Tween age girls are rather easy to buy for; a Bonnie Bell lip smacker sampler, fingernail polish, hair band, earrings or bath gels and they’re good to go. For those 9-12 year old boys, birthday gift shopping is a bit harder ~ they still like building and making things, but selections are pretty limited when your birthday gift budget is $10 or less.
So what sorts of inexpensive birthday gifts can you buy a pre teen aged boy?
Legos are one of those timeless birthday gifts that continues to be popular year after year. The Bionicles and Exoforce series puts out cool kits for ages 8-14 for $9.99. Watch for the sales; this particular line can often be found on a “buy one, get one free” special.
Models are another great birthday gift idea for a boy who likes to build and make things. Models start as low as $5, with a great selection in the $7-$10 price range. For beginning model builders, stick with Level 1. Cars and planes are always good picks.
Spy Gear is a relatively new toy on the scene that has wicked spy gear including listening devices, voice traps and voice changers, spy pens, ear light, motion detectors and a whole lot more. There’s plenty of cool spy gear ranging from $5-$10.
For the sports fan the Wilson Menace football is a half size football for back yard fun. It’s covered with black and silver zebra stripes and is priced at 8.99. Don’t forget those baseball or football trading cards! Trading cards are bargain priced anywhere from $1.99 and up, and are tons of fun for children who follow a specific sport.
When my boys were this age, the Nerf arsenal of weapons showed up pretty high on their birthday wish list. Nerf weapons are really still one of the better toy bargains out there; for $7.99, you have your pick of the Xtreme of the Maverick Nerf guns. Remember back-of-the-door basketball hoop sets? Nerf still produces this popular birthday toy for kids of all ages, for a mere $3.99.
For boys into cars, Matchbook has a great line of cars under their “Since 68” product line. Included in the lineup are circa 1970s muscle cars that are wickedly cool and priced at $3.99.
Science geeks will enjoy the Mini Labs selection of science toys price at $9.99. These lab sets offer a wide selection of science projects including fingerprinting, rocks & minerals, electro-magnetism, solar energy, and electricity.
Finishing up the list of fabulous birthday gifts for pre teen aged boys, are the increasingly popular gift cards. Top of the wish list are $10 gift cards for iTunes, Hastings, Best Buy, and the mall.
Shopping for a pre teen boy’s birthday gift can be a little tough, especially since you’re never really quite sure what they might have already. With this list of ideas, shopping for that special birthday present should make your shopping experience a whole lot easier.
