My five year old son is a typical little boy who loves cars, trucks, and pretty much all things transportation. But you can only buy so many hot wheels and toy cars before the law of diminishing returns kicks in. I prefer to buy gifts for my kids that have some kind of educational value, or that stretch their imagination and creativity, and I've managed to find lots of unique gift ideas for boys who love cars.
I've compile a list of 40 of the best educational and creative toys, games, and art projects that make great gifts for kids that love cars. The majority of these gift ideas for kids who love cars have already been tested and approved by my own little car enthusiast, and the other items are on his wish list!
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, you'll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.
GAMES & PUZZLES FOR KIDS WHO LOVE CARS
1 / 3 Truck Games In One - Durable cards for color recognition, memory matching, and a floor puzzle
3 / SmartCar Game - A logic game is both a puzzle and a toy, with 5 colored blocks that can be fit into the car with 48 challenges for kids 4+, and 48 challenges for kids 7+
4 / Trucky3 - This award-winning toy teaches logic and spatial reasoning. Toddlers will love playing with the toy trucks, and as they get a bit older they can begin working through the Starter, Junior, Expert and Master level challenges to fit the 10 colorful blocks into the back of the trucks
6 / Vehicle Pile Up Game- Kids improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they try to balance each vehicle perfectly to let any cars or trucks fall down 7 / Rush Hour Jr. - The junior version of this popular logic game where players shift cars and trucks to clear a path to the exit
8 / Rush Hour - This is one of the most popular STEM toys for kids ages 8 and up; the game comes with 40 beginner to expert challenges that become increasingly difficult as you play through them 9 / Osmo Hot Wheels MindRacer Kit - This game connects to an iPad with the included base, and comes with the MindRacers launchpad, 6 Hot Wheels cars, and game tokens for 2-player virtual racing 10 / 3D Car Puzzle - This 66 piece 3D puzzle is recommended for ages 8 and up
BOOKS FOR KIDS WHO LOVE CARS
11 / First Big Book of Things That Go - National Geographic Kids reference book with color photos and explanations that kids can understand
12 / Cars Galore - This is my son's favorite book about cars; he loves the rhymes and fun illustrations 13 / A Shine a Light Book: At the Garage - Hold a flashlight behind the special pages to see the inner workings of the cars and the garage 14 / How Cars Work- This is an interactive guide to the 10 basic mechanisms that make a car move 15 / If I Built a Car- Follow a little boy's imagination as he gives a tour of his imaginary car of the future, complete with infectious rhymes and 50's cartoon style illustrations 16 / The Ultimate Book of Vehicles- Nearly 100 vehicles of all shapes & sizes, with pop-ups, flaps open, pull tabs, and rotating wheels
MAGNETIC TOYS FOR KIDS WHO LOVE CARS
17 / Magnetic Cars, Planes & Trains - More than 50 magnets in a magnetic carry case with multiple scenes makes this the perfect toy to occupy car-lovers on the go
18 / Mix & Match Magnetic Vehicles - This set includes 22 magnetic pieces that can be mixed and matched to create different combinations; Creative and builds fine motor-skills for ages 3-6 19 / Green Mix & Match Magnetic Vehicles - Create cars, planes, and boats, or create your own unique vehicles in 1,000 different combinations 20 / SmartMax Express - This magnetic vehicle building set can be purchased as a stand alone, or as an add on to a Smart Max basic set
32 / Reusable Sticker Pad - 165 repositionable and reusable cling stickers to place on five background scenes, including a construction site, roadway, and airport 33 / Sticker Jigsaw Activity Book- Match stickers to the correct shapes to create amazing vehicle pictures; recommended for ages 7 and up 34 / Transportation Stencils - Set of 10 heavy-duty stencil cards, each measuring approximately 4"x6" 35 / Race Car Maker Dough Set - Race car chassis and dough molds made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic milk jugs
MORE GIFT IDEAS FOR KIDS WHO LOVE CARS
36 / Cotton Play Mat - Large play mat for the floor with roads for playtime adventures; can be easily rolled up for storage
37 / Wooden Road Signs- Set of 14 wood street signs sized for Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars
38 / Magic Tracks- Easy to snap together tracks that glow, bend, and curve in any direction; includes race cars with LED lights to make the tracks glow
39 / Rubber Band Car - Build you own rubber band car with easy to follow instructions
40 / Color Your Own Cardboard Car Playhouse - Kids love playing with cardboard boxes, and this one has the added bonus of being a car with doors, a trunk, and a moon roof, that the kids can color and decorate
