Is there a birthday coming up or Christmas looming, and you’re at a loss for what to buy as a present for a 10-year-old boy? As this is that stage between childhood and the teenage years, tween boys’ maturity levels and hobbies can vary greatly.
These child-vetted selections are great for a wide range of interests. We look for products that are inspiring; mind-, body-, and socially-engaging; affordable; and highly entertaining.
Be the best parent, aunt, grandma, or grandad, by being a bit more inventive. Let’s consider what a 10-year-old boy might be interested in, then check out our top 30 picks for the best toys and gift ideas for 10-year-old boys.
- Over 100 electronic circuit projects
- Easy-to-follow instruction manual
- No tools needed
- Mind-melting light-up memory game
- Solo or two-player mode
- Very portable
- Great stealth learning experience
- Multi-level challenges
- Fun logic game
- Includes 5 minifigures
- Loads of great play details
- Detachable rotating throne section
- Built with 601 pieces
- 17 different robotic designs
- Infrared sensor system
Product Reviews
Here are some of the best gifts for 10-year-old boys, including technology, sports, games, toys, educational gifts, and more.
Technology and Electronics
Gifts of this nature are some of the best gifts for 10-year-old boys and will always be a hit. Just make sure they’re age appropriate and not too simple or too advanced.
Snap Circuits Electronics Exploration Kit
Best Electronics Gift for 10-Year-Old Boys
This kit has over 30 electronic components to create 100 projects involving electronic circuits. Working models of flashing lights, a siren with volume control, and a photosensor are among the many projects offered.
I like that this is also a STEM toy and needs no special tools; just snap and click the pieces together.
Mini Pocket Drone
Best Mini Drone for Tweens
Available in gold, black, or white, this mini drone will provide hours of flying fun. It charges via USB and flies for 5 minutes on a full charge. The drone is best suited for indoor use.
Your 10-year-old will love taking to the skies (or the ceiling) with this fun electronic toy. The drone is easy to control and has a tricks mode, letting it do full 360-degree flips.
K'NEX Bionic Blast Roller Coaster
Thrills and Spills
Build a thrilling roller coaster step-by-step using the color-coded instructions. Once it’s done, place the car on the track and watch it lift to the top of the ride and then race back to the start, ready to go again.
You can even download the free K’Nex Ride It! app and use the included virtual reality viewer to ride the coaster.
Echo Dot Kids Edition
Best Informational Tool
Put Alexa at your 10-year-old’s command. This kid-friendly hands-free speaker will read stories, play music, tell jokes, and answer questions. It has easy-to-use parental controls, letting you control time limits, review your child’s activity, or even pause Alexa.
Great features include a year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a case, and a 2-year guarantee.
Hamzer 61-Key Portable Electronic Keyboard
Music Genius
Is your 10-year-old a budding Bruno Mars or Ed Sheeran? This electronic keyboard could be the answer to their dreams. Let them sit and compose, or just practice with an integrated learning system.
It’s great that this allows your child to listen through speakers or headphones (bliss!) and comes with a stand and a stool.
Elenco Electronic Experiments
Electronic Experiments
Introduce your kid to electronics with this playground and learning center. Let them discover voltage, transistors, and capacitors and learn how to use them.
There are 50 experiments they can complete, including a finger touch lamp, electronic keyboard, and magnetic bridge, to name just a few. A full instruction manual is included.
Games and Toys
Educational Insights Brainbolt Toy
Memory Challenge
Brainbolt is a memory game for one or two players. Memorize the light sequence and repeat it back for as long as possible without making a mistake. Players can challenge their best scores or go head-to-head with their friends and see who can recall the most.
We like that this game is portable and can go anywhere with you. It also has advanced levels to prevent boredom.
LEGO Star Wars Death Star Final Duel
Best Star Wars Set
Lego is a firm favorite with boys of any age. Pair it with Star Wars, and you’re onto a winner. This setting for the showdown between Luke Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine, and Darth Vader has many details.
You can swing out the side sections, open doors, collapse the stairs and bridge, make the lightsaber pop up, and more.
Air Hogs Remote Control Wall Climbing Car
Best Car Toy for 10-Year-Old Boys
A vacuum system lets this car literally climb the walls, mirrors, glass, and closets, and you can even race it across the ceiling.
It comes with an infrared remote controller and rechargeable batteries. The car will perform many tricks, spinning 360 degrees.
