Dana Gutkowski
Latest posts by Dana Gutkowski (see all)
- How can I be a good aunt? - May 19, 2021
- Aunt Quotes - March 19, 2021
- End Your Silence. Support Black Lives Matter - June 29, 2020
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Are you looking for a great birthday or holiday gift for boys around the age of five to eight years old? Do you have a nephew or little boy turning 5-8 years old soon? Are you having trouble figuring out what to get for him?
Whether it’s for her birthday, special event, or holiday, there are certain gifts that are always a winner amongst this age group of boys.
As a babysitter for two boys in this age group and my nephew Jayden, who’s now 6 years old, I can say with most certainty that these toys are all winners with this age group.
As a woman, it’s a little hard to tune into the little boy mentality. However, if you just step back and watch how boys play, it’s easier to get a feel for what they might like. Boys like physical and interactive things.
In general, boys love things with moving parts, where you can see physical reactions and get results.
By five years old they’ve grown out of their preschool toys, and now they’re ready for big boy toys. They still want to play, but not with anything that they deem to be “baby” toys. It doesn’t mean that they don’t want to play with toy cars and balls, but they don’t want toys that light up and make noises like the ones for toddlers.
So what do you buy for your boy who’s now turned into a big boy overnight? Here’s the list of toys that I’ve gotten for boys ages 5-8 years old that are played with regularly.
Here’s a list of Jayden’s Favorite Toys!
Legos
Consistently, Jayden has asked for Lego sets before he could even build them. He LOVES his legos.
What’s popular now is to be lego sets so kids can follow along with the directions and build exactly what they see on the box. Lego comes out with sets with specific themes like Star Wars, Marvel, Minecraft, etc.
Legos are great because they engaged children on several different levels. They exercise their fine motor skills, work on problem-solving, and have a sense of accomplishment when it’s all done!
Check the popular sets out on Amazon:
LEGO Minecraft The Zombie Cave
Pokemon Cards
Have you heard of Pokemon? These are trading cards that are used to “battle” your opponent. It’s almost like playing the traditional card game of War combined with fantasy sports.
Some kids want the cards just to collect them and others want to learn to play the game. I learned the best way to play the game with them is to allow them to teach you.
Though it’s not necessary for you to play Pokemon with the kids, it’s a good bonding opportunity for you both. It shows them that you have an interest in their life. Taking time out to learn something new with them is a great way to show your love and affection.
If you want to brush up on your Pokemon skills, here’s a helpful resource.
You get 100 cards in this set plus 7 foil cards. You have to have at least 60 to play the game competitively. This is the best option because booster sets cost about $5 each. For the price, it’s worth starting here!
Note that there may be duplicates in this set.
Check them out on Amazon:
Nerf Gun
Nerf guns are either a love or hate it item. I happen to love them, and so do the boys.
You’re not teaching them to hurt other people, you’re allowing them to explore their imagination and learn boundaries. There are certain rules that you can put in place with these guns. Such
I like this gun because of its size. It’s easily manageable and not too heavy which makes running around with it during a nerf war doable for kids.
Don’t let the size deceive you. This gun packs power! The darts can shoot up to 90 feet!
- Comes with 6 Official Nerf Elite darts that are designed for distance, tested and approved for performance and quality, and constructed of foam with flexible, hollow tips
- Rotating barrel flips open for easy dart loading and is hand-powered
- No batteries needed!
Both of nephews, Jayden and Julian love their nerf guns. I suggest buying more than one. Even if they don’t have a sibling to play with, you can join in on the fun by being their opponent.
I also recommend to load up on darts! Unfortunately, nerf darts are easy to lose or become damaged over time. 200 is a good point to start with and it’s not going to break the bank.
Check them out on Amazon:
Beyblade
No, Beyblades aren’t actual blades!
Beyblades are spinning tops that “break” upon impact.
Beyblade battles take place with two to four players. Each opponent puts their Beyblade on a launcher the ripcord. You then aim them over the Beystadium, and start the Beyblade battle with, “3, 2, 1, Let it Rip!”
The
I found that it takes a little practice to get the launching right. It’s a little tricky and I got mine stuck a few times and I even broke a nail. However, it’s a lot of fun and no two battles are ever exactly alike.
