You can check out part one of this guide where we show you the most played with holiday gifts from ages 2-8, but now we are on to kids that are a bit older. Again the boys are grouped together and because of the age difference between all of the kids, the girls’ gifts will only go up to age 10, but we will do something for older girls in the future.
Christmas Gift Guide Overall
2012 – 7 Year Old 9 Year Old Boys
Hasbro Bop It! Smash – Fast-paced, handheld electronic reaction game and it was tactile so it was a huge hit during the holidays as well as the rest of the year. With competitive kids this one will really get a lot of time. While this is not made anymore there are some alternate versions from other companies that you can find, or really any reaction based items work.
Carson MM-200 Carson Micromax LED 60X-100X LED Lighted Pocket Microscope – The kids loved having their own microscope, and we loved getting them a STEM product. Nowadays you can find something like a 1000X Handheld Digital Microscope for Kids, STEM Educational Toys that really ups the technology game.
Beat The Parents Board Game by Spin Master – Competing with your parents in a fun way is something kids are always up for. It made for many fun family game nights and the new version has even more challenges.
Rule the Household: In Beat the Parents, it’s kids vs parents in a head-to-head, action-packed showdown of trivia & challenges. With a Winner Coupon at stake, who will win family game night? Competitive Non-Stop Fun: Take on over 100 new, hilarious & viral challenges that test all generations of players on trivia, aiming & throwing, & more, with 3D punch-out pieces that add to the fun
2013 – 8 Year Old 10 Year Old Boys
Hexbug Aquabot – The kids grew up as a Hexbug family and we had all sorts of versions of them. The Aquabots made a big impression on the kids and while we can’t find them currently to buy, there are some other alternatives that do the same thing.
Clubs Card Game by North Star Games – This was another fun card game that the kids enjoyed, and while it is out of production it seems that you may be able to find similar games.
LEGO Architecture – LEGO Architecture feels very grown up and the best part of it is that you can build places that you have already visited or are planning to visit.
Killerspin Ping Pong Table – We don’t think there was really a better gift for the kids that got used as much and still gets use today than having a high quality ping pong table, note we said high quality. Try to find them when they go on sale but we started off with a Killerspin and would still have it to this day if it wasn’t for some ill placed leaking cleaning bottles. We could not be a year without a table though for the family Thanksgiving Day tournament we have every year so we picked up a JOOLA table this go around. We also have a whiteboard that keeps the all time scores and also has a list of excuses people have used while playing. There probably is not a better holiday gift if you have the room. Ours started out in the basement in NJ where it was really tight to moving to the garage when we moved down to NC as the weather allowed you to play all year.
2014 – 9 Year Old 11 Year Old Boys
Hexbugs Battle Spiders – They provide real life multi-player battles that you control with a small remote control, but as of right now we do not know if they will be coming out with newer versions. There are other companies that are doing something similar, they are super fun because they are tactile and real world.
Wireless Bluetooth Waterproof Speaker – The kids enjoyed bringing this outside with them while they were playing and getting them to shower is also easier with music!
Crayola Sketch Wizard – This is still sold today so make sure to go out and grab one, it is a tracing device that allows your kids to draw things, but at the same time it teaches them how to become better artists. My two kids that used to play with this a lot have turned into solid artists.
Crayola Sketch Wizard Create realistic sketches of any object with Crayola Sketch Wizard. This tracing device enables kids to draw from 2-D and 3-D objects as well as images from smartphones and tablets.
2015 – 10 Year Old 12 Year Old Boys
CatEye Strada Slim Wireless Cyclo computer – We did a lot of mountain biking with the boys and having a computer to give them all of their stats was a really fun way for them to keep progress. There are other ways to accomplish this these days, but this seems like the most straightforward and probably the least expensive.
Sand Art – Exotic Sands – You can still find these on Amazon and they are very neat and relaxing, where you get a unique scene every time you turn it. There are various colors of sand that are suspended in air bubbles and they are good quality with strong glass.
Ravensburger Labyrinth – This game was on repeat for a few years, with it being the go to board game. It is still sold today and now there are even versions for Minecraft, Pokémon, the Ocean, and more.
