Gift for 8 year old boy

Joined
Apr 7, 2004
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NJ
For those of you who have 8 year old boys what toys do they like nowadays as I have been far removed from that age group in many years. It for some underprivileged children in our neighborhood.

Moderators please move to General and Off Topic. I posted hear by mistake
 
I saw, bought and gave a set of die-cut and creased paper airplanes.
The designs were a collection of every wacky thing you're ever seen with wings.
HOWEVER, each design was a true aeronautic design.

You popped them out of the pages and used glue to assemble them.
So, it would take time and patience to fold-glue-hold.

The kid loved the gift even though it came as a flat pack of paper
 
Lego- lots of car oriented builds: F1, a NASCAR Camaro, Mustangs, BMW M, and Mercedes-AMG. I have several of the latter...
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2 Lego fanatic granddaughters and grandpa ;)are getting these for Christmas. It a pull-back car so there will be racing. Not for 8 YOs.

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Lego "sculptures" are just that.
Weird, non-standardized Legos get turned into Yoda or Bond's Astin Martin and never get played with again.
Big thumbs down on Legos
Has not been our experience.

There are lots of vehicles and buildings and figures that are played with like any other toy for hours. Some sets can be reconfigured into different things. (y)
 
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I am not up on the latest trends, but in the past we have unofficially sponsored some underprivileged families, usually the undocumented type so they weren't on official lists. So I am not sure if your just doing toys for tots or actually someone you know.

What we found. The living situation often means minimal space, living with others, or moving frequently. So while I love the idea of Lego's - they would be likely to get lost in the scenarios I am familiar with - too many parts. Also anything requiring batteries is not good - they will never get replaced. Integrated rechargeable might be OK, but include a extra cord. We stuck with things that were hard to break and easy to keep track of - Tonka trucks, hot wheels, sporting goods like soccer balls, etc.

Bikes are appreciated. Include a helmet.

Not so much for 8 year olds, but kids approaching teens often wanted clothing - because they had so little.

Good luck. Your a good man!
 
A set of fins, mask and snorkel.
Make the mask small as a lesser volume mask offers less profile for waves and is what pro divers use.
Let the kid learn the right way from the beginning.

Get him interested in sharpening.
 
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