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« Music History and Notebooking for The Birds - SQUILT Lesson #10 | Main | Giving Anchors to Your Children »
Tuesday
May142013

10 Best Toys For Little Boys

 

There's just something about little boys and their toys that is wonderful.

The organization, imagination, and creativity that goes into my little boy's playtime is astounding. 

Now that my son in 8 years old, he's been through a few "stages" of toys. As I look back, however, it's just been a few toys he's loved and focused on in his life. 

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

His favorite toys (you know - the ones you will never give away or sell at your garage sale!) have some things in common:

  • They aren't electronic.
  • Most of them involve BUILDING of some sort.
  • All of them lend themselves to imaginative play.
  • They transport my son into another world.
  • Several of them make good "collections".

This Top Ten List will take you through those toys, and Grant has rankd them from his "least" favorite (if there is such things as "least"!) to most favorite.

 

10. Erector Set

We have the  basic Erector building set for ages 8-88.  This toy stands the test of time and inspires my young builder. It's also something he and my husband love to do together.  (My son's granddaddy gave this to him for Christmas and told him HE played with Erector sets when he was a boy.)

Earlier this year Grant made a Medieval Catapult to go along with our history studies!

9. Magneatos

These are great from toddlers all the way up to elementary school children. The magnetic balls, rods, and curves, lend themselves to HOURS of imaginative play.

Grant received for Christmas when he was three, and they still are kept in a bin in his bookshelf and are played with often. 

8. CARS

I'm not talking about just any old cars - I mean all the characters from the movie CARS. 

 

Grant's collection of these is extensive, and the story behind that is quite funny.

I potty trained Grant thanks to Lightning McQueen. Lightning (a.k.a. my sister-in-law) would call Grant when he reached a potty training milestone. Lightining encouraged Grant to be a big boy and use the potty. 

I shamelessly rewarded my son with Cars for almost every milestone between his second and sixth birthdays. He has nearly 100 Cars and plays with them on a daily basis.  (We have all of the die cast cars, not the cheap plastic ones they make now.  Maybe Grant can go to college from the proceeds of these!)

He was inspired to read with all of the I Can Read Cars books. 

No joke. 

He knows all of the CARS by name. He used to watch the movie, line up all the cars in front of the television, and bring them out in the exact order they would appear in the movie. 

We thought his obsession with Cars would last forever (until he fell in love with toy #1 on this list!).

7. Lincoln Logs

Handed down to us when my oldest was a baby, this a favorite for both of my kids.

These are particularly great when you're studying American history.

OK. They're just great any time, aren't they?

6. Little People

The Little People still make an appearance every now and then in my son's play time. 

His favorite was always the tractor and Noah's Ark. These toys will be saved for HIS children. 

5. NERF Guns

What's not to love about NERF wars? My son has one of the HUGE NERF Guns with a bandolier for his darts. He also has a new fangled disc shooter that provides hours of fun. 

I ordered targets and they tape them up on the fence. Easy entertainment! {It's math, too - I make Grant add up his scores!}

4. Lightsabers

We go through phases with these. They usually get played with a lot after Grant has been sick and has been watching Star Wars movies all day! 

I know I'm his mom, but I think he has some serious skills with these things. Maybe one day he'll get to go to the Jedi Training Academy!

3.  Amaze 'N' Marbles

This building toy has seen hours and hours of play with both of my children.

 

The amount of concentration, thought, and planning that goes into building with these wood blocks is invaluable. 

If you have a little boy in your life, you must be sure he has this toy.

2. Basic Wood Building Blocks

I have collected three sets of building blocks over the years. We keep them in a large crate and pull them out weekly for creative play. 

Again, if you have a little boy (or a little girl, for that matter!) I think some basic wood building blocks are the best investment you can make. 

 

.... and the #1 toy for little boys (according to my son, Grant) is (did you have doubt?) LEGO bricks!

 

1. LEGO Bricks

Of course LEGO Bricks are the #1 choice in our home.

Visit my LEGO Learning page to see why we love them so much. Download printables, view our favorite resources, and explore the world that is LEGO.

As a mom, I have some favorite LEGO items. 

LEGO Architecture Sets - Amazon often has these on sale, and they are a GOOD deal.

LEGO Education® StoryStarter - Simply amazing for creativity and writing!

 

The LEGO Calendar  - a HUGE favorite in our house. Need I say more?

LEGO Creationary - a totally fun LEGO game!

LEGO Education® Simple & Motorized Mechanisms - provides HOURS of learning opportunities

 

What are YOUR favorite toys for little boys? 

 

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Reader Comments (188)

Legomaniacs here! Yay!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterHeather M

I would say for both of my boys it would be Legos. At least I hope that's the reason they are strung all over my living room. :)

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterKristina Best

By far my three son's favorite toys are LEGOS!!!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterSherry

What is your little boy's favorite toy?
cars and light saber but the girls love legos.

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterchristine p

LEGO's are definitely my boys favorite!!!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterLuz

Happy to say my son has most of these and LEGO are definitely his #1 go to toy!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterHeather

I have 6 boys & each one has had a different favorite over the years, but they have all loved Legos at some point. Even the 8 month old loves the colors & the sounds they make when he bangs the big blocks together. :-) I agree with everything on this list. Light sabers are another favorite right now. You should see the "battles" that go on. Even the 19 month old knows how to use a light saber!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterHeather

This is a GREAT post! Love it.

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterTiffany Hauser

My son's favorite 'toy' are Legos and Bionicles. It is amazing what he creates!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterChris

both my sons are lego crazy!!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterjessica

He loves Duplo and Little People.

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJulie

Thanks for this awesome giveaway! You've listed some good toys here. Another one my 5-year-old really likes is Snap Circuits. They allow him to build simple electronic projects by simply snapping pieces together.

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMandi

We love our marble run set as well. It entertains the whole family!!!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAmy M.

I have 3 boys and they all love LEGOS!!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterLeCricia

I have 4 boys so we love Legos! Thanks for this stellar giveaway!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterSuzanne

My sons both have and love most of the things on your list, Legos are definitely the number one toy in our home, but I love the marble blocks, I had never seen those before and will be looking into them in the future. Thank you for sharing.

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterHolly H

Like most boys, my son is a lego fanatic! And I'll have to look for those Amaze 'N' Marbles. Neat toy!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterKatrina

LEGOs are #1 in our house!!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterKatrina W.

This would be a great prize!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMCE

This would be a great prize!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMCE

We love Legos!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered Commentercrystal

We love LEGO here too. My 8yr old and 3yr old boys spend hours with them every day and my girls join in regularly too. The girls like the LEGO Friends

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterBridget

Great list! Legos top our list, too!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterEva Varga

Lego!

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAllison

Most of my son's favorites were on your top 10. Of course number one in our house is Legos. Love the creativity and imagination he uses playing with them.

May 14, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterPam

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