The Best Gifts for 10-Year-Olds

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Ask any 1o year old boys or girls what toys they want, and you'll be met with a disgusted eye roll, a huff, and a demand for the latest iPhone. Choosing toys for 10 year old boys and girls that actually pass muster is no easy feat because the very word (toy) is a huge turnoff. The best gifts for 10 year old boys and girls treat them less like solitary children in need of entertainment and more like socially adept mini-adults, which is what they should be becoming as they enter what developmental experts call "middle childhood."

The notion is to empower 10-year-olds to create and share, ideally with their friends, while celebrating their newfound agency. Is that as tricky as it sounds? Not really. There are great birthday gift options, even for 10-year-olds who seem to have everything.

The main caveat to be aware of with 10-year-olds is that these pre-pre-teens are often developing specific interests (or obsessions) and starting to focus on defined strengths. Given that, it's critical to meet these kids where they live rather than just getting them a new and shiny toy, which may be of no particular interest despite the novelty factor. Given that, our list of best gifts for 10-year-olds should be filtered through an understanding of an individual child's interests. Which means: You need to cater to your audience.

This awesome 3D pen is a revelation. It has an adjustable feed that lets artists regulate speed and flow for optimal control. Tween designers can crank up the extrusion speed for larger fill in areas and turn it down slow to create highly detailed works.

Hive is a two-player game that develops strategic thinking skills. The goal is deceptively simple: To surround your opponent's queen bee while trying to block your opponents from doing the same to you. Hence, planning, plotting, and critical thinking.

The only kind of axe that's kid-safe is a foam one. Kids work on their hand-eye coordination as they hurl the axe at a foam target.

Instead of wasteful batteries, kids use a solar panel to power eight unique robots. One robot is a wagon. Another is a rolling wheel of some kind. None of that matters. This is a great STEM toy because kids apply engineering and problem-solving concepts to build the robots, and instantly power them using the solar panel.

One of the most insanely fun games we've ever played. It's competitive dodgeball, coupled with a matching game. The goal is to collect matching sets of oversized cards while also dodging three-foot tall inflatable burritos. If you get hit, you lose points. Up to six people can play.

The ultimate screen-free brain twister: A smart cube that is tricked out with a microprocessor, accelerometer, Bluetooth LE, sound, and LED lights. Kids scramble it however they want, and helpful guiding LED lights on each side will help them solve the puzzle. If they'd rather do it on their own, they can turn off the LED lights.

A Lego kit for the ages, quite literally. This is an intricate 910-piece set that allows kids to create buildable, posable tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops, and pteranodon skeleton models with displays stands. And it's a set that requires concentration, focus, and dedication, all skills that 10 year olds should be able to master.

Because of this kit's spinning loom, kids make unique bracelets and can change the thickness, looping style, thread quantity, and color combinations ad nauseam. Meaning, they can get as creative as they want. And friendship bracelets never, and we do mean never, get old.

So your kid dreams of working at Pixar? Get him or her ready with this insanely cool kit, which has everything kids need to create and share their own animated movies. They can animate using LEGO bricks, clay, paper or random toys. The kit includes a great HD USB camera with microphone; a 60-page animation activity book with printable activities; a mini stage with background; and stop-motion software with time-lapse features, sound effects and backdrops.

A wonderful kit for rainy days. Or really, any days. Kids just push pins right into the pre-patterned foam bases and get to work on their string art kit. It's fulfilling and gratifying.

Yes, this is a remote-controlled bird with a 200 foot range. And she's hardy, this bird, because she has a smart obstacle-avoiding module that uses infrared sensors to avoid running into things.

Kids this age love to journal. So encourage self-expression with this endlessly creative kit. Kids personalize a 70-sheet spiral journal with stickers, frames, and gems, and use they use the blank pages inside to record their ideas, thoughts, and solutions to world problems.

A perfect starter drone, this one is easy to fly while also shooting beautiful photos and videos. Its camera shoots 5MP (2592x1936) photos and HD720 videos at a maximum flight time of 13 minutes.The flight controller powered by industry leader DJI, so kids can perform cool tricks.

Fully loaded with multiple shades of hand-rolled Karatasi beads, raffia tassels, and stretch cord, it's the ultimate personalized letter bead bangle kit. For total self-expression.

This USB-operated thought cloud message board lights up and illuminates what's written on it, whether it's an inspirational quote, a reminder, or just whatever comes to mind.

It's nearly impossible to go wrong with a Bluetooth speaker, and this one comes in a variety of tween-approved colors. The fully integrated metal carabiner attaches right to their backpacks. It's got 10 hours of playtime and is actually waterproof.

Thanks to the handy color-coded chart, kids wrap, tie, and snip the colorful yarn into tiny animal pom-poms. They add noses and ears. It's oddly gratifying and actually really fun.

Builders create more than 100 different electronic circuit projects with just 30 pieces that click together. That includes a working photo sensor, a flashing light, and an adjustable-volume siren. Engineering at its finest and most accessible.

The point of this game is to colonize the island of Catan. Kids do so by acquiring resources through trades, cards, or lucky dice. It's a strategy game requiring planning, critical thinking, and deductive reasoning. Plus, it's fun and great for group engagement.

Sometimes the best toys are the simplest. This pogo stick has a weight limit of 160 pounds. It's foam-covered for extra grippiness.

This programmable robot ball comes equipped with a gyroscope, accelerometer, and colorful LED lights, and lets kids drive, play games, and code using the brand's free apps. It comes with three traffic cones and six bowling pins for an obstacle course, and can be used as a game controller for arcade-style games.

