The 10 Best 9 Year Old Boy Gifts
Special Honors
Root Beer Science Kit What young boy doesn’t love a carbonated treat every now and then? Now he can make his own root beer with the included sassafras extract, yeast, a funnel, labels, and instructions. What makes it even better is the ingredients are all natural, unlike those in most bottled options from the grocery store. He’ll learn a little about science during the process and will surely enjoy the fruits of his labor. This kit is made in Virginia and requires adult supervision. uncommongoods.com
Editor's Notes
February 27, 2021:
During this update, we chose to eliminate the Wonder Workshop Dot and Dash Bundle, as it is too elementary for most 9-year-old boys. However, we do think it is important for kids to start off young these days learning about programming, which is why replaced it with the Sphero Bolt. Whereas the former looks very childish and relies solely on block-based coding, the latter has a design that will appeal more to older kids,. It also allows them to transition from simple drawing- or drag-and-drop-based coding to JavaScript.
We also replaced the Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 with the Snap Circuits Extreme SC-750. We realize that kids tend to get bored with toys quickly, so it makes sense to give them something that can keep their attention for longer by offering a wider range of activities. As the names imply, the former only comes with instructions and parts for about a 100 projects, whereas the latter comes with enough for more than 750.
Another change was to eliminate the Water Sports Swim Thru Rings in favor of the Spikeball Set. While there is nothing wrong with the Swim Thru Rings, it can only be used during certain times of the year when the weather is warm, and it also requires access to a pool. Conversely, the Spikeball Set can be used at any time, and anywhere, making it a bit more versatile. Because of this, children will be able to get more use out of it, though it will require them to have friends or siblings around to participate.
November 20, 2019:
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box comes on board today as one of the best gifts for a 9-year-old boy, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t include this highly popular set of books. Whether your child reads them alone or you read them together, they’re guaranteed for a good laugh, or two, or three, in every chapter. Author Jeff Kinney has created a character named Greg Heffley to whom many young kids can relate. He’s dealing with typical issues in middle school (a time that another famous author, James Patterson, has famously dubbed as the worst years of one’s life). From the infamous “cheese touch” incident to the countless battles between Greg and his older brother Rodrick, to Greg’s ups and downs with his best friend, Rowley, there are many unforgettable moments in this series. Kids can learn some lessons about friendship and family along the way.
Leaving our list in this update are the Think Gizmos TG6332 set of build-your-own vehicles, which are known to experience problems with the motors. If you’re looking for more ideas to get your kiddo off the couch and outside, check out our list of best outdoor games for kids.
Getting A Gift For A Nine Year Old Boy
While some gifts should be intended merely for a child's enjoyment, others can help guide and encourage a child toward greater academic, musical, or sporting achievement.
A nine year old boy is at a fascinating time in life. He finds himself a number of years past early childhood yet still many years from pubescence as well. His mind and body are both developing rapidly (more on both of those topics below) and his very world seems to be changing as he develops ever more complex social and familial relationships and starts to gain a larger understanding of the world beyond his immediate sphere of contact.
Thus the person hoping to buy a great gift for a nine year old boy also faces a challenge: how to buy a gift that is neither too "young" for a young man moving out of childhood, nor too mature for a person still very much in his youth?
The best approach to gift buying for a nine year old child is to look for options that sit astride myriad areas of interest. The highly kinetic mind of most children at nine will respond well to an activity or object that engages its user in multiple ways. A building kit that encourages use of basic engineering and design skills and results in the construction of a vehicle that can be played with, for example, challenges a young mind to think mathematically and then rewards the effort with a toy as the end result. A sporting activity that has rules that must be understood and followed yet still encourages plenty of physical effort provides the structure a child craves with the energetic outlet he needs.
Pay attention to the interests of the young gift recipient and try to meet him where his focus already lies. The youngster fascinated by robots will surely enjoy a toy robot, but he may respond even better to a kit that allows him to construct his own working mechanized bot.
If a young man has shown an interest in science, consider getting him genuine scientific instruments. Children respond well to being taken seriously, and supporting a hobby with a tool like a real, working microscope is a great idea. The same is true for music and art; a nine year old child is more than old enough to be trusted with a quality instrument or with a great set of paintbrushes and paints.
The more deeply you allow a child to explore an area in which he already has shown proclivity, the more likely it is he will develop a passion and expertise for that field. While some gifts should be intended merely for a child's enjoyment, others can help guide and encourage a child toward greater academic, musical, or sporting achievement.
Emotional And Cognitive Development Of The Nine Year Old Boy
A child of nine years old undergoes many changes in terms of his emotional and cognitive development. Most of these are positive changes, including an increased attention span. Nine year old children are able to focus more time and energy on single activities, and are able to comprehend longer and more complex sentences and equations. Children of this age can often converse at an adult level and are capable of structured thought such as planning ahead for events, travel, or tasks such as cleaning a room, helping with a meal, and so forth.
Most of these are positive changes, including an increased attention span.
Perhaps the most striking change likely to effect a nine year old boy is less positive, however: nine year old children often begin to feel the effects of peer pressure in a way never before encountered. Friendship becomes ever more important to a nine year old child, with the need for friends relating both to emotional well being but also to social status within a peer group. Nine year old children begin to seek more independence from the family and more acceptance by friends of their own age group and ilk.
With this new need for acceptance and status too comes a heightened sense of empathy and the potential for cooperation. Children of nine can certainly be cruel to one another, but they can also (and more often will) play well together, exhibiting patience, following rules, and generally enjoying the company that comes with friendship. Thus perhaps the greatest gift a person can give to a nine year old boy is one he can share with his friends. Encouraging kids to play together means enjoyment amplified because it is shared.
Physical Developmental Milestones Of Nine Year Old Males
It does not take a pediatrician to confirm the fact that nine year old boys love being active. A boy of this age is growing steadily, though not yet with the spurts that come with puberty, and is developing ever more refined muscle control and dexterity. You can expect children of nine to possess the same gross motor control as most adults, easily able to maintain balance, to run, to skip, to jump, and to generally control all major muscle movements with ease. Many nine year olds are also mastering fine motor control. Thus it is that many nine year old boys begin to show more than a mere interest in sports, but may begin to demonstrate actual talent.
That same mastery of fine motor control can spur new abilities in music and art, as well.
Gifts that encourage a young athlete to practice a sport are a great idea, provided they do not put undue pressure on the youngster. If a child wants to play baseball, he should be encouraged to do so, in short. If a child loves being active but does not respond well to organized sports, he should not be forced into the activity; doing so will only further fuel his dislike for the sport, proving fully counterproductive.
That same mastery of fine motor control can spur new abilities in music and art, as well. A nine year old child can properly form the chords used to play a guitar or can nimbly strike the keys of a piano. He may also be able to deftly hold a pencil or paintbrush. When you see a potential for such activities, foster it at once even if only to test a child's potential interest. With new found physical coordination may too come a new found passion.