30 Must-Have Educational Toys for 6-Year-Old Boys – Perfect for Homeschooling

• Share on Facebook
• Email this Page
• Share on WhatsApp
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on X
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Telegram
• Share on Flipboard

Inside: Discover the best educational toys for 6-year-old boys (and girls), handpicked by an experienced homeschool mom. Plus, get exclusive tips for enhancing your child’s learning experience.

Six. That magical age when the world of structured learning gently unfolds its doors. It’s a time to start laying the foundational blocks of reading, writing, and math. And a time during which we are potentially shaping how kids will see learning for the rest of their school career (and life, really).

Transitioning from play to traditional learning can be overwhelming for young learners. However, this age is not about academics as much as cultivating a love for learning. This is why selecting the appropriate educational toys is critical. These toys can serve as tools to bridge the gap between academics and play, making learning an enjoyable experience.

As a homeschooling mom who’s been through this transitional phase with my son, I understand the challenges and rewards it brings. Drawing from my experience with Marc, I’ve seen firsthand how these toys captivated and educated him long term, that’s why this post is titled educational toys for 6-year-old boys… (that, and it also rhymes nicely 🙃). But these recommendations work for all children.

WARNING: Our kind of educational toys might be DIFFERENT from what you’d normally expect! I never liked spending money on something flashy for the sake of it. Most of the “toys” Marc got over the years might surprise you, but I promise they worked, and I have a STEM-talented boy to prove it.

The best part? Some of them are very affordable and they last for more than a season! I decided to arrange these by subject, but some of them go across multiple subjects. And I will throw in a couple of apps, tips, and other goodies, too!

Some of the links are affiliate from Amazon, at no additional cost for you, but a great way to support this blog if you choose to buy through these links.

Pin this image to read the article later. 📌

See a quick video of our top favorites:

Math Educational Toys and Games for Your Homeschool

Math can be a boring subject, and math drills or worksheets almost always end up in frustration and groans, maybe even some tears. We all know learning difficult concepts isn’t easy, but that math also needs constant exposure and repetition to stick. So what do we do about it?

Pull out an arsenal of toys and games! Make it seem like play when it’s actually learning in disguise. Elementary school is the perfect time to make math fun and teach those basics through play and fun challenges that your kids enjoy.

Our recommendations for making math fun:

Magic Maths is a fun game to practice addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Kids have to say the answer to a math problem and gather yucky magic items to fill their board. They find out the answer by rubbing the magic star to reveal the solution.

This is a newer game we didn’t have the chance to try in our homeschool, but Marc would have loved it! He absolutely adored role-playing and competing with me (I always pretended I thought I saw another number, or I was never fast enough, just to let him win). This worked wonders in boosting his confidence, increasing his math speed, and being just fun.

Tip: As a bonus, check their website for free printables and activity ideas.

Math DIce Jr. is an all-time favorite of ours even if it looks so simple! The big, colorful, and various digit dice have drawn Marc in and we have been playing this game instead of doing math drills for addition and subtraction.

We would do the lesson in our math curriculum, and instead of endless practice on the basic operations on the math worksheets, we did them by playing math games. Many times, Marc was the one coming to me to play some more. Win-win!

I love how it even comes with a little track and some game ideas. The goal is to combine the dice and use the various math operations to squeeze out the biggest number you can get in order to win the rest.

This game can be easily adapted as kids grow and we have successfully used it with multiplication in conjunction with our Castle Walls- Free Multiplication Games Printables. The big colorful dice are very easy to use and creative kids will find a lot of new games to invent with them!

Do I need to tell you he now has several sets of gaming dice in all sorts of sizes and shapes? He still plays with them sometimes!

Seriously! I don’t know about you, but sometimes the best educational toys for 6 year old boys are real tools. And nothing is more fun when it comes to math than measuring everything!

Marc was so obsessed with his measuring tapes. We bought real ones, but you can also start with safer options like the Simple Tape Measure from Learning Resources.

He used his measuring tapes for everything and learned math without even realizing it. He wanted to measure our yard, but his tape was too small so he had to add. We wanted to tile our bathroom and he helped calculate how many boxes of tiles we would need. There were many, many situations when he just pulled his tape measure out and did math.

Tip: You can also use the opportunity to teach them about calculating the area, hands-on. And while you’re at it, why don’t you build a birdhouse together? The possibilities are endless.

Learning money is so much fun when you do it from a textbook… said no 6 year old ever!

