Hi there, Carol! Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel. This is such a great question and one that I would love to answer for you.
The Walt Disney World Resort was designed especially for children of all ages as a truly multi-generational experience, and I am happy to tell you that there will be plenty for your 5-year-old to do in the
Magic Kingdom. In fact, I could make an argument that 5 is the perfect age to visit!
In the Magic Kingdom, your 5-year-old will most likely be tall enough for any attraction, except for maybe
Space Mountain, which has a height requirement of 44 inches. My almost-4-year-old was finally 40 inches on our last trip and was able to ride both
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and
Splash Mountain. In fact, my son's two favorite rides are
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train which has a height requirement of 38 inches and
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, which has no height requirement at all.
If you would like to see a complete list of height requirements, you can find them on the
attraction list. Here, you can filter by theme park, height requirement, and thrill level.
One thing to know is that no matter what age your five-year-old is at the time of his first visit to the Walt Disney World Resort, he will be absolutely blown away once he catches his first glimpse of Cinderella Castle. Often, all my son wants to do is to meet his best friends, Mickey Mouse and Buzz Lightyear, and have some quality time playing together as a family, which is what the Walt Disney World Resort is about.
Carol, as you can see, there really is no wrong age to visit the Walt Disney World Resort, as there is plenty to make a magical vacation for every age level. The fact that your five-year-old will be able to ride most of the rides is simply the cherry on top!
I hope this helped Carol, and we here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel are always here and happy to help you plan a magical vacation.
We hope to see you real soon!
Sarah B.