The 18 Best Toys for 10-Year-Old Boys in 2020

• 01 of 18

  Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit

  Excellent

  Buy on Amazon

  

  An award-winning electronics discovery kit is the perfect gift for a 10-year-old boy. With the toy, he will get more than 100 projects he can build with more than 30 color-coded circuit components, including wires, switches, an alarm circuit, speaker and music-integrated circuit. Projects include cool things like making a photosensor, a flashing light, a voice-controlled lamp, and an adjustable volume siren. There’s no need for tools, as all of the parts snap together on the plastic grid.

  Easy-to-follow directions with large, colorful pictures allow him to explore and complete projects himself without the need for adult help. Once your 10-year-old mastered the basics, he can experiment and build his own electronic devices, and extra kits can be purchased to add on and take projects to the next level. Our tester noted, “I like how kids feel successful after completing a project and that this is something that kids can do independently or with someone else.”

  Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Exploration Kit Review
• 02 of 18

  flybold Slackline Kit

  Very Good

  Buy on Amazon

  

  If you want to get them away from their devices and outside a slackline is a smart toy for a 10-year-old boy. These kits are all the rage and will have your child perfecting their balancing skills all in the comfort of your backyard. Think of these kits as a sort of tightrope that has a wider base. This kit has all you need to get started including a main and training lines as well as travel bag unless he wants to take the act on the go.

  This line can extend up to 57' so he can really go the distance. You'll be impressed with the progress he makes in such a short time and also be happy with both the mental and physical exercise he is getting. This slackline is so fun, many reviewers say the whole family gets in on the action.

  Flybold Slackline Kit Review
• 03 of 18

  LEGO 75954 Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Building Kit

  Excellent

  Buy on Amazon

  

  Whether he is into Harry Potter, Legos, or both this 878 piece building kit will pique his interests. He can bring Hogwarts Great Hall to life all in the comfort of his home with this new hot toy that includes 10 mini figures that will allow him to recreate his favorite scenes once he is done building.

  This set is intended for 9 to 14-year-olds because it is complex and time-consuming. When built the hall will measure 14" x 11" x 7" giving him plenty of space to play around with. Reviewers comment that this is both fun to put together and enjoyable to play with. Many commented that the whole family got in on the action.

  LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Building Kit Review
• 04 of 18

  Djubi Classic - the Coolest New Twist on the Game of Catch!

  Good

  Buy on Amazon

  

  They may not be able to pronounce it (it’s joo-bee), but they’ll love to play it. Not your average game of catch, Djubi Classic takes it to the next level of fun. There are no mitts in this game, but instead, each player gets a paddle that has both a launching hook and a catching net. You aim, pull back on one of the balls, which are attached to the launching hook via a loop, and fire. The other player then attempts to catch the ball in their net, and back and forth you go. The balls can fly up to 100 feet, so you can cover some serious space too, but our tester noted this might cause some injury so be aware.

  Each set includes two rackets and two foam balls. It’s great for the backyard, beach (bonus: the balls float!), park or wherever you want to have an active good time. Our tested remarked that it is great for “athletic, coordinated kids who are always looking for a new way to have fun outside.”

  Djubi SlingBall Classic Review
  Continue to 5 of 18 below.
• 05 of 18

  Nintendo Switch

  

  Buy on Amazon

  

  
  This scaled-down gaming console works either with television for family fun or as a handheld device to be used solo. There are more than 2,000 games that work with the Switch, including Mario Kart, with its high-energy races, and problem-solving games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

  If you're trying to keep an eye on your child's screen time, you can use the intuitive controls to set time limits, track minutes and ensure that only age-appropriate games are being downloaded and played.

• 06 of 18

  SanDisk 8GB Clip Jam MP3 Player

  Buy on Amazon

  

  The dilemma: Your kid wants to be able to chill out and listen to his own tunes, but you're not ready for him to have a smartphone just yet. This MP3 player is lightweight, wearable, and has up to 18 hours of battery life. The large, easy-to-navigate screen makes it easy for kids to move between songs and create playlists.

• 07 of 18

  Basketball Hoop Hamper

  Buy on Amazon

  

  He shoots, he scores, and mom wins! This over-the-door basketball hoop is the cleanest game in town, and there are no losers. He has fun throwing his dirty clothing through the hoop instead of leaving it all over the floor to pile up, and mom marvels at the lack of mess-making this the perfect gift for a 10-year-old boy (and mom!). There’s a backboard to bounce items off of, and the bottom is a detachable laundry bag so you can take off the whole thing and haul it to the laundry room, or you can unzip the bottom right into a laundry basket. Slam dunk.

