Here's a strange request for you. My 5 year old son has been invited to a birthday party for one of his friends who is turning 5. The boys play together every couple weeks and get along pretty well. I'm trying to figure out what to get his friend for a birthday present. My son is very into trains and cars etc. His friend is very into aliens, goosebumps, pirates, and other scary stuff. Playdates are very fun. Usually lightning McQueen is chasing JAson or a monster. I have to get very creative.
My question is this, since I'm pretty much a pacifist vegetarian, with a train loving son, I have no idea what is out there for a very active boy who is into the "scary" stuff mentioned above. I'd love to get him a book and something to do outside(he loves being read to when he comes over our house). Any ideas? Any good pirate books out there? I don't want to get to fancy but he is a cool kid and I want to get a cool gift, but I have no ideas.
My nephew around that age loved getting anything that was Pirates of the Caribbean. The Disney store has some great playsets for this. Good luck!
By age 5, I gave books as presents. If you go to Barnes & Noble, or another book store, just as the person in the children's section for a good recommendation. Sometimes B&N has buy 2, get 1 free specials, so you might be able to get 3 books for the price of 2...sometimes I luck out and they are an age appropriate series, other times they're not.
There are a lot of great books out there. Even the easy readers are great for this age. He will be reading soon enough, so the book can be read to him, and then it can be a favorite that he picks up to read himself down the road.
The other things is the Lego pirate ship or accessories, if he doesn't have them yet.
We have some great Pirate books, from one pacifist vegetarian to another...
Tough Boris, by Mem Fox is about a pirate who cries when his parrot dies
How I became a Pirate by melinda Long and David Shannon
The Night Pirates by Peter Harris - pirate girls who make friends with a boy when they borrow his house
I wish I had a pirate suit by Pamela Allen
We also have a couple of pirate felt boards - basically felt doll story boards for boys that my son loves and he can make up pirate stories for himself.
Look for one without swords and guns - it will have different outfits and treasure chests and sea creatures and ships and palm trees!
K.,
My suggestion would be to try to get something from Veggie Tales having to do with the "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." They have a "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" movie, and they also were featured in the Jonah movie. All of the Veggie Tales movies teach Christian values. Good luck & God bless as you search for an appropriate gift. :)
I also agree with Kim about the Magic Treehouse series of books. One that I'm reading with my 8 yo is about pirates. I also like the dress up outfit idea. What about super hero toys? There are so many things out there from figures to dress up stuff so that he can pretend to be Spiderman or Batman.
David shannon has a couple of funny pirate books. I'm sure you could check them out on Amazon.com
the book "pirateology" is probably a little advanced for him, but if he is good with his books it is alot of fun.
i concur with the balloon rocket idea, they are alot of fun.
and what about a pirate kite? there are super easy to fly versions, as well as a flying pirate ship available, try
www.kiteskiteskites.com
www.goflyakite.com (look in the flying wonders section)
www.kiteandwind.com
hope that helps!
what about looking for a pirate costume and accompanying pretend items, like a treasure chest or something? that would be something that would exercise his imagination in a not-too-scary way. for good pirate books, i'd try looking on sites like B&N.com and maybe googling children's book clubs, to see what they would recommend.
if he likes aliens, and you're looking at toys, go the Ben 10 route. my son will be 5 in a few weeks, and he loves all of the alien guys from the Ben 10 series.
I had a similar problem when I was last shopping for presents. I knew the kids pretty well, but they were older than mine. It occurred to me that I had no idea what to buy for that age group without asking the parents. That could be a good way to go, however the parents did not offer much help. In the end, I bought them the toy they always go for when at our house (luckily it was age appropriate).
Something else that might be fun is a gift card. There are a lot for specific stores and ones that are like a credit card (visa would probably be best) which can be spent anywhere. Staples has a good selection, although I have seen them at most checkouts in grocery stores. I always think those are cool when given with another small gift like a book. Plus, it gives the parents an opportunity to guide the kid toward a good purchase saving you from going overboard or buying somethingthey would not like. Good luck!
