If I had to give a few fast tips for gift giving for boys it would include one or more of these brands: LEGO, Star Wars, Nintendo and The North Face, best of course when mixed (Wii Star Wars game or Star Wars LEGO set). Gifting boys can be so easy, yet if you are looking for something unique, it may be trickier. No worries, here are about 30 ideas for boys of all ages starting from the elementary school aged to tweens and even teens boys. Games, clothing, tech and more.

CLOTHING

My little man actually likes clothes, as appropriate for a Hanes model (he will be in the upcoming Hanes catalog!).

Speaking of Hanes.. if you are stocking up with socks and underwear, they are as low as $3.99 at the Super Sale at Hanes.com (use code TIERORD for 30$ off your $100 order). If you are looking for something little more exciting than basics, here are some suggestions.

Kids’ Synchilla Marsupial by Patagonia ($65) is a soft, fleece hoodie, which is made from recycled and recyclable fleece. Comes in several colors and is a must have in any boy’s wardrobe for winter.

The North Face ($99) Apex Bionic Jacket is a must have for anyone in the family, and it’s my son’s favorite jacket of all times. High quality, you can wash it over and over and it still takes all that a boys’ jackets take.. Oh, and this windproof and waterproof jacket also looks cool.

BOOKS

My son loves pop up books and is somewhat obsessed learning more about Titanic, making the Titanic book by Martin Jenkins ($28.48) on the top of his wish list. David Hawcock Books makes several other cool educational pop up books for your little boy’s interests.

One of the newest pop ups books in the market and surely one of the top hits this holiday season is the Star Wars: The Clone Wars pop up book ($16.49) by Rob Valois.

TECH GIFTS

Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition Netbook ($328) is a smart joint venture between Nickelodeon and Dell (and Walmart who sells it exclusively). Basically the Nick edition is just a kid version of the popular of the Dell Mini Inspiron – with a few features like parental control, customizable Nikelodeon content and cool slime design and a very low price tag for a netbook. Note that this one doesn’t come with a DVD slot, other than that it is your laptop in mini version. My kids love the Inspiron for its Mac-alike features and easy functions. The Nickelodoen version is a great first real laptop for younger kids.

My little dude wants an iPod for Christmas, and I’m thinking the least expensive, the older model iPod shuffle ($199.95) and adding a few cool iPod accessories with it to make it even cooler. The Speck Zipper-Puck Carrying Case for iPod shuffle 2G ($8.99).

The iBoo speaker dock ($78.56) for iPod is scary cool. The sound system in this one is one of the best in the inexpensive iPod dock speaker systems, but of course will not quite replace a home stereo system, making this a perfect gift and addition to any boy’s room.

ACTIVITY GIFTS

Got snow? My first instinct would be to say get your kid into skiing or snowboarding, but if that’s not an option, make sure he still can have plenty of fun in the snow. Get him a sledge for backyard sledging, Stiga makes the best ones. STIGA Snow Racer Pro Line sledge ($75) has a sports seat and a steering wheel and it’s made for speed.

Make his room the way that he can’t wait you to say “Go to your room”. IKEA can help you with this. Their furniture is inexpensive and lasts the years until he is ready for a teen room, and the best for active boys is their hand rings ($8.99) and the rope ladder ($14.99) – just waiting for fun to happen.

Jokes on you! Prank set ($24) will make you regret the gift, but I guarantee it will be a hit.

GAMING

When it comes to gaming, I hear Wii ($199.99) is the way to go for families. I am by no means an expert – Wii is on our Christmas wish list this year. In addition the the gaming console, we will need some games to go with it. And it’s really all the accessories that makes Wii Wii – like the DreamGear Racing Wheel ($14.99) needed for some of the most fun racing Wii games, like the Mario Kart ($44.99).

We love LeapFrog toys in our family. They are educational and fun. One of their cool educational gaming systems is Didj, and the Didj Indiana Jones Adventure Gift Pack ($119, now on sale for $49.99) would be a great way to get started with Didj. It is interactive learning, yet fun gaming! You can customize both gaming and learning to fit the learning needs of your child. Perfect for boys aged 5 to 10 years.

Games don’t have to be all high tech… HABA Keep it Steady Game ($15.29) is a fun game to teach fine motor skill for kids and patience too (for the kid and you..). It’s a perfect game to play in the family where there are kids in different ages – it’s recommended for over 6 year olds, and it’s a game that your little guy can talk the older siblings to play with him – or for the entire family to enjoy.

Honey I Shrunk the Foosball Table ($59) is mini sized Foosball table – endless fun for your dude, recommended for over 8 years old.

TOYS

If you were to ask my 6 year old about his favorite toy, one word would be enough: LEGO.
One good thing about LEGOs is that they make gift giving easy – your gift giving problems are solved for a few years when you have a LEGO enthusiast in your family. This year’s most popular sets are the LEGO Star Wars, starting at $11.75 with the LEGO Star Wars Clone Walker Battle Pack pictured above. Even if Star Wars, Indiana Jones nor Sponge Bob are something you want to gift, there are several LEGO gifts that are more classic than the movies and pop culture. Like the Empire State Building ($19.99) – who wouldn’t want to build that one?

If your little man is into Transformers, the Hasbro Transformers Ultimate Bumblebee Figure ($179.99) is a top notch gift for him. The sleek 2008 Camaro turns into Transformer character Bumblebee. Sounds, motion and action – everything that you would expect a highly detailed robotic Transformer toy to do. This toy is collectible, which he will keep forever.

ACCESSORIES

Swiss Army backpacks are popular among boys, small and big. My son loves his Swiss Army backpack for school, and I’ve seen a lot of them even for older “boys” in the conferences (for laptops). What ever age your boy is, this Victorinox Swiss Army Almont Collection Rhone Notebook Pack ($63.99) would be a great high quality gift.

Never underestimate an impact of a cool watch when it comes to boys of all ages.

For boys 6-9 the LEGO Kids’ Star Wars Han Solo Watch ($16.88) is going to be a hit, at least according to my theory everything LEGO and Star Wars related will get highest points.

The Swatch women’s watches are perfect size for boys, and are great quality even for active boys. They run around $50-$165, the one pictured is called Something New ($50).