- August 21, 2021
15 Best Toys and Gifts for 9-Year-Old Boys
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The critical thing to remember when buying a gift for a nine-year-old boy is to make sure that the toy, activity or game you’re buying provides a sufficient challenge and that it is as interactive as possible.
Gifts that encourage movement and physical exercise often work best at this age, due to the well-known fact that nine-year-old boys have truckloads of energy to burn, as well as the fact that they are now more agile and coordinated than ever.
This doesn’t mean, however, that gifts which require creativity and logic such as craft kits should be forsaken.
It is vital to keep your child’s mind working as well as his body.
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Products evaluated
What Should Danny Do? (The Power to Choose Series)
The first item on our list is something on the lower end of the ‘stimulation’ spectrum for a boy of this age, so you might say we’re choosing to start a bit slower.
This book, recommended for boys and girls aged 3 or above, is not going to provide the most significant mental or (obviously) physical challenge for your nine-year-old, but that doesn’t mean there’s no value in it.
We’ve decided to think a bit outside the box on this one and focus on a different aspect of psychological development – mental maturity and understanding the consequences of one’s actions.
The easy-on-the-eye design and deceptively simple style of this book will get your boy hooked, but the exciting choices and diverging paths the book takes will keep him entertained.
Benefits:
- Interactive format
- Great value
- Unique
National Geographic Kids Why? Over 1,111 Answers to Everything
Another book on our list comes from National Geographic, and it has a simple concept – if you’ve got a question, chances are it has the answer.
As the title clearly states, there are answers to a total of 1,111 questions in this book, ranging from things like ‘What can we find at the bottom of the ocean?’ to ‘Why is your snot yellow?’
At the age of nine, your boy probably has a ton of questions, and even though we’re sure you love answering them, sometimes it can get a bit exhausting, especially after a long day at work.
That’s where this excellent book comes in. Let your kid dig for some answers on his own, and it might just inspire him onto a path of science.
Benefits:
- Highly informative
- Interesting for parents too
Dreamingbox Sports Digital Watch
After a couple of books, we’ve finally reached a more adventure-related product. If your boy plans on doing any proper adventuring, he’s going to need the right tools for the job, and this watch is a great place to start.
First of all, it is durable – shockproof and waterproof to a depth of 164 Ft, so it can withstand all kinds of punishment, which is critical if it has to spend its life on the wrist of a nine-year-old boy.
Another great thing about this watch is the variety of functions it provides. Aside from the good old-fashioned clock, it has a calendar and stopwatch, plus a night-light making it easy to use in dark areas.
Benefits:
- Easy to use
- Great features
- Long-lasting
LEGO Technic WHACK! 42072
This LEGO building kit makes our list for many reasons, the prime one being that you can’t go wrong with cars when it comes to getting gifts for boys.
With a fresh, futuristic design, featuring a monochrome color palette with red and lime-green highlights, this set gives your kid a chance to put his imagination to work and build a great-looking fast car.
The kit includes a pull-back motor – the heart of the machine which will make the car get off the line quickly, as well as wide rims, a robust front bumper and a massive rear spoiler to keep the tires sticking to the ground at high speeds.
This is a fully functioning pull-back car, so building the kit is just the start of the fun.
Benefits:
- Compatible with any LEGO set
- Develops dexterity and creativity
Marky Sparky Faux Bow 3
Before your kid becomes a teenager and starts worrying about different things, bring out his adventuring spirit for a few more years with this excellent bow and arrow set from Marky Sparky.
Designed for ages 8 and above, it fits squarely in our age-range and should keep your child excited about exploring for a long time.
The Faux Bow 3 is a great, safe way for your boy to pretend to be a rogue in the vast expanses of your backyard with his friends and siblings.
Extremely durable and lightweight, the archery set contains six foam-tipped arrows that can fly up to an impressive 200 feet, at a surprising pace. You might even want to take a few shots while your kid is not looking.
Benefits:
- Foam-tipped arrows
- Safe and non-toxic materials
- Fun for the whole family
Think Fun Gravity Maze
If you’re looking for a unique gift that will challenge your son’s mental capacity and problem-solving skills, look no further than the Gravity Maze from Think Fun.
This modern and one-of-a-kind take on board games asks the player to build a path to get a marble to the goal in the quickest possible time.
It sounds simple, but don’t be fooled – the elements and rules of the game make it exciting.
Sixty cards provide different challenges to put your son’s mind to the test, making this a product that combines education and entertainment in all the best ways.
It is entirely playable alone or in a group, which means it is a very versatile product for your kid to enjoy.
Benefits:
- Challenges critical thinking
- Fun puzzle-solving
- Stimulates planning skills
Awesome Jokes That Every 9 Year Old Should Know!