Nerf N-Strike Elite Precision Target Set
Best Nerf Gun for 10-Year-Old Boys
Nerf guns are all the rage. This indoor set has a target and suction darts, letting you practice your shooting skills. The laser light beam helps improve your accuracy.
There are two different colored sets of darts, so friends can challenge each other to find out who can get closest to the bullseye.
RC Stunt Car
Best Remote-Controlled Toy
This sturdy remote-controlled car is great for full-stunt play. It is designed for outdoor and indoor use, with shockproof and anti-crash features.
The wheels are flexible on any ground, including beaches, wetlands, and grasslands. Your 10-year-old will love taking this anywhere, even to the park or off-road in the backyard.
PlayMonster Secret Agent Maze Game
Mission Impossible
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make your way through the “laser” maze to find and defuse the bomb. This set has 37 feet of string and clamps so your child can build their own maze. It also has a sensor to detect whether you break the “laser beam.”
It comes with nighttime UV light goggles, which make the string glow at night.
Sports and Outdoors
Tanner Tee
Best Gift for Baseball Fans
The durable Tanner Tee is ideal for practicing that baseball swing and hitting the ball every time.
Made in the USA for over 25 years, this tee is backed by a one-year guarantee.
We especially like that it’s also portable, so you can take it to open spaces and let your tween loose on those baseballs.
Flybold Slackline Kit with Training Line Tree Protectors
Best Outdoor Toy
Learn to safely practice a highwire act with this slackline kit. It has everything you need to set up a training tightrope while protecting the trees you tie it around.
The ratchets are made from high-grade steel, and the lines are strong 100% polyester.
Kidzlane Infrared Laser Tag Game
Tag, with a Difference
Running around playing tag is fun, but imagine how much more fun it is with laser guns. This kit has four gun settings and four team selections.
You can set the gun to shotgun, pistol, machine gun, or rocket mode. Parents especially love that the lasers have a child safety emission level.
Marky Sparky Blast Pad Pro - Missile Launcher
Best Rocket Toy for 10-Year-Old Boys
Set up the frame, secure the hose, load a rocket, then jump as hard as you can onto the blast pad.
Kids will love watching their rocket soar into the air.
These light missiles travel at 90 feet per second. Who will make it the highest and win?
Lifetime Basketball Hoop
Best Gift for Basketball Fans
Shooting hoops is a great way for kids to practice their basketball skills.
It’s also an excellent way to incorporate some quality one-on-one time with your child.
This telescoping stand secures the hoop on a water- or sand-filled base and is adjustable from 7.5 feet to 10 feet. This means it will grow as your boy does for years of practice and fun.
Djubi Classic
Most Unique Outdoor Toy
Taking a cool new twist on a classic game of catch makes this a good choice for outdoor play.
The soft sponge ball can be launched from an attachment on a deep netted racquet. Catch the incoming ball before launching it back.
The ball will travel up to 100 feet, and the set includes two racquets and two balls.
Educational and STEM Gifts
Think Fun Rush Hour Traffic Jam Logic Game
Best Solo-Play Game
Test your problem-solving and math skills by sliding cars around the grid. The goal is to get the red car out of the parking lot. With 40 challenges, from beginner to expert, this game will test brainpower to the max.
The game includes four blocking trucks, 11 blocking cars, one traffic grid, and the all-important red car. This fun but challenging one-player game is great for at-home play or to use while traveling. It will keep a 10-year-old boy playing again and again.
LEGO MindStorms Robot Kit
Best Robot Toy for 10-Year-Old Boys
Combining engineering with coding and programming, this robot kit is ideal, whether you’re a Lego fan or not. You can build 17 different robot designs, including the Gripp3r, Track3r, R3ptar, Spik3r, and more, so there’s lots of variation.
Once complete, download the free EV3 programmer app to control your robot. It can shoot targets, walk, grab, talk, and more.
Gili Building, Construction Engineering Kits
Educational Engineering
The 361 pieces in this kit, along with an easy-to-follow manual, will allow kids to be creative. They can build an airplane, a truck, and much more. It will encourage their curiosity about engineering and mechanics.
This kit will challenge and engage kids. It’s also good for helping kids communicate with you or their peers.
The set comes with a drawstring bag to help keep all the pieces in one place when not in use.
