Cool Gifts for 9 Year Old Boys

If you’re shopping for gifts for 9-year-old boys for Christmas, a birthday, or any occasion, you’ll find lots of the best ideas in this list of books, games, and toys.

Where do I get my gift ideas? I ask my friends with boys what their kids want for Christmas and visit toy stores to find the best recommendations to share with you. I hope they help!

Best Gifts for 9 Year Old Boys

LEGO Creator 3 in 1 T Rex
Make three different dinosaurs — a pterodactyl, a triceratops, and a t.rex with the LEGO blocks in this kit!

Laser Tag
Recharagable and easy to set up, this kit gives kids four guns and vests so they can play laser tag.

Gravity Drop
Build a marble maze with wooden balls using LEGO Technic elements and chipboard. This kit includes directions for two tower builds and 5 extra projects.

Trapped in a Video Game by Dustin Brady
Gamers and non-gamers alike who love exciting and dangerous stories won’t want to miss this excellent action-packed series. Jesse’s friend gets an early release of a video game — and it sucks in both boys. They’re literally trapped. Inside the game, they meet a classmate who has been missing for weeks, now a grown-up man in the game. He’s been stuck there for years yet thinks he knows the one way they can get out…

Lego Super Mario Adventures
Kids get a chance to build their very own Super Mario Bros. course with this awesome LEGO set that comes with its very own Mario figure!

National Geographic 15 Geodes
Discover your crystal treasures when you crack open the geodes wearing the included goggles.

LEGO Star Wars: Ahsoka Ghost & Phantom II
Build two starships and get five figures from the Disney+ tv series, Ahsoka.

Klask: The Magnetic Award-Winning Game of Skill
Use the magnetic handle under the table to score on this small foosball table.

LEGO NASCAR Chevrolet Camaro
Build your own NASCAR next gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 race car! Isn’t this cool?

Blue Orange Next Station Paris
This strategy game is a flip-and-draw game where you redesign the Paris underground network to make it eve better.

Monopoly Chance
If you’re like me and you don’t like how long the regular Monopoly game takes, try this new 20-minute game! It’s a card-flipping game of chance. You will get to own properties and build buildings (with colorful buildings) that will feel familiar but also fresh. Hooray for this new, quicker version!

Switch Lite
This handheld version of the Nintendo Switch is the perfect gift when it comes to price and size for any kid looking for an awesome game console!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Nintendo Switch
The amazing thing about this game is it can be enjoyed by kids, teens, and adults. (Like my college-age daughter and her friends!) Pick any of the iconic characters to play against the other characters!

Shifting Stones
We love this fun engaging strategy game that will develop your visual/spatial skills and long-term planning.

Dungeoneer Adventures by Ben Costa, illustrated by James Parks
Coop is the only human at the Dungeoneer Academy. He feels alone and fears failure, but it’s his lifelong dream to be an explorer. Luckily, his best friend Oggie (a bugbear) and two other new friends on his team stick together to survive the bullying Coop faces at school and the life-or-death jungle trial in which they experience trouble with their team, unexpected attacks, and a monster spider. The stakes are high–if they fail the trial, they’ll be kicked out of the school forever. It’s a fun-to-read, illustrated, and fast-paced fantastical adventure!

Shashibo Shape Shifting Box
Magnetic puzzle box for sensory stimulation, relaxation, and imagination.

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier, illustrated by Douglas Colgate
This hilarious book makes the zombie apocalypse seem fun. Because that’s how Jack approaches life and zombie fights. He and his best friend, Quint, live in an upgraded, well-defended treehouse where they plan for rescuing his crush June (she doesn’t need rescuing being quite capable) and fighting zombies. Illustrations throughout make this even more appealing to read and imagine. Delightful. Who would have thought?! BOXED SET HERE.

Ooze Labs Chemistry Station Science Experiment Kit
This educational chemistry set is perfect for children who love doing their own experiments and want to create something colorful, slimy, or fizzy in their very own lab!

NFL Stacker Game
Pull stacking blocks from the tower and strategically place them back on top.

Lego Chain Reactions Science & Building Kit
Build up to 10 different awesome moving machines with this awesome kit that comes with over 30 separate LEGO elements to create and design with!

Kindle Kids
Perfect for growing readers, this Kindle Kids Edition offers a black and white glare-free display. It includes many popular book series including Harry Potter.

Miles Morales: Shock Waves by Justin A. Reynolds & Pablo Leon
In this Spider-Man graphic novel adventure, Miles Morales is faced with a problem. As he struggles to juggle both his superhero and civilian lives at the same time, a fellow student’s father suddenly goes missing with just a few too many connections to strange supernatural activity in the area. Can he figure out what’s going on and save this innocent civilian?

LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader’s Castle
Star Wars fans, you’re going to love this new castle building kit with 6 mini-figures, a TIE Fighter, a Bacta Tank and more!

Blank Comic Book – Draw Your Own!
Kids can come up with their own comic-book style stories with this exciting blank journal, where they can take their imagination to new heights!

First Cat in Space by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris (GRAPHIC NOVEL)
Absurdly hysterical, this is a bizarrely perfect adventure in space! When rats eat a slice of the moon, the world’s leaders send their secret weapon– a cat and a stowaway toenail-clipping robot. The two adventurers travel to the moon where they meet the Queen of Moonopolis. Their journey is bizarre and hilarious. But the spaceship’s computer joins the Rat King’s evil side, and when the heroes arrive at the Rat King’s, they GET CAPTURED. Don’t worry– somehow they’ll escape. Right?

NERF Fortnite Dart Blaster
This Nerf MicroShots Fortnite RL blaster is inspired by the rocket launcher used in the popular Fortnite video game. It includes 2 Official Nerf Elite darts and fires 1 dart at a time with hand-powered action (no batteries required).

