Gift Giving Ideas for Boys Ages 8 -16

Holiday shopping for boys between the ages of 8 and 16 can be difficult, but it is not impossible. This is a difficult age where the young boy in question is to young for most adult gifts, and to old for most toys found at your local toy store. Trust me I know, I have a son that fits in this age bracket. This guide is designed to give you some gift giving ideas to make your holiday shopping a little less stressful.

1. Gift cards. Gift cards can be a wonderful gift. The only downside is, the child will have to wait a day or two for the stores to open in order to spend it. Most boys play video games, so gift cards to a stores that sell video games are usually a hit with the boys. Avoid buying video games unless you know exactly what they want.

2. Outdoor toys. Most if not all boys have something they like to do outdoors. With younger boys you might find that a large trampoline is the ticket to a successful present. You can also buy larger ticketed toys such as skateboards and ramps, bikes, or even dirt bike and go carts for the older boys.

3. Pets. Alright, I know that buying a pet as a gift isn't always the smartest thing to do. However, if he has begged for a pet the entire year, you can make an exception. You should allow him to have some say in the pet, in order to make sure he gets one that he wants. Don't rule out small easy to care for pets such as snwww.petco.comakes, and lizards. These pets aren't for everyone, but boys usually like them, and they are low maintenance.

4. Drums. You can find fairly reasonably priced drum sets these days. Drums and guitars make great presents. The plus side is, you can buy them used and save even more. On the down side, you might have a headache for months on end.

5. Electronics. You can't go wrong with most electronic gifts, especially nice ones such as televisions, and stereo equipment. Just avoid really outdated models, due to the cool factor. If your budget don't allow for larger gifts, you can find really nice I-Pods, or MP3 players for less then $50.00.

6. Computers. Computers are no where near as expensive as they used to be. You can find nice laptops for under $400.00. I'll admit that $400.00 might be out of some of our budgets, but you can always finance one if you need to. Computers are also educational tools, which may help them with future school projects.

7. Building kits. Toys such as modeled cars, and Lego's are appealing to some boys in the 8 -16 age bracket. If they have a hobby of building things, then buy them a building kit. They do sell kits are that challenging for even this age range at most larger toy stores. However, if they have never had any interest in building things, this probably will not be the best gift.

8. Guns. I'm not a gun person at all, but for some reason most boys like them. If the child is mature, and if he is going to be supervised then a bb gun, soft pellet gun, or paintball gun might be the ticket to a successful holiday present. If you are buying this for a child that is not your own, please check with the parents first. You might also want to check to make sure that there are no state age requirement laws on the model you purchase.

9. Clothes. Only buy clothes, shoes, and accessories if you know what they want, and the size. Don't buy what you like, and expect them to be thrilled. Keep in mind that at this age labels become an important factor.

10. Smelling sauce. Cologne can be a wonderful gift for boys 8 and up. Avoid buying cheap novelty brands such as Old Spice unless you know they like that brand. Usually the man of the house will notice his cologne disappearing, which is a good sign they need their own.

Hopefully this has given you some idea's on gifts to buy that special boy in your life. Regardless, you will probably have at least one gift that is a total flop. The important thing is for them to know you love them. And one day when they get older and have kids of their own they will look back and appreciate all the socks, underwear, and other bad gifts that got during their childhood. Happy Holidays.