Ok...so I have no idea what to get my soon to be 8 year old nephew for his birthday. He lives out of state so it's hard to know exactly what he has. I feel like I always get the same thing - Legos, puzzles, books, board games. He's a pretty normal kid and has typical interests (art, reading, Legos, video games, sports) but he seems to have everything, based on what I do know about his stuff. Just wondering what you ladies who have or know 8 year old boys have found to be a hit? One thing I saw that I thought might be fun is Star Wars pancake molds. He likes cooking with his mom (or he used to anyway, not sure if that's still the case). But then I thought that's lame.... he'd open it and probably be like "this isn't something I can actually play with or use"...more of a gift for his mom really. Anyway, just wondering if anyone had any suggestions? I'd be much appreciative - thank you in advance!
THANKS so much everyone - I haven't heard of half this stuff, so this is great! I will check out the things you mentioned and the websites, etc. Great help!! :)
Hex Bugs (its fun. Look online like at Amazon or E-bay).
Books
GIFT cards. Kids this age, LIKE gift cards. It is their's and they can spend it on what they want. Money for them.
My daughter is 8 and likes gift cards.
_The Dangerous Book for Boys_ is really cool and filled with things to do. If he doesn't already have it, that would be a hit. Also the _Guinness Book of World Records_ is always something my older boys liked.
Maybe tickets to a baseball game in his area or a baseball hat from your home team -- Go Sand Gnats! If he has a yard, a soccer ball/goal.
Wimpy Kid stuff
Phinneas & Ferb stuff (Disney)
WWE Wrestling
Bayeblades
How about a nice art set or a "how to draw ______" book? The pancake mold idea is a good one , I am thinking of getting those for my kids.
I like the idea of giving him an "experience." Tickets to a ball game or a show geared towards kids, or a local water park or something like that. If he has a lot of stuff, he might appreciate being able to go out and do something.
If you want a physical present, please take a look at my Discovery Toys website. We have some really awesome stuff for kids that age. My favorite is Wiz Kidz, a fun game (adults like it too) where you try to think of an answer to a category when given a certain letter of the alphabet (ex: tv show that starts with the letter M)
It is great for travel, taking to a restaurant, playing in the car, etc. You can find Wiz Kidz (and more)at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao
My 8 yo boy loves baseball, football or hockey cards (binder & sleeves), WWII airplane models, Video games (all things Mario and, of course the WWII airplane games), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books as well as the Baseball Card Adventure books by Dan Gutman.
Target has some cool shirts with Mario stuff, DOWK, etc.
Oh! He got a really cool set for building paper airplanes from 5 Below--what a lot of bang for the buck on that O.!
My nephew is 9. He loves Legos and reading, but has also found a new interest in K'Nex, so maybe you could try one of those kits. We just got him the Roller Coaster K'Nex set last year and he had a blast putting it together (took him a few days) and playing with it as a roller coaster. Also, fun t-shirts are a big hit with him. And, now that my niece and nephew are older, we just get one smaller item and then send a Target gift card. They get so excited that they get to go to the store and choose something for themselves. My family is all okay with gift cards...I know others think it is a cop out, but the kids truly love having money to spend on their own and it is cheaper to send through the mail since we all live in different states.
do a search for waldorf toys, in general, simple toys made from natural materials that let the imagination soar! my homeschooled 16-yr-old son makes beautiful wooden swords and magic wands currently listed in my ebay store, http://stores.shop.ebay.com/full-bucket-store . we have been selling and gifting these for 7 years and every recipient has been delighted. you can find similar items on ebay and our swords will soon be available also on etsy.com in my son's new shop fullbucketforge, a blacKsmith's craft. good luck on your search!
Maybe an experience gift would be appropriate...tickets to a local zoo, movie theater, do it yourself pottery store, kids museum, or museum. Just an idea.
My 7 year old boy LOVES legos. I suggest ALIEN CREATION legos..any set. You can get them at Toys R Us.
Or, a spy kit. Learning express has them. They have spy glasses, spy kits, etc. Kids love to "spy" on people!! : )
How about a subscription to a cool magazine about animals or nature? You could include a toy lizard or frog. T-shirts that glow in the dark are popular with this age also.
