Looking for birthday present ideas for 10 year old boy?

January 24, 2022 10:10 AM

What sort of presents have you bought for someone’s tenth birthday? I’m struggling with this not-quite-child not-quite-teen stage and could use some inspiration.

This particular kid is into the following things but I’m interested in hearing about anything even if it’s unrelated. I feel like the family has maxed-out these topics already:
- the sinking of the Titanic
- Godzilla
- Star Wars
- Horrible Histories
- ships
- spaceships
- gaming (iPad, Switch, PS5)
- blacksmithing

posted by d288478 to Shopping (13 answers total)

How about a tool box filled with basic tools like pliers, screwdrivers, tape measure, hammer, etc?
posted by dawkins_7 at 10:21 AM on January 24, 2022 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Snap circuits? Something to help him learn Scratch? An otamatone?
posted by papergirl at 10:31 AM on January 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you have direct contact and can confirm, this is the age that my nephew really wanted to start getting cash so he could save up for the things that were important to him (like a gaming keyboard) that the adults in his life wouldn’t necessarily pay for the entirety of (or understand why he wanted it so badly).

Depending on the things adults in his life usually provide for, movie tickets/money for concessions can also be a hit (or paintball, arcade, etc depending on interest and COVID risk)
posted by raccoon409 at 10:34 AM on January 24, 2022 [2 favorites]

That's when I got my sling shot. You can spend more money but thats a good starter, critical thing is to have the wrist brace. I don't use it as much as I used to, but I still use it every year or two, thirty some years later, and I look forward to using it a lot more when my kid gets old enough. I got a second some time in grad school because all my friends loved it so much and I wanted to be able to share :)
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:37 AM on January 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

One off classes for hands-on activities like glass-blowing?
posted by wenestvedt at 10:58 AM on January 24, 2022

Best answer: A metal detector. My mother gave one to my son at this age and there were long entertaining weekends ahead of treasure hunting.
posted by mygothlaundry at 1:42 PM on January 24, 2022

Fun lightbulbs. Smart bulbs that change colour if be has a tablet, and if he doesn't, then blacklight light bulb with neon face paint, markers etc.
posted by EarnestDeer at 1:53 PM on January 24, 2022

We've had good success with cool clothing actually, like merchandise clothing associated with video games our 10 year old kiddo is into. Especially hoodies! We also got our kids LED light strip they could put on the walls of their room, those were a big hit too. They come with a little remote and the kids can switch colors as well as program a few of their own.
posted by DTMFA at 3:10 PM on January 24, 2022

A really good leatherman multitool.
posted by mhoye at 5:37 PM on January 24, 2022 [2 favorites]

How about some board games? They might be a little young for Terraforming Mars, especially if they aren't a board-gamer (my 14 year old nibling is into it) but I can vouch for its enjoyability. Light games good for beginners: Pit Crew; Railroad Ink; Decrypto. Other, non-beginner games with themes that align with the interests you listed: Space Cadets; Power Grid.
posted by spamandkimchi at 7:55 PM on January 24, 2022

oh! And gifting a mp3 player stocked with your favorite albums (or mixes by year for when you were a kid?) might be a fun way to connect.
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:00 PM on January 24, 2022

Adult books about HH topics?
posted by brujita at 5:37 AM on January 25, 2022

Concert tickets! Museum membership. Art or craft classes, blacksmithing if available. If you'd like it to be more "thing-like", there are advanced Lego sets and exciting books, like my kid is really into Randall Munroe's books and Guinness book of records. Leatherman multitool is a great idea also.
posted by Shusha at 7:13 AM on January 30, 2022