Gift suggestion for 8 year old boy please

[Shufflebumnessie]

This may sound an odd request as I have an 8 year old boy too but they are very different in all respects and I'm struggling to come up with something that will be an acceptable gift.
The child I'm buying for isn't allowed anything superhero/Starwars/Disney etc.
He's highly intelligent and is probably well above average for reading etc. Books have to have an educational element to them (think Shakespeare for kids type books, no David Walliams or similar).
He likes arts and crafts but not sports.
Toys tend to be wooden / educational.
He likes Lego but has a ridiculous amount and parents would prefer he didn't get any more.

Any suggestions? Please!!

Gift voucher, his parents sound so controlling poor boy.

A book for his parents on why play is important and why kids needs to have fun?!

A puzzle.

Watercolours or pastels and sketch pad.

Rubik's cube.

Poor boy. His parents sound controlling.

Perhaps a train set or Knex?

Oh god. He needs something fun.

Water pistol?

Is he allowed Pokemon stuff? Most 8 year olds I know love that. Or how about a scooter, or rolllerblades?

Need gun and target set!

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Oh god. He needs something fun.

Water pistol?

I'm not a betting person, but if I was I would bet guns are off limits as well.

My 8 yo loves sketching -follows you tube tutorials and ‘How to draw’ books so maybe a set of pencils, a book and a sketch pad?

He also loves nerf guns, slime and Mr Gum books

My son loves:

• watercolour palette set (staedtler do a good cheap one that is great quality and compact) and watercolour paper
• kapla (but £££)
• classic books (try Secret Garden, Swallows and Amazons, etc)

I usually get a nice tin of pencils and a big fat pad of grown up looking art paper when I don't know what to get. Sometimes a how to draw book. And a copy of the Beano.

I'm not a betting person, but if I was I would bet guns are off limits as well

All the more reason.

I would get a model kit. Boat, car, or building. A remote control toy would be fun, too.

My 8 year old loves Minecraft, football, crafts & reading (story books). Someone gave him a stick insect farm for his last birthday, he loved that!

Thanks for all the suggestions.
Pokemon/Minecraft/Nerf guns/water gun definitely out.
Scooter/skates/football also a no go due to various health conditions.
I like the idea of a how to draw book with paper/paints etc or a model kit.
Thank you.

What about a science kit? Growing crystals, build circuit etc. My 8 yr old loves these.

Labyrinth board game by Ravensburger is fun

I would suggest a science kit too. The Science Museum online shop has some nice ones.

What is your budget?

There are plenty of vaguely STEM toys that are actually good fun. Gravitrax is ace, but the initial set is expensive. Stickbot is an animation thing, but you do have to have access to a tablet or phone to use it with.

What about a Lego ideas book he can use with the Lego he has?

Maybe a ukulele and book on how to play?

Origami book and folding papers. 8 with advanced reading age isn't too young for The Hobbit book. A challenging jigsaw puzzle.

Depending on your budget maybe a subscription? My 7 year old enjoys Toucan boxes but there are lots of others available.

Science kit, magic set or marble run.

Gravitrax it's basically a marble run but is addictive and says something about physics on the box ...ds similar age was hooked

If he likes lego and books there are some amazing lego encyclopaedia type books you can get. My kids spend hours reading them!

Electrical circuits set / mecano / build your own robot / butterfly set are all ‘educational’ options. Do you know why on earth he isn’t allowed superheroes etc?

Poor child. DS is 8 next week and is very into Lego, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Minecraft.
I have just read the Hobbit to him and he loved that- is that highbrow enough for his parents?