Best Gifts for Boys

How this list of gifts for boys was built

Every product here has a listing or maker page that gives a starting age between 5 and 12. One pick per brand, and no more than three of any one kind, so the page doesn't turn into 24 card games. The table at the top shows all 24 with their listed age and the specs the data has. A dash means the listing doesn't say.

We don't sort toys by gender. Bricks don't know who's holding them. This list is built by age and kind of play, and the gifts for girls page follows the same rule, so you'll see some of the same picks there.

Here's the table version:

• Build — bricks, a snap kit, a big open bin of pieces
• Play — card games, strategy games, party games
• Explore — pattern kits, a multimodel set, a telescope
• Ride — one electric drift kart and one electric dirt bike, with the safety notes
• Shelf — one vinyl figure for display

Start with his age, then his Saturday

Two questions get you most of the way. How old is he today? What does he do when nobody has a plan for him?

The age comes first, and it's not a guess. Each pick below lists its starting age as the listing states it. The CPSC asks families to follow the age guidance on toy packaging and to pick toys that fit each child's interests and abilities. So nothing here goes to a child younger than the box says.

Here's how the 24 picks spread across starting ages:

• 5+ — eleven picks, mostly games and builds
• 6+ — eight picks, including the first ride-on
• 7+ — one strategy board game
• 8+ — four picks: a telescope, a dirt bike, a tile game and a figure

Two picks also have a top age. The Learning Resources STEM Explorers Pixel Art Pro lists ages 5–7, and the Engino Creative Builder 15 Multimodel Set lists 6–9. If he's past that range, skip them. For one age at a time, our gifts for 8 year olds page goes deeper. For 13 and up, try gifts for teens.

I ask the second question at every birthday party where a parent hands me a paper plate and says, "He's turning six. Help." Does he build? Does he want to win? Does he take the flashlight apart? Pick the group, then pick the age.

Build: sets that end with something on the floor or the shelf

Brick sets and vehicles

The LEGO 11036 Creative Vehicles is a LEGO Classic set listed for 5+. It suits a young builder who likes cars and trucks. The data doesn't give a piece count, so check the listing if size matters. More sets live on the LEGO page.

The Sluban Off-Road Military Vehicle lists 265 pieces and 2 minifigures, for ages 6–12. That's a long age range for one box, which helps if you're buying for a nephew whose exact birthday you can't remember.

The MEGA Jumbo Pikachu is the big display build: 806 pieces, 12 in tall when finished, from the Pokémon line per the listing. It's listed for 6+. The MEGA page has the rest of the lineup.

A first model kit, no glue

The Airfix J6039 Quickbuild Jeep Gladiator (JT) Overland is a snap kit for 6+. Snap-fit means the parts press together without glue. The listing says no paint or glue is needed, and it comes with stickers or decals. It's a fair first step toward model car kits, the kind that need a workbench.

A big bin for free building

The Brain Flakes 2500 Piece Build 'n' Build Kit is listed for 5+. There's no model on the box to finish. The kid decides what it is.

This is where I have my one opinion for this page. Piece count is not value. A 2,500-piece bin and a 265-piece vehicle are different gifts, not a big one and a small one. The bin suits a kid who already invents things. The vehicle suits a kid who wants a clear goal and a finished truck by dinner. Look at what he does with the pieces he already owns.

(Our house has a bin like that. It has no lid anymore. Nobody admits to losing the lid, and Dana has stopped asking.)

Small parts: Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3. If a toddler shares the house, keep brick sets in a closed bin.

Play: games for two, for the family, and for a crowd

A game is a gift for the kid and for whoever ends up across the table from him. I keep a folding table in the garage for game emergencies. It gets used more than the car.

Games for two

Four picks here seat exactly 2, per the listings. They suit a boy with one sibling, one parent at bedtime, or a grandparent on a visit.

• Blue Orange Games Fastrack: a wooden dexterity game for 2, listed for 5+
• Goliath Mastermind Junior: What's for Lunch?: a junior edition for 2, listed for 5+
• Hasbro Guess Who? Card Game: a card version for 2, listed for 5+
• Asmodee Patchwork Express: a strategy game for 2, 20 minutes, listed for 6+

Mastermind Junior is the only lunch question in our house with one right answer. Every other lunch question is a negotiation. The Mastermind and Guess Who pages cover the other editions.

Games for the family table

Funko's Cranium Big Brain Detective is a cooperative game for 1–4 players, listed for 5+, with a solo mode. Cooperative means everyone wins or loses together against the game. That's handy when one kid at the table takes losing hard. More at the Cranium page.

Gamewright Throw Fish is a card game for 2–4 players, listed for 5+. HABA Rhino Hero is listed for 5+. The data gives only its age, so check the listing for player count.

The Ravensburger Labyrinth Chronicles lists 2–4 players and ages 7+. It's the one 7+ pick on the page. Azul lists 2–4 players, 30–45 minutes, with tile placement and drafting, for ages 8+. Drafting means players take turns picking from a shared pool. More on it at the Azul page.