Elementary years are so filled with play opportunities! Don’t miss them and be prepared with a cash register (there are all sorts available now, for every pocket). A great option is this Calculator Cash Register from Learning Resources.

Marc loved selling stuff to me! Not only did we learn about the money denominations in various countries, but we also learned the value of money, how to operate a cash register, and how retailers use psychology to make you think something’s value is less (hello, estimation, and rounding!).

Addition (buying multiple items), subtraction (change), multiplication (buying more than one of one item), division (keeping stock) and so much more!

There are just SO many opportunities to learn with a cash register and money! Plus endless hours of play and fun. Who needs worksheets? But now, seriously, you could even use these to recreate the word problems instead of torturing kids to write.

Are you familiar with number bonds? This game is similar and perfect for practicing fact families for addition and subtraction!

What makes tri-FACTa from Learning Resources so engaging is its approach to teaching addition and subtraction through play. The game is designed to cover facts up to 20, making it an excellent tool for reinforcing basic arithmetic skills. It’s an ideal game for kids who are just getting comfortable with numbers, as well as those who are ready to solidify their math foundations.

Players draw cards and try to create fact families – sets of three numbers that are mathematically connected. It’s a race to see who can come up with the correct combinations first, making it a thrilling challenge that keeps kids engaged and eager to learn more.

Tip: They also have a multiplication and division game

Head Full of Numbers! is unique because it challenges kids to think quickly and improve their number skills. The game is simple: players shake a cup of dice, roll them out, and then write down as many math equations as they can before time runs out. The game includes all four operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

What’s great about this game is its flexibility. It suits younger children who are just learning basic math and can be made more challenging for older kids by adding more dice. This means it can be a part of your child’s learning for a long time, adapting as they grow in their math skills.

Besides math, the game also helps children develop other important skills like problem-solving and quick thinking. It’s a fun way to practice math, making it more appealing than regular drills or worksheets.

Math is all about thinking logically and critically.

Katamino is a puzzle game that helps with critical thinking and logical skills. It’s similar to playing Tetris but in a 3D format. Players need to arrange pieces to fit perfectly into a defined space, which teaches about the shapes and how they fit together.

The game is quick and can be played alone or with others. It includes over 500 challenges, suitable for a wide range of ages. This makes Katamino a versatile game that can be enjoyed for many years.

There are also other puzzle games like Katamino that focus on geometry and spatial awareness, offering various challenges and ways to learn. Explore more of them until you find something that your children like.

One of the most fun parts of math is the shapes, but also symmetry, playing with tesselations, and a simple tangram game has it all!

What makes tangrams so special is their versatility. They’re not just about identifying shapes; they challenge kids to think creatively and solve problems. Whether it’s forming a square, a triangle, or more intricate shapes like animals and objects, tangrams encourage spatial awareness, decomposition, and logical thinking.

Over the years, we’ve had an assortment of tangram sets, but one particular favorite in our household has been the magnetic ones, like Shape Makers from Chuckle and Roar. The magnetic aspect adds an extra layer of ease and fun, especially for little hands. They stick to the board, making them perfect for vertical play on a fridge or a whiteboard, turning math time into a creative and engaging activity.

Math Whiz is an electronic toy that can serve as an alternative to traditional flash cards. It’s designed for kids who enjoy electronic devices. This tool is beneficial for enhancing quick math calculations and improving speed in solving math problems.

In our homeschooling, we focus on understanding math concepts rather than just memorizing facts, so I wouldn’t offer this until kids understand the concepts behind the facts.

Math Whiz offers a way to practice math that is engaging and interactive. It’s especially useful if you prefer to limit your child’s tablet time, as it provides a screen-free option for practicing math.

Math manipulatives are typically used as teaching aids, but I’ve found they offer much more. In our homeschool, I’ve always encouraged Marc to freely explore and play with these tools. By inventing games with manipulatives, he’s gained a deeper understanding of how they work and how they relate to math concepts.

Here’s a list of our favorite math manipulatives that have been essential in our homeschool:

Cuisenaire Rods

I’ve outlined in my Cuisenaire Rods blog post how you can help kids understand the relationship between numbers and really understand the math behind operations. Marc learned his basic math with Cuisenaire and I could just see concepts clicking in his mind. He used Cuisenaire to understand basic operations and even fractions and algebraic concepts! We still have our sets!

And I love how the colorful sticks can become building blocks, too, or even story starters. We loved using these and they are the perfect educational toys for 6 year old boys for more than just math. See my blog post for more examples and details.