Hand2mind Animal Science Kit for Kids
Science Made Fun
Boys love playing around with bones, and this kit will let them do just that. There are biology experiments that let them make a hard bone rubbery, dissect an owl pellet, and more.
They can also assemble animal skeletons with help from the 20-page informative booklet enclosed.
Sphero SPRK+ STEM Educational Robot
Best Coding Toy
This educational robot uses a free app to allow kids to code using draw and drive, block base, or Javascript. Once they master one, they can move on to the next.
The app is compatible with iOS, Android, Kindle, and Chrome, making it useable on many devices. Kids can use their device to control the robot’s lights, direction, sequence, speed, and more.
The ball-shaped, waterproof robot is equipped with Bluetooth for easy connection. The battery lasts for about an hour of play and charges inductively.
Scientific Explorer Disgusting Science Kit
Gross Discoveries
This kit contains all a boy needs to make really gross things. And let’s be honest, the grosser, the better in a 10-year-old’s eyes.
Make smelly intestines, slimy snot, or fake blood. Grow friendly bacteria and molds, if you can class either of those as friendly.
The kit has everything you need, including instructions, Petri dishes, a magnifier, and more.
The Best of the Rest
Marvel Infinity War Black Panther Alarm Clock
Fun Alarm Clock
Time often has no meaning for kids. Teaching them to manage their own time can be a good thing as they get a bit older.
Let them set an alarm to get themselves up in time for school.
This Marvel-themed alarm clock is sure to be a hit. It features a soft night light and an LCD display. We love that it is battery-operated, so you don’t have to reset the clock every time the power goes out. Two AAA batteries are included.
The Boys' Book Of Survival
Top Tips for 10-Year-Old Boys
This book takes an amusing look at how to survive many situations.
Send an SOS message or survive a shark attack, a school dance, or a shopping trip with mom.
It will help your 10-year-old boy think on their feet and provide them with light-hearted solutions for their problems.
Retevis Kids Walkie Talkies
Keep in Touch
Walkie-talkies are always good fun for boys. Maybe their best friend lives just a few doors away. With a 9000-ft range, it’s easy for them to keep in touch with these walkie-talkies. It’s also great for play. Imagine it combined with a Nerf gun for backyard warfare.
There are 22 channels, and the sound quality is good.
Hardy Boys Starter Set
Mystery and Suspense
These mystery books are classics that boys will enjoy reading. They might be able to solve the clues themselves and get great satisfaction when they get it right and help catch the criminal.
This set includes the first five books in the series — the perfect introduction to Frank and Joe Hardy and their mystery-filled lives. The 10-year-old boy in your life will be requesting more in no time. But there’s no need to worry as the series contains 66 books, enough to keep any reader busy for a long time.
We like that these books have stood the test of time. The page-turners were first published in 1927 but continue to be a hit with thousands of readers today.
Basketball Hoop Hamper
Clean Up Made Fun
Getting 10-year-old boys to keep their room tidy can be a challenge. This basketball hoop will let them get some practice as they launch their dirty laundry into the attached hamper.
It fits easily over any door — meaning you won’t be searching the floor for that lost sock. Release the drawstring clamp at the bottom of the hamper, and the laundry will drop into your laundry basket, ready for washing.
Light-Up Terrarium Kit
Environment Lover
A 10-year-old boy will love that sense of responsibility that comes with caring for this terrarium kit.
It comes with everything he needs to build a terrarium. He will be ready to set up his mini property instantaneously.
The set includes a jar with a lid, a spray bottle, soil, sand, rocks, stickers, and mini figurines to create a unique and fun display. This is not only great for interactive play, but the LED lights make it a relaxing experience.
What to Consider When Buying Gifts for 10-Year-Old Boys
Boys at this age want to be challenged but won’t like something if they find it frustrating. Their minds are ready for expansion, and they’re becoming increasingly curious about how things work.
Choose toys and games that have clear, easy-to-read instructions. That way, they’ll be able to play independently without help from mom or dad — unless they ask for it, of course.
Technological and STEM toys will be interesting for 10-year-old boys. Look for products that will teach them valuable skills. Things like coding, programming, or even basic engineering are good choices. Other toys that involve assembling small parts will encourage their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Another good thing to consider is something that will help them burn off excess energy. Outdoor play is fun, and many toys will help them keep fit and take them away from screen time. Look for things that involve running around, and even better, involve targets to improve their coordination at the same time (1).