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.

Googled. It's called Kapla. Age wise lasts for ages and takes up lots of time.

He sounds very similar to my son! Currently the favourite thing in our house is a local bus map route. He has pored over it, making his own versions, for HOURS this half term 😂
Other things he has and actually enjoys:
Yoto player and the ‘lady bird audio adventures’ series of cards
Numberblock multilink toys
Botley (simple coding toy)
SmartGames (Camelot is a great one start with)
Marble run
Atlases
Chess set

We're buying our DS, also 5, something from here: shop.sciencemuseum.org.uk/collections/robotics-and-coding?srsltid=AfmBOoorFksDDhmD6u4wXhmid4QTY18tqjf-Np3h5IszgLxJwRJBqPyj

We also have a gravitrax kit which he loves but isn't quite playing with independently yet.

I know this is spendy and maybe too old for him, but how about something like this?

https://traindepartures.com/products/mini-train-departures-board

I've seen cheaper versions, but they look like great fun!

We too had a snap-together electronics kit (ours was John Adams Hot Wires, I think from a quick Google). It was great fun for some years.

And DS now has a degree in electronic engineering.

Ticket to ride board game? There’s a simplified kids version and also a London special edition

YES! This is amazing!

I take it you've done the other transports? DLR, the tram, the boats?
The cable cars and similar?

Does he like measuring? What about a laser measuring tool?

My YES THIS IS AMAZING! was meant to be about the Post Office Museum Train.

I was about to recommend the same thing!

What about a trip on the sleeper train to scotland and back?

Or a Steam Day at Didcot?

How does he feel about space? The Space museum at Leicester (travel by train and bus) is great.

Your list of things that he likes are largely about doing. The things that he doesn't play with, even though they may be on a similar topic, are about imaginative play. Did the Lego come from a specific kit with instructions or was it a box of bricks that he had to imagine a design for?

Would be like something he can build with? Not like Lego but like a vehicle to put together and take apart?

A poster (Tarquin) with a million dots on

Has he done the postal railway at the postal museum yet? That sounds right up his street.
https://www.postalmuseum.org/visit-us/what-to-expect/mail-rail/

A children's microscope.
I saw them advertised on Facebook and they looked really good and effective!

Things like those pin boards that you put your hand against and it leaves the shape in the pins? A newtons cradle?
Like gadgety things.
He sounds fabulously individual and perhaps a scientist or engineer of the future!

Bright Minds has a lot of cool STEM type toys.

And spend the day in Glasgow where there is an excellent transport museum! And a teeny tiny Underground system...

He might be a bit young now but Gravitrax might be an option in the future
The Happy Puzzle Company might have some ideas

Metal detector is a great suggestion above!

Am considering this for my similar 5 year old…magnetic marble run which can be built on the fridge or on a magnetic whiteboard mounted to the wall. Similar to a few he has lived using in science museums https://amzn.eu/d/2khO8eQ

Does he have a bike? If so how about a speedometer which measures how fast he goes?
A watch?

A circuits toy with batteries, lights etc that you build yourself

There's loads of new Magnatile extension/expansion packs you can get now with roads, marble runs etc