Savvy Gift Ideas

Choosing Toys For Gifting 6-Year-Old Boys

Playing with toys is an inborn quality for kids. Through play, they learn and explore more about the world they live in. It also helps them develop essential skills like social, physical, and emotional skills needed in life. Any toy can make a kid happy on any given day but since these are more than just playthings, they should be chosen to have the kid’s best interest in mind. A thoughtful, safe, and stimulating toy as a Disney subscription box that helps to improve new interests and skills can be a good bet. Given below are some tips to help choose such thoughtful toys. 

Based on Milestones

As your child grows older and reaches six years old, he becomes more adaptive and responsive to the things happening to his surroundings. It’s important to remember that exploring and playing always come together, honing your child’s motor, cognitive, and social skills. 

Below are the milestones you can expect for a 6-year old child and ways you can take advantage of them to help your child meet and even excel in them.

Cognitive Milestones: A 6-year-old boy’s understanding of the world sees a massive improvement from before. His attention span is longer and so he can now sit through a movie. Additionally, he is now ready for group games like snake and ladders, playing cards, memory games, Fine Art America puzzles, simple jigsaw puzzles, and many more.

Physical Milestones: Boys of this age will have a lot of physical energy and they will be ready for physical activities at any time of the day. They will also be keen to display their skills acquired during his preschool. So invest in toys that improve their hand-eye coordination like baseball, football, soccer ball, or whatever physical games they show interest. For instance, playing with yoyos helps develop hand-eye coordination and promotes bilateral integration or the ability to use both sides of the body in a controlled manner.

Social milestones: This is the time boys will start to make friends and will be more interested in playing with them rather than with adults. To help him improve on his social skills and also language skills try simple flashcard games, word building games. He also spends time playing in groups, so board games with multiple player options are a good bet. 

Based on His Likes

Your child has unique interests. He may spend more time playing with one toy than others because he is highly curious about how it works or he likes the challenges it brings. Learning about the interests of your child can help you determine the best toys you can give on his special day. 

Most six-year-old children usually share common interests because of their developmental milestones. Below are some examples you might want to consider when choosing toys based on his likes:

Robotic Vehicles: Boys have a thing for vehicles and surely every child would have at least a few of these already. These are good fun for kids in their younger age, but 6-year-olds are more curious and are ready for other types of racing toys with remote control and offroading capabilities like those available with the traxxas rustler which is the perfect remote controlled racing toy that any young boy will love. You can also think of buying a mini-drone for such inquisitive kids. Should anything happen to the toy’s circuit boards, take it to the professionals as MIS Electronics offer PCB manufacturing services.

Educational Interactive Toys: If the 6-year old likes Math and other such educational games choosing something is easy. There are many online and offline stores with a huge collection of toys for 6 year old boys that are fun as well as educational. There is app-based augmented reality stuff that is interactive, fun, and informative. For creative kids, a reusable writing tablet is ideal as it can be reused. Else you can choose an art-case if the kid is the creative kind. 

Building Things: Kids love to work with their hands and build something for themselves. For kids who love to build stuff and show it off, there is nothing better than Lego. The other options could be Hot Wheels where tracks need to be assembled, Transformer toys that can be converted to various forms. Lastly, one of the most gifted toys (especially for boys) is a model train set with complementary railways and buildings.  

Outdoor Games: Studies have shown that outdoor unstructured play is essential for kids as it helps them to socialize, improve immunity, and reduce stress. Here are a few great options:

*Frisbees: As simple as it may sound, frisbees can be a great exercise and super fun when played in a group

*Throw Rings: Throw rings are a great activity if you need your child to learn healthy competition 

*Small Trampolines: Trampolines are simple fun that kids need not even learn how to play on. 

*Skates: Need something even more exciting? Try roller skates. Kids can pick up skating real quick and will soon find school or even sports clubs to join. 

Parents should encourage kids to involve in unstructured games and also outdoor activities. Try to involve the kids not just in the game he likes but also in various other sports activities too. 

Few Other Things to Keep in Mind while Choosing Toys

Kids of this age love to experiment, so toys that help them cultivate or build on this habit should be encouraged by parents. Exposing them to toys like robots, airplanes, trucks, etc will pique their interest. Even scientific projects are good gifts for this age group. 

Buy toys that are to be played with groups as that helps in getting involved socially. Minecraft toy sets, Superhero figurines or board games would be a perfect conversation starter for young boys like him. It is helpful for kids who are shy and do not easily open up to others. 

Musical toys are also helpful as they improve concentration and keep them relaxed, though they may give you a headache! So, why not buy a small guitar, drum, or any musical instrument suitable and safe for his age. He might take great interest in playing a musical instrument that can make him a musician someday.

You may think that handing your phone and installing apps will help, but it can easily lead to screen addiction. Invest in some interactive toys which use augmented reality as that makes learning easy for kids. 

If the kid is a screen addict, gift toys that can make him play outside. Toys that facilitate group outdoor play make great choices like bat and ball, mini-golf, squash rackets, etc. 

A 6-year old will have a larger attention span, so you will have a wider range of products to choose from. Choose toys that are slightly complex, interactive, and informative. Buy toys that challenge his physical abilities and encourage him to use his creative skills. Gifting 6-year-old boys such toys help adds wings to his imagination. Anything that’s interesting and fun to play with is apt!