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seven and eight year old boys

469 views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  HouseofPeace 
#1 ·
My 2nd grader is trying to break into playing comfortably with the boys in his class. He has many girl friends, but one boy in particularly has bee teasing him for that. I have set up a few playdates at my house in the next few weeks, and I want to structure or put out the toyz/ activitiez they will like mozt.

I got him the climbing hex bug track at XMas, and of course we have Legos and a few light sabers, but what else?

What do your 7/8 year olds think is cool?
 
#2 ·
I have three boys, 8, 5 and 3. My two older boys love those little craft kits you can get at Joanne's fabrics. My mom gets them and they work on them when they're at her house. At Christmas they made some fun ornaments but they've also done masks with plaster of paris so the type of kit can vary widely. I've seen wooden cars that you can assemble and paint yourself.

They also love making anything with cardboard. Robots, forts, vehicles. They still use some Captain America shields we made a few years ago. They painted them and we sprayed with acrylic clear-coat to give them durability. Then we made duct-tape handles on the backside.

Obstacle courses are fun, too.
 
#3 ·
My 8 year old enjoys many art and craft and quiet activities. But when he is with another boy his age, the energy level is generally pretty high. They like to wrestle and play spy and chase the younger kids, play ninja, play music really loud, run around outside... Occasionally he and a friend will play a board or card game, and they eventually settle down with Legos or bey blades, but really they are so physical right now. I often prefer to have a girl friend over, just because it can drive me pretty crazy!
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#4 ·
I get it! I have three boys. I suggested quiet activities, didn't I? My guys generally tear up the livingroom unsupervised. They put on costumes and play ninja turtles, pirates, Batman and Buzz Lightyear. They also ride a couple trikes and balance bike around the furniture. Sometimes I set up a card table and drape blankets or tapestries over it to make a little hideout. They have laser tag guns and Nerf guns. Does that sound more like what you were thinking?
 
#6 ·
My son is almost 6, but we have many 7 & 8 year old boys in the neighborhood...they like legos, building stuff out of old cardboard boxes, playing angry birds, minecraft, and clash of clans on the ipad, bike rides, riding scooters in the driveway, and playing with sticks. Kind of all over the place. I think that the best thing to do is have some stuff out but know they might just want to do their own thing. I hope they have fun!
 
#7 ·
My just-turned-8-year-old loves Legos, light sabers, and hex bugs. He also loves Nerf guns. Do you have snow there? Sledding, snowball fights, or just general playing in the snow is a lot of fun for kids that age. Probably what my kid would most like to do at a playdate would be play games on some electronic device, or even just watch another kid play games. I personally wouldn't encourage that on a playdate, though, unless it seemed like the only thing the other kids were going to be interested in.
 
#8 ·
my son is baseball obsessed. legos. marble run. interspersed w/ running around like maniacs in the snow.

the hardest balance for me in playdates is to sense what they need. usually start w/ letting them get energy out in rough-housing ways. then often something more focused (othello, checkers, chess- but it's always uber competitive and leads to more drama) then more running around, and then a more focused mutually activity like building something or working on a project together. he plays better w/ older boys.
 
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