Toys for little boys. Get ideas for toys for your son that he will absolutely love. These will make great gifts and be fun for years to come.
This post reviews 11 different toys that are traditionally for boys. I know, girls can play with them, too. Kaitlyn does. But when you think boy toys, this is what you often think of.
Post Updated November 2019
Post Contents
Toys for Your Little Boy
Tool Bench
Age Range: I am unsure. We gave it to Brayden when he was 1.5 or 2.
Review: This toy doesn’t get played with all that much. It has had its moments, but it has not been a toy of lasting value. The kids love the tools, but not the bench.
Buy Again?: Maybe. If your kiddo loves tools, this could be fun or a simple toolbox could be better. A toolbox would take up less space.
Age Range: Age three or older.
Review: This is a fun toy. Boys like trucks, and they like to do lots of different things with trucks. These Tonka trucks are often used out in the sandbox with my kids, too.
Buy Again?: Yes. I don’t think there is anything overly spectacular about this particular tow truck…I am sure any brand would be fine. But I have found Tonka is a brand that lasts, so you can buy it and know it will survive all of your kids.
Age Range: 2 years and up
Review: Brayden loves dump trucks. They are fun to fill up and dump out.
Buy Again?: Yes. We have this steel one and also a plastic one that we play with indoors. We have a metal Tonka dump truck for the sandbox. I like the lighter, softer one being inside.
Tool Box
Age Range: 3 years and up
Review: This is a favorite of both children. Children love to mimic their parents. My husband is always working on something, so Brayden and Kaitlyn like to get the tool box out and follow him around and “help.”
Buy Again?: Definitely. This is a top favorite toy.
John Deere Tractors
Age Range: depends on what you get
Review: Brayden has a variety of tractors. He has plastic ones made for younger children and cast iron ones for older children. He loves tractors.
Buy Again?: Definitely. This is a category we usually add to once a year.
Small Toy Cars
Age Range: I don’t know exactly. You probably want to wait until your baby is done putting everything in his mouth at all times.
Review: With the small toy cars, two popular types are Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels cars. These are fun cars. They are nice because they fit into small places. You can also buy one for less than a dollar, so it can make a great stocking stuffer. Adding just one new car to a collection can make the entire collection seem like new.
Buy Again?: Yes, and we do 🙂
LEGO Sets
Age Range: You can get Duplos for toddlers and young preschoolers. Regular LEGOS are best for age four and older.
Review: This is one of Brayden’s favorite toys (and all of my girls). LEGOs provide endless fun and entertainment.
Buy Again?: Yes! And again, and again, and again.
Tonka Trucks Mini Vehicles
Age Range: probably 2 and up
Review: Brayden got these from my husband’s parents. He really loves them. Be warned that they are super noisy (does anyone else’s parents get a thrill from giving their grandkids noisy toys like ours? 🙂 ).
Buy Again?: yes, but maybe wait until there is no newborn in the house 🙂
Read: 9 Toys Your Daughter Will Absolutely Love
Small John Deere Tractors
Age Range: 2 and up–these can be more fragile, so make sure your child is not destructive. 3 might be a better age.
Review: Brayden loves these. We have found them at our local farm supply stores. They are small, which is nice for taking them with you places. He also has fun with them at home.
Buy Again?: Yes. We add to this each year.
Trains
Age Range: At least two. A two year old might get frustrated. Somewhere between 2 and 2.5, they are able to do it.
Review: I love the train sets. They have been purely timeless. Both Brayden and Kaitlyn love these toys, and spend countless hours playing with them. As a younger child, they play with the track you set up. As they get older, they start to create tracks themselves.
Buy Again?: Most definitely. This is one of those things you add to over time. There are a lot of ways to go about this.
This is what I would do if I could do it over again. I would first buy the Melissa & Doug delux train set if I could afford it at the time. If you can’t afford it, go for the figure 8 set by Melissa & Doug. Then I would slowly add favorite engines from Thomas and get Thomas accessories (Engine Wash, clock tower, lumber yard, etc.). The tracks do not need to be anything special. The Thomas accessories are nicer than the Melissa & Doug ones, as are the engines. But as for tracks…you don’t need anything spiffy. Oh, I should mention that we like the wooden railway stuff, so this is all wooden. Here is the Thomas Figure 8 Set and the Melissa and Doug Wooden Railway Set.
Train Table
Age Range: after you get the train set
Review: Here is our train table story. We found one at a garage sale for $10. We didn’t think we had room for it, but you can’t pass that up! So we brought it home and set it up in Brayden’s room. It was nice, but it really just took up too much room. We decided to take the top off and set the track up on it and slide it in and out from under Brayden’s bed. This worked well. When we moved, we were able to fit the train table in Brayden’s room very easily. The children play with the train set a lot more with the table than when it was on the floor. It isn’t necessary, but it is easier and more comfortable to play with trains when you aren’t crawling around on the floor.
Buy Again?: Yes. I would, of course, spend $10! But if we hadn’t found that deal, I would definitely say it is worth the price of buying new. There are a lot of options, so I am just linking to tables in general. Ours has drawers underneath, which we love. You can get train tables that come with train sets, so you might check those out.
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Thank you so much for all your toy reviews! I never thought I would have so much fun researching and buying toys. I just read in the December issue of Parents magazine that there was a recall on the Little Tikes Workshops and Trucks (The picture shown was the workbench). They are recalling it b/c of plastic toy nails that can be a choking hazard. It says to call 1-800-791-2737 for replacement nails.
Thanks Anna! I will have to give them a call.
Just thought I'd mention that Caleb got his train set at 16 months (mostly because dad REALLY wanted one!). But surprisingly, Caleb has loved it from day one and always asks to play with it. We got one engine that was battery powered, so he would watch it go round and round and he would roll the others around on the table (too young to keep it on the track). Over the past 3 months, he has learned how to connect them, roll them while on the track, push them under bridges and into garages. It's really been a great toy for motor skills I think.
Kristy, Brayden is just starting to get interested in figurines. I will look into those!
Thanks Becca! Kaitlyn loved them at that age, too…but couldn't keep them on the track and would just get frustrated 🙂 A battery opperated would be a good idea before they could push it around on their own.