My son is almost 11, but if you have suggestions for any age I'm sure someone will be interested.
Thanks!
When I was 11, all I wanted was a phone, so asking the kid what they want is probably the way to go. Although, I will give some suggestions:
- Arduino/RPi kit - Anki Overdrive: https://www.digitaldreamlabs.com/pages/meet-overdrive - these things are very fun to play with - Can't go wrong with - Gaming Console - Bike/Scooter
Rope can be a great one. All sorts of stuff kids can do with a good long rope.
I gave my 9y/o a multi-tool (like leatherman but I found one with shorter blade) that has been a prize possession and used a bunch.
PW80 motorbike went down well.
This year I'm looking at basic camera gear as kids like making videos and use the images at the moment.
Laser tag guns we got one time get pulled out a bit. Get enough do a couple friends caN play too.
Dress-up outfits get used a bunch. Spiderman, star wars, Heidi, pirates, cow suits etc. We've built up a few over the years and they get pulled out periodically.
Lego, board games & computer games are unoriginal but go down well.
Mostly kids want to spend time together having fun so a 'choose what to do for a day' type gift is enjoyed. Offer them stuff like water slides, escape room, zoo etc.
Though not exclusively, I aim for experiential, consumable or home made when giving gifts. IMHO tools fall under “experiential”.
This year I’m getting my 8yo her own mushroom knife and mushroom journal (yes we like to forage together).
Maybe a starter-tier 3D printer. Something around $300~. You'll need a well ventilated space though, plastic fumes are unpleasant.
Or a basic CNC if you don't want to worry about fumes, but then material costs (i.e. wood) is much higher than 3D printer filament.
Ages 5+.