Birthday Gift Idea for 5 Yr Old Boy

I have an almost 5 year old and he loves dress-up costumes (and so do all his little friends). If you go shopping for one think SUPERHEROES. Buy it one size bigger and he'll get plenty of use out of it.

a thought is get him a gift card, when my son was around 5 years he started showing an intrest in money. I got my nephew a gift card for target for his 5th, I just got a really cool card that played music.

R.,

Books are always great no matter what age. When I was pregnant with my first, someone threw me a "Library shower" with all the favorite books from their childhood. What a great idea!

As a Mom of two girls, we have been overwhelmed with birthday presents recently and my oldest daughter (age 7) had the idea to not have gifts, but to have everyone bring something for the local animal shelter. I loved the giving idea and suggested that we would go together and purchase one thing she really wants.

This way your house doesn't fill up with stuff, often times things that she didn't want, or need, the animal shelter is supported, she gets one things she really likes and kids experience giving. (Although I am wondering if we might end up with a pet when we make a delivery for the animal shelter! :)

I know this may not apply to your situation, but I wanted to share it with readers.

Books are a great gift no matter what the age.

What about some accessory or truck "keeper" since he likes trucks?

Since the weather is nice this time of year, what about something for outdoor play? It's always good to encourage kids to have fun in the fresh air.

I have also been known to get kids "experiences" instead of stuff that ends up in a garage sale. This can include tickets to a movie theater or children's theater, museum, fun plex, water park, zoo, etc. Check with Mom first to make this a success.

I am a dance instructor and I see parents and grandparents buying kids lessons as a gift as well. Things like this are truly a gift that keeps on giving and they can enjoy long after the toy has been put on a shelf.

Can you ask your best friend of some ideas that she has in mind or things that she has heard her son talking about? I know at this age, every day they have a different want and don't always remember that they thought something different earlier, but if there is a recurring theme, that is always a good clue.

Good Luck, I am sure you will find inspiration!

J.

Hi, R.!

I have TEN nephews of various ages, so I'm used to shopping for boys! =)

The three that are in the 4-6 range love "I Spy" books, "Moon Sand" which is like cool play-doh and can be found at Toys'R'US and Target, anything to do with a superhero, and short videos like Veggie Tales that will keep their attention for 30 minutes then let them get back to playing. (Mom likes those, too!)

One time I got one of them a big semi-like truck that would hold like 30 Matchbox cars. HE loved it because it was a giant truck, MOM loved it because it stored most of his Matchbox cars and he didn't whine about putting them away in it!!

Hope this helps!

Get some books on trucks! Try Usborne Books, http://www.ubah.com/g2687 - they have tons of them, and kids love 'em. They are educational, too, which moms love. Or, boys love dinosaurs, vehicles of any kind, and outdoor sports stuff - baseball equip, water toys, catching games. Try books on these subjects, or others that he likes, and combine with a fun toy on the same topic. Usborne also has Kid Kits which take care of this for you. Shipping is cheap, too, and fast.
I have a 5 year old son, so I am very familiar with the likes of this age group! Have fun shopping!

My son is similar, but his obsession is horses, and I always love it when people try to broaden his horizons--esp. lately, (he's 4) with things that are artistic or musical or outdoor play. He has horses and barns and cows and fences galore, but it's nice when something new catches his attention and puts him in a different direction. Yes, he loves the new horses...for about a day. Then they go by the wayside. Especially since it's summer, outdoor play can be fun--my son got a t-ball set, a soccer ball, street hockey set, and outdoor blow up pool for his b-day from various family members and I love it--he can play outside and has plenty of options! Also, friends have gotten us things that work well in cars--colorwonder comes to mind--things I save for more contained settings, like church, car rides, airplane rides, doctor's office visits.

HI R. - At age 5 they are learning to read so books are great - specially books about trucks! :-) But my nephew LOVED it when I got him Ranger Rick or other magazines - mostly because he had something to look forward to every month!