2016 – 11 Year Old 13 Year Old Boys
Dromida Rally Car – While this brand is no longer in production, giving the kids a entry level hobby grade R/C car, that is an upgrade from the toy versions is a great idea. You can check out the Traxxas LaTrax Rally which is a 1/18 scale, 4WD electric Ready-To-Race (RTR) RC car designed for an entry-level hobbyists and casual indoor or smooth-surface driving.
AmazonBasics Mid-Back Mesh Chair Game Chair – This is around the time the kids will need a good chair for gaming, but also for homework as they should see an increase in both. They are still using them today, but there are many brands to choose from.
2017 – 12 Year Old 14 Year Old Boys
RECOIL – Recoil is a smartphone-integrated, Wi-Fi and GPS-enabled home laser tag system created by Skyrocket Toys that unfortunately no longer exists. This was such a great game that had a ton of tracking data and stats, almost like a real tactile Battle Royale. There are systems out there today but most are not really consumer level and are quite expensive.
Bezier Games One Night Ultimate Werewolf – This is another game that still gets played today and it also allows you as a parent to figure out which one of your kids can lie the best…haha ok how about deceive instead. It really is fun though and there are all sorts of different versions of this game out now.
Czech Games Codenames – This is another game that we still play today during game night. It also helps you create some great association skills. There is a competitive side to this with two teams and there are also two roles to choose from with the person giving the clues and the rest of the team guessing. There are also different versions, but we like the classic word version the best.
2018 – 13 Year Old 15 Year Old Boys
Funko Pop Fortnite – There are Funko Pops for whatever your child is interested in, even as they get older, so this is a solid choice.
Hasbro Connect 4 Shots – While this is not available anymore, you can check out other companies for something similar. This was a fun game that requires some good hand eye coordination and skill.
2019 – 14 Year Old 16 Year Old Boys
Oculus Quest – The Oculus Quest was one of the first mainstream, completely untethered standalone VR systems that did not require a PC or external sensors. This made it a fun self-contained solution and the kids LOVED it. You can always look at the newer versions for a gift for this year.
Fat Cat Trueshot 6’ Pool Table with Folding Legs for Easy Storage, Included Pool Cues and Billiard Ball – We did not have the room for a full pool table, we really wish that we did. This was something the kids had fun with but could also be folded up and put away after we were done or needed the room. It is pretty big so it was more than a toy, but still less than a full fledged table.
Percussion Massage Gun – As the kids are really into their sports at this age, but make sure you don’t buy a budget version. Make sure to get a good version that can really help the recovery process.
2018 – 9 Year Old Girl
LEGO Friends Heartlake City Resort – The LEGO Friends sets continue to go strong at 9 years old, you can even get bigger and more complex ones like this one. While the Heartlake City Resort is retired you can find many great LEGO Friends sets.
Pikmi Pops Giant Pikmi Flips – These were oversized, scented, reversible plush toys from Moose Toys that transform from a fluffy cotton-candy-style pom-pom into a large animal characters. They are not made anymore, but you can always find fun toys like this.
Popsicle Molds Set – BPA Free – 6 Ice Pop Makers by Lebice – Making your own popsicles can be a fun experience with your children. They get to try some fun flavors and you can keep things healthy. There are all sorts of different versions of this for you to look at.
Canvas Print – Ahh – We took my daughters favorite stuff animal from when she was little and took some photographs of it on a nice professional background and had a canvas print made of it that she still keeps up in her closet today.
2019 – 10 Year Old Girl
Sabotage Season (The Kicks) by Alex Morgan – The Kicks (12 book series) is a must read if your kids are into soccer, there was also an Amazon series that ended too quickly.
Klutz Sew Mini Treats: More Than 18 Food Plushies to Stitch & Stuff, Craft Kit – Lucia
So that’s it, the gifts that the kids played with over the years in a Holiday Gift Guide. You can’t go wrong with any of these and we would even go so far to say that some of them you might just want to find the original version if possible. Stay tuned as we continue to work on more gift guides every year.