So my son is turning 5 in 10 days. He's a pretty typical boy - loves superheroes, dinosaurs, Legos, building ANYTHING (if he doesn't end up being an engineer I'll be very surprised), bike riding, and getting dirty. I'm trying to figure out what to get him for his bday.
I've been looking at Playmobil sets - we have a couple, and he loves them, I also love them for their quality and imaginative play value. What I don't love about them is that they have a million little pieces which I inevitably end up stepping on and as food for the vacuum cleaner. It's not enough to deter me from getting more Playmobil (or Legos, for that matter) but I thought I'd branch out and look for some other interesting toys too. We don't have a lot of space in the house for anything big. Another thing that points me towards things like Playmobil.
So what toys do your little guys like?
Thanks for the ideas! I appreciate everyone's responses. He does already have several of the suggested items (and does like all of them, BTW). Loved the marble run idea, but he has a little sister who isn't quite 2 and I worry about having marbles around her. She leaves the Legos alone, but there is something about marbles that just looks tasty to her LOL! Maybe next year when she's older. Mandy - I actually already ordered a superhero cape and mask set from Etsy :-). Will have to check out the K'nex, that's one building toy we don't have!
Thank you Kate for the link to Hearthsong, I've never looked at their site, and now have three items in my shopping cart - the Connectagons you suggested, an ant farm, and a steel sand digger he can sit on (he is going to go CRAZY for that!)
-razor scooter that sparks out the back when he stops (not dangerous)
-Lego ninjago legos
- boys hero costumes
-snorkeling gear
- Wii games
Nintendo DS. I'm not a huge fan of video games, but I do like the DS, and 5 is a great age for it. It's good to have for times when your child has to wait, like in the dr's office, restaurants, or on long car trips. There are lots of great, age appropriate games you can get for it, and they can even play them with their friends.
What about beyblades? My son loves them . He can play with them by himself or with a friend . You can keep them all in the arena thing that they spin them in . They are pretty easy to keep organized. Happy bday to him ;0)
Magnatiles - biggest hit to date in my house with all 3 kids.
My son got tons of Legos for his 5th birthday a few weeks ago. He loved them! He also likes Playmobil. He got a couple of transformers and a Spiderman car, a nerf gun, an Avengers Quinjet (like a big fighter plane), and some board games. He likes the board games and legos the most, though he does play with the superhero stuff sometimes.
Take a look at my Discovery Toys website, too. We have a lot of fun, interesting, educational toys that aren't available in stores, so you might find something for your son that you hadn't thought of before. I recommend the games Take All, Memo Spell, and the Marbleworks Set. My son loves them all and he doesn't realize how much he's learning while he's playing! Check everything out here: www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao Order tonight and you'll have it in time for his birthday.
What about Play Doh? They have lots of little sets that are pretty fun. It's not building but it's still imaginative and my daughter plays with her stuff for a long time in one sitting!
Also, I was looking at some things like Playmobil for my son who is almost 3. He is very into that type stuff too and I did a google search for day care center toys b/c they tend to get super cool stuff that isn't found in regular stores. Our day care at the gym has this awesome fire station thing that my son loves and I found some thing like that during my search. The prices are comparable to Playmobil.
For the building kid:
http://www.mindware.com/p/Marble-Run-and-Add-on-Set/24027
or these:
http://www.hearthsong.com/connectagons-creative-building-...
The best gift my son got was from his kindergarden teacher. It was a superhero kit! It came with a book, cape and some masks. He has he's of fun playing outside with that! He also has some of the imaginex batman and DC hero sets. He's a superhero freak too! And superhero squad is top on his toys they are small but he loves them
K'Nex are soo fun! I used to love playing with them when I was young!!!! :)
(although... more small parts... lol.)
http://www.knex.com/Kid_KNEX/ <<<Here are some aimed more at the younger kids. :)
Lincoln logs are also great...
I went to Walmart and bought my DD one of each of those plastic dinosaurs for $1.00 each. She absolutely LOVES them!
Bionicles are my boys' #1 favorite. They tend to want to keep them assembled, but we keep them in a plastic bin just for the fact that they are made of pieces.
My son is 5. He has Playmobil. But likes Legos better.
As for the "mess" it creates, just get a big plastic box/bin with a cover, and THAT is where all the pieces goes. That is what I have, and that is where my son puts ALL those pieces into.
No problem.
We just tell him, that when he is done playing with ALL this Legos and pieces, to just put it all in that box. And he does. And we explain that people can step on it... so, put it in that box when he is done. And he does.
And then we can just put the box on the side of the room. And it is out of the way.
Or, get your son some Hot Wheels cars and a race track.
My son likes those too.
Or the brand "Fisher Price Imaginext" makes GREAT toys for boys. My son LOVES these toys too.
As for your 2 year old, teach your son that small things and round things are choking hazards for the 2 year old. I explained that to my eldest child when her brother was younger.
And keep your son's toys, in a plastic bin/box. That is what I did, with my eldest child's things... when my son was younger.