  It fits right over any door, and is a great way to encourage skills on and off the court. Now, if only it would teach them to do their laundry too.

• 08 of 18

  Klutz Lego Make Your Own Movie Activity Kit

  Buy on Amazon

  

  Kids have been making stop-motion animation LEGO movies for years, but this kit takes the guesswork out of the process for newbie filmmakers. It comes with several mini-figure actors (with different faces, outfits, and accessories like hats and wigs), props, backdrops, and an 80-page instruction book with different plot ideas for inspiration and even tips like how to build a homemade tripod.

  Continue to 9 of 18 below.
• 09 of 18

  Hot Wheels id Smart Track Kit

  

  Buy on Mattel.com

  

  This slick racetrack works with the compatible Hot Wheels app using Bluetooth. Players can compete by tracking their speed (it's scaled to reflect how fast you'd go in a real car), number of laps, distance, loops, jumps, and other stats. In free play mode, they can scan in new cars, measure their achievements, and build new track configurations (it's fun to watch what you're physically building appear on screen). In campaign mode, the pressure is on to beat challenges, which get increasingly harder, to earn rewards.

• 10 of 18

  Sonic Snow Saucer DLX

  

  Buy on L.L.Bean

  

  Go for a classic toy for a 10-year old with this Sonic Slider that will have him cruising down the sleigh hill on a snow day. Besides letting him have fun this will also get him outside and keep him active.

  Looking for more reviews? Check out our best sleds article.

• 11 of 18

  Treasure X Aliens

  Buy on Amazon

  

  An alien has wolfed down a treasure hunter and it's your kid's job to dissect the creature and retrieve the hunter, weapon, and gem. The alien is, naturally, full of slime (squeezing its head and watching it ooze out is especially satisfying), and the gooey stuff can be stored and reused later. If the gift is a hit, there are 18 sets total to collect. And at this affordable price, it makes a great stocking stuffer.

• 12 of 18

  HEAD Radical Jr Tennis Racquet

  

  Buy on Walmart

  

  This affordable, well-made tennis racquet is ideal for kids ages 9 to 11, who've outgrown the smaller options but aren't quite ready for an adult version. It has a dampening insert that reduces string vibration and may help prevent arm strain, and the aluminum frame is both lightweight and sturdy.

  Continue to 13 of 18 below.
• 13 of 18

  Blade Nano QX RTF Quadcopter

  

  Buy on B&H Photo Video

  

  Maybe your kid has been angling for a drone but you can't deal with a huge, whirring contraption. The camera-free Blade Nano is small and lightweight and, unlike many other models, can be safely flown indoors as well as outside.

  Kids will enjoy mastering skills like hopping, hovering, and landing in designated areas. Extra blades are included in case of crashes, and the battery can be easily plugged into the included compact USB charger when it needs more juice.

• 14 of 18

  ThinkFun and Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty Puzzle

  Buy on Amazon

  

  If he loves the stretchy, can't-stop-messing-with-it substance known as Thinking Putty, this puzzle, which is a bit like Rush Hour without the cars, offers a creative way to use it. Using the included challenge cards (they get progressively trickier), kids will solve puzzles by building different paths through the grid, without crossing colors.

• 15 of 18

  NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Slime Kit & Putty Lab

  Buy on Amazon

  

  This comprehensive kit comes with eight different substances, all designed to teach about scientific principles. The putty properties include magnetic, glow-in-the-dark, and color-changing (activated by the heat of your hands or the chill of the freezer), as well as several times of slime and the ingredients and instructions for making more.

• 16 of 18

  Ozobot 2.0 Bit Starter Pack, the Smart Robot Toy

  Buy on Amazon

  

  This teeny, tiny robot is just one cubic inch, but it does some pretty big things. 10-year-old boys are straight-up fascinated by it as they can control it with colors. With special markers, they can draw OzoCode color codes on paper or a tablet screen to send the robot moving at their command.

  This starter pack includes the robot, a charging cable, four markers, skins and stickers to customize their robot, and more than 20 games and activities. Once they’ve mastered the color-coding basics, there’s an Ozobot website and apps that allow them to take their coding skills even further. Mazes, maps, entire cities—there are no limits as to where they can take their Ozobot.