Another book on this list is a very lighthearted gift for your kid. This book of jokes might not give your child lots of insight into how to live his life, or teach him many valuable lessons, but sometimes it’s OK for a gift to be just plain fun.
Also, it might come in handy for him in social situations if he’s able to remember some jokes off the top of his head.
The jokes themselves are not going to be as funny to adults, so if you want to avoid hearing many mediocre, but ultimately harmless jokes, you should not get this.
If, on the other hand, you don’t mind your kid having some laughs even if the jokes are not the best, there’s no reason not to buy this book.
Benefits:
- A bit of harmless fun
- Useful for building confidence in social situations
Hardy Boys Starter Set - Books 1-5
If you were a Hardy Boys fan growing up, and you’d like your kid to become one as well, this is an absolute must in your book collection.
Also, even if your kid doesn’t end up reading the books, you can always revisit these old classics and remind yourself why you loved them in the first place, or if you’ve never read them, see what the big deal is!
These are some of the most popular children’s books for a good reason, we can tell you that much, and you would be amiss not to let your kid enjoy them while he’s still the right age.
The set contains the first five books in the classic series all packed into a beautiful box set.
Benefits:
- Classic book series
- Great gateway into becoming an avid reader
Scientific Explorer Disgusting Science Kit
For some reason, there’s nothing more appealing to little boys than disgusting stuff. The grosser something is, the more they enjoy it.
But this science kit from Scientific Explorer has plenty more to offer your little boy than its disgust factor.
The kit includes sixteen items, complete with instructions which are easy to follow, making it a fun and straightforward task to explore the various projects.
There are also fun facts about how the human body parts operate, and which byproducts they produce. Your boy will also learn about things that grow on the human body, even including Petri dishes to grow your bacteria and mold. Disgusting, right? Exactly!
Benefits:
- Loads of fun
- Highly educational
- Innovative
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magic Set
Do you love magic? Of course, you do, who doesn’t! With the Deluxe Magic Set from Melissa & Doug, your boy can start training to be the next David Copperfield with a few simple magic tricks to amaze his friends, siblings, and relatives.
The set itself contains a wide variety of magic tricks, which are going to be just comfortable enough for your 9-year-old to learn, yet just tricky enough (no pun intended) to keep the process enjoyable.
Your kid will be driven to study the instructions very carefully, work on his persuasion and public performance to perfection to capture the audience’s attention.
This gift is ideal for boosting your child’s self-confidence, on top of strengthening his fine and visual-motor skills.
Benefits:
- Illustrated instructions
- Magic wand included
- Safe and high-quality materials
Strongarm Nerf N-Strike Elite Toy Blaster
If your kid likes shooting games, and if he’s a nine-year-old in 2019 he probably does, here’s an opportunity for you to take that love and get him to use it for something healthy and outgoing.
Because he’s nine and he loves video-games, your kid probably has a very active imagination as well, so it will be easy for him to imagine that playing with Nerf guns with his friends is Fortnite Live ™.
When his friends are unavailable or stuck to their screens, he can use the Strongarm blaster to practice his long-distance shooting, perfecting his aim.
This particular toy gun is surprisingly accurate and has an ergonomic design. It is perfectly safe as well, so there’s no need to worry.
Benefits:
- Gets your kid away from the screen
- Ergonomic design
- High accuracy
Nerf N-Strike Elite Delta Trooper
This gun is a perfect choice if you want your kid to be prepared for any combat situation. This modular Nerf gun can be changed to fit any required scenario by using different barrel and stock extensions depending on the threat level of the opponent.
If your kid wants to shoot some targets at a distance, he can attach the barrel extension to stabilize his shots, or if he wants more shoulder support, he can put on the stock extension.
On top of this functionality, the Elite Delta Trooper looks cool, and your boy will be fully immersed in the make-believe gun play while using it. The toy is made of durable and safe plastic, designed to endure many battles.
Benefits:
- Easy to carry and lightweight
- Holds up to twelve darts
- Quick shoot and reload
Stomp Rocket
Most toys sold nowadays focus on utilizing new technology to create something we have never seen before or something which could not have existed in the past due to technical limitations.
A lot of marketing for these toys revolves around the idea that ‘new is better.’ Not this toy. This is a good old-fashioned stomp rocket.
There’s not much more to it. It doesn’t have heat-seeking or GPS navigation. It’s just a plain-old stomp rocket.
And judging by the satisfied parents and kids who have already bought this product, it doesn’t need to be anything more.
There are very few things more fun for a nine-year-old kid that using his weight to launch some rockets as high as he possibly can.
Benefits:
- 100% kid-powered
- Technically a STEM toy
Hover Soccer Ball
Here’s one of those innovative toys we mentioned earlier. If your kid is a techie and likes inventive ideas, this is the perfect soccer gift.
