Buying toys for children that are hitting double figures can be pretty difficult because they are growing up and close to their pre-teen years but still young enough to want to play with the things that interest them. They want to put their brains and imagination to good use but also want a gift that is age-appropriate and this can be problematic for parents trying to buy them birthday gifts. The following list of top toys for kids aged 9 years old and 10 years old looks at toys that are not just classified by being for boys or girls but can be separated by their purpose. Some are difficult, educational games, others are science-based gift ideas based on chemistry and electronics and others are simply a lot of fun.
Fun Games for Kids 9 Years Old and Up
Perplexus Epic
If you are looking for a puzzle game to test the abilities and mental prowess of your children, the Perplexus Epic could be a top choice, especially as it may even live up to its name for older kids and adults too. The tag line says “easy to play but challenging to compete” and this is apt because the motions of flipping and twisting the sphere is easy enough to manage for most players but that doesn’t mean that all the internal parts are in the right place.
Kids need to guide the little silver ball over and around the 125 obstacles and not let gravity ruin their strategy and send it in entirely the right direction. The maze of tunnels, slides and steps form an elaborate structure that initially looks impossible to find a solution to but that just makes the feeling of satisfaction on completion all the better.
Gravity Maze
Another mind-bending, head scratcher of a game to keep children occupied and testing out their skills of strategy and reasoning is the Gravity Maze from Think Fun. This game looks simplistic in its parts on first impressions, with 9 coloured towers and a target piece to fit on the game grid and a few marbles, but there are 60 challenges to play, all with different difficulty levels, and it takes some skill to complete them.
The card tells your the basic grid positions but there is more to do in order to get the marble on the correct route. This game, classed a “falling marble logic game, was an award winner for 2015 and is said to be suitable for players aged 8 to 15. Your kids could play it together as a family but it is probably less frustrating for all concerned if they figure it out on their own.
Science Sets as Birthday Gifts for 9 and 10 Year Boys and Girls
Nancy B’s Science Club Stir-It-Up
At 10 years old, the proposition of chemistry classes and real science lessons in “big” school is not that far away and some may wish to get a head start on some of the experiments with their own chemistry set. The Nancy B’s Science Club Stir-It-Up Lab is said to be for chemistry and kitchen experimentation and while the name suggests that it is for girls, there is no reason why boys can’t get involved too.
The inclusion of the journal is a nice touch because it adds that academic side to the product and helps children record their actions and progress, but there are still enough exciting processes – such as extinguishing a flame and bubbling lava – to ensure that this is a fun birthday present for many kids. With all the different accessories and experiments, kids are sure to be encouraged to learn more and enjoy themselves.
SmartLab Spa Lab All-Natural Soaps Science Kit
A science-based set that is a little clearer in its attempt to appeal to 9 and 10 year old girls is the SmartLab Spa Lab All-Natural Soaps Science Kit. This is a new set for 2015 that looks at the creation of bars of soap through a range of natural, accessible ingredients and encourages girls to make their own creations with their own blends by simply providing them with 14 soap molds and a comprehensive booklet that talks about how to make them and what might work.
The mix of girly science and creativity means that this is an interesting choice as a gift for many girls but it also encourages them to think about natural ingredients from the garden and to be generous to others, with the set also containing 5 gift boxes so they can create personalized soap sets for friends and relatives.
Some of the Best Electronics Gifts for 9 and 10 Year Olds
Makey Makey – An Invention Kit for Everyone
Science kits don’t have to mean chemistry sets and those kinds of experiments as there are also a number of electronic based kits out there for kids that want to learn more about the subject, create something interesting and then perhaps pursue that in their education. One such kit from Makey Makey is the vaguely named An Invention Kit For Anyone that is currently the best seller for model kits on Amazon.com.
This is possibly due to the sales pitch of turning a banana into a touchpad, which most kids would like to see, but it is mostly due to the range of applications offered and the simplicity of the process. With a controller and some leads, and no detailed programming knowledge, kids can connect with their electronics in new and exciting ways through everyday conductive objects to create some surreal game controllers for their tablets or laptops.
Science Wiz Cool Circuits
Around the age of 9 to 10 years, kids will start to learn more about the physics of the world around them and the finer points of electricity and this should lead to greater interest in circuitry. One of the best ways to encourage this is through fun, simple games and the Science Wiz Cool Circuits kit does just that while also promoting abstract thinking and spacial reasoning.
The principle is pretty straightforward, complete a circuit with the pieces provided to solve the challenge; however, with 40 challenges in all, the difficulty level rises and kids really have to think about the next step. This circuit board, which was named best puzzle of the year in 2013, is more appealing than some computer games with similar objectives because it is tactile and has a pleasing glow to the florescent green pieces and gives another dimension to the problem.
OWI Super Solar Recycler
A set dealing in both electronics and robotics with a difference is the OWI Super Solar Recycler – the ideal building and robotics kit for greener minded parents that would like to see their kids recycling more. The aim with this top toy is to take everyday items that may be thrown away, like old bottles, soda cans and scratched CDs, and bring new life to them through the kits provided.
There are 6 kits in total to help kids make drumming robots, rollers, racers and other moving creations and these parts include the all important motors and solar panels. Not only is this a creation built from reusable items with no batteries to worry about, it shows kids the potential of solar power for even the simplest creations. If you are looking for a way to show that renewable energy is smart and fun, this is one of the best options.
Other Top Toys to Excite Kids Aged 9 to 10 Years Old
Nerf Rebelle Agent Bow Blaster
When we say the name Nerf we tend to think of the big guns for boys that like to recreate movies and videogames by shooting at each with foam darts but the Nerf Rebelle Agent Bow Blaster is completely different. This time the target market is the tomboyish girl that wants to play an action/adventure role – the accents and accessories being pink and black – and instead of a gun we have an incredibly stylish bow that they can show off.
This Heartbreaker bow lets pre-teens unleash their inner Katniss through a realistic action and a set of arrows that can reach a distance of up to 85ft. If that was not enough the players at the other end can use the additional decoder to translate the secret messages that the archer might fire and all can enjoy the whistling sound of the arrows as they fly through the air.
Super Stadium Baseball Game
The Super Stadium Baseball Game from International Playthings is one of those toys that is said to be “great fun for kids of all ages”, which means that it is just as enjoyable for kids at 9 years old, their younger siblings that might want to join in and dad and granddad too.
The designers might say that it is educational through the mechanisms and set-up, with the chance to help kids with their hand-eye coordination, but it is really all about the chance for kids to play a game of baseball in their own home and recreate the roar of the crowd and the joy of the home run. It may only look like a simple stadium with little figures and a springloaded bat to hit the ball but it could be so much more than that to the young boy that has started playing at school and dreams of being a star player.
Melissa and Doug Deluxe Magic Set
Finally in this list we come to a completely different discipline that is not always the go to subject for boys and girls in this age range but is the most practical way of bringing magic into their lives. The Melissa and Doug Deluxe Magic Set comes from a well known name in children’s toys and is currently the best seller in magic kits and accessories on Amazon.com.
This is surely due to the promise of a great range of tricks made from the highest quality and there is the strong promise that the kit is easy enough to learn but impressive enough to amaze a child’s friends. This toy, complete with its neat storage box/performance table, certainly has the materials of a high end set that an audience will struggle to see through and kids will love learning some of the classic tricks involving coins, cards, mirrors and more.
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