App: Dragonbox Big Numbers is all about the concept of Cuisenaire, and we love it!

Geoboards and Pegboards

This may not look like much, but a geoboard or peg board and some elastic bands can ignite young minds spatial understanding. And surprisingly, it can last until the end of elementary years! From learning basic shapes in geometry, to explaining the concept of symmetry, area, and even algebraic concepts, these boards can also be used to freely explore and create art.

We have our board from Hand2Mind and Marc is still using it to create complex patterns and symmetry.

The possibilities for this are endless, but here are some ideas from Head2Mind to get you started on the possibilities of using these.

Numberblocks Math Links

These are a cross between Legos and Cuisenaire Rods, and we know how much kids love to build! These blocks work similarly to cuisenaire rods, but instead of having a fixed size for each number, these are stackable, just like Legos!

I found these cool math linking rods with Numberblocks, a popular app which is worth checking out.

App recommendation: Numberblocks – for learning everything about numbers and basic operations. Make sure you also check their website for free printable activities.

Literacy Educational Toys for 6-Year-Old Boys and Girls, Too

When it comes to language arts and writing, let’s face it, many boys aren’t too keen on it. I’ve seen it with Marc, and my friends have had similar experiences with their sons. Finding a boy who loves writing can be quite rare!

Even with reading, we faced our share of hurdles. Now, you’d never guess Marc had any struggles given how much he reads, but it wasn’t always easy. We overcame these challenges using a mix of clever tricks and engaging games.

To help other parents facing similar struggles, I want to share a list of toys and games that have been fantastic for boosting literacy skills:

Little hands would much rather play than sit at a desk to learn or write, so transform the reading time by forming the words with blocks instead, or by letting them “write” with magnetic letters. I know it takes more time, but it also means progress over doing nothing.

You can also make use of letter stamps or stickers to let your kids “write” with those instead of asking them to write traditionally.

And if you’re looking for something fun to boost your child’s reading skills, check out the First Grade Reading Kit from Learning Resources. This set includes 88 pieces designed to support essential language and writing skills for first graders.

While I don’t recommend starting reading with sight words and I am a true advocate of phonics, sight words do come in handy and this game is so much fun! What kid doesn’t like to swat?

Sight Word Swat game is perfect for building reading speed, spelling, and vocabulary skills. It’s a fun and competitive game that can be played with up to four players. The quick pace of the game is great for boosting reading confidence and fluency.

Playing is easy and fun. When a Dolch sight word is called out, players use their swatters to smack the corresponding word on a fly. The set includes 110 double-sided flies with the top 220 Dolch sight words. These are words frequently found in children’s books, making them ideal for learning.

Marc was all about swatters for a while. I still have his swatter collection from when he was younger. You can invent all sorts of fun games with the swatters, that’s why I like this game.

Extend: You can use the provided swatters but make your own words and games around it.

This is an electronic toy, a magic pen that helps kids read. I love how they also promote good spelling because they prompt kids to choose the correct words to complete the sentence and have challenges included.

Hot Dots 1^st Grade Reading is a more interesting alternative to simple paper readers. So if your kids are reluctant when it comes to reading, give this a try, it might work.

Using the set is simple. When kids use the talking pen to touch an answer in the book, they get immediate audio and visual feedback.

The set comes with 100 lessons that are perfect for first graders. These are compiled in two spiral-bound books. The lessons cover a range of topics including comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation.

Kids Word Play from Poetry Tiles is so fun! It has magnetic words that kids can mix and match to create their own sentences and stories!

This hands-on game teaches them sentence structure, writing, story building, and even grammar, because each part of speech is a different color!

This truly is a gem when it comes to educational toys for 6 year old boys who would rather play with magnets on the fridge than write down words!

Tip: Use these with a magnetic whiteboard even as they grow, to explain different parts of speech, too.

Rory’s Story Cubes have been a constant favorite in our homeschool since Marc was 6!

I originally picked them up because he needed a little help getting his creative writing juices flowing. The solution? A simple but brilliant game where he’d roll the dice and then describe or create a story based on the icons that landed face up.

It didn’t take long for us to start crafting the most imaginative, sometimes downright silly, stories together. Even now, these cubes are a go-to for fun storytelling sessions. They’re great for kids aged 4 and up, but honestly, they’re enjoyable for all ages.

You need a Yoto Player for your kids because you can’t develop language skills without developing listening skills! I think listening is an important part of learning, and if you want a child-friendly but screen-free method of exposing kids to quality audiobooks, podcasts, and music, Yoto Player is an amazing option.

