Hellobee Boards

I saw a really cute wood working kit on Lakeshore Learning. I’m in Canada and they don’t ship here, but my 6 year old boy would love it.

https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/blocks-manipulatives/building-sets/build-it-yourself-woodworking-kit/p/HH866/

I think a crate is a good idea! I would think at 6 he could do it mostly himself, except for the reading. We have tinker and not kiwi since my oldest is 8 (tinker would be challenging for my almost 6 year old) but they’re pretty manageable while being creative.

My almost 6 year old boy is obsessed with Legos and transformers. If Legos might be a fit, Target and probably other stores also are having great early Black Friday deals. His favorite series are Ninjago and Star Wars (despite never seeing any shows or movies!). Lego Technic could also be interesting because of the vehicles involved and how there are moving parts - might be a fit with the tinkering. But we’re Lego obsessed and I know it’s not everyone’s favorite!

I tried Kiwi crates after my son kept begging for one. He was 5.5 at the time. We did not extend our subscription. He definitely needed help executing on the project, and then he never played with any of the things he made (other than the day of). So I feel they actually add to the clutter less productively than a toy that will actually get re-used. (Since he made it, he still wanted to keep it.) In summary: I'm not a fan.

My suggestions for a 6yo: My son LOVES the tabletop pinball machine my parents got him last year. Uno, ConnectFour or Battleship are good games to introduce him to. (My son was also interested in Chess at this age but he still requires a LOT of hand-holding.) We don't have Crazy Forts but they look like a great toy. My son also LOVES his Nerf guns, Bey Blades and Pokemon cards but as a parent, well, ugh. Book suggestion: The "Who Would Win?" series compares the traits of different animals and discusses who would win if they had a battle. I am getting my 6.5yo some "Who Is / Who Was" books as well as some "Dogman" books this year at my friend's suggestion.

We have Kiwi crates for my 4 and 6 year old. The 4 year old loves it, the 6 year old is much more active and is only half interested in it - generally it requires too much sitting still. Also seconding @ElbieKay: - the things they make are cool but they generally never get used after the day they're made.

If he likes tinkering and using tools what about the Britax Builder kits? re: active toys, mini-hockey sticks, a hover soccer ball for indoor play if they're in a place where they'll be stuck inside in the winter, or maybe some beginner stilts?

I’m glad you liked this because I have two wrapped for my niece and nephew! What’s your guess on the youngest age? Could a 2.5-3 year old do it?

Forgot to tag above @PinkElephant:

@ElbieKay: good to know! We do have the little trampoline here, so maybe my youngest (similar age to your twins) can do that if the big kids ever get the pogo sticks. My nephew is 3 and a few months - it was on his list for Christmas but maybe he’ll have to grow into it (I’m sure he’ll want it anyway since his turning 6 sister is getting one too!).

@PinkElephant: This is the one we have:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076HRQD2X/

He was 5.5 at the time (holiday gift / early March birthday). It took some practice but within a few weeks/months of practice he was counting jumps in the 100s. He's pretty big for his age but I think an 8yo would be fine.

@erinbaderin: I think we're going to have the same issue with weight. My older two are 45 and 47 lbs, respectively, wearing all their winter gear. It wouldn't even have occurred to me except that a friend mentioned she was getting her daughters (who are six and eight, but substantially larger than my six and eight year old) hoverboards for Christmas....I checked the specs out of curiousity and most of them start at a minimum of 44 lbs for the boards to "recognize" a rider. I figure there is a margin of error (kind of like if a car's seatbelt locking mechanism says it kicks in at 35-40 lbs, I want my kid in a carseat harness rather than the seatbelt a bit beyond that to ensure we're good)...and that we need to wait a while. A bit of a bummer, but - bonus - they can still ride in the neighbor's PowerWheels b/c they are light!