Birthday Gift for 8 Year Old Boy That Has EVERYTHING?

[DianeCourt]

My step-nephew is turning 8 next month. His parents are divorced & remarried and, as a result, he has an overabundance of toys from his numerous grandparents. I feel like I'm always scratching my head trying to come up with good gift ideas for him. When he was small, I sent gift certificates for Chuck E. Cheese, Build-a-Bear, or some kind of activity he could do together with his dad. Now that he's getting older, I'm REALLY running out of good ideas! Can anybody help? (He lives in the Indianapolis area if you can think of any good regional ideas.) He's really into sports, too.

[linda_loo]

How much do you want to spend?

I don't have an 8yo boy... but I often check the age categories at amazon.com when I am buying a present.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/171393/ref=t_th_ln_a_5/104-8154933-8365507

Does he have a Leapster, where you could get him a new cartridge?

[jdevaz]

How about tickets to a sporting event that he can attend with his dad?

[littlebear]

How about a magazine subscription? There are some really nice magazines for kids. It might be really exciting for him too because there would be something coming in the mail each month which was specifically for him.

Try www.cricketmag.com. They have their publications listed by age range. The National Wildlife Federation also has a magazine called Ranger Rick that would be really fun if he likes animals or nature. National Geographic also has an NG Kids magazine. Calliope is cool if he is into history. I also remember loving Highlights magazine as a kid, but that might be a little young for him.

[Kanga]

Thanks to the Is it Rude to put No Gifts Please on b-day invites - thread or whatever it's called I'm going to start giving passes to local zoo's, museums, etc. Maybe look online to find a website for a zoo and see if they have gift certificates?

[snowzilla]

My daughter is 8 and my son is 10 - they love to receive gift certificates to the book store. Both of my kids are big readers, and heaven knows they don't need any more toys. They're at the age now where they're learning about money and spending and saving, and getting to go to the store to spend their own "money" is a really fun experience for them that extends beyond the birthday party.

I give gift cards a lot now for kids' birthdays, but I wrap them up in a candy jar filled with jelly beans or jujubes, with the card hidden in the middle of the candy (I tie a ribbon around it, and leave the ribbon poking out, so they can pull the card out). My kids love to give these gifts at their friends' parties - they always go over well (regardless of what type of gift card you give).

[DianeCourt]

Thanks for the great suggestions, ladies! I like the idea of a magazine subscription....it will give him something to look forward to when he's at his dad's house (dad has partial custody, two weekends/month). In fact, Sports Illustrated has a kids' magazine.....PERFECT!

[MrsT]

Bumping for myself

I've got 5 yo and 7 yo nephews whose dad (my BIL) buys them a new toy every time he sees them. They don't read, so books and magazines (my faves) are out. (In fact last Christmas my other BIL got them books and the little one actually started crying and said "I hate books").

These kids do play baseball but otherwise spend 99% of their time watching TV or playing video games. I could get them a gift certificate but I'd kinda like to get them something that might spur an interest in learning :rolleyes:.

Am I asking too much and should I just get them Target gift cards (like they asked for from their grandparents?).

[twinnyme]

These kids do play baseball but otherwise spend 99% of their time watching TV or playing video games. I could get them a gift certificate but I'd kinda like to get them something that might spur an interest in learning :rolleyes:.

We're going to a birthday party today for a girl turning 7. Her parents are pretty good acquaintances - we've been to her birthdays since birth, her brother's too, and see them a few times a year - so I felt comfortable getting her what she wanted: a gift certificate to Circuit City for Nintendo games (last year we got her a V.Smile game - guess she's into "real" video games now), but I don't think I'd do that for my own nephews.

Do they already have their own digital cameras? They're pretty expensive, the Fisher-Price ones, but depending on what you want to spend, I think they're a good learning tool. I got one for one of my nephews when he turned 3 and he's now 5, and he still LOVES it and carries it around everywhere (not FP one).

Re: sports stuff I bought some of my nephews this: Baseball Guys (http://www.kaskeykids.com/). Found it at Learning Express. Kind of a creative toy. They have other sports, too. It says not for under 3, though, so it may be too young for them. Are there any sports-related board games? Or just board games in general might be fun.

