Cars, trains, fire engines, dinosaur figurines, and construction sets are all the rage where little boys’ birthday gifts are concerned.

Want to give him something a little different? Here are 10 ideas to get you started.

1. Mini garden kit

Includes: Plant pots/trays, mini watering can, mini shovel, an assortment of seeds, and soil.

Places to buy from: Your local nursery or flower shops, Daiso

Estimated cost: $25 for three plants/pots

Or create a plant art kit for  him!

2. Water guns

Includes: An assortment of guns of different sizes and functions. You’d be surprised how many different ways there are to fill and fire a water gun these days!

Places to buy from: Daiso, department stores, Toys’R’Us

Estimated cost: $30 for 3-4 guns

3. Toolbox

Includes: A child-friendly pair of scissors, masking tape, non-toxic glue, twine, some pieces of wood, pencil and ruler, and a metal/plastic briefcase to carry it all in.

Places to buy from: Art Friend, Daiso, Popular, Paper Market

Estimated cost: $25

4. Bicycle bell

Includes: Well, we really mean just the bicycle bell! But you could wrap it up in many layers of paper, or in multiple boxes, to give a greater element of surprise!

Places to buy from: The Rice Shop at Pasar Bella, The Better Toy Store, neighbourhood bicycle stores

Estimated cost: $10

5. Building blocks

Includes: A big container, many wooden blocks. Mix and match an assortment of styles, including blocks from a typical toy store, plain wooden pieces from Daiso, and longer planks from CitiBlocs!

Places to buy from: Departmental stores, Daiso, Toys’R’Us, myfirstgames.sg

Estimated cost: Anywhere from $20-80, depending on how many blocks sets you get!

6. Mini architect kit

Includes: Ice cream sticks, wooden dowels, small panels of wood, small panels of plastic, super glue/blutack (for sticking items together), and a large piece of wood for a base.

Places to buy from: Art Friend, Daiso, Popular

Estimate cost: $30

7. Torch

Includes: Like the bicycle bell, this is pretty much a stand-alone gift, and not something many of us would think of getting for a little boy. But trust us on this – every little boy wants his very own flashlight. For scaring away monsters under the bed. For being brave when there’s a power trip. For making shadows on the wall.

Places to buy from: Departmental stores, Home-Fix, Toys’R’Us

Estimated cost: $10

8. Pyssla beads kit

Image: IKEA

Includes: Beads, assorted pegboard (sold separately)

Places to buy from: IKEA, Amazon.com

Estimated cost: $15

9. Show tickets

Includes: Tickets to the movies or a theatre production

Places to buy from: SISTIC, Cinema Theatres

Estimated cost: Min $25 for a pair of movie tickets

10. Fancy dress

Includes: Costume based on his favourite character (Eg. Batman, Superman) or theme (Eg. Pirate, Astronaut).

Places to buy from: The Party Stuff, Spotlight, Toys’R’Us, Mothercare, Amazon.com, My Mini-me.

Estimated cost: $50

By Dorothea Chow.

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