  The 8 Best Robot Toys of 2020
  Continue to 17 of 18 below.
• 17 of 18

  Newest Syma X20 Mini Pocket Drone

  Buy on Amazon

  

  It’s a bird, it’s a plane, nope, it’s this cool little drone. It’s perfect for first-time operators, but also has enough cool features to make it fun for those with more experience. It’s easy to manipulate and can be flown up, down, forward, backward and even do a 360-degree roll. The sky is truly the limit to what this thing can do. An automatic take-off-and-landing feature ensures the drone will return to the place it took off. An altitude hold mode can keep it at a predetermined height.

  The drone runs on a built-in, rechargeable battery, and for every 50 minutes of charging time you get about five minutes of flying time. The controller runs on four AAA batteries, which aren’t included. Extra blades are included as is a screwdriver for the battery compartment.

• 18 of 18

  IELLO King of New York Board Game

  Buy on Amazon

  

  Up to six players can enjoy this fast-paced, strategy-heavy game, which is themed around the Big Apple and meant to be a follow-up to the popular King of Tokyo. It's meant to be played in about an hour, making it ideal for parties and game nights, and the object is to defeat the monsters and become ruler of the city.

  The 7 Best Board Games for Kids of 2020

Products Tested by The Spruce

How We Tested

We bought three of our readers’ favorite toys for 10-year-old boys that our reviewers tested for 21 hours. We asked our testers to consider the most important features when using these toys, from their entertainment value to their skill-building potential. We’ve outlined the key takeaways here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping.

What to Look for in Toys for 10-Year-Old Boys

Learning and development Choose toys that will expand your child’s mind and encourage curiosity, without becoming frustrating. Look for items that have clear, easy-to-read instructions or are already familiar activities. This will open a world of self-exploration without your 10-year-old needing assistance every step of the way.

Technology It’s no secret that 10-year-old boys are becoming increasingly fascinated with technology. The key is to channel it into productive outlets. The best technology toys are those that will teach useful and relevant skills, such as coding or basic principles of engineering.

Skill building Sharpening fine motor skills and honing more major motor skills will make your 10-year-old more adept at fixing small-scale items or scoring that game-winning basket. Look for toys that will encourage tinkering and assembling parts and pieces to train the hand and eye to work together. Or you can opt for more physically-intense activities that involve targets or nets to burn off some energy while improving coordination.

Test Results: Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit (Best Overall)

Excellent

Buy on Amazon

What We Like

• Good for STEM skills

• Tons of projects to choose from

• Easy cleanup

What We Don't Like

• Some pieces are fragile

Our testers found this toy to be highly educational and entertaining for 10-year-old boys. “I like how kids feel successful after completing a project and that this is something that kids can do independently or with someone else,” one reviewer explained. Our testers loved the kit's emphasis on STEM skills, how easy it was to clean up, and the variety of included projects, which ensured kids didn’t get bored. While one tester mentioned that a few pieces seemed fragile, he still thought the kit would “last through years of usage.” Overall, the toy was a win for both parents and kids: “I like how educational the toy is, yet it doesn't feel like that to a kid,” one reviewer said.

Test Results: LEGO 75954 Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall Building Kit (Best for Harry Potter fans)

Excellent

Buy on Amazon

What We Like

• Sparks imagination

• Highly detailed pieces

• Engaging

What We Don't Like

• Some flimsy pieces

Our testers found this LEGO set to be extremely entertaining and intriguing for 10-year-old boys, with one reviewer calling it “a stellar representation of a famous fictional spot.” The “exquisite detail” of the figurines and overall set were most impressive, according to our testers. Building the hall did require several hours of dedication, one of our reviewers mentioned, so it’s definitely geared toward advanced LEGO builders. Bottom line: “It invites imaginative play. As children put this set together, they can reenact their favorite scenes from the Harry Potter series,” one of our testers revealed.

Test Results: Djubi Classic - the Coolest New Twist on the Game of Catch! (Best Game)

Good

Buy on Amazon

What We Like

• Exciting outdoor game

• Great for beach or pool

• Very active

What We Don't Like

• Requires high level of athleticism

• Potentially dangerous

Our testers found this to be an entertaining outdoor game for very active kids. “If executed correctly, the slingshot can launch balls up to 100 feet,” observed one of our reviewers. However, it’s not for everyone: “Setting up the Slingball requires strength, dexterity, and motor skills,” warned one of our testers, so it could easily become frustrating. Our reviewers loved that the balls float, making it perfect for the beach or pool, but one tester noted that the hard foam could inflict injury if a child was hit with a ball directly. According to one of our testers, this is the perfect game for “athletic, coordinated kids who are always looking for a new way to have fun outside.”