Squigz to build, bounce, and stick to almost any surface - even windows! Super flexible Squigz can be assembled to create an impressive array of vehicles, robots, jewelry and more. Just as fun to POP apart! They're fun little suckers.Toy CrayolaStudio CrayolaCrayola EasyCrayola ColorCrayola AliveNice CrayolaInexpensive Christmas GiftsChristmas Gifts For KidsHoliday ToyForwardCrayola Alive is a cool gift for seven year old boys. Best Christmas Toys for 7 Year Old Boys 2016 - The Perfect Gift StoreBy seven kids are really starting to question the world. They’re fascinated by natural sciences and animals, as well as getting to grips with some of the big issues like artificial intelligence, exploration and how to keep something alive - although they might not realise this is what they’re exploring when building a Lego explorer ship, making a model robot or cuddling a lifelike toy puppy. We’ve found some of the best toys for seven-year-olds that harness their natural enthusiasm, obsessions and energy.
1. Lego City Deep Sea Exploration Vessel: £79.99, Lego Shop All Lego is brilliant, limited only by the builder’s imagination and determination, but if we were choosing a set to make and play with, it would be this Deep Sea Exploration Vessel. Included is an exploration vessel, submarine, remote sub, scuba scooter, shipwreck, shark cage and three sharks. Oh and seven mini-figures including four scuba divers and a deep sea diver. 2. Mitre Personalised Football: £30, Mitre It’s hard to go wrong with a ball but this great size five Mitre ball can be personalised, meaning you need never worry about losing it in the park again. Available in three colours – green, red and blue – it comes ready pumped up and in a box. 3. Rubik’s cube: £9.99, Toys R Us Rubik’s cube is the world’s bestselling puzzle but for those not familiar with it, it’s a cube with each side made up of nine coloured squares. The aim is to move the pieces around until eventually each face of the cube is made up of nine identically coloured squares.
The Rubik’s cube of old had stickers allowing for cheating but the newer version has permanent colours. Rubik’s champions can solve a cube in ten seconds, apparently, but it’s more likely this toy will last your recipient a lifetime. 4. Natural History Museum Pocket Microscope: £10, Natural History Museum Shop This microscope is great – small enough to fit into a small bag and take on adventures with you but powerful enough to show you the minutiae of the world around you, with 40x magnification. The box has printed on it the fact that one tablespoon of soil has more tiny living organisms in it than there are people on earth – if that doesn’t blow the mind of a seven-year-old (or anyone) then we’re not sure what will. 5. Royal Museums Greenwich World Map Mini Backpack: £12, Royal Museums Greenwich The perfect size for an adventure and the perfect design too, this map of the world bag could fit a packed lunch and a map in for a daytrip or a selection of small toys and snacks for a longer journey.
It has two compartments, a padded back, adjustable straps and is wipe clean. 6. ZSL Lion Cushion: £25, ZSL When a seven-year-old gets an obsession, they really obsess, wanting to know all there is to know about whatever it is that has piqued their interest. Get them into big cats and the adults around them will be fascinated too – after all, who doesn’t like a lion? This cushion from the shop at London Zoo is soft and silky with amazing detail. 7. Little Live Pets Snuggles My Dream Puppy: £49.99, Argos DreamToys is a list of must-have toys for Christmas produced each year by the Toy Retailer’s Association. It’s partly responsible for ensuring everyone else wants the same toys as you and there’s none left on the shelves as the big day approaches. Still, the Association has got it right putting Snuggles on its 2016 list – a puppy that needs looking after by its owner but doesn’t need real food, real walks or a real pooper-scooper. Snuggles moves, responds to cuddles and even breathes when “asleep”.
8. Roald Dahl Collection: £21.99, The Book People The great thing about Roald Dahl’s books are that they’re perfect to read alone but also great to read out loud to someone, so this is a gift for the whole family really. From the bumbling farmers in Fantastic Mr Fox to the magical world of James and the Giant Peach to tales about chocolate factories, horrible schools and friendly giants, this set of fifteen books has not just something for everyone but several things for everyone. 9. Galt Robo Modelling Set: £9.99, John Lewis You might think of wind-up toys as old fashioned but these make-your-own wind-up robots are anything but. Model the clay around the mechanisms (four included), let it dry and you’re off. And they said making robots was complicated. We want every one of these, and we’re a great deal older than seven. To have the whole of the Roald Dahl cannon unread and ahead of you – what a wonderful thing, though the excitement of a good quality football with your name on it is pretty high too.
But a Lego set with divers and sharks is our winner – there aren’t really words beyond wow. IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testingMake the most of your free time with the best toys, games and gadgets of the season. “Astonishing” is how our 13-year-old tester describes battle racing game Anki Overdrive. Players use their smartphones to race robotic supercars on a special track while battling it out with virtual weapons. You can get powerups for your supercar and design your own tracks, including cool jumps. These are some of the best flyers BL has seen — and we’ve tested a lot over the years. All three new drones in the Sky Viper line rock: They’re easy to control and durable in crashes. Our 13-year-old Nano Drone tester says, “It’s awesome!
Super-stable and easy to fly. It has a small battery, which means shorter life, but it charges in about five minutes, so that makes up for it.” for guidelines from the Federal Aviation Administration. The Star Wars Millennium Falcon Quad is easy to control and flies smoothly — our 8-year-old tester mastered it in less than an hour. And while you’re learning to master it, young Jedi, crashes are no worry because of the light foam construction. The quad also makes cool Star Wars sounds, including hyperspace mode. Our testers were pretty proud of themselves when they finished building the 200-piece Marble Mania Quest and got it working. They say the marbles are “mesmerizing” as they twist and turn down the tracks. This set is compatible with all others from Techno Gear. Turn gel into 3D creations with 3D Maker. Fill molds with gel and place them in the maker, which solidifies the gel using UV light (instead of heat). You can create your own designs or use templates to make construction-themed (bridge, tower, chopper) and nature-themed (turtle, fish, butterfly) designs.