R., I have a 6 yr old boy. One idea is to ask your friend if he has anything already that could use extra things to go with it. We are always wanting extra cartridges to go with my son's Leapster.
Otherwise, at places like Lakeshore Learning Store (St. Louis Park) or Creative Kidstuff, you can get "projects" and I think all kids like those. Magic kits, magnet or science projects, build your own this or that. That stuff is fun. Also, anything for outside is usually a hit. Think Super Soakers, a slip and slide (maybe $6!), etc.
Have fun with it.

My son will be 5 in a couple weeks. He has been really into money at various times and we are trying to help him understand the importance of saving. Anyhow, I found this really cool piggy bank called the Money Savvy Pig. I think the website is moneysavvypig.com, but if not I'm sure you could google it. Just an idea for something different. I don't know if you have a Nordstrom by you, but they also do personalized piggy banks that might correspond with the trucks that he loves; they make great gifts and are only like $25 and personalization is included.
Good luck and let us know what you decided!
K.

A gift certificate to Ridemakerz at the mall of america. Boys can go there and build their own car or truck - it is so fun and cool!

Has he started on Legos? My boys can never get enough legos and they never grew out of them. (My adult children still will sit down and "play" with them.) There is no end to the creative powers of a 5 year old and a good starter set can keep them interested for hours. The "game" is not wrecked if a piece or two is missing and there are endless supplies to add to his collection. After a while, legos and books are the only things I requested from grandparents because everything else just became junk.

My son loves the Automoblox cars which are like a puzzle you can put back together...and mix and match if you have more than one car. They're a really generous size and wooden. They're great! Here's a link:

http://uggamugga.blogspot.com/2008/02/automoblox.html

well i think that you should get him stuff like robots or some thing like a telliscop

My son is 5 and he LOVES Nascar. Well of course he has waaaay too many Nascar toys, so when it's time to buy him a gift, I get him posters of his favorites. He loves to decorate his room with them. Maybe some Monster truck posters for your friend's son????

Books are always good. Get one tht is about trucks. My boys love cars and can never have enough of them. Hot wheels tracks are great gifts. For boys anything sports related always goes over well.

Hi-
I have a son who LOVES cars and trucks too and his toys are having babies... seriously.
I think a cool gift is Legos where he can build trucks and which him help with those fine motor skills. It comes in a bin or bucket so that helps to contain the pieces. Hope that helps!

Ask your son--my kids said that he was into pirates, so we got him a crystal glowing kit with a treasure chest and a Pirate action figure. We also gave the gift receipt, just in case.

For my kids, I tell people to just give gift cards and tell them what they are saving for. They get plenty of little stuff anyway, and they usually have something big that they are saving for. ($40 Planet Heroes ship, MP3 player for the bus...) If it's something they want, and I would not normally buy it, it starts to give them some choices.

Hi R.,

I have a 6 year old who is also seriously into trucks. His all-time favorite book is an Usbourne book called Machines That Work. It's actually three smaller books combined into one great resource. My son also LOVES gift cards, and I don't mind them at all - he gets to learn a little about how money works, and at least half the fun is the process of choosing what to get. Finally, he also loves magazines. The two subscriptions he gets are National Geographic Kids & Highlights. It's always a great day when an issue comes in the mail!

Good luck!

Something I read about in a magazine was giving a child a "gift certificate" to join you and your family on an outing (apple-picking, beach trip, etc.). What a great way to make some lasting memories with your child's friends, as well as stopping the toy madness! When my kids get a little older, I plan to do this as much as possible. Good luck!

Personally, I think my son (and most other 5-year-olds) have WAY too many toys already. Here is the list of alternatives I sent my family:

* games
* books (kid how-to, kid cooking, creative play, easy reading, or stories)
* puzzles or other activities
* clothes
* music CDs (especially the kind they can dance to)
* craft kits (i.e. models, build-it-yourself items, etc.)
* dress-up costumes or accessories
* posters, framed pictures, or paintings for their rooms

Does he love the cars movie? You could get him sheet sets, a throw blanket or towel with the cars theme on them. They even have lights with the car theme maybe for his bedroom? Another thing that comes to mind is the rugs with the roads, etc... on them.

Good Luck!
L.

give him 5 one dollar bills, or the amount of money you were going to spend on him..you will be the best..