The Best Gifts for 9-Year-Olds
If you have a 9 year old, or know one, this isn’t news: Kids this age are capable of exhibiting shocking maturity, while also still having jaw-dropping meltdowns over travesties like splinters or lost Lego pieces. He or she is outspoken. Opinionated. Independent. And the best toys for 9 year olds tap into all those strengths. When buying the best gifts for 9 year olds, you want stuff that gets them off their devices and screens (good luck with that) while also pushing them to explore their interests in music, art, and science.
Gifts to Say Thanks for Always Being There
Whether you can’t speak face to face with your mom on Mother’s Day or want to give the mother of your children something special this year, send her a gift to say thanks for always being there, even if you can’t be together. Pandora Jewelry is something she can wear to be reminded of exactly how much we appreciate her.
If you want to win over your 9 year old, get them toys that encourage collaborative play, because they’ve formed strong and complex friendships. These relationships often manifest themselves in team sports, so soccer balls are always a good option. Plus, kids this age are dealing with greater academic challenges at school, becoming more self-reliant, and, have a stronger attention span, so more intricate board games or logic puzzles will hit the spot, as well as toys that let them get creative. And don’t forget that gross things never lose their luster, so slime is a winner. Always.
Scientists make four different kids of slime, for starters. They then conduct viscosity tests on the slime, dissect it with tweezers and a plastic scalpel, cut out a brain shape, stamp it, and add eyes to it. Because slime is just slime unless it has eyes, of course.
Another wonderful science kit, this one lets kids make their eight of own bath bombs.
These next-level building blocks let kids construct the cities of their dreams. Using blocks created by designer James Paulius, kids build towers, cities and dwellings, complete with terraces and pavilions.
Unlike previous models, this new Kindle doesn't have that tiny momentary glitch when you switch pages, making for a much smoother reading experience. It has a 7-inch 300 ppi flush-front Paperwhite display and an adjustable warm light to that switches from white to amber.
With this monthly subscription service, kids 9 and up get crafting sets that teach them about imaging, embroidery, and woodworking. For example, one month they can create an entire intricate garden out of felt.
Yes, this hardy microscope actually makes science fun. It has a forward-facing rotating turret that provides 120x, 240x, 300x, 480x, 600x, and 1200x magnifications. Which means kids can see blades of grass, specks of dirt, and bits of leaves in exquisite detail.
Encourage self-expression with this endlessly creative journal kit. Kids decorate the cover to look how they want and once they're done, they use the blank pages inside to record their ideas, thoughts, and solutions to global problems.
A starter guitar that looks Clapton-worthy, this one is engineered so kids can crank out tunes from day one. It's made of sustainably sourced basswood and maple plywood, has a three-string design, and features classical nylon strings that are easy for kid hands to work.
Self-expression at its finest: Scribes write and illustrate their own full-color, 20 page story, complete with an 'about the author' page.
Kids use tweezers to dissect an alien, and best of all (or worst of al), there's reusable ooze inside every alien belly. Part surprise toy, part gross science kit, this alien dissection lets kids cut up weird creatures to unearth the treasures hidden in the ooze. It's gross, yes, but also hella fun.
The Rubik's cube remains ever-popular, but it's something that you used to only be able to play on your own. Not anymore. With this app-enabled Rubik’s cube, kids solve it, solve it some more, level up, keep solving it, and connect with an entire community of fellow gamers. It has 60 hours of play time on a single charge.
This logic game, designed by a Danish architect, teaches kids to think strategically and solve problems under pressure. Four players all go simultaneously, with the goals of stacking the spheres however each card dictates. Each player gets 15 spheres, pulls a card, and plays against the timer to complete the task. The person who gets it right, and thus gets the most points, wins.
Kids draw or copy something on the tracing pad, place the slide on the projector, and project their painting on the wall. Then they place the wall-friendly tape on the projected lines and create wall art. It's endlessly usable, because kids can peel off whatever they create and replace it with something else.
Players have a singular challenge here: To match the abstract tiles to images they see on 1 of 60 cards. The shapes are similar to Tangram pieces and help kids with spatial relationships and critical thinking. The game gets increasingly harder, so it levels up with the players.
Chances are, you already have a Messi or Rapinoe obsessive on your hands. If not, this soccer ball should do the (hat) trick.
It's a genius concept: Kids use interlocking colorful cubes to form the most complex marble maze they can dream up. And they can do so in the form of buildings, animals, cubes, what have you. The steel balls can travel in any direction because each cube is two-sided.
Your kids create art, using actual pencils and paper, then slide the magic ring on it, and see the drawing come alive on the screen.
It's a dodgeball card game. Of course it is. The goal here is to collect matching sets of cards faster than your opponents while also not getting hit by airborne burritos. Honestly, this thing is a blast.
Yes, your kid will likely need a parental assist in putting together this 3898 piece set. But we can't think of a cooler tribute to soccer than the stadium where David Beckham honed his craft.
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