Indoor toys and acitivities for 7 year old boys

[martini]

Just wondering what other 7 y/o boys like doing. Am thinking about Xmas plus things to do on playdates with friends from new school during the winter.

We seem to have got stuck in a bit of a lego rut and I am getting bored of picking up teeny tiny pieces of half disintegrated Lego City models. What else could he do that does not involve TV or computer game/ playstation/ nintendo ds or similar.

was hoping for something a bit more low maintenance .... [pathetic emoticon]

Ds1 has just really got into chess

ds1 is 7.5 and when at home he likes:

Playstation
Lego
Magnetix
Knex
Making models out of junk
Writing letters adn stories
Watching a DVD
Kicking an indoor football around in the hallway

Oh yes, he loves Scrabble, draughts, naughts and crosses (god, is tha thouw you spell naughts??) - any game really.

Playing on the piano (bit noisy)

He LOVES makin ghis own food - even if just sandwiches, chopping fruit etc.

Most of the time, tbh, he makes up imaginative stuff wtih his brothers rather than playing with toys - I just let them get on with it.

Oh, he also loves toy soldiers and fort - dh's one from childhood - LOVES it.

get him HyperDash

fabulous!

DS loves monopoly and backgammon

but seriously low maintenance .. Hyper Dash

what's hyperdash twig?

hyper dash

Hyperdash looks good. Totally relate to the playing indoor football in hall - mine spends hours playing football with a balloon in his room (destroying lego models en route ....)

Oh ds will LOVE that - will get it for Xmas!

Am pleased to read other DS' activities seem pretty similar to ours. Sometimes go round to friends houses and they have something spectacular like whole room Scalectrix track and feel like inadequate parent.

On our part had of course forgotten Match Attax cards which DS spends hours pouring over and which have just had to endure 3 games (although did win twice )

Marble run?

(I think its 'noughts')

oh yes, noughts - I knew it looked wrong

me a spelling pedant as well

Ds spends a lot of time on his castle with plastic figures; also, playmobil. He's beginning to be interested in games, things like Cluedo and card games. If I had a big space I would set up a table tennis table: can't beat that for indoor entertainment. He has a brilliant ice-hockey game, like a pub football game, but with moving figures.

It's all bionicle here. DS1 also plays table tennis (sorta), reads. When he has friends round, they just ... well, they run around with cushions, they throw balls of paper, you know ... pleasant games.

Bionicle is Lego in deep cover isn't it. Does that result in teeny tiny debris or is it less flaky than Lego City (which always has loads of 1 blob bits as lights/ indicators etc).

There has been a bit a Star Wars phase going on recently but again a lot of the toys seem to be Lego. Was wondering about a Star Wars figures playset.

LOL at throwing cushions/ bits of paper - this is true. At least its an improvement on "getting naked & getting into bed" which was top ranking about 2 years ago.

Oh, yes, top trumps is v possible.

I think bionicle is a bit better than lego city for tiny bits, but there are a lot of bits. And they make figures which have moving parts, so they can have battles with them afterwards. There are projectile weapons, too. Lots of tiny things to step on.

Like the action man zip wire. Is that actual Action Man as in the one with scar on cheek plus combat outfit. Didn't know that bays still played with them - they belong to my childhood (I had Sindy though ....)

Am v unkeen on jumping on cushions from sofa - do not have car so cannot cope with A&E trip.

Top trumps - yup all that appeals to DS obsessive compulsive tendencies. COmbine top trumps with Star Wars - need I say more.

my 6yo loves games, but doesn't really play them with friends - more with us.
Hits include monopoly (currently obsessed, our current project is making one of our village), chess, top trumps, mastermind, yahtzee. Also likes hama beads and reads a fair bit.
With friends it is lego (get a big mat/blanket and make them play it on that - then you can just tip it all away at the end) or boyish exuberance.