lots of different variations to make the game unique each time.
Hot Potato
Another traditional game beloved among kids is the hot potato game. You can play it with just two players or a group of friends. But the more players there are, the merrier and longer the game will be. Simply arrange everyone in a circle or have them sit facing each other. Then pass along any object that’s easy to hold with two hands. Run the music and pass the object around the circle or back and forth until the music stops. The player who is caught holding the object when the music stops is out. The player remaining at the end of the game wins. It’s so easy that kids up to 12 can easily participate and still have fun.
Pat-A-Cake
Pat-a-cake is a popular clapping game usually played by two players and involves clapping hands rhythmically to the accompaniment of a song or melody. What makes pat-a-cake great is the many clapping patterns and songs the playing duo have to learn to keep the game exciting. It’s a fantastic game for developing your child’s memory and encourages them to be social. Usually, the kids who know the same songs and patterns quickly bond on the playground, making it a great way to make new friends.
Puzzles
Laboring over puzzles is a childhood curiosity that many kids never grow out of. Even in adulthood, puzzles remain one of the most popular pastimes, and for good reason. It confers amazing benefits like improving eye-hand coordination and problem-solving skills. It also trains your kids to focus and grants the satisfaction of completing something out of sheer hard work.
This simple balancing game can be enjoyed by all family members, including kids who are just learning to manipulate stuff with their hands. The rules are simple. Players take turns rotating the spinner to see how many monkeys they need to hang on the tree. The first player who hangs all their monkeys wins, but only if they don’t knock down the tree. The tree can only hold so many monkeys at the same time. The player who hangs all their monkeys first before the tree collapses takes the win!
Tag
Tag is a playground favorite. It’s impossible not to love playing tag when it’s just raw adrenaline and pure delight! Tag involves having one player (the it) chasing around other players until they touch one of them. The player successfully “tagged” then becomes the next it. So many childhood afternoons were made unforgettable with so simple a game.
Best Board Games for 5-Year-Olds
When the weather’s not too friendly, or it’s too hot to go playing outside, kids can bring playtime indoors with fun and entertaining board games. Here are some great picks.
Rhino Hero is a fun card stacking game for kids aged five years old and above. The game challenges players to construct the tallest skyscrapers that can withstand the weight of the heroic burglar-fighting rhinoceros. It’s a thrilling little game that kids of all ages can enjoy.
Zingo is simply the kids’ version of the popular bingo game. Recommended for children between four to eight, it’s fantastic for helping kids expand their vocabulary and strengthen their memory, matching, concentration, and social skills. Like the original game it was inspired from, the first player who fills a card yells “Zingo!”
Bug Trails is a color-matching domino game that teaches young kids visual discrimination. The goal of this board game is to get rid of all your bug tiles by attaching your tiles to other players’. An early strategy game designed for both advanced and younger players, this game can accommodate up to six players, making it a perfect board game that the whole family can join in.
Image from Amazon
Can’t be bothered to organize an elaborate treasure hunt outdoors? No problem. This action-packed, award-winning board game has all the fun of running around and seeking precious treasures without the actual exhaustion. Follow the hunt to find the hidden treasure at the trail’s end by solving riddles and picture clues. It’s a game that provides multigenerational fun while keeping kids as young as five fully engaged.
Imagination takes the cake in this famous traditional children’s game. The Floor is Lava urges kids to suspend disbelief and step into a world of pure adrenaline as they try to avoid the floor of hot molten lava and navigate their way to safety. It’s the perfect game for slow, boring nights, outdoor parties, and sleepovers!
Candy Land is a simple game highly recommended for three- to six-year-olds. Players play with the character of their choice placed at the starting point of the board. The game’s objective is to be the first character to reach Candy Land, located at the top end of the board. Players will then take turns drawing cards from a deck to determine their move. Like other games on this list, this one helps kids match colors, all while excitedly racing to the finish.
A game that encourages cooperation, Feed the Woozle is a unique piece of entertainment that challenges kids to work together to feed the Wozzle monster 12 silly treats before all the snacks are gone. Played with three levels, it rewards shared decision-making, creative problem-solving, thereby cultivating emotional development.
A fun introduction to riveting whodunit adventures, Outfoxed immerses your kids in 20 to 30 minutes of mystery. Players move around the board to gather clues to rule out a suspect. They must work together to stop the rowdy troublemaker before it makes a successful escape. It’s a terrific game for developing deductive reasoning and honing cooperation without the pressure of competition.
Image from Amazon
A brilliantly-crafted game that combines fantasy and competitive play, Dragon’s Breath makes a perfect pastime for bored kids and parents at home. Four young dragons employ the help of their mighty dragon dad to melt a lofty column of ice full of colorful gems! Each player selects a gem color of their choice and whoever ends up with the most gems at the game’s conclusion wins.
There’s no such thing as too many adventure games. In this magical treasure hunt game, players take turns rolling dice to inch a number of spaces on the board. The player who finds the treasure that the king seeks first wins the game. This fun fairy tale seek-and-find game is best for helping kids improve and sharpen their memory.
Your Play
Choosing games for five-year-olds is a fun affair, thanks to all the nostalgia evoked. Many of the items on this list are familiar traditional games that you probably have fond memories of playing when you were little. The good thing about kids’ games is that you can enjoy them just as much as your kids do, so have fun trying a few of these out!
Keep the games diverse, and most importantly, always consider your child’s needs first. Even if you have never been a fan of specific games growing up, it’s essential to participate in them with your child. If your child wants to dress up in a full medieval cape while reenacting their favorite kingdom fantasy plots, it’s never too late to join in on the fun and escort them on their crusade, reinforcing your child’s creativity in the process. Five is a great age for kids to develop and learn, and it’s best with proper parental encouragement and participation.