The hover soccer ball glides across wooden surfaces with ease and is also covered on all sides in a foamy material that stops it from causing damage on walls and household items, which makes it the perfect choice for indoor fun for the whole family.
Even younger kids can play with it safely since the recommended age is 3 and up.
The set also contains two goals to set up on your improvised playing field, and you can create a bonafide stadium in your living room.
This toy provides many physical benefits, such as improved coordination and balance.
Benefits:
- Foam bumper
- Builds balance and coordination
Capture the Flag REDUX
For a young boy, playing capture the flag at night might be one of the best experiences ever. Using cool lights and running around with their friends is going to be hard to beat.
The set includes 33 light-up pieces, and each set of batteries last between 12 hours and a full day.
The game is meant to be played in a group, where each of the teams hides their ‘flag,’ which is a glowing orb in this case.
Then, each side tries to capture the other team’s flag. Whoever can complete this task and return to their base safely, wins the game. The classic capture-the-flag formula is enhanced by the glowing lights and the ability to play at night.
Benefits:
- Group game
- Promotes outdoor play
- Creates a positive social atmosphere
How to Choose the Best Gifts for 9-Year-Old Boys
Nine-year-olds love fun and adventure. The simple answer is to try to choose toys that are not too childish, but still have a sense of childlike wonder about them. Easy to say, we know, but hopefully, the list we made helps in your decision.
Try to look for brands that you trust. As a parent of a nine-year-old child, you undoubtedly already have lots of experience with different toy-makers, so stick to the ones that haven’t disappointed you yet. Also, it’s essential to know whether you want to focus more on the fun with something like a Stomp Rocket or Nerf gun or encourage learning with something like a popular book series or a science kit.
Don’t forget to include your boy into the decision as well, unless it’s supposed to be a surprise, of course. But even if it is, there are roundabout ways of finding out what he might like. Ultimately, you make the decision, you are the parent after all, but it doesn’t hurt to get your kid’s perspective on the matter as well. Learning about his interests can only bring you closer together, plus it makes gift shopping way more manageable.
Criteria We Used
Safety
Compiling a list of the best toys for 9-year-old boys was not an easy task. We worked through countless reviews and reports to examine and determine the developmental appropriateness of each toy. We had to make sure that the materials used in each of the products were completely safe, taking into account any awards and certifications the toy may have received, as well as the overall trustworthiness of the manufacturers.
Cognitive Development
Boys at this age are often considered not to be on the same level as girls in terms of cognitive, social, and emotional development. This may be true in some cases, but it is often too broadly generalized. For example, nine-year-old boys do well with communicating their emotions, though they can often be too blunt. Their language skills are rapidly developing as well, and it’s important to foster that development, which is why we chose so many books and socially driven toys.
Physical Development
Nine-year-old have plenty of energy. This applies to girls as well as boys, but boys usually take the cake in terms of hyperactivity at this stage. That means, of course, that letting out as much of that energy as possible throughout the day is critical to the well-being of everybody involved. However, not all of the products on our list are devoted to merely providing an energy outlet to your child. Some of them are meant to hold his attention for long periods and occupy his mind as well, which is going to be highly beneficial in the long term.
FAQ
How much money should I be looking to spend?
The answer to this question depends on a variety of factors like your relationship to the child, your budget, or the value-for-money of the product you’re planning to buy. If you’re not a close friend or relative of the child, try to stick to a lower price, and if you’re a grandparent or parent, you can allow yourself to splurge on a more high-end gift.
What if he doesn’t like my gift?
You will not often run into situations like this, but they may happen. If it’s your kid, you should try to explain to them that even if they don’t like a particular gift, they should understand the effort that went into buying it and the money spent, so they should be grateful and show appreciation anyway. If you’re not the parent, try not to take it personally, since it is just a kid after all, and you can always offer to return the gift and replace it for a preferable one.
Wouldn't it be easiest to give him a gift card?
Even though gift cards can be a great choice with adults, allowing them to pick what they want themselves, they are usually not the best choice for children. Kids enjoy opening presents, and might not understand the future value that a gift card offers. Also, gift cards are a bit lazy, to be honest.
Conclusion
You should always remember that giving gifts to kids is supposed to be a fun experience, even though sometimes it doesn’t look it. Find an age-appropriate gift that is tailored to the child you’re shopping for, and you’ll have the most rewarding time looking at him unwrap the present with wide-eyed astonishment. If the child is not yours, it’s always a great idea to work with the parents to establish the style of gift and price range to aim for. Do your research, check this list carefully and make your choice, but don’t forget to have fun in the process!
Catherine is a writer from Canada who simply loves toys, collectibles and superhero figurines. Writing is her passion, but she also loves reading, enjoying her “me time” and finding new ways to improve her work and ways to entertain the readers.
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