Help! I Need Ideas for a Gift for 10 Year Olds!

[Bonnie151]

Through our work we have a Christmas gift event where you can volunteer to purchase a Christmas present for a child who would not otherwise be receiving presents due to their personal circumstances. DH and I have volunteered to get two presents this year- one for a 10 year old boy and one for a 10 year old girl.

I thought this would be easy! But going through Amazon lists I'm realising that I have no idea as to what 10 year olds like!

Would anyone with children around that age care to enlighten me? The gift should be around $30, but we'd be happy to go a bit higher.

Thanks!

 

[wvdislover]

I have a DD9. Although she has some expensive items on her list, like Nintendo DS Lite and another gaming system, she also has some less expensive items you might be interested in. She also wants some CD's, like Cheetah Girls 2 or Aly & AJ (Hannah Montana is also popular here). She has a few DVD's she wants (some popular ones are Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses, The Wild, Polly Pocket, Full House, and any of the Disney/Pixar movies that have come out recently). If you know sizes, likes, etc., clothes are always a good option at this age; if you don't know sizes, gift cards work. We also enjoy playing board games as a family. Cranium has a number of good games out. Good luck!

 

[gianna2006]

How about a wrist watch? There are lots of cool styles that are interchangeable (and would be a good gift for a boy or a girl). Of course, DVDs, CDs, or board games are also great gifts. Clothes are too hard, as the kids start to get particular with what they're wearing around this age.

 

[swillis]

Girls: crafts like bead making things, other type of jewlery making kits, cd's (check out the top artists on amazon) cool scarves and hats (think Old Navy or Limited 2) Limited 2 has a ton of "cool" stuff up front near the registers. Stuff for their bedrooms, lockers. nail painting kits, lipglosses. journals, photo albums and frames.

Boys: dvd's or cd (again ck amazon) stay away from video games, as you don't know what system if any the child has. This is what I got my 10 year old son so far....bathrobe,slippers, college football fleece throw, poseable army dudes, baseball caps, baseball cap holder, football cards, Guiness book of world records book (for kids) also got a few other books about "gross" stuff. Boys love gross stuff.

Hope that helps you out a little. I usually shop at Old Navy, Limited 2, sports equipment type stores, and toy stores.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I would probably stay away from DVDs or CDs or anything that requires a device to play it. Since you don't know who you're buying for, you won't know if they actually have this kind of equipment.

I have 2 boys (11 & 8) and I also frequently buy birthday gifts for their friends. I have found that girls around this age love craft kits. You can get bead kits so they can make bracelets, sand kits for making decorations and I recently gave a 10 year old girl a magnet making kit.

Most boys at this age love Legos. You can get Lego kits with different themes (Star Wars, Harry Potter, NASCAR, etc.).

For either boys or girls, you can put together an art kit with markers, paints, paper, clay, colored pencils, etc. Lots of kits enjoy art and you could put together a really nice kit for $30.

 

[disneyfanfamily]

Last year we got our boys, age 8 & 10 at the time, portable/earphone CD players. (apx. $15.00 each). They really like those. This year it is even more about sports stuff - jerseys, cards, bobble heads, basketballs, etc.

They do like magnetix. Not sure how expensive those are.

I think at that age, most boys, as long as they are sports minded, like all kinds of sports cards. My boys will look at those for hours if I would let them!

I have to admit, I think they are NOT fun to buy for anymore....what happen to the power rangers and the toy dinosaurs....they grow up too fast.

 

[carone0318]

My dd is 10 and the one thing that she has asked for last yr and didn't get and would like this year is a pogo stick. They have them at Toys R Us for around $25-$30 and that is a unisex gift, could be for either.

She also really enjoys the Deal or No Deal Electronic Board Game (around $30). She was just playing it last weekend, pretty easy to pick up how to play, this is another unisex gift.

 

[SoonerGirl]

I have a 10 yr old DS and he really doesn't like toys much anymore. He is into anything sports or music related. Jerseys, shoes, bats, balls, games that deal with sports, etc. He also loves his ipod, now obviously you can't get an ipod for $30, but a portable CD player is a good option.

 

[Karel]

Get hoodies - pull over sweatshirt with hood.

 

[Matt'sMom]

My 10 yr old DS absolutely loves his Legos. Lego sets are wonderful because they promote valuable skills (such as ability to follow directions accurately, spacial perception, etc.) while also allowing for creativity--you can build the set according to the enclosed plans, but then can also take it apart and use the various pieces to build your own original creations.

Like most of the pre-teen & tween age kids in our home area, DS is also big into Soccer. Gifts such as a soccer ball and shin guards might be an appropriate choice, for either a 10 year old boy or girl. There are nearly as many girls participating in our local soccer league as there are boys.

Having been a scout leader, and a 'home room parent' at school, I have also observed that the majority of kids in this age group seem to genuinely enjoy arts and crafts projects. So supplies or kits for crafting might be another possibility to consider.

 

[NotUrsula]

Don't forget that these are kids who are probably pretty poor. Sports equipment is great, but I would stick to stuff that promotes informal play -- most poorer kids do not play on formal teams. You might also consider that kids who live in rough neighborhoods tend not to be allowed to play outdoors -- so toys that can be played with indoors are sometimes a better choice. If these are inner-city kids, basketball is likely to be more popular than soccer, unless they are hispanic or immigrants.

Stay away from console video games and anything that goes with them. Handheld games that are self-contained are actually a fairly good choice. Remember to put in a lot of extra batteries with a choice like this, though.

10 yo boys usually like building sets, but be careful with Magnetix if there is a chance that there might be younger children in the home. They can be very dangerous if swallowed.

Personal radios are a good choice, too. Remember that MP3 players need computer access for downloads, and CD players need CD's, but radio is still free.