When trying to decide on which outdoor toy to get a nine or ten-year old as a gift, keep in mind that you want something that is fun, but it also has to be challenging. As children get older they still enjoy the simple toys, but they also like toys that present a challenge because it means they have to work to figure things out. Choosing an outdoor toy as a gift is a great choice because it will give them something to do on long summer days or even winter days.
Sleds or toboggans are great choices for kids who live in areas where it snows in the winter. Being coped up in the house on long winter days gets rather boring. Giving a child a sled or a Toboggan allows them to go to the local park and slide down hills covered in snow. Most kids end up racing down hills to see who can go the fastest. Sleds if they have pull ropes can also be used to drag around brothers and sisters in the front yard or even friends.
Snow brick makers are another interesting gift for nine to ten year olds. Using the brick form to make snow bricks can aid in building forts or walls for snowball fights. Another fun toy that has recently become popular with young kids is snowball guns. All you have to do is load up the gun with snowballs and fire at your target. These guns make for a fast and interesting snowball fight. You can also find snowball slingshots to fire snowballs.
Boys at this age are starting to get interested in shooting, which makes BB guns a great gift choice, as long as it is okay with the parents. If purchasing a BB gun for a child make sure, you get a gun that accepts plastic BBs and comes with targets to shoot at. You can also buy targets as an extra gift. Bow and arrows are often a great choice for boys who enjoy target practice. These gifts are also great for boys who are involved in Boy Scouts because it helps them develop skills that can be used towards merit badges.
Ride-on toys such as scooters, bikes, or skateboards are always a great choice. These toys allow kids to ride around the neighborhood and have fun, but they also provide children with a means of transportation other than walking. Battery or gas powered ride-on toys are also fun gifts for this age because they can go faster than other ride on toys. In addition to riding around the neighborhood, kids can also create obstacle courses to ride through.
Water toys are another great choice because it gives kids something to do to keep them cool in the summer. Squirt guns can be used to get into water fights, but water balloons also work well. You can even buy a special attachment for your hose that can be used to fill up water balloons. Water slides that lay out on the lawn are good options. You can find some that simply use a hose that you slide on, you can find ones with pools on the end, you can find two or three slides together so they can race against their friends, or you can find ones that come with boards to slide across with. Sprinklers are another popular choice for water toys. You can find a variety of sprinklers to choose from and each one will offer different features. You can find sprinklers with balls attached to it, figures that spin around, or even sprinklers that allow you to play games like hopscotch.