Child psychologist Jean Piaget says that nine-year-old boys are going through the “period of industry” as one second they want to be a member of a group of friends totally ignoring their parents while the next second, they want to be a clingy preschooler again. While it can be very frustrating to parents and other caregivers, this is perfectly normal. Many boys this age thrive on organization, and they want to play an important part in establishing their daily routines.
While they still need about 10 hours of sleep, expect to be pushed as you try to still maintain an early bedtime. Boys start to notice changes in themselves and their other nine-year-old friends as some start to enter puberty. Longer attention spans often encourage nine-year-old boys to start researching topics that interest them beyond the basics taught in the classroom. Friendships often become very important, and boys often feel deserted if their friends do something without them.
They may become very opinionated with a strong sense of right and wrong. Boys by the age of nine often are looking for positive role models, so make sure you find some and hold them up to your boy as an example of what a good man looks like. This age group is also great at helping with many community service projects as they often enjoy feeling like they are making a contribution to the world around them.
They still want to play, however, with great toys, so consider these examples.
Chrono Bomb Original
You may discover that you have a secret spy for a nine-year-old when you let them play with the Chrono Bomb Original. While you will need to supply three AAA batteries, the boy can use the clamps and string to try to get to the end of the course before time runs out. Since the clamps easily attach to many surfaces in the home, it can be set up differently each time that the nine-year-old plays. He just needs to remember to never touch a string as the timer will start moving even faster. While there is no actual bomb, the nine-year-old will believe that he must hurry through the maze that he has created in order to avoid imminent disaster when the timer goes off.
Catapult Wars
Science and history were never so much fun for the nine-year-old as when they are building their catapults from the Catapult Wars. Boys put the catapults together using the 20 wooden pieces, two wooden dowels, two rubber bands and two braided ropes. This project is perfect for building the boy’s pride of good workmanship. Once they get the catapults built, they can decorate them with the included decals in an infinite number of different possibilities. Boys can then use the eight sandbags to predict which catapult will throw them the furthest. They can even challenge family members or friends to catapult wars to see who can move the sandbags the further. They can also have fun trying to send the sandbags closest to a target.
DROGRAC Waterproof HD Video Action Camera
Boys will love taking pictures of themselves and their friends with the DROGRACE children’s HD digital action camera. This waterproof camera is great for many outdoor activities including swimming, hiking, skiing and so many others. It comes with a mount for his bike along with a helmet mount. The boy can also easily carry it using the attached string. Nine-year-old boys can easily record up to 1.5 hours of video without needing to recharge the 3.7-volt rechargeable lithium battery. This camera has a slot accommodating up to a 32 gigabyte SD micro card. It will record up to 50 images per second. Boys can easily edit the five-megapixel images right in the camera before sharing them with family and friends.
Razor Power Core E100 Electric Scooter
Boys will enjoy riding the Razor Power Core E100 Electric Scooter wherever they choose to roam for up to one hour of continuous ride time. A pneumatic front wheel and a flat-free rear wheel keeps the 100-watt hub motor moving the scooter forward through most terrain. This scooter is capable of achieving up to 11 miles per hour, and boys easily control how fast they move with the twist-grip acceleration control. When the boy reaches the damsel in distress, pretend house on fire or other imaginary situation, then he can use the front-caliper brake to stop smoothly. The boy also has the option to put down the retractable kickstand helping to protect this beautiful blue electric scooter. Boys must be under 120 pounds to burn off their pent-up energy on this scooter.
3Doodler Start Essentials Amazon Exclusive 3D Printing Pen Set
This 3Doodler Start Pen Set will create a budding artist of your nine-year-old boy. Start by putting a filament in the pen and wait about one minute for it to get hot. Then draw a line in the air. All other lines need to join this line or an existing one. This tactile toy comes with 50 filaments, which are enough for hours or playing fun. This toy is great to help children improve their spatial understanding. It can be used for up to one hour before needing to plug it in again, but it can be used even when plugged in. Since the easy-to-hold pen never gets hot, there is no chance of burns.
