6 year old boy

[goldpendant]

He would like;

Nerf gun
Switch
Lego - harry p or nasa/space

DH and I feel he's too young for the first two but are struggling for other ideas. It's also his birthday next week so need a decent pool of gift ideas! He's turning 6. Not into football.

What else??

TIA!

could you get a nerf gun but replace the bullets with these suction ones and get a target for him to aim at? or are you totally against the idea of the gun itself? in terms of other presents, what about a new lunch bag, a hex bug set like this (have linked to a new one on ebay as on the official website it is £50) and some additional bugs to go with it, an explorer kit (great to encourage them to go outside and to come on walks etc), some pyjamas with his name on

He'll just get carried away with a nerf, we've had to confiscate knights swords, lightsabers etc. He's a bit wild.

He likes playing with duplo, likes the idea of Lego but it mostly ends up broken.

He used to spend hours with his diecast planes and airport mat, but sadly the interest is waning. Same for model trains.

Feels like an in-betweeny age. He's also asked for Playmobil which we might try.

I like the look of the hex stuff - is it decent quality? Is it just building or does it do anything?

its like a playset (for lack of a better description), so you set it up and put the 'bugs' inside. they then run around, you can direct them and as it comes with a rocket it allows for imaginative play etc

My ds is 6.5 years and is getting a Switch (joint with his sister), but they play together nicely with other tech so I don’t think he’s too young.
Other items he’s into - board games, we love Labyrinth, Operation, Battleships, Cluedo. Marble run things like Gravitrax. For his birthday in the summer he got a bigger bike, pogo stick, water slide. He is also keen on ‘experiences’ for want of a better word, indoor skydiving, cinema, theme park etc. For smaller gifts we’ve gone practical, things like socks, gloves, hat, bath stuff, squishies, Minecraft figures. He also likes Smiggle but I think that’s the influence of his sister. Hope there might be some ides there for you.

If he likes construction, try Knex, Gears Gears Gears, Zoobs or Meccano Junior.
Gravitrax is super for that age.
Also look at:
Robo Alive
Remote control car
Botley Coding robot
Hot Wheels
Osmo starter set (I’ve only seen them in John Lewis)

Re lego I’d recommend the Space range for now as there’s more to suit his age. A lot of the HP is for 8 up and they are trickier. That’s not to say a 6 year old won’t be able to build it but given you say he likes the idea of lego but it ends up broken I’d say go with the ones for his age range. Oh plus you get more bang for your buck with the City/Space range than the “merchandise” sets imo .

Ds loved hexbugs at 6 (still quite likes them at 8 too) and while they are good fun I wouldn’t say they’re great quality.

Other hits with ds or dns at @ 6 were Playmobil, most recently the ghostbusters range, Imaginext playsets, Hotwheels, Robots, marble run, a scooter, board games, art/craft bits, this pogo ball was very popular(!) and book series by their favourite authors.

Thanks some great ideas here!

Bugs in the kitchen game
Scalectrix

Space Playmobil is brilliant
Or How to Train Your Dragon playmo. Or Ghostbusters playmo.

Remote control car
MP3 player?
Hexbugs
Scooter
TP mud kitchen

Right, gone for a hexbugs zipline (£15 on Amazon seemed good), a Gravitrax starter set, the playmobil rocket, and operation board game as the main bits.

Also has David Walliams set of books, a marvel fancy dress, magformers set, and a few other small bits and pieces. Sound ok?

Oh and grandad has got the meccano rocket (juniors), and granny has a playmobil Romans set.

Nerf guns...no way! I think they're dangerous and i don't want that kind of play in the house! What a spoil sport I am! Haha!

We've got quite a bit of Playmobil but it's never played with. I'd only buy if you think your child is into role playing significantly with toys.

My DS is getting a Switch, I work in the tech industry so don't have an issue with him having a games console. I'd prefer it any day to playing games on a tablet. He has asked for Mario Maker 2, where you can design your own levels. It's going to offer him a new way to be creative, so I'm happy with that.

Maybe go for a big box of Classic Lego (yellow boxes - bricks, wheels, windows etc) and some of the Juniors/4+ sets (they changed the name. Some of the older sets are branded Lego Junior, new are 4+). You could get one of the Harry Potter Lego build your own adventure books which will give you a mini Harry Potter as a starter.
If he asked for Playmobil then that's easy - get Playmobil. He can use the Lego to build the Playmobil people a house!!
Sorted.

@ritzbiscuits how old is your DS? He likes games, has a kindle and is pretty good when we tell him it's time to turn off. I'm not anti Switch just thought I'd save it until 7/8.

@goldpendant My DS is 6 as well. He plays games on a tablet and has also been playing on my old Nintendo DS. Given he's only been used to touch screen games, I thought it was a good opportunity to get him used to physical controls.

Other than Mario Maker 2, which he's desperate for, I've researched carefully what are the best games for his age group. Yoshi's Crafted World is one that is better for younger kids. Personally 2D Mario I think is easier for younger kids to grasp than 3D Mario Odyssey.

I'm a bit of a Nintendo nut, so you're welcome to DM me if you want more information to help.