Flipside
Match the colored blocks to the lights using memory and speed! Great for individual play or multiple-player fun!

Super Sphere STEM Experiment Kit
Not only will you build a robotic sphere, but you’ll also get directions for six more robot models. Program the robot to do different things and use a remote control to make your models move.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
One of the most popular book series ever, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, shares the hilarious story of Greg, in his own words and drawings. Life in middle school is not easy. And Greg is here to prove it! One thing you’ll notice about these books is that kids will read them more than once which is great if you have them all. This boxed set makes a great gift because kids often read these books multiple times over.

Plasma Ball
Learn about electricity, matter, and energy!

Alien Slime Lab
Get messy as you mix up batches of unidentified “alien” slime and conduct tests on them to analyze and investigate their special properties. Real science and playful science fiction come together in this wacky, activity-filled kit! For example, conduct viscosity tests on the slime, dissect it with tweezers and a plastic scalpel, cut out a brain shape, Stamp it with an alien head, and add eyes to your Alien slime! (Non-toxic.)

National Geographic Mega Fossil Dig Kit
Spend hours using paleontology tools like a chisel and a brush to dig up REAL dinosaur fossils!

Gravitrax Starter Set Marble Run
Power marbles with gravity in this hands-on educational and science STEM set with 24 problem-solving building exercises.

Sphero BOLT Robot
We love this app-enabled robot. Isn’t it the coolest looking one yet? Learn to code through hands-on activities to program infrared, compass, light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, and motor encoders. Drive BOLT and play games. 2+ hours of battery.

Mystic Market
Hone your strategy and math skills and learn basic economics, all in a fun card game for 2 to 4 players. You’ll buy and sell magical potion-making ingredients to make sets then make the potions and trade them to earn points! Plus, aren’t the potion vials fantastic?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
This series is amazing! Greek gods still exist and so do their kids, half-bloods, or demigods, who have incredible abilities. Unfortunately for these kids, monsters are out to kill them. But, they are also the only ones who can save the world from a war between the Greek gods the original gods, the Titans. Percy goes to Camp Half-Blood where he gets trained to protect himself… until he’s sent on a dangerous quest. BOX SET HERE.

3D Glow In The Dark Solar System
Don’t you love this cool 3D hanging set of planets? Even Pluto is included in tis glow in the dark set.

Colorful Kids Origami Kit
Use beautifully colored, pattern-filled origami folding paper to create amazing and eye-catching designs, like a rocketship, creatures, or origami flowers!

Bananagrams Game
Brainstorm vocabulary and practice spelling while you build a cool crossword grid and try to beat your friends or family. Addictive fun!

Avocado Smash!
A fun avocado twist on the game of Snap for kids! It’s simple to learn and quick to play. Switch and smash quickly to win this new 2019 game.

PlayStation 5
Tons of games are available on this popular gaming system! Some of the more popular games on this platform include: Miles Morales, Madden 25, NBA 2K25, Ratchet & Clank, and more!

Screaming Goat Book & Figure
This is a weird stocking stuffer that boys love — you can press the bottom and it will make the goat scream!

Beginner’s Guitar Set
For those with musically inclined children, this is a perfect starter guitar with picks and a tuner included!

Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty Infinite Nebula

Thinking Putty
These are addicting and the perfect fidget toy.

The Brick Mat
Roll this double-sided mat onto your floor or table. One side is for larger bricks, the other for smaller. And, if you like this, you might want to check out the building block adhesive tape! FUN, right?!

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John, illustrated by Kevin Cornell
If you like funny books, you’ll LOVE this series! In this first book, besides learning valuable cow trivia, it’s mostly the hilarious adventure of two pranksters who start out as rivals but eventually work together to pull off the biggest prank of all time — a prank that will ensure they get April Fool’s Day off from school. My kids think this series is the best!

Just Joking Jumbo by National Geographic Kids
Holy Smokes! Your kids will love this book. It’s packed full of awesome jokes and photographs; it’s hefty and impossible not to love. Fun facts added throughout make it extra interesting.

Big Nate Welcome to My World by Lincoln Peirce
Lincoln Peirce “gets” kids and their struggles. Nate’s real-life adventures will keep your kids laughing out loud from the first page to the last. These are really great for reluctant readers. Boxed set here.

Roller Coaster Challenge Logic & Building Game
We LOVE this cool STEM skills game that encourages your 9-year olds to think logically while creating something awesome — a roller coaster! Full review here.

Storymatic Kids
60 cards = gazillions of stories. Draw a blue and a yellow card and CREATE!

Rush Hour
My kids play this so much, they’ve mastered all the levels. It’s a cool logic and strategy game for one-person that we are addicted to playing.

Animal BFFs by Sophie Corrigan
I’ve poured over this book because the writing is engaging and the information about unusual animals who live together is interesting. I particularly love the funny dialogue bubbles of conversation between animal duos that you haven’t ever heard about — like warthogs and banded mongooses or ruby-throated hummingbirds and spiders– and why they’re paired up.

Reading Headlamp
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, headlamps beat book lamps for reading hands down. Because they’re hands-free AND have much better light! (All over the page light, not just in one spot.) Plus, how cool are you when you sit in bed with a headlamp?! These really motivate young readers.

Flyer Foam Master Pogo Stick by Flybar
GREAT for keeping kids active and having fun! We love ours.

Chewbacca POP Bobble Head

Tenzi Game Dice
One of our favorite family games!

Minecraft Stop Motion Animation
How cool is this? Use a free mobile app to make your own movies. Includes 1 movie stage, 6 different backgrounds, 3 exclusive mini-figures, a device holder, and over 18 other accessories. Great for Minecraft enthusiasts.