I read every rulebook out loud, in voices. My kids have asked me to stop. A rulebook with no index makes the voices louder.

Party games when the house fills up

• Buffalo Games Chuckle & Roar Classic Charades: 750 charades ideas, listed for 5+
• Mattel Pictionary Air Kids Vs. Grown-Ups: a drawing game for 6+; the listing says an app or device is required
• MindWare Twangled: a party game for 4–8 players, listed for 6+

Pictionary Air needs a phone or tablet in the room. Dana's ruling on that: device games get played before her night shift, never after, because she wants to win at least once a week. See the charades and party games pages for more.

Explore: kits and a telescope for the kid who asks why

Some boys don't want to win anything. They want to know how it works.

• Learning Resources STEM Explorers Pixel Art Pro: a pattern and pixel art kit, ages 5–7
• PLUS PLUS Puzzle By Number Activity Pad, Transportation: a puzzle-by-number pad with mini waffle pieces, ages 5–12
• Engino Creative Builder 15 Multimodel Set: one box, several models, ages 6–9

The PLUS PLUS pad is the car-trip pick of the group. The listing gives a 5–12 range, the widest on the page. More from the maker at PLUS PLUS.

A first telescope at 8+

The SOLOMARK 130mm Astronomical Telescope 650mm Alt-Az lists ages 8–12. It has a 130 mm (5.1 in) aperture and a 650 mm focal length. Aperture is the width of the main mirror or lens; more aperture gathers more light. Focal length is the distance the scope uses to bring light to focus. The mount is a manual alt-az, which means you move it up-down and left-right by hand. The listing includes 10 mm and 20 mm eyepieces and a smartphone adapter.

An 8-year-old with a telescope still needs an adult for setup and for the first few nights. Our telescopes for kids page has smaller ones.

Never look at the Sun through a telescope, binoculars, a finder or a camera, or with your eyes, without a certified solar filter made for that purpose and fitted correctly. Eye damage can be instant and permanent. NASA also says solar filters must go on the front of the telescope, never at the eyepiece.

Ride: two electric ride-ons, with the gear first

Two ride-ons made the list. They are the two gifts here where the age label is the start of the decision, not the end.

The Razor Crazy Cart Shift is an electric drift kart listed for 6+. It lists a 90 W motor, a 12 V battery, a high/low speed switch, an 8 mph top speed and up to 80 minutes of run time. More karts are on the electric go karts page.

The Hiboy DM14 is an electric dirt bike listed for ages 8–14. It lists a 48 V, 9 Ah lithium-ion battery, a 500 W motor, 18-inch wheels and three speed modes of 8, 15 and 20 mph. See the kids' dirt bikes page for others.

Lucho has a pegboard wall in Bay Three with a hook for every rider's helmet and gloves. His rule is short. Nobody touches a throttle until their gear comes off the wall. Lucho's take for gift buyers: the helmet and gear are part of the gift. If they aren't in the budget, the ride-on isn't either.

Riders need a properly fitted helmet made for motorized riding, plus gloves, boots, eye protection and long sleeves and pants. Follow the maker's age, height and weight limits, and keep an adult watching every ride. The CPSC says to get safety gear, including helmets, for riding toys and to make sure kids use it every time. HealthyChildren.org from the AAP says a helmet goes on for every ride, no matter how short.

Charging: Charge with the charger that came with it, on a hard surface, and follow the maker's charging instructions.

Rules for riding mini bikes, pit bikes and go karts vary by state and town. Check yours, and ride only where it's allowed.

Shelf: one figure for display

The Bandai Stranger Things Dart Demo-Dog 7" Vinyl Figure is a 7-inch vinyl figure listed for 8+. The data lists no moving parts or accessories, so it's a shelf piece, not a toy for the floor. More from the maker at Bandai.

Gifts for a son, a nephew or a grandson

Buying for your own son is the easy version. You know what he did last Saturday. Buying for a nephew or a grandson you see twice a year is harder. Here's what I'd do:

1. Text a parent and ask his age today, not his age at the last visit.
2. Ask what he did last weekend. One word is enough: bricks, cards, outside.
3. Pick from that group above, and check the listed age.
4. If you'll be there when it's opened, pick a 2-player game and play the first round.

Skip the ride-ons as a surprise from a relative. Those need the parents' yes, the space and the gear.

Christmas gifts for boys and who should skip this list

For Christmas, I lean toward games that seat a crowd, because December brings the most chairs to the table. Twangled lists up to 8 players. The Charades box lists 750 ideas. A big build like the Brain Flakes bin or the MEGA Jumbo Pikachu fills the slow week after. For small items in the same morning, see stocking stuffers.

Skip this page if the boy is under 5. Nothing here starts that young, and the general gifts for kids page covers little ones. Skip the ride section if the helmet and gear aren't in the budget yet. Skip the telescope if no adult will be outside with it the first few nights. And if he's 13, he has opinions about this list already. Send him to the teens page and step back.

Check the age on the box, then wrap it.