Hey Mommas....Need Help with Christmas Shopping for a 6 Year Old Boy!

C.: I have 2 girls so I can't speak from personal experience with them, however, my 5.75 year old nephew is very much into anything Star Wars such as helmets, lego sets, pjs, bedding, DVDs, etc. Good luck!

Hi,

I've found that kids really love pj's. What's his favorite character, game, etc.?
Find snuggly pj's with that on it. Also, matching slippers and a robe too.

Practical, and I bet he'll love it.

Another option would be a sleeping bag and cool pillow.
Maybe even a small tent that can be put up in his room or living room, etc. for sleep overs or just fun!

For a stocking stuffer get a new character or light up, battery operated toothbrush and matching character toothpaste.

All things that he'll use everyday, but if it has a favorite character on it, it'll be special.

Have fun shopping. : )

In addition to all the other great ideas, it would seem to be common sense to buy him less for his birthday! Save up a couple of great toys he wants for Christmas morning. (Obviously it's too late to do that this year...)
One cool idea I like to do at Christmas is get the whole family tickets to a show-whatever will appeal. It's all boys here but me so I have to pick something that isn't "girlie". Something with some swordplay and spectacle! One year we saw Lookinglass Theater's Jason and the Golden Fleece, and we've seen a few things at Shakespeare Repertory (Navy Pier). He might be too young for an adult show but they have special adaptions for kids on Saturdays.

1) Give a membership to the Brookfield Zoo - then you can take him there all year round! Also, you can 'sponsor' an animal there in your son's name- then you can visit 'his' lion or gorilla or polar bear. Educational and it won't get stuck in a closet all year.

2) Also a Field Museum membership. We use ours all the time and take my son and a friend to all the new exhibits. He loves it and last year his grandpa flew out from Ohio to go to the Member Night with us, where they open the offices and labs in the back of the museum to the public- it is WAY cool.

3) Have your son donate to kids less fortunate than himself. I know it doesn't sound like as much fun as a present, but last year my son won $75 in a contest. Instead of buying the video game he wanted, I suggested that with Christmas and his birthday ( Dec 21st) coming up, that he donate the money instead. We went online to Heifer International and helped families in 3 different countries by donating money for a flock of geese, rabbits and honeybees.

The website is very informative and my son was really interested in where the different animals would go and how they would help change the lives of the families and villages that received them. He says he wants to do it this year too, with some of his own money, so it really did make a big impact on him and help him appreciate what he has.

4)A co-worker of mine started getting my son a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine when he was about your son's age and she renews it for him each year. He loves it and looks forward to each issue, then gives it to his best friend to read when he's done.

If you do decide to go with a toy, I suggest visiting Geppetto's Toy box in Oak Park. They are the NICEST and best toy store I know of and carry educational toys and carry things that you won't just find at a Toys R Us - the kinds of toys that you keep for your grandchildren to play with. They're owned by a really nice family and always help us pick out something great.

We have a 2 year old but have kids of all ages who play at our house. I recently made a "dress up kit" by buying items from a thrift store and putting them in a vintage suitcase that I found at an antique store and cleaned up. We found really fun things like hats, an old-fashioned boy's suit vest and jacket, dresses, jewelry, etc. If you just want boy clothes you can find some sports apparel, superhero cape, cowboy clothes, etc. But if he ever has girl playmates, I would get at least a few things for them, as well. Put it in a place near a full length mirror so they can enjoy looking at themselves when they are dressed up. You still might be able to find some deals on Halloween wigs and costumes, as well.

You could also get a personalized superhero cape. I have given these as gifts to 5-6 year olds and they are a huge hit - worth hours of creative playtime.

C.-

It's funny that you say this because my son just turned 6 on Nov. 19th and I was wondering the same! What I did is bought him stuff that he and I and dad can do together. I bought him projects that require adult supervision that he will love! Scientific stuff. Like I bought him a kit that creates a volcano and lava rocks. I will still buy him little gadget type things that he enjoys but I thought that he would get a kick out of things that we have to do together. Good luck!

Why don't you get him tickets to something special? Maybe a trip to Medieval Times or Legoland? How about the Field Museum to see the dinosaurs or Museum of Science and Industry to see the trains and the coal mine?

Sometimes an experience is just as special as a toy.

Best of luck!

