Nine is when reading for fun often slips, with one large survey finding far fewer frequent readers at 9 than at 8. Winter break is a good reset, and a book that fits his own interests can win him back. Alongside books, the list below has gifts for building, playing and getting outside.
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Science and discovery
Buried treasure in his own backyard usually means coins and small scraps of metal, but each one is a find he tracked down himself, from the first signal to the last scoop of dirt.
Science and discovery
Tower sketches fill his notebook margins, and Engino lets the boy who draws them build the real thing.
Games and puzzles
Both Super Mario Galaxy games come in one package, the original and its sequel, and either one plays on a Switch or a Switch 2, whichever one the family owns.
Building setsAges 8+
On the bedroom floor, a curious tinkerer can lay out his own GraviTrax track and send a ball racing down it.
Outdoor and sports
Named on a list by Parents (parents.com)
Older kids carving past his house make it look easy, and a Razor RipStik Ripster lets him start chasing that same balance.
Building setsAges 7+
153 pieces · set 31159
Three builds come out of one box: a spider, a scorpion and a snake, all from the same bricks.
Science and discovery
Has he ever asked how a bridge holds up all that traffic?
Arts and crafts
Pokémon pictures with a stained-glass look are what he makes here, and the finished art is for keeping up on a wall or shelf at home, not for trading.
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Hasbro Gaming's Guess Who? swaps the usual faces for Pokémon, so a fan who knows them by heart turns that into clues.
Planning ahead pays off in The Crew, where everyone is on one team and a clever card from him helps the whole family reach the goal.
Christmas Day, with everyone home and nobody rushing off, is the right moment to open Squirrel Dash, a CrunchLabs board game made for kids, one that grown-ups can join too.
A 20-inch foosball game sits on a desk or a card table, giving him real matches without a full-size table taking over the basement.
This puzzle contest puts a quick-eyed boy on even footing with the adults, since sharp spotting counts more than age.
If the boy you're buying for counts his allowance and loves a good deal, Monopoly gives him a board to bargain over.
Fart humor fits a young prankster who loves a well-timed joke, since he hides the gadget and decides when it goes off.
Your soccer-mad nine-year-old talks through every match he plays and wants a rival he can beat indoors, too.
Fat Brain Toys GibGab is a head-to-head word duel for a fast-talking boy eager to challenge anyone.
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Ages 8+
499 pieces · set 76446
This Knight Bus set from LEGO Harry Potter gives a nine-year-old book lover a wizarding ride to build.
This National Geographic kit turns into a marble run, with every drop and curve placed exactly where he decides.
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A boy who flips over backyard rocks to find bugs gets an Uncle Milton ant farm of his own.
Curious about every beetle on the patio, a young backyard explorer can trap one in the Carson BugView for an enlarged view.
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Size sets this Spinosaurus apart.
Your Transformers fan who keeps a growing row of robots on his dresser now has Scavenger to add to the end.
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The Last Kids on Earth gives a nine-year-old reader a novel to dive into.
Who Was Albert Einstein? puts the life of a famous scientist under the tree for a curious nine-year-old.
The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi makes a Christmas gift for a young comics fan ready to read alone.
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Crayola Globbles are sticky squish balls for the stocking, made for a boy whose hands never stay still.
Outdoor and sports
Sporty and competitive, the boy on your list can shoot the arcade-style hoops he lines up for at the bowling alley.
Vehicles
The Air Hogs Zero Gravity truck gives a fast-car fan a remote-controlled racer to drive indoors.
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The Mainstreet Classics foosball game sits on a desk or a card table, where he works the rods to score against an opponent without a full-size table filling the basement, while the Uncle Milton ant habitat keeps a live colony on that same desk, where he follows the tunnels and marks each new passage on a chart taped beside it.
Yes. The LEGO Creator spider set is marked for an age below his, so he can follow it alone, building the spider and then pulling the bricks apart to make a scorpion and a snake from the same box.
The RipStik Ripster caster board pivots under his feet, so expect shaky early tries as he works at his balance and carves turns along the sidewalk or driveway. It suits a patient learner rather than someone hoping to cruise right away.
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