Lego Make Your Own Movie
Boys will have fun turning their desk into a movie set with the Lego Make Your Own Movie Kit. The easy-to-understand instruction book will have nine-year-old boys ready for recording fun using the six backdrops, and 36 included Lego pieces to create their own movies. Recording takes place on a tablet or phone that the young man will need in addition to this set. They can also add additional pieces from other Lego sets to increase the fun. The boy will learn secrets about creating sound effects, lighting, set design and camerawork in the book helping them to understand how movies are made by Hollywood. After learning the basics, boys will have a great time creating their own action thrillers.
SWAGTRON T1 – UL 2272 Certified Hoverboard
Nine-year-old boys weighing up to 220 pounds may never want to walk anywhere when they have the Swagtron T1-UL 2272 Hoverboard. Gear stabilization and a 250-watt motor help this toy achieve great traction regardless of the road or floor conditions. The young man will be able to see any obstacles lying in his way with the bright LED headlights. Experienced riders can race up to eight miles per hour on this toy for an hour of playing fun before needing to recharge this self-stabilized sturdy unit. Rubber bumpers help protect any surface that the Hoverboard accidentally bumps into on the boy’s latest adventure that can be up to 10 miles long. A learning mode helps keep the speed down until the boy has mastered the art of riding this toy.
Flybar Foam Master Pogo Stick
Boys will be having so much fun on the Flybar Foam Master Pogo Stick that they will never realize that they are building their large muscles and their coordination. This foam covered pogo stick is extremely comfortable for nine-year-olds to grip. Additionally, all moving parts are covered in foam ensuring there are no pinched fingers. After initially mastering this toy, the wide foot pegs will allow boys to do all sorts of toys limited only by their own imagination. Boys should weigh at least 80 pounds to enjoy playing with this toy. The child should be able to bounce it about a foot off the floor in the beginning, but as he gets stronger, he may find that he can bounce it a little over two feet in the air.
Gravity Maze
The whole family will love playing with the Gravity Maze. Use logic and reasoning to build a marble maze that will allow a marble to move from the beginning to a designated target. Sixty challenge cards ranging from easy to expert means that you may never pull the same card twice when it is your turn. The nine-year-old will also love playing with this when everyone else is occupied. It is also a great game to teach nine-year-olds the importance of keeping up with game parts, but if the marbles come up missing 7/16 steel balls can be substituted. The young man will feel a great sense of accomplishment when his marble lands on the designated square without falling on the floor.
K’NEX Thrill Rides – Infinite Journey Roller Coaster
Help your nine-year-old build his natural curiosity, logical thinking ability, and eye-hand coordination with the K’Nex Infinite Journey Roller Coaster. This set containing 347 colorful parts can go together in an infinite number of ways, so the young man can enjoy building it many times. Once the building is completed, then the boy can attach the roller coaster car to see how well his design works. The boy will also learn about how a slingshot mechanism works in a fun safe way. The instruction book contains one possible solution, but there is an infinite number of possibilities so children can make up their own designs while learning what works and what fails. This toy can stand over 2.1 feet tall when completed wowing everyone who sees it. This well-constructed toy is made in the United States in a landfill-free, zero-waste green manufacturing facility.
Looking for Gifts & Toys For Other Ages Of Children?
Do you have more than child to buy for who is at a different age? If that’s the case then you might want to check out our other guides of carefully curated and considered lists of gadgets, games, puzzles and toys that cater for all different ages and development stages of kids.
You’ll find that the guides below have toys that have been specifically designed and developed to match your child’s physical, emotional and cognitive abilities. I hope these guides provide you with all the inspiration you need to get your child gift idea spot on!
1 Year Old Girl / 1 Year Old Boy
2 Year Old Girl / 2 Year Old Boy
3 Year Old Girl / 3 Year Old Boy
4 Year Old Girl / 4 Year Old Boy
5 Year Old Girl / 5 Year Old Boy
6 Year Old Girl / 6 Year Old Boy
7 Year Old Girl / 7 Year Old Boy
8 Year Old Girl / 8 Year Old Boy
9 Year Old Girl / 9 Year Old Boy
1o Year Old Girl / 10 Year Old Boy
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Best Star Projectors for Kids & Teenagers – Read more