It’s a good idea to buy the complete kit with the Beyblades and the stadium (the plastic container). The beys spin rather fast and could cause some minor damage (dents or scratches) to walls if you play with it outside of the
Check it out on Amazon:
Grossery Gang
The Grossery Gang is a parody from the Shopkins line.
The
You can buy just the figures, which vary by season. The season just means the figures that they have come up with for that period of time. Each new season has different characters with new funny expressions and names.
However, I recommend stepping it up a
There’s also fold down doors which can store the collectibles and action figures to go along for a ride or just kept their when they’re not in play.
The truck doesn’t come with many collectible figures, but there are enough to get the party started so to speak.
Though
Check it out on Amazon:
Hot Wheels Crash Track
My nephew LOVES this toy. It has four intersecting crash zones and a car feeder ramp. So you have multiple cars driving on the tracks at the same time. The total excitement with this toy is you’ll never know if the race will lead to the cars passing each other with near misses or end in a total 4 car pile up.
- 4 D batteries required
This toy is a lot of fun to play with, even my niece was interested and she’s more of a doll girl. However, there are some things to note before buying.
Customers have complained about the noise level of this toy. When the motor is running, it makes noise, but it’s keeping the kids entertained, so that’s the tradeoff.
Second, you must read the directions while assembling the tracks. It matters and if you don’t put it together correctly, you’ll think the toy is broken when indeed it’s not!
Third, once the toy is put together, it is a little bulky. And if you decided to take it apart and put to back together at a later date (never my thing), make sure you’re careful with the pieces. Replacement parts are not sold separately.
Check it out on Amazon:
Crayola Light-up Tracing Pad
Art is a favorite pass time in my family. My nephew Jayden loves to draw, color, and craft. It’s not always easy for children to simply see a picture and replicate it, though some can.
We often turn to Arthub on YouTube to draw pictures, but sometimes kids need some independent and screen free time.
This Crayola light up tracing pad is great for kids to be independent and creative and the time.
I have a light board myself, and I use it often especially to perfect any line drawings that I make. It’s so convenient, love it!
This tracing pad kit includes:
- Coloring Board
- Graphite Pencil (artist’s pencil)
- 12 Short Colored Pencils
- 10 Tracing Sheets
- 10 Blank Sheets
- Requires 3 AA batteries (not included)
You don’t have to use the templates included in the box. Kids can trace anything because the light board just provides enough light to the paper so that the outlines can be seen and traced. You can make your own pictures and have kids trace them, or they can improve their artwork and handwriting skills by going over it with a fresh piece of paper.
Some people thought the light wasn’t bright enough, but ours works great.
Check it out on Amazon:
Make sure to watch the video!
Boxer
I had never heard of Boxer before this Christmas, but he was on my nephew’s list and it wound up being his favorite toy this year so I’m glad we got it.
Boxer is an A.I. (artificial intelligence) robot. Right out of the box he’s ready to play with via remote control. But he’s not just any robot, he has different functions. He has 4 different modes: app mode, remote mode, play mode, and card scan mode.
He’s small and cute. While he’s rolling around he’ll say things like “
You can switch him to card mode where he scans comes with a ball to play 10 different games such as Bot Bowling, Paddle Bot, and soccer. He can sense your hands and feet and will respond to them.
You can also download an app for more games, but we haven’t explored that yet.
I found that he didn’t move that fast on the carpet. He was much better at on the hardwood floors.
Some people complain about his size (he’s pretty small), but he can do a lot for his size and it’s a toy that doesn’t just take up space without anyone ever touching it. I think Boxer is great, and Jayden agrees!
Check it out on Amazon:
Of course there are also FREE gifts that can go along with these toys.
Try writing him a letter. Even if you don’t give him the letter write away, get in the habit of writing him letters for him to read someday. Keep them in a personalized notebook, and let him open them up when he’s older. It’s a gift that they can hold on to forever. Loving words are never outgrown!
Check out my personalized notebook designs on Zazzle.
Letters To My Nephew Notebooks
Does your nephew love to color? Jayden always asks me to draw him different things so he can color them in! It’s a great addition for the Crayola board! Enter your email address for a FREE hand-drawn, coloring ebook – A-Z Animals!
I hope that you’ve found the perfect gift for your