Would they read a sports magazine for kids? Isn't there a Sports Illustrated for Kids?

[laura]

My nephews don't get a choice on whether they "want" books or not - I get them books for every gift giving occasion. And I am still the "fun" aunt. ;) Fortunately b/c I have been doing it since birth, it is an established tradition AND they both actually like to read the books and look forward to the books I get them even though I am the only one who ever gets them books and neither of their parents read so they don't have a good model for it. (I'm not kidding myself, my brother and SIL and mom have all passed on these sentiments from the kids.) That said - I get away with it by getting them a "fun" gift and supplement with books. Also, if either of them ever said "I hate X" when someone gave them a gift - that wouldn't go over well in my family!

I don't know what your budget is, but if you want a "learning" toy, you could try activity books or magazines. You could ease in with a "trendy" topic, like Transformers since that movie just came out. Other ideas:

* V.smile, Leapster, etc type toys/games
* Science kit: http://amazon.com/Scientific-Explorers-Disgusting-Science-Revolting/dp/B000BUW7E6/ref=pd_ts_c_th_2/104-7996917-0012747?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-2&pf_rd_r=1DC4H3KRSGFMW4TRBB13&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=303209701&pf_rd_i=166269011
* my nieces liked these twist type learning games: http://www.amazon.com/Leap-Frog-Twist-Shout-Multiplication/dp/B00005BYQ2/ref=pd_sim_t_shvl_img_3/104-7996917-0012747?ie=UTF8&qid=1192413755&sr=1-13

Amazon has a whole section of 'learning toys' by age, which have been pretty successful for me. I have 8 nieces and nephews, but for the boys, I typically find something I think is disgusting like how to make goo or edible vomit making kits or something, and then I show it to my husband and if he says "cool!" then I know I've found a winner.

[MrsT]

Thanks ladies - good ideas! I like the SI Kids magazine as well as the science learning stuff. Something I could get their dad to do with them might be nice.

Their dad just got them a Wii (sp?) so I would probably be a dud with any other kind of video game :rolleyes:

Also, if either of them ever said "I hate X" when someone gave them a gift - that wouldn't go over well in my family!
Yeah, mine either. (meaning my kids or my side of the family). Their dad tends to let them do whatever they want and to be honest, they have never been taught to be thankful or polite. (I have stopped sending gifts for bdays because not once did I receive a card or thank you or a call that they even got it - we always had to ask later to make sure). This is probably the reason my budget for these kids isn't super high either. But I also feel like I want to keep trying to broaden their horizons even if their parents won't :o. Every time we see them we try to do things together (crafts, projects, etc.) but it's usually met with no enthusiasm. But darnit I'm gonna keep trying!!

[KrissyCat7]

Ill second the magazine subscription idea. I've done this for all of my nieces and nephews and they all love it. They love getting mail and they look forward to the next issue coming. To make it a little more special....I buy the current month's copy so that they actually get something right then and there....and then I include a note that says I have signed them up for a year long subscription.

[berrypink]

Bumping for myself

I've got 5 yo and 7 yo nephews whose dad (my BIL) buys them a new toy every time he sees them. They don't read, so books and magazines (my faves) are out. (In fact last Christmas my other BIL got them books and the little one actually started crying and said "I hate books").

These kids do play baseball but otherwise spend 99% of their time watching TV or playing video games. I could get them a gift certificate but I'd kinda like to get them something that might spur an interest in learning :rolleyes:.

Am I asking too much and should I just get them Target gift cards (like they asked for from their grandparents?).

Haha, these kids sound retarded, but it also sounds encouraged (by parents) that they dislike reading since they sit around doing nothing but mindless play. Maybe a magazine like Zoobooks would get them interested? If these kids don't want to be failures, then someone, ANYONE, should encourage them to read something, ANYTHING. Maybe even Sports Illustrated like recommended above?

[Chimichanga]

Haha, these kids sound retarded,

Wow - that is really harsh. Not something an adult should call anyone; especially kids.

[ellidew]

Haha, these kids sound retarded
Seriously? :confused: