Ok, I know I'm cuttin it close, but that's usually what I do. I have no clue what to get my son for his birthday. I don't have a lot to spend and he is at that point where he doesn't really "play" with toys. Things he's asked for....a PSP (yeah right), a pocket rocket motorcycle (I'm thinking not), Heelys (maybe, but $80 for a pair of shoes with wheels?), and I think that's all he's suggested. HELP, other than some different games I haven't come up with anything.
Alright, sorry it took so long to let you know what happened, but I went ahead and got him the Heelys. It's was the big birthday hit. He loved them. Also, I got him the halloween costume that he has been asking for over the past 3-4 years. I figured he's 11 now, maybe I should finally let him. It's the character from the movie Scream. He's never seen the movie, but kids are always dressed up as that guy so finally this year I gave it. He was ecstatic. Thank you all for all of your suggestions. Between what my mom got him and what I did and having him open them all at once he really had a nice Birthday.
try www.togoskates.com they are similar to heelys but they are roller blade size wheels and can fit onto any shoe. My husbands 9.5 and daughters 11 both fit easily in them. And at $50 they are more reasonable.
Hello C., My name is Fre` (Free) and I am new to this site , however I am a single mama of 4 boys...this last birthday I was short on cash for my 14 yrs b-day. I know at this age they aremore into money then toys etc..I I wanted to do something cool instead of just handing him money. ok he sleeps on the botton bunk and so I wrote out "H-A-P-P-Y 14th B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y" one letter for each dollar...in this case it happened to make 14 dollars(pure accident but cool)and I hung them along side of the bed so when he woke up he was surrounded by all these dollar bills..(he thought it was cool, and that says alot for a 14 yrs old...lol)maybe you could do something similar. soomething eals i like to do for my boys is make scavenger hunts for their presents(nothing big,something simply)they find clues with each clue I give a hint to what they might find at the end and how to get them there. All the brothers help etc..so Ihope this was helpful sorry about the babble...being a stay at home mama I tend to make short stories long I've notice latley....have fun and chat at you later.
Fre`
C.
I'm sure you have the b-day gift figured out but I thought that I would give you yet another idea... What about a game!!
If your family likes to play games "Apples to Apples" is a great game for the entire family. My family likes to play it a holidays and we have a blast!
A.
Mervyn's had the Heelys on sale for $54.99 last week. You should check it out. You can also go to Game Crazy and get a good used system for much less than brand new. Otherwise, does he collect anything? My son will be 11 in January and he has taken to collecting action figures from Disney movies. He has the characters from the Incredibles, from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Lilo and Stitch. He doesn't otherwise play with toys, either, and is rather obsessed with video games and computers and scientific type stuff. You can also get a regular Gameboy for much less than a PSP and the games aren't too badly priced.
C.,
My husband and kids LOVE the store in the mall (kirkwood) I think it's called Game Stop. They love it because you can get used gameboys, games, movies, all kinds of media items. They are used but guaranteed to work or you take them back and they are really nice people from what we have experienced. Perhaps you can get your 11 yr old a PSP there. I am not sure if they have that particular item but I wouldn't doubt it.
Good luck to you!
T.
PSP is not a great gift for a kid they break too easily and they are way to expensive. My son has a Nintendo DS they are durable and they are not as expensive but still "cool". You could get him a gift certificate to pick a game he wants.
Just a thought. I am the mother of a three year old girl but I got her a nintendo game cube at a second hand game store, for fifty dollars. It may be cheaper than the 80.00 heely's. I am a single mom to. So I know how tight money can be. the store I got my used game system at was Eb Games....also check local comic stores I don't know where you live but ours in Council Bluffs, IA do sell used games and systems. I hope this helps! I also agree that PSP is a cheap sustem that's not durable. My games and game cube is standing up to a three year old! LOL
My son just turned 12, but for the last couple of years he has been in love with Bionicle from Lego. You can get the most common figure kits for under $10 each. My son loves building them and they are definitely not little kid Legos! They even have some movies showing the adventures and history of Bionicle! My little brother just turned 11 and the two of them love to work on these together and talk about all the new stuff that is coming out!
Hey C.....I'm also a single mom of two boys ages 4yrs and 7yrs. I just bought my oldest a Nintendo DS. Try game exchanges like "Game Stop" or "Game Crazy". You can trade or by new and used PSP and many other systems and games boys love. Ebay is also great to find deals. I bought the DS there a few weeks back. It was used but works perfectly and my son doesn't know the difference. It's crazy to pay retail for any of these things!My son also wants heelys but so many kids have gotten hurt in our neighborhood with them I've decided "no" on that one :) If you have a Playsation a great game for that is the "Eye Toy". It comes with a camera and DVD with many games. The kids are actually in the game and it even has instant replays on sporting games. It's hilarious and provides hours of fun. They even have workout videos for us moms :) What are his interests?? If he is into skateboaring or snowboarding I have connections for boards, clothing, shoes and more. Feel free to contact me ____@____.com My sons and all the neighbor kids love our "Green Machine" bike thing and the personal DVD/MP3 player. Both cost around $100 each though. If he has his own room, maybe a personal TV/DVD or VCR combo? You can get them for under $100 as well. Good Luck....Do you live in the SLC area??
If you want him to have something like a PSP, but you can't afford it, trying getting all of the grandparents to split the cost. We've done that before, and it works well. It brings your parents and dad's parents together in one group, so they don't get something they think is really cool from some and clothes from others, preventing hurt feelings when the kid doesn't seem as excited about their gift.
I agree with the Eye Toy idea. They're playing a video game, which makes them happy, but they're getting some exercise at the same time, which makes Mom happy. There is also a game called "Guitar Hero". It's not the sit and vegitate-type games, and it's really fun, even for parents. The whole family will like playing together, or they can invite neighbors over. When we bought ours last Christmas, they were really hard to find, and back-ordered everywhere. But, I saw a huge stack of them at Wal-Mart recently, so production must have caught up.
I bought my kids MP3 players. You don't have to spend the big money on iPods, you can buy several other brands that are MUCH cheaper. It's not something that keeps their mind too busy, so they can still go out and play at the same time. Music is good for kids, and they love to show them off, which is a major factor for my 11-year-old.
This is a tuff age because you have few options. One suggestion is that you can find a used PSP for a decent price at some gaming stores and most of the time they will throw in the game. Especially since the PSP has been out for a little while. Next option, a remote controll car. No matter how old they are they like these and they aren't really toys. Hope this helps and good luck!
