Ages 3 to 5

  • Pop-up book kit, prices vary, around $10 on amazon.com. The set includes two books, stickers and markers so kids can make their own pop-up creation!
  • Customized superhero cape, $20, BabyPop Boutique on Etsy.com (etsy.com/shop/babypop/). These cute capes are embroidered with the birthday child’s initials and a logo of your choosing – superhero, princess, dinosaur, cupcake, etc.
  • Kids’ binoculars, prices vary, Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Binoculars sell for $15 on amazon.com. Kids can peer at birds, bugs and what’s going on in the yard across the street.

Ages 6 to 9

  • Baseball cards are still a favorite among young sluggers. You can buy the 22-card collection of the 2010 Atlanta Braves, complete with Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones and others, for $10 on amazon.com.
  • Dominoes, around $15, target.com. Yes, there are actual games you can play with dominoes…but what’s more fun than lining up the shiny rectangles and then watching them cascade in sequence across the living room?
  • Friendship bracelet kits, around $15, are fun to wear and more fun to make. Find a variety of kits on amazon.com and target.com.

Ages 10 to 12

  • Give the Empire State Building, at least the Lego version, for around $20. The birthday girl or boy will have fun constructing the 77-piece landmark and learning about its design and history.
  • Give a cheetah, hippopotamus or kangaroo, or rather a $25 donation in honor of the birthday kid to protect these wild animals and others, at worldwildlife.org/ogc/species_category.cfm
  • You can’t go wrong with board games such as Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples and Risk, all for under $20.


Ages 13 to 15

  • Movie basket: Put a DVD, popcorn and candy in a popcorn bucket and make a date to catch a flick.
  • Gift card from iTunes are always fun, but remember gift certificates from Baskin-Robbins, bookstores and other fun places.

– AP Staff

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