Hi,
Looking for ideas on a small birthday gift for a 5 year old. His parents spare no expense in anything. He has every vehicle you could imagine, from a very expensive bike (which he will outgrow in a year) to every little Hot Wheels car ever made (he has an uncle with a developmental disability who brings a little car on his weekly visits, so I don't want to duplicate that or intrude on this sweet gesture.
I don't want to do electronics - he has had an iPad for a long time and has broken a bunch of iPhones (to which his parents' response is just to buy a new one).
They travel a lot and eat out a lot, and I'm thinking something small that could be used on a plane or in the back seat of a car, or at a dining table while waiting for the food. I got him a rummy card game last December, but the mom informed me that she read the instructions and cannot figure it out. Both the mom and dad had pretty stunted upbringings, she with immigrant parents who didn't speak much English until recently and who didn't follow any American trends when the kids were little, and he with quite brilliant professors who exposed them to many things except games, bats, balls, and bikes. So both parents of the birthday boy - whom I adore in many ways - are pretty clueless on a lot of things.
I was thinking of Uno, which requires very little reading and is mostly color coordinated. I like that rummy and Uno can be played with people of different ages (cousins, DH/me, babysitters) as well as peers. Uno can take a while so it's not ideal for restaurants and waiting rooms, but it's good for car trips and rainy days.
I'd consider regular cards but somehow the mom seems to be baffled by instructions, so even giving them a copy of Hoyle's rules of games is probably going to be a problem for her.
What's out there that is small and understandable for a kid who isn't reading yet but will be soon and is highly verbal? Probably something without a lot of small pieces.
Thanks for the ideas!
ETA - to clarify: The child's grandparents didn't parent with typical toys 50 years ago. So the parents of this little boy have no idea of classic games, cards, etc. They don't understand simple things or engaging with a child. He's quite adultified - they share other adults' medical information, for example. He just can't be a kid. Instead, they are buying every expensive thing you can imagine, and if he breaks it, they go get another one. They do not like the word "No." Stuffed animal would be a good idea but I already did that for the prior birthday. Yes, he'll be going into kindergarten but he already has a very expensive backpack and lunchbox for his day care/preschool. Good idea though. The magazine subscription is a good idea - I have to do something soon but I could get a magazine as a bookstore and wrap that, sending in the subscription later. More ideas welcome!
I think the best choices are the magazine subscription and/or perhaps one of the specific games suggested. Thank you for those ideas. I don't think the uncle can play them - serious OCD prevents him from making more than one move without analyzing it over and over. He might be able to help read one of the magazine stories, and so can the babysitters before bed. The Hot Wheels case is a good idea but there are about 250 cars so I think I need a wall unit! LOL! I will go purchase a copy of one of the magazines to give him, and order the subscription. I decided against art supplies since the child has already drawn on all the walls and furniture as well as put stickers on everything, even at this age. The parens don't like to say no to any behaviors at all, which is why the child was introduced to iPhones at 10 months when he resisted sitting in a car seat. It hasn't changed - there are no consequences for anything, and I'm not sure I want to contribute to that version of home "decor." He does a lot of art in school and daycare so he will have those opportunities elsewhere. Thanks again for all the great ideas!
I think the magazine subscription is a good one and he gets to look forward to mail.
We used to give Morgan Silver Dollars, proof set or something collectible like that which does increase in value over time. That said.., it's a gift that's pretty much put away in a safe place.
How about a gift certificate to the local zoo or acquarium? Give the gift of an experience
Have you considered gifting him a subscription to a children's magazine? Ranger Rick, Highlights, Sports Illustrated Kids, Cricket, are some great ones. Certainly easy to transport on a plane or even to read while sitting in a restaurant (since you mentioned that concept). Not so many "pieces" as a deck of cards.