Truly one of the coolest sets we've seen: Kano, the brand behind some pretty standout coding sets, really gets it this time with this DIY computer kit. Kids follow a detailed series of instructions and end up with a working computer that they can use to play Minecraft or watch YouTube. And they can use their favorite apps, as well. They learn to code, without even knowing they're learning to code, as they create their own art, games, and music.

If you're trying to get your kid to be more active, here's a best in class fitness tracker. It has up to one year of battery life, and this interface actually includes chore management, so parents can assign tasks, schedule alerts and alarms, and reward kids for good behavior. Plus, there's sleep and activity tracking galore.

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.

The next time your kid declares that biology is boring, sit him or her down in front of this microscope and have them look at a drop of juice with 20x and 50x magnification. The set comes with 10 prepared slides, and everything kids need to create their own with the included blank slides and covers, tweezers, and eye-dropper.

Here's a great jewelry kit that lets designers make their own personalized necklaces, rings, or bracelets. It includes everything they need to spell out names, words, quotes, and phrases.

We do everything on our devices. And this digital crayon is best in class. It works on all iPads (2018 and later) and lets kids mark up PDFs, take handwritten notes, or draw a masterpiece. It weighs less than an ounce, works on tons of apps, and gets up to 7.5 hours of active writing time.

Once your kid outgrows the scooter, get him or her this skateboard. It's a cruiser-style skateboard, so it's easier to balance on it, and the 62mm x 51mm poured urethane wheels and ABEC 5-speed bearings provide a smooth ride. The weight limit is 110 pounds.

Between remote learning and gaming, your tween needs a proper headset. This one is top notch. Thanks to its 7.1 surround sound, it's truly immersive. It's PC- and Mac-compatible, truly comfortable, and has a detachable, noise-cancelling microphone.

Between its bombing elements and spring-loaded shooters, this is one helluva collectible missile-firing warship.

Yes, this can be used for remote learning or note-taking. But it's also a pretty fantastic drawing pad for artists. It's a 32 page dotted grid notebook that can be used endlessly; you just wipe it clean when you're done. As for what's in it? Save it forever using cloud services like Google drive, Dropbox, Evernote, box, OneNote, Slack, iCloud, or email using the free Rocketbook app.

What goes around, always comes back around. Such is the case with the lava lamp. Yellow wax flats in the liquid, and creates a very chill vibe for your tween's bedroom. The silver base is a sizable 16 inches.

They may act like they're way too mature for magic tricks but trust us: It's an act. Criss Angel's kit teaches them over 550 tricks including the cups-and-balls, considered by many to be the oldest magic trick in existence. The props are high quality and the directions are thorough.

For the kid who loves basketball, here's a weighted regulation-size ball made specifically to strengthen fingers, wrists, and forearms, thereby improving dribbling and passing skills.

The more affordable, less tricked out sibling of the Switch: The Lite was created specifically for personal, handheld play.

If they'd rather skip the experiments and go right into the bath, these bath bombs come in a wide variety of scents and colors, to cater to the most picky of 10 year olds.

Get her a keepsake now that she's in the double digits: You can customize this delicate plate necklace with initials, a significant date, or a quote.

These deceptively simple yet uniquely challenging sets are made up of interlocking bricks. This set lets kids build, quite literally, whatever they want. In 3D.

Not ready to give your kid an actual iPhone? Here's the answer. Not only is the newest Apple watch affordable. But it works with Apple's Family Setup feature, which keeps your kids connected to you at all times. Plus, you monitor their screen time, and can set the watch up so they're not distracted when they need to be doing schoolwork. And because it's attached to them, they won't lose it. In theory.

At last, the Nerf Halo line is out. This motorized blaster is inspired by the one in Halo Infinite. It includes a 10-dart clip and 10 Nerf Elite foam darts to take out your enemies.

We'd never encourage kids to play with fire just for fun, but this chemistry set teaches them stuff like how to extinguish a flame with invisible gas. So yes, it's fun. Plus they make bubbling lava or have chemicals change colors. It comes with a beaker, test tubes, a graduated cylinder, lab glasses, dropper, funnel, and stirring rod.

So the Rubik's cube has been deemed too simple, has it? Here's an upgrade. This app-enabled Rubik's cube tracks your kids' moves in real time, and lets him or her connect with a community to compete against other cubers. It's the ultimate brain-teasing game that levels up, so kids don't get bored.

Kids can upload their own custom designs to personalize these classic kicks and make them uniquely their own. Creativity coupled with practicality is a win-win. Choose between the beloved slip-ons, or whatever other style works for your child.

The ever-popular board game gets a superhero twist. This time, Thanos, Hela, Ultron, Taskmaster, and Killmonger face off against Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, Black Panther, and Captain America. The goal: To fulfill one's dark destiny.

This time, kids can build something they can actually use: A desk organizer. They wind up with a funky box with two compartments, a photo holder, and an opening drawer. It's next-level crafting.

None of the extraneous bells and whistles. All of the retro cool. The new Polaroid has autofocus, which makes for much better photos. And they're keepsakes.

As with Legos, kids can create endless robotic objects with this one single kit. They build robots with 10 challenge cards, wood, electric motors, and hardware.

Snap Ships is a building system for building aircrafts of various shapes and sizes, and all sets and pieces are interchangeable. This specific battleship is armed with CL-ARM rockets, a stealth drive for secret missions, and a railgun with hyper velocity. Because of course you need hyper velocity.

Folks, if all else fails, give them a gift card so they can buy Nintendo games and download them.


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