Don’t let the dark ruin your football fun. Keep it going with the Nerf FireVision Ignite Football. It lights up with a cool green glow as you throw it and, like most Nerf stuff, it’s easy to handle. Fun especially for younger players — say, 6 to 9 years old — NHL Arena is an old-school-style desktop hockey game. There are no lights or sounds, but the action is fast with the goalie and forward figures. Shoot the puck or block it at the push of a button. Comes with NHL stickers for your fave teams. Here’s another outstanding flyer: Sky Rover Voice Command Helicopter. Control this indoor chopper with 12 verbal commands. All you need is the headset — no hands required. Our 9-year-old tester was amazed: “It really does what I tell it to do!” $44.99; Build the biggest Transformers Generations Combiner Wars figure ever with the Constructicon Devastator. From Hook to Scrapper to Mixmaster and more, all six Voyager Class Constructicons come together to form this 18-inch-tall mighty Decepticon weapon.
Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage is a cool way to store and display your collection. With 36 spaces, it’s Hot Wheels’ biggest garage yet. Plus, it’s a multilevel playset that lets you race side-by-side and more. Includes five cars, lights, sounds, elevators and a car-grabbing helicopter. Create interactive games, smart vehicles and more with the littleBits Gizmos and Gadgets kit. It comes with all you need to get started on 10 different projects. Our 8-year-old tester built a remote-controlled scooter and a doorbell, each in about 20 minutes. Whether you’re into outer space or the zoo, there’s a Remote-Control Machines engineering kit for you. The Mars rover, moon lander, elephant, scorpion or any other model you choose to build and control is motorized and mechanized to move around. Is it a helicopter or a plane? Fury Jump Jet is kinda both. You can take off vertically in hover mode, and then with the push of a button, rotate the wings to plane mode. It takes some practice to learn to control it, but our 13-year-old tester took it to his Scout meeting and everyone liked trying it out.
Powerful spells, strategic combat, fierce creature squads — all the excitement of the classic trading card game is here with Magic: The Gathering Arena of the Planeswalkers. But now there’s a customizable board and new rules as you and your buds battle with mighty Planeswalkers. After you build it, a lot goes on at the LEGO Minecraft The Nether Fortress. Alex and Steve take on a Zombie Pigman, a Blaze and a fireball-shooting Ghast at the light-up Nether portal. There are also glowstones that actually glow in the dark, three swords, a pickaxe and more. Grab your smartphone or tablet and bring Minecraft to life with Minecraft Stop-Motion Movie Creator. Download the free app and use the stage, set props and minifigures (including Steve) to animate your own adventures. You can even use music and sound effects from the game. A follow-up to last year’s Boomer Dino, Zoomer Dino Jester is a new interactive species (Jokeasaurus) with improved balance and a sense of humor — and sometimes a bad temper.
Guide it with your hands or the remote control. “It’s fun to learn the commands and how to control it,” reports our 11-year-old tester. “I like making it angry to see its reaction!” $99.99; Capture the Flag has arrived in the 21st century. The kit of LED lights — orbs (“flags”), wristbands, jail markers and territory lights — makes Capture the Flag REDUX a cool nighttime game. “It’s fun to play and has easy instructions,” reports our team of Scout testers. With Mario behind the wheel, the World of Nintendo Anti-Gravity RC Racer hovers in real life like it does in the Mario Kart 8 videogame. You can rotate the remote-controlled car’s wheels while it’s moving or not, and drive it in simulated “anti-gravity” mode. Make it drift around corners and do tricks, too. Build the Z-Strux Z-Lift Sky Crane, and then put it to work with the pulley and lifting hook. You can also build a hauler, tow truck and rolling crane with this 395-piece set. And our testers designed and built their own structures.
Aspiring magicians should turn to Spectacular Magic Show. Our tester wowed his brothers by making a deck of cards disappear and turning a glass into a bottle. There are 100 tricks in all. You might need a parent to help you with some of them. There’s also an instructional DVD featuring a pro magician. “This thing can go over anything!” our testers exclaim. They tried out the 15-inch Rock Crawler 3XL RC on different terrain — everything from grass to stairs — and they say its four-wheel drive was “awesome and powerful.” Plus, the remote-control range is an impressive 160 feet. The LEGO Ultra Agents Ocean HQ is armed with rapid-fire shooters, a harpoon, jetpack and more, all in defense against the baddie Electrolyzer. Build the included AppBrick Gadget and download the free Ultra Agents 2 app, and you can also undertake cool missions on your tablet. What’s better than Jenga? With Jenga Giant, the hardwood planks stack to more than 4 feet high, and each block is eight times bigger than those in the original game.
It’s sure to be a party pleaser. (Use coupon code BOYSLIFEJENGA at checkout for a discount.) Equipped with real tools and step-by-step illustrated instructions, you’re in for a fun task with the Eitech Dinosaurs metal construction line. Our 11-year-old tester has a knack for building, and he felt sufficiently challenged (and stoked when finished). T. rex, Brachiosaurus or Triceratops set: $39.99 each; Here it is: the VEX Robotics Crossbow Launcher construction kit. Yes, it’s geared toward advanced builders, and it’s a true challenge. But, as our 13-year-old tester reports, “It’s really cool and worth it!” The best part: When it’s built, you can shoot the foam darts. Playing spies with your friends has never sounded so good. The Bionic Ear lets you hear sounds up to 300 feet away. The noise-reducing headphones help cut down on background interference. All prices listed are MSRP — manufacturer’s suggested retail price. You can often find better prices at stores or online.