This player comes with ready-made Yoto cards, but you can also make your own!

And, it’s a really great incentive for your reluctant little ones to learn how to read or to practice reading more so they can record their own Yoto cards. This toy has endless possibilities and it grows with your kids! As they get older you can choose more complex content to play. I think it’s a great investment for years to come.

Tip: Make use of free audiobooks sites like Librivox or Storynory to download audiobooks and put them on Yoto cards. I love that you can even record yourself reading and make Yoto cards for kids!

A correspondent of the Math Links, the Reading Rod Phonics from Hand2Mind are a great manipulative for spelling and reading that would pair well with any spelling program.

Our favorite reading and spelling program and one we used with Marc is Logic of English. I don’t have enough words of praise for this program. When we started our reading instruction with another curriculum, Marc was literally crying. Once we switched to LOE everything changed completely! It didn’t only make him an excellent reader but an excellent speller as well! If you met him now you would never guess he struggled.

So these rods will go perfectly with any phonics program to reinforce and enrich phonics!

Tip: if you like these, also check their Reading Rods for sight words, prefixes and suffixes, and sentence building.

We love Bananagrams. It’s like Scrabble, but easier to carry around and it has some fun variations we like to play.

Marc loves to use the tiles to invent his own games, and this is another one of those timeless games that you can adapt to the age of your child. You can start with spelling words with tiles for them to read, and go all the way to see who knows the most synonyms for a word.

Just be warned, you might need more than one set of Bananagrams as you get the hang of it and invent even more variations. I know we did!

We also used it to spell words in other languages! The possibilities are endless!

As kids start writing, you can use these Writing Prompt Cubes from Learning Resources to make the activity more fun. A lot of kids have writer’s block when you put them in front of a white sheet, and prompts are a great way to break the ice.

You can also use picture prompts or text prompts, like the ones I have in my elementary writing prompts in the Egypt Pack or Pumpkin Pack.

Reading without comprehension is nothing. That’s why I chose to include these Reading Comprehension Dice into my list.

It’s hard sometimes to come up with questions to ask kids as they read, so these dice are perfect for that purpose. Plus, they add a layer of playfulness to the task.

Learning Resources has so many dice-based games! You might like some of the other ones they have as well.

Science and Technology Educational Toys for 6 Year Old Boys and Girls

Science is so fun during elementary years! And yet it’s so difficult to put together activities that are suitable for beginners.

Experiments are fun at this age, but if you’re out of ideas, let these toys and games guide you instead!

One of our absolute favorites when it comes to technology without a screen is Botley!

This little robot comes with a pack of accessories and challenges so it grows with your child as they learn more about coding. You can create endless coding puzzles to solve and I love how easy it is to do so.

I played with Botley, too, and its sometimes so difficult to remember all the steps you asked it to take. It really takes focus and critical thinking. It’s a great introduction to the world of coding!

I know toy microscopes are the trend in the science world, but I want to offer you a more fn alternative, a pocket microscope. We love this one from Carson, MicroBrite Plus.

Six year olds are usually old enough to handle a pocket microscope and the fact it’s portable makes it the perfect gift! Kids can carry it around to look at tree bark, insects, leaves, and anything else out there.

We have ours for more than 6 years and it’s still working great! We used it to look at mosquitoes, pollen, butterfly wings, leaves, ink on the pages of a paper and many more. It’s something we are still using currently in our homeschool.

As they grow older you can upgrade to a better microscope, but this one is an affordable and very fun alternative. If you want to see some photos of the things we’ve seen with our pocket microscope check my post about choosing the best microscope for your homeschool.

This Squishy Human Body from SmartLab Toys has been such a fun toy to teach anatomy! We’ve been using it so much over the years (since Marc was 5) and it’s been well-loved.

It’s one of the few human body toys that were actually a fun hands-on experience to introduce the human body. Marc has learned so much about anatomy by using the little plastic forceps and tweezers to explore organs and bones.

This toy also comes with an included booklet that has been a great guide, leading us through the digestive journey of a slice of pizza. It’s detailed, realistic, and a fantastic visual aid that goes beyond textbooks.

App: You can pair this with an app called Human Body by TinyBop. And, they have free workbooks for their apps on their website.

Six is the absolute perfect age to get a first serious subscription box for kids, like Mel Science’s STEM box! Not an actual toy, but it ensures hours of tinkering and wonder, which makes it the perfect gift for any occasion.

We loved having a monthly box filled with interesting activities delivered every month and honestly, their quality is amazing!

