Boys aged 8 and 10

[Gettingthereslowly1]

I’d be really grateful if you could please help me with suggestions for presents for grandsons aged 8 and 10? Budget is £40-50 each, looking for 2-3 gifts or happy to spend all the money on one gift each.
They like Xbox and iPads but already have lots of games. I’m a bit stuck as to what else boys that age are into. Quite like the idea of getting them a family board game to share with some of the money. They apparently already have too much Lego.
I’d be so grateful if you could please spare the time to help me as I don’t want to buy gifts that their parents think are wrong.

I have a 9yo, he's getting a football shirt and match attax cards, Pokemon switch game and cards, Gravitrax, snap circuits, robot arm kit, squishy human body model, Get a Grip game and books.

Are they outdoorsy? Mine loved things like marshmallow roasting forks and a bag of marshmallows.
They also loved their penknives but can see not all parents would be thrilled about this.

Card trick and magic trick sets. Needs to be a decent one.

Tickets to see a show they would like? Maybe something one off or a sport they like. You can offer to take them and make a real event of it. My parents took my kids to see a skate stunt show one year and the circus another year which they absolutely loved.

Drones are always fun and you can get battle drones.

Nerf guns (a pair)
Guinness book of records for 10 year old

My ds (10 and 8) like their sport and are into labels! (Annoyingly expensive!) so their DGP often buy them Nike tracksuits or similar.

My DP buy us family membership to the National Trust which goes down very well with everyone then a smaller personal gift.

My ds quite like their gadgets so watches, robots, Anki Overdrive, binoculars, remote controlled cars etc are popular.

Last year we got cluedo as our family game. It was enjoyed a lot!

My boys actually prefer k’nex to lego especially the thicker k’nex.

DS got the Spider-Drone (about £34 on Amazon) for his 9th birthday, very appropriate and really wow-ed him. It has seen a lot of play (with his dad in a field close to woodland where not a lot of people go, you don't want to use it too close to houses, there are rules & regulations about it).
Are they into film making/animations? It's been discussed on other threads, it's a great way to get more play creative out of lego. There are some stop-start animation kits around (but my DS just uses his tablet and Adobe Clip).

This year he has asked for an iPad + apple pen to do digital art on, a nice wrist watch, books and art materials.

Football shirts or international rugby shirt !!

The laser nerf guns or laser x?
My 8yr old ds loves those as not losing bullets.

It's so difficult without knowing them. My 10 year old would hate nerf guns.

How about tickets to an experience/event you would take them to?

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me - I’m so grateful.
Some great ideas here and I’m now going off to google
Robot arm
Magic trick set
Guinness book of records
Tracksuits
Cluedo
Laser nerf (Although I’m concerned they may have them already)
Tickets

I’ve also wondered about the Nintendo or Sega classic pack - do you think that would go down well?
They both like science so any recommendations for science kits they could share would be useful.
I’ve also wondered about a match of the day subscription for the 10 year old - do you have any suggestions for the 8 year old? He is only just 8 and not a strong reader.
Once again, thank you so much.

My 8 year old loves beast quest and sea quest books. He’s also just 8.
He also loves the Steve backshall books and horrible science and infopedia books.

THIS is the robot arm DS2 is getting. Idea from another poster who I can't remember on a previous thread!

I'll ask their parents. Normally I would buy the presents and give them to my in laws that way our son always got what he wanted.
Ask the parents. They can ask the kids.

Magazine subscriptions are great. We have had okido but maybe a bit young and Aquila which might be too old. We also have had the First News, The Week Junior and The Phoenix. We have never had ‘whiz pop bang’ but it looks interesting. Ds2 is having a history/story one this year and d1 has There are quite a few different ones out there.

My ds1 loves science and he had an electricity kit one year. He absolutely loved it and still occasionally gets it out and he is now 12yrs.

Another idea is annuals based on the current interest.

Whizz pop bang magazine is great if they like science. My DS first got it from about age 9 and DN has enjoyed from age 7.

Lego ninjahp or nexo knights
A circuits set
Slime making kit
Kindle fire
Knex

Mine are lego mad and probably have enough lego to build an extension but there are lots of not-lego but lego themed gifts you could consider.
Can’t do links right now but google:
Crazy Action Contraptions
Lego Chain Reactions

Both of these are projects you can do with existing lego. Highly recommended.

Also look at The Lego Ideas Book which is a big glossy hard back

You can also get a lego stop motion animation kit if you think that might appeal.

Mine loved getting the technic power functions set.

All just ways of taking lego play to a new level.

Mine are 7 and 9 so similar ages. They are having:

Echo dot
Hot wires set
Light board for drawing
Zu3d animation kit for the 9 year old
New football
Pokemon onesies
Table tennis set
Nerf laser guns
Cheap version of a Fitbit (£20 from amazon)
Dobble
Rubix cube
Toptrumps football

My boys are 8 and 9 and huge football fans (as well as loving their PS4/Nintendo and still enjoy playing with trains). They are getting - mostly based on their Xmas lists:

Magazine subscription (Kick and a train mag)
Referee 'red and yellow cards' and a stopwatch
Various football books
Balls (hacky sacks and UEFA Champions League football)
Cubic puzzles - brilliant for those who have too much Lego, they are easy models to build and often do them with their grandparents
A projector alarm clock
A puzzle
Family Trivial Pursuit (we love games but have slightly overplayed Rummikub amd Backgammon)
Colouring pen sets
Quality Street (one of their favourite presents last year!!)

Other past faves were goal posts for the garden, football shirts and FIFA for the PS4
For birthdays for friends magic sets and the Melissa and Doug spy kit have gone down well

They've also bought football team duvet covers with their money because they know I wouldn't buy them for them!

Also on the theme of tickets, if they are in or can get to London (or Leeds I think) my boys love the chocolate making workshops at Hotel Chocolat which are great value at £20 per child.

My ds8 asked for two things, Star Wars Lego sets and gravitrax. We got both and as an extra "Build your own jet engine" kit because he likes aeroplanes.

And forgot to say that bath bombs are a huge hit at the moment. Lush has loads as well as a kind of rainbow play dough soap which mine have loved (so much so that they actually look forward to the bath and put their Match Attax down for five minutes!)

Harry Potter onesie (matalan), Lego brick tape, nerf gun, nerf jacket/vest, minecraft Lego, Game voucher, clothes from sports direct?