C., my youngest son's birthday is nov 20th as well, so I share your pain! he was always busy with guys. he loved them. he totally enjoyed the pirates of the carbibean,so we had a ton of them. we also had this great fisher price pirate ship, so it kept him busy for hours. since he is only 6, get him what he likes. maybe some books etc that go along the same lines. we have always kept a certain amount of stuff for birthday, then other for christmas. we have done pretty well with it. plus, our oldest son's birthday is 3 days after christmas, so it is pretty difficult, but definitely doable.

My daughter is younger (4) but this year I want to get her memory and candyland or similar board game. That way it is something she would enjoy playing with her father and me, but it is not a toy in the true sense of the word.

My son is a bit older (10) but this year he specifically asked for no toys. He doesn't play with anything and he doesn't want people to waste money. I would suggest things that your son will do through the year (zoo passes, tickets to a sporting event etc). We always buy my son a Six Flag pass and he loves using it all summer. Another option is to have family members buy him a month of a class he attends. I own a foreign language school and I encourage my families to have Grandma and Grandpa buy gift cards for future classes. The kids love it, the parents save the money and it is a long term gift not a five minute enjoyment.

Robots a magician set with cape wand and magic tricks he can perform for family and friends maybe movie package for whole family tickets to see a movie and fun money for concessions you can take him to a movie a day or two after christmas.

I second the outing idea. If we could afford it this year, we'd take my daughter to see Blue Man Group. How about adopting an animal at the zoo. Share the Care has a ton of different animals and you get invited to special events. My kids (6 and 2) get that from their grandparents and LOVE it. THey feel like they are helping to take care of the animals. Another idea would be a class of some kind, they have classes at the zoo or maybe an art class or something similar. Even movie tickets and popcorn could be dressed up and fun.

hi,
i agree about the outings and projects, but...
i just got a toy i ordered for my classroom in the mail yesterday and stayed up all night playing with it! they're called citiblocks. they're just wooden planks - a lot like kapla blocks but shorter, so they cost less. they are a really amazing, limitless building toy that would really appeal to a child of any age. they come with a book that gives some ideas of things to build, too. i've never felt torn about taking a toy to school before... i don't want to give them up!

My son's birthday is 3 months before Christmas and I totally feel like there is not one more toy he really needs either! He hasn't been able to find places to get all the toys from then put away yet! I am suggesting consumable products to the aunts and uncles this year - gift cards to McDonalds or Culvers - favorite restaurants, movie money, bath crayons, character or special soaps and play shaving kits, etc. www.northernessence.com has some cute kids natural bath stuff that we are going to use for stocking stuffers. I would also love it if someone wanted to give a gift certificate for a class. Zoo or children's museum memberships make nice gifts. Maybe a project you could do together might be a good idea. I have seen those make your own pretzel kits. My 3yo loves to help in the kitchen and loves pretzels so she would get a kick out of that.

A previous poster mentioned getting less for the birthday but we like to do more for the birthday and less for Christmas as their birthday is their special day. We try to focus on giving to others especially at Christmas. For us we don't give a lot of Christmas gifts (4 plus stockings) so the kids get considerably more on their birthdays.

What about the gift of an "outing" - something special that he may not get to do very often. An IOU for tickets to a baseball game in the spring (Kane County has a minor league team.) Or a day at a pottery painting store - there is one in Downers Grove. He could pick out what he wants, paint it, then go pick it up a few days later. A trip to one of the museums or just into the city for the day.

Roald Dahl books, enid blyton books,National wildlife federation animal baby magazine subscription, If you live near Oak Park - magical minds class, Dinner table games (can get at target), see the roots grow kit (I always see it in the catalogs like constructive play, or mindware or museumtour.com) and then some seeds to grow next year, butterfly growing kit. good luck.

start him on Playmobile, you'll have presents forever and he'll have cool fun stuff that will make his mind work. My kids are 7 and 10 and our Playmobile collection is the hit of all their friends.

You can get it at Toys R Us now.

My nieces birthday is a week before Xmas so I tend to save the toys for Xmas and clothes, pjs, and winter gear for her Birthday. I also agree with another mom's post about gift certificates to your local park district. My son loves looking at the Park District Catalog and picking out classes that perk his interest.

We did what we call a rainy day treasure chest for Christmas. It was put into a tool box, in it were things to do that helped develop motor skills, writing skills, art.
We got a rainbow of clay, washable paints, markers, pastels, paintbrushes, sticky tack(for hanging works of art), special paper, a few pieces of canvas, an oil cloth to work the clay on, a tool apron(to hold whatever they are working on/with), we also put in a small tool kit with a few pieces of scrap wood with screws/nails to play with. The kids thought it was awesome and also gave them a home for all their "art" supplies.