Plus, as kids grow you can easily transition them to their other boxes, like Mel Chemistry.

Ok, there are so many options out there for STEM building kits, but our favorites have been GeoMag, MagnaTiles, and K’Nex sets. The classical and well-loved Lego hasn’t been a big hit in our home, but they also have some fun educational sets if your kids prefer them.

If you have small engineers in the making, these STEM educational toys for 6 year old boys are perfect. Some have very interesting sets like building marble runs, or bridges. It’s a great way to make your elementary-aged children curious about the mysteries of physics. That’s how it all starts!

I know these can get pricey, but if you invest in good quality ones, kids will be able to use them for years and years!

Marc is still using his Geomag sets to build complex shapes that he challenges himself to build like icosahedrons.

If you have curious entomologists, insect-growing kits are so much fun to have!

We had several over the years and I love how owning these made Marc more responsible. He learned a lot about how to care for a type of insect, science, and even how to do research.

Some of the options you have include:

• Ant farm
• Butterfly Growing Kit
• Worm Farm
• Aquatic Pets

On the same line with growing and caring for insects, you can also grow your own mushrooms! We had a kit for growing white buttons and it’s been such an amazing experience! And after growing them, Marc started eating them, too! You have several options for mushroom kits, but a popular brand is Back To The Roots with their easy-to grow, organic kits.

If you prefer something green instead, hydroponics is a superb way to dive into the basics of botany and sustainable agriculture. With a hydroponics plant growing kit, kids can observe the growth of plants without soil and learn about water-based nutrient systems.

It’s an engaging, hands-on way to explore plant biology, and the best part? They get to eat what they grow! This type of gardening really brings science to life, showing kids the practical application of scientific concepts they learn. I found this super cute fish tank hydroponic system that looks promising and fun.

Crystals aren’t just pretty; they’re a fantastic introduction to chemistry and geology.

With a crystal growing kit, your kids can grow their own sparkling crystals. This hands-on science activity teaches them about crystal formation, solubility, and saturation, all while they watch their colorful crystals take shape. It’s a captivating way to bring chemistry home! We had the Crystal Growing Trees like this Crystal Forest from National Geographic when Marc was little and he loved seeing crystals grow on the branches.

Ok, not exactly a toy, but an excellent tool for your little geologists. Just make sure you operate the machine!

Rock tumblers are so interesting! Just take any pebbles, the tumbler, and some patience, and see what gems you discover.

Rock tumbling is a patient journey into geology. By transforming rough rocks into smooth, polished gems, kids learn about the natural processes that shape our earth.

It’s a slow but rewarding process, offering a tangible connection to the earth sciences. Plus, the excitement of revealing the hidden beauty inside each rough stone is truly unmatched.

Snap Circuits aren’t a popular toy for nothing. These are an all-time favorite in our homeschool and they are the reason why Marc discovered his love for electronics.

Snap Circuits are a gateway to the world of electronics and engineering. By snapping together different components to create working circuit boards, kids learn the basics of electrical circuits in a safe and fun way.

This toy can grow with your child, offering more complex projects as their understanding and skills develop. It’s a hands-on, practical way to introduce concepts of electricity and circuitry, sparking a potential lifelong interest in electronics.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, friends – a roundup of some of the most engaging and educational toys that have not only enriched our homeschooling over the years, but also brought countless hours of joy and learning to Marc. From mastering math with playful dice to exploring the wonders of science with a pocket microscope, each toy has opened doors to new worlds of discovery.

There are many more toys, games and board games that you can incorporate to make learning fun!

As a parent or educator, it’s important to understand that successful learning at a young age doesn’t just depend on the toys. Your role in facilitating the learning and play is crucial. You need to be present, engaged, and turn every moment into an opportunity for exploration and learning. By doing so, you can ensure that the child learns and grows in a safe and supportive environment.

Now, I’d love to hear from you! What are your go-to educational toys? Have you tried any of these with your little ones? Share your experiences in the comments below.

If you found this list helpful, feel free to share it with fellow parents or on your social media. And don’t forget, subscribing to our blog will keep you updated with all the latest posts and adventures from the world of homeschooling.

Happy learning, and remember, each toy, each game, and each day is a step in building a lifelong love for learning in your child!

Common FAQs

This post may contain affiliate links. By making a purchase through these links, I get a small percentage for the item you bought while the price stays the same for you. Thank you for supporting me.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Read my Disclosure to find out more about how I support my website and how you can help.