Hi K.,
Hey--if you don't get responses for a specific book--don't forget about the possibility of getting him a gift card--maybe to Barnes & Noble or Borders? My son loves to get gift cards because a few weeks after his party, when the new gifts have lost their luster, it's like "Hey--I get to go pick out something that I didn't get but wanted!"
There is a collection of chapter books called The Magic Treehouse that are really interesting. A brother and sister discover a magical treehouse which takes them on different adventures. Started readng them with my 4 yr old and were received well. Each book is a different time era. One of the first books is about pirates. Can be a little spooky....so this is an educational gift that has a little edge to it...also since they are not true readers yet, they may be re-read when they get older...Books need to be read in order. Amazon, Borders, B&N sell box sets.
Also, picked up the audio book of Pirates of the Car in Target and it was was too scary for my son, but may be ok for your son's friend. It was in the book aisle.
I am in the same siuation as you so I will checking all your responses!
There are alot of good suggestions here. My newest thing to give out is a movie kit. A blockbuster gift card for $5-10 and a bucket of popcorn with 1 snack. It can cost however much you want to spend. Another thing is to maybe call the mom and see what she says. Sometimes they have particular ideas for their kids.
Good luck chosing from the many great ideas offered.
L.
my guy is about that age and similar to your son, even disney movies can be too scary. i wanted to second the idea of a book on CD. We love those. and the balloon Rockets sound really cool.
And i also wanted to suggest Legos. This seems to be the age were they can start getting into the basic kits and following the picture directions. My son is so proud of the vehicles he has made. I know they have Pirates of the Caribbean sets, although i don't know the prices or age levels, as we have prefered to stick with the construction vehicles etc.
That remindes me i thought i saw some Crayola pirates of the caribbean merchandise, like a large coloring book or maybe it was a color wonders.
I'm sure you'll find something totally cool. hope the party is fun.
One of my favorite children's books is "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. It's about a little boy whose room becomes a forest full of 'wild things' when he uses his imagination. The illustrations are exceptional, too.
When I was teaching I used to read my 5 year olds a book called How I Became a Pirate. It is a silly story and the kids loved it! I think there is a follow up to it too called Pirates Don't Change Diapers.
Good Luck with the birthday present.
R.
I have not met a child yet who doesn't like the cool balloon rockets- The kit comes with a little pump, and a bunch of long skinny balloons. You go to the local park, and pump up the balloons (It is a little hard for my 5 year-old) and then launch them! They will fly SO high up in the air while making a great whizzing noise! My kids run after them, as the balloons can be reused. Whenever we do it we get a crowd of kids! I bought the kit (can't remember what it is formally called) at Target- my kit is faily cheap, but I know they make other ones and sell them in nicer toy stores, as a friend just showed up at our local park with a more deluxe pump and kit! Most places should know what I am talking about! Good Luck!
It might sound weird, but I give alot of "tub time" toys as gifts.You can do a pack of tub crayons, and one of those cool toys that blows bubbles, or pumps out water. I figure most kids have fun in the tub, so it makes a pretty neutral gift.Good Luck!
There is a publisher who makes books that are also kind of play kits. They have a pirate book...it has tidbits of history, information, etc. throughout as well as things like a removable treasure map, an eye patch, etc.. I have found them at BJ's but I know their book selection can be hit-or-miss. I believe I purchased one as a gift at an actual book store as well...they also have Wizards, etc. Borders probably carries them. Unfortunately I don't know the publisher, but they are pretty large hard-back books with black covers - they shouldn't be too difficult to locate.
I have a son 6 and daughter 9, they are bug,monster,pirate lovers! I usually take my kids to pick out something for their friends b-day cause they know best when it comes to that. But I know my 5 year old plays for hours with a pirate hat, patch and sword for hours! Good luck
