DS age 5, a difficult to buy for man of the future.

[wouldthatbeworse]

I'd love some help with suggestions for my DS age 5. He's a sweet boy and receives everything gratefully but presents often end up unplayed with.

He likes numbers, maths, magnatiles and trains (especially tube trains). He spends all his time playing with a calculator, stopwatch, a favoured book about trains and our large stash of magnatiles. He already has an inherited bike and scooter.

He's the youngest so we have a house full of lovely toys already. Things he has available but has shown no interest in playing with: lego(!), playmobil, train sets (depite loving to talk about trains), hot wheels, marvel, action figures, vehicles, dolls, sylvanians. He sometimes plays with a coding toy we have and is starting to read books like Dogman. He does like his science kit but I'd love something he could do without a parent.

TBH he'd be happy with some chocolate buttons and the new numberblocks annual but his brother wants a switch and ALL the lego so that won't really cut it.

Thanks for your help.

https://www.learningresources.co.uk/coding-critters-bopper-hip-hop?srsltid=AfmBOooYABm4hZtNq3Tidf5enBWI2tCFg9NotlSXduGWTxnbw0teG5om

It's good I'd say for 4-6 year olds although our older DC did also get stuck in

Visit to the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden

Believe me I have spent many many hours in that museum. It is wonderful. The first 7 or 8 times.

Just leaving this here! London Transport Museum gifts

A visit to a Railway museum and a ride there and back on a train. I know that you have been to the London Transport museum. Is there anything also near you? I was thinking of York but too far for a day out I think.
Kirkcaldy Testing Works looks interesting but I don't know how hands-on it is.
The value of the gift (in money) doesn't have to be equal. It's more about the personalisation.
You can take lots of pictures and then make them into a little book to remind him of the day if you want him to have something tangible.

Yoto player?

Rubik's cube

Might be a bit young but a microscope?

Turing tumble.

JL often have some good electronics kits.

Tinker crate subscription.

I have a number mad 5 year old who likes:

• spirograph - he does it scientifically trying out each hole
• Top Trumps
• vtech marble run
• Genius Star and IQ Fit - puzzle games where you have to put the pieces in
• globe puzzle where the pieces are app numbered plus a world puzzle
• a clock you build yourself

I am considering buying a clock that shows the weather.

Connetix ball run? There the same as magnatiles (there compatible too) just with tubes to build a ball run. This is what we went for at this stage. Little more thought needed when building

Leapfrog magic adventures globe was a hit at that age too

Sorry I haven’t read the whole thread, so someone else may have already suggested it, but Gravitrax (like a marble run but a bit more STEM puzzle-y) might be a good option?

Have you taken on the post office museum train ride?

It's so lovely to have all these suggestions. Sometimes it feels like little boys are only allowed to like football and Pokemon (nothing wrong with those things, or for girls either) but it seems there are loads of train mad number loving little kids out there.

Speedometer for his scooter/bike
Night vision goggles
Telescope
Kids Fitbit- might find it interesting
There's coding courses for age 6 usually onwards- don't know when he turns 6 but could be a future present
Type into google mother and baby.com best coding toys 2024 - might be of interest

He sounds very much like my son. I haven't read the thread but here are my suggestions. My DS is also 5.

Get him into chess - an annual subscription to chesskid is £35 and is brilliant! That with a chess board for proper games.

The electric circuit kits like this are brilliant, don't need much parental input after you've explained the basics:

amzn.eu/d/3Mwuawg

Gravitrax has gone down well here.

Have a look at the smart IQ puzzle toys, they're great.

I also second the idea of a yoto. There are brilliant fact audio cards you can get - audio adventures, my son likes the times tables card, you can get an addition and subtraction one.
Also lots on dinosaurs if he's into that.

If he likes a calculator how about a Little Professor?

https://amzn.eu/d/8O9deHP

A yotoplayer? It's basically a kids podcast/music player that you can put little cards in and it will tell them facts about topics e.g. the ocean or planets etc. You can link it to your phone to play music. Look it up as it's hard to explain.

My ds loves it and he can be very tricky to buy for! It's a great alternative to screens and works well as a wind down activity before bedtime.

Ah damn, cross post but it really is a great gift. Plus you can ask people who are unsure what to get him for more yoto cards :)

I would highly recommend Snap Circuits, it was one of the only things my DS would play with on his own at that age.

My DS is different to your DS, but I recognise myself in him. Here‘s some stuff I bought my DS before I realised I was buying for me, not him:

Geomags
A magnetic puzzle cube
Galt marble run
Knex
logic games (peg solitaire/ rush hour (Ravensburger/ Think Fun))

My DS does however love chess, and I can second the recommendation for the Chesskid app.

He also loves his placemat with all the times tables in a grid

You can get a tube stop personalised with name.

My friend has these amazing blocks a bit like jenga blocks but a huge amount of them and you can build the most incredible sculptures/ buildings with them.

If he likes science a bug hunting kit or microscope/telescope?