Sorry, one of those threads.... 7 year old boys who don’t like toys?

[Magair]

7yo DS likes receiving toys but not playing with them really. He likes building Lego but not fussed about sets. Otherwise his games tend to be imaginary and use random sticks or an old coin or something. Not fussed at all about cars, action figures, small world play etc. His 7th birthday is the week before Christmas so double hard. He will get a couple of bits of tat from the Smyths catalogue but otherwise I have thought of....

Craft/science set
Clothes
Rugby training leggings and top
New England/Tottenham football kits
New bike
Books
Nat geo kids subscription
Teen titans go dvd
Then we are down to vouchers or tickets to things which are lovely but not that exciting to unwrap maybe? He’s only 7. Trying to hold off electronics for another year.

He and DS2 are the only children in the family so I also need ideas for all the various grandparents, aunts etc who inevitably want to buy for him. Any ideas welcome.

Does he like board games? DS now 11 is similar, he has never been into toys except Lego, but he loves board and card games. His list would have been similar to what you list above, except with board games. He did really like a massive 1000 piece craft set, and he also quite liked a marble run.

Oh, we got him an adventure kit one year - a rucksack withwater bottle, compass, canvas and pegs for making dens etc, that went down well.

The science set and net geo mention make me think of snap circuits.
My 7 yr old loves Labrynth. Nat Geo also do a nice Almanac that goes in a stocking each year in this house.

It looks likes good list split between 2 dates.

Oh, and rubix cube or pyramid, card games (inc top trumps), so we are going to try Rummikub this year.
Would he like Knex or Zoobs as an alternative building method?
Magnets are also popular - we are on geomags and magformers.

Uno
Forbidden Island and Labyrinth are excellent board games.
A carpentry set. Ds has something like this.
Electric circuits set.
Kite - a small packable one, rather than a rigid one with struts. They're easy to fly, don't need particularly strong wind, and can be stuffed in a pocket just in case the opportunity arises to fly one on a walk.

My ds sounds similar to yours. He really likes the smart games puzzles. I've also got him the rush hour game this year from argos. Have a look on the wicked uncle website. You can search for gift ideas by age.

Mine loved his MP3 player (yes electronics but I got one that doesn't show videos just music)

Foam sword and shield

Unfortunately mine doesn't like lego

There is a nice box set of Teen Titans Go graphic novels on Amazon. Would be a change from dvds and something he can engage with right away on Christmas morning. Also, I know you say he doesn't really like action figures but would he like Teen Titans Go ones? The Imaginext TTG line is a lot of fun, with Pizza shooting Starfire, Gorilla Beast Boy, Burger flip Cyborg, etc. You can't get them in shops in the UK but they can be found online.

My DS got them from Santa last year and he loves them (though he is a massive toy fan in general). I also painted a load of animal figures green with Beast Boy facial features and they are a big hit. My DS uses them for making videos and stop motion animation shorts and it was the appeal of creating sfx that turn Beast Boy into an animal that made him learn the technique. A HUE HD Stop Motion Animation Kit could be another idea, my DS is getting it for his birthday in 2 weeks.

Blatant place marking as I have a football obsessed six-year-old who is also the week before Christmas. He does nothing except watch football talk about football read about football play football

He has hundreds of pounds worth of Lego he doesn't show interest in toys or games he sits in the house constantly saying what can I do.

It would be so much easier if you didn't believe in Santa anymore and then I wouldn't feel compelled to buy him toys he won't actually play with.

7 the week before Christmas that should say

Hot Wires are a fab present for this age group

Skateboard
Rollerskates
Camera

Thanks guys, some great suggestions, some of which he has but still really useful.

He has been through the smyths catalogue and picked out....
A zombie craft set
A prank set (bit like a magic set but pranks)
A 3D puzzle
A dinosaur fingerling
Quite a few board games
A chocolate making set
Jenga

In case anyone has a similar boy!

Hexbug battle bots and robot wars toys! They are awesome :)

Figgygal hexbug make football robots too!

Snap circuits
Spirograph
Battleships

Ditto Snapcircuits - they're v popular here.
I saw a really cool car that travels up walls in a gadget type shop. Sorry that's not very much detail! But my 7 year old DS thought that was very cool.
What about a magic set?
Slime set?
Stationary? Smiggle had 20% off when I went in today.

Magnets. lots of magnets.

Oh yes we've got a dinosaur fingerling

We've also got a swingball

I was going to suggest board games too. My DD loves bugs in the kitchen as do her boy cousins. I'm getting her labyrinth and jenga this year.