gifts ideas for 8 year old?

[Saudade]

My mom is having my 8 year old cousin come for his xmas break. He is in foster care so we wanted to try to make xmas more special for him (dad is in jail, mom's TPR hearing is today). I saw him at Thanksgiving when she brought him home but previously I hadn't seen him since he was 3. I have no idea what he likes or what normal 8 yearolds like.

Any suggestions?

[Deleted]

Does he have a bike?
Basics, like good shoes and clothes (boring, but might be a good supplementary gift)
Remote control car

[CloudBee]

Razor Scooter www.amazon.com/Razor-A-Kick-Scooter-Red/dp/B00009V2LU/ref=sr_1_10?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1355235972&sr=1-10&keywords=razor+scooter

Lego kit - one of the ones where you build a specific item, and that comes in a plastic box so he can keep his pieces safe. Target had these over the weekend by their registers, and many other places carry them as well. www.amazon.com/LEGO-4567252-Mini-Dumper-5865/dp/B002RL7VWK/ref=sr_1_20?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1355236145&sr=1-20&keywords=lego+creator

Remote Control Car - preferably one that charges vs. needing batteries, or just wrap with a few extra packs of batteries

[Deleted]

My 8yr old boy neighbor likes Soccer, Beyblades & art. That's all I've got.

[Saudade]

I honestly don't know what he has or what size he wears. I know my mom bought him some new clothes when he was here at Thanksgiving because his jeans were 6 inches too long and falling off.

So far I've got some puzzles because I know he likes those and an airplane thingy because he loved when my dad took him up in his plane.

I considered clothes but I don't know his size so that makes it kind of hard. I'll have to look at a remote control car, I think he might like that.

[Saudade]

Would a kid like a scooter even if he couldn't use it until spring? We live in MN and he lives in Iowa.

[madringal]

My nephew is 8 and is into Legos, Ninjago, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones.

[CloudBee]

Dec 11, 2012 9:41:26 GMT -5 Saudade said:

Would a kid like a scooter even if he couldn't use it until spring? We live in MN and he lives in Iowa.

My sister lives in Maine and her kids use their scotters year-round, as did I as a kid. If the driveway is snowy/has ice on it, they use it in the garage or basement. But honestly, even in the dead of winter the driveway is usually pretty clear because the sun burns off the ice. They tend to use scooters year-round more so than their bikes.

[CloudBee]

If you want to get clothes - how about a GC to somewhere like Old Navy or Target so someone can take him shopping? (And specify the GC is for clothing, not toys.)

[Saudade]

Dec 11, 2012 9:58:05 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Dec 11, 2012 9:41:26 GMT -5 Saudade said:

Would a kid like a scooter even if he couldn't use it until spring? We live in MN and he lives in Iowa.

My sister lives in Maine and her kids use their scotters year-round, as did I as a kid. If the driveway is snowy/has ice on it, they use it in the garage or basement. But honestly, even in the dead of winter the driveway is usually pretty clear because the sun burns off the ice. They tend to use scooters year-round more so than their bikes.

Good to know! Thank you!

[slug*bug]

Two of my nephews are 8 and I'd second BeyBlades and Legos: both are big hits.

More specific things on their lists were Diary of a Wimpy kid books and one wanted the Crayola airbrush art kit, and my SIL said that Diary of a Wimpy Kid pj's were welcome as well. Maybe PJ's w/a favorite character? I struck out on finding the Diary pajamas, but Old Navy had Angry Birds and several other characters and Kohl's had seemingly every little boy character out there...just no DWK for me-boo.

[dragonfly08]

If he likes reading, books are great.

At 8, my nephew was totally into his Nintendo DS so that may be a consideration depending on your budget and his maturity (will he take care of it). My nephew alsy loved anything sports related (he plays baseball and hockey) so things like tickets to a ball game, a scooter/bike, sports equipment like bats/balls/nets would have gone over well.