25 Best Fifth Grade Graduation Gifts, According to Moms of Tweens

Named our best camera for kids, this is a fun one because photos pop out instantly, kind of like a Polaroid. You will need to spend about another $45 on the film for the camera so it's ready to go. Your fifth grader can then gift photos to friends or use them to decorate at home.

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This speaks their language, loud and clear. The funny T-shirt lets the world know that they're outta elementary school and on to middle school.

Frame a memory of this milestone with a 4" x 6" picture frame marked with the year. This can be a great gift for a classmate, too, with a picture of the kids together.

They can make little presents for their old friends and for new with this bracelet kit. There are ten colors of thread and a board that holds the threads in place to make even complicated braids fairly easy with a bit of practice. There should be enough supplies to make eight bracelets. Ages 8+

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If the fifth grade girl in your life is hearing scary things about the teachers and homework in middle school, this can help her feel prepared with simple tips presented in a no-drama way. It can also get her excited about the opportunity to make new friends while being herself. It gets great Amazon reviews.

According to my seventh grade niece, Stanley tumblers are still a big thing. Pottery Barn Teen offers free personalization on any of these jewel-toned Stanleys for your soon-to-be middle schooler for free, helping ensure they don't lose it.

There are a lot of deep insights for boys and girls, tweens and teens in this journal. Even if they don't bother to fill in the prompts, they'll easily be able to understand the messages around positivity and fostering both self-confidence and real friendships.

The most prized (and a little pricey) plush are from Jellycat. Be the cool adult who gifts this smiling sunshine to your fifth grade graduate to jazz up their bedroom or sixth grade locker. Got a sporty kid? Check out the Jellycat tennis ball.

If they're going to be on an electronic game, it may as well be educational—and something you all can take turns with! Players spin the wheel, guess letters, and see if they can solve each word puzzle. (It comes preloaded with 300.) A parent in our toy testing program told us that their 13-year-old and 11-year-old enjoyed playing it together. Ages 8+

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Nail a gift that's both cool and sentimental, which can be tough when buying for a young man. This is easy-to-wear elastic bracelet and there are also others with beads with similar messages appropriate for a fifth-grade grad.

If you haven't gotten one of these yet, now's the time. Your child is nearly halfway through their schooling, and this gives you a way to display wallet-size photos from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Then you're ready to add middle school through high school photos in the coming years.

You can use this for a congrats message at their graduation party, then gift it to them for room decor. They can write how they are feeling ("Don't wake me" on a Saturday) or light up words of encouragement for themselves ("Slay the day"). It comes with 400 letters, symbols, and emojis plus two markers and a USB cord to power the light.

Senior Gifts Editor Alyssa Gautieri says, "My sister just got one of these for my 11-year-old nephew, so he can bike to school with his friends and she can track him." Of course it has a zillion other Smartwatch features: Kids can use this to set an alarm, receive calendar alerts, and track their fitness. It also comes in all black, white, and gray.

Your kid has done some hard work and has more challenges to come, but this summer it's time for them to be outside, even past sunset. The GlowCity basketball has an LED light inside so once it's in motion, it stays lit up. This one is made of a synthetic leather and comes with a pump. All ages

Are they a music lover? Give them an adult-quality gift they can use for streaming music. It was named the best value bluetooth speaker by the Good Housekeeping Institute.

It's a pen that understands the mind of the tween. The body of the pen is black magnets and it is sold with additional magnetic balls, so while they're thinking on a writing assignment, they can use the pieces to build little figures and shapes and, well, fidget. For many kids, that's great stress relief—and it actually helps them get their thoughts out.

Where I live, many kids get a phone for the first time when they graduate fifth grade and move on to middle school. This neoprene pouch keeps a phone safe and also out of sight, since the idea is for them to use it to text when they need a ride or when afterschool plans change.

I pulled this off of our newest list of the best summer reads for kids. Though it's about a group of eighth graders going up to high school, it's made for tweens looking ahead to the possible and dare we say delightful drama ahead. Contributing Writer Karen Cicero, herself a mom, says "the book’s dialogue nails the tween years." Ages 8-12