A kids magazine subscription is a great idea. Or a basket or bag of art supplies, play doh, crayons & coloring books, watercolors, sidewalk chalk, etc. My kids went through that stuff quickly at that age. Even if he's not reading yet picture books are still a great idea. Since it's summer, pool or beach toys. Maybe a little explorer set, magnifying glass, bug box, flashlight.
Since the Hot Wheels cars are important, how about a display case or a carrying case for cars? He and his uncle could sort the cars, display them, etc. If you google display cases for Hot Wheels there are lots of options.
How about a gift bag with some fun inexpensive things in it...things like a jump rope, slime, slinky, floor hockey, whirlygig, throw and catch game, rubix cube.
I always have books. There are so many children’s books out there that have excellent messages. Pick one!
Sophie’s Masterpiece is lovely. Animals by Graeme Base is terrific. The Littlest Angel is a sweet book with a good message. The list goes on.
Good Luck!
ETA:
How about a small wooden box (similar to a jewelry box, but for boys) for him to collect and store his “special” items?
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I love the magazine subscription idea. My daughter gets High Five (Highlights magazine for kids 2-5) and she looks forward to it every month.
How about other board games? My daughter is a year older, but I just got her Guess Who? for her birthday last month and she said it’s the “best game ever.” I grew up playing it and loved it.
My daughter also loves Twister, Hoot Owl Hoot (a cooperative game), and monopoly. You can also get him puzzles, books, jump rope, plant growing kit for kids. That’s all I can think of now, but will come back and add more if I can think of other ideas. Hope this helps!
how about an old fashioned toy like a slinky or hula hoop?
khairete
S.
One of my boys was really into Lego at that age. Does he like to build? The instructions are pretty basic (age appropriate sets) and he could even do them if his parents didn't want to sit with him to complete. Or just get him a tub of the blocks. Maybe not so great for taking on a trip or to a restaurant.
For that, what about a sudoko book or word find? My kids got some of those as gifts at that age and it would keep them occupied.
We had a game called Rat A Tat Cat that was super fun at that age. It's a memory/flip card game and we still play it now (much older) - but it was great fun. I am positive the parents could play it, or the uncle would. It's fast paced so not dull and super cute for kids - you can make it easier or harder depending on skill level. I don't know what company makes it but that company also made other award winning games for kids - we got a few after we received that one as a gift.
One of our relatives always gave us those every year.
Is he into puzzles? You can get cool 3D ones for kids where they build famous buildings or objects from movies etc. Depends what he's into.
Does he like books?
My mom always gave magazine subscriptions - national geographic may do one for kids, can't remember. The kids liked getting them in the mail every month.
That's the age where they start liking collections of things - does he have interests in anything? (other than electronics)? I'm with you. I am a fan of kites, and that sort of thing. Every kid has fun with one of those, and it gets parents active too.
Good luck :) Personally - my kids liked 'fun' toys that WE had to do with them (spending time with someone else was the fun part).
-Dream Light (cute little animal light that projects onto ceiling. Has a timer to go off in 15 mins).
-Backpack with cute little toys to take in a car or on a plane to keep him busy:
Matchbox car, puzzle, Yo Yo)
-laptop keyboard
-racetrack
If you look at Home Depot or Hobby Lobby there are kits they can do. I know you said they don't understand simple directions for playing games, but I wonder if they would enjoy putting a birdhouse together. You could always get a book about birds and give him ingredients to make suet. My kids loved looking at the night sky so maybe a book of stars/constellations. A garden stone kit where he could put his handprint/footprint. A sketchbook with watercolors. My kids loved I Spy books and those were great to keep in the car.
For kids that have a lot of stuff, a good bet is to buy things that kids need constantly, because they wear them out/use them up/etc. For example, no matter how much play doh a kid has, they always need more because the old stuff gets hard and icky. Art supplies - crayons, markers, paints, blank art paper, etc. Kids that age enjoy paint with water books and that is great for restaurants and airplanes because it can't ruin anything, and all the kid needs is the book, a brush, and a small cup of water.
Art supplies. You can spend as little it as much as you want.
