Balls of every kind.  Wiffle balls, Nerf balls, basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, playground balls, big giant balls, balls that glow in the dark…all are a huge hit!
(mom of 2 boys ages 9 and 19, plus a girl in the middle!)

Imaginext and Thomas (or trains of any kind).  The Geotrax remote trains are a joy for my 2 year old. 

All of my boys love Imaginext, from age 2 to just about 9.  And even the 9 year old is on the fence about wanting more for Christmas - though he’s really “too old” for them.  And the range of products (dragons to batman to fire fighters) is great as well.  And the cost is not bad for the sheer pleasure of the lasting play.  We’ve had some of our sets for 4 years now.  Which is amazing to me..that my boys are getting that old…which means I am getting that old.

By far the most consistently used Christmas gift my boys have ever received was this set of wooden dominoes my sister bought them when they were 4 yo. http://www.amazon.com/Haba-1172-Domino-race/dp/B0002HYFJI/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1321375926&sr=8-20. I have searched high and low for a comparable and reasonably priced set for my now preschooler boy but can’t seem to find exactly what I want anywhere. The twins are 10 now and still play with these dominoes (the reason we need a second set for the younger group). It is amazing all the different ways they have come up with to play with them. A close second would be the big container of Tinker Toys they received that Christmas also. They played with those for years and years.

My son loves his toy power tools, and yardwork tools.  He loves to imitate his daddy.

Plastic gears, circuit and other electronic building sets, erector sets, Zoo Tycoon computer game, Mindstorms NXT robot set, Nerf guns, Nerf arrows, Risk board game.

As our boys have gotten older (8-12) we try to give them gifts that support their hobbies. While not toys, exactly, they are recreational…fishing gear in their stockings, a kayak, a family basketball hoop, tickets to hear a musician play or to a theater production etc. Thanks for initiating this post. It is very helpful.

Thank you all so much for the ideas! Keep ‘em coming! I am getting excited about shopping…

I try to buy stuff to support their hobbies too. My son is 5 1/2 and loves music, singing and dancing. He’s received instruments (drum set, guitars, tamborines, recorder, slide whistle), music lessons and a karaoke machine over the years.  Lately my kids love Wii Just Dance for Kids.  The songs are wholesome and everyone in the family can play (dance).  It’s always a blast.  My daughter (age 8) loves Legos,basketball and Little Pet Shop figurines.

Building on the blocks and train ideas, my son received a Melissa & Doug wooden block train a year ago.  It is a great combination of blocks + train!  My son pushes the train around, rearranges the blocks, takes the blocks off to build other things…and on and on.  Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-and-Doug-572-Stacking/dp/B0000658L5/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321388591&sr=8-2

The only staples missing from the list above (in terms of what my boys loved) are GI Joes and Playmobil sets. Playmobils are pricey, but if you can score a pirate ship or castle on ebay, they are worth it.

We (boys and girls of all ages) LOOOOVE these puppets:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_21?url=search-alias=aps&field;-keywords=melissa+and+doug+puppets&sprefix=melissa+and+doug+pupp
*IF the link doesn’t work, search Melissa and Doug puppets.
They’re reasonably priced, great quality and remind me of the Muppets-style puppets.  Each child gets one every Christmas.  Our favorites for boys: pirate, dragon, firefighter, and chef (he inspires ze French accent every time, no?) Anytime we have company, the puppets make an appearance.

Tried and true favorites here
Geotrax (got the first small set when our oldest was 2, and he and all the siblings have played with them almost daily for 4 years and they’re still in the same condition as when we got them)
Plasma cars -great for outside or basement play
NeoTrax
Some of the playmobile toys too
Helicopter/airplane/jet items are a new fav right now

Unit blocks, wooden train sets, legos, fake swords, nerf guns, Playmobil (both boys and girls), Legos, scooters and ripsticks all get my go ahead.  We just got a new set of “weapons” for Dad and the 3 boys - called a Mashoonga!.  Imagine a sturdy pool noodle with a “sock” over it to keep the foam from breaking off.  Come in a set of two, so we got two sets.  They love their “sword” fights - boys are 21, 13, and 10 and Dad is 55!

Thank you so much for this list!  As a mother of four boys ages 6-20 I concur with your list.  The only other thing I would add is Playmobil….my boys spend hours playing with Playmobil and we have been buying it for 16 years or more.  I also appreciate your list because I was coming up empty on ideas for my soon to be 12-year-old.  Your suggestion of art supplies is perfect for him!

I was glad to see “weapons” on there. I know some people don’t allow them, but my boys can’t get enough swordplay.  I kid you not, my third son’s first word was “sword.“We will be adding some new shields this year and replacing some of the swords. I also found knight/robin hood-type costumes on clearance after Halloween. My 6 year old is begging for this large pop-up castle tent by Imaginarium. I thought it might be too young for him, but with two younger brothers, somebody will play with it and it will look great set up and waiting when they come down the stairs on Christmas morning.

How about a piece of chalk (do boys play hopscotch?), spinners (a piece of string and a button is all that is required), a jump rope (future boxers).
Unisex-Red Rover, Seven-Up, Red Light Green Light, London Bridge, Dr Knickerbocker (no materials needed, just the whole gang).

For those on a budget, you can easily make a box-full of boys’ dress up clothes very inexpensively. Go to the thrift store and buy adult tee shirts in whatever color you desire - it doesn’t matter what is on the front as long as the back is plain. 1/2 off or bag sales are great days to find these. Cut out a cape shape from the back then slant the cutting in to the neck ribbing, leaving the ribbing attached all the way around the front. Cut the ribbing in the center and add a little bit of velcro (takes away some of the choking hazard if they are grabbed from behind). If you want to make it neater, run a quick seam up the sides of the cape. For added cool-ness, you can sew or paint (regular craft paint works fine) a design on the back. Throw in a package of mardi gras style masks (I got packs of 8 from the Dollar Tree), and you have a variety of possibilities including super heroes, musketeers, dragon slayers, etc. Dollar Tree sometimes has nice little cowboy hats - suitable for cowboys or turned sideways for musketeers or Zorro. Lots of possibilities!

Dinosaurs. Forgot to add dinosaurs. Interest in them waxes and wanes, but they always come back to them. We have some cheap ones and some nicer ones by Safari that I have ordered individually online when a specific species was desired! And the chunky little action figures for Star Wars or Super Hero Squad. THey hold up better than larger action figures and don’t take up much space. Ours were at the bottom of a bin for some time until the superhero phase returned. Pulled them out and they are great. We have “everything old is new again” kids who seem to go through rotating phases. Occasionally there will be an annoying new trend, but they revisit dinosaurs, knights and superheros over and over.

agree with most of great comments—-don’t forget great outdoor equipment—playsets/sandbox/riding toys for all ages and the biggest hit here since last year for our boys and all kids (boys and girls) who visit:  The Powerwing razor scooter——its a little different than their normal scooter—you need to wiggle and it has caster wheels to coast or spin—-they all love it!!!  Also my kids are a bit “retro” but they can spend hours playing with old-fashioned plastic army men.  We started a resurgence of “marbles” in our neighborhood.  Another hit this past year—-a portable ping-pong tennis set that clamps onto any table (we don’t have room for a “real” set) and its been a “hit” with kids from 6-18 yrs. and all their friends too!  We try for “classic” toys instead of “trendy” toys and try to steer clear of plastic/battery stuff…. of course someone always needs a few of some themed action figures (superheroes/g.i. joes (which alter sizes dramatically every few years to keep us on our toes).....btw…someone should standardize action figure heights so they can “play good together” as my youngest pointed out one day!