Before you choose

At nine to twelve, the best Christmas gift usually follows an interest the child already has. This shortlist covers some of the common ones: a football or Formula 1 fan who would enjoy a LEGO display build, a child who wants a game to share with the family over the holiday, a puzzler who wants quiet time, and a Pokémon player ready for a stronger deck. Four more ideas follow the films and games this age is watching and playing, including Avengers: Doomsday, due in UK cinemas on 18 December.

Start with what they already play

Ask, or look at what they choose in their free time, before buying. A precise interest, such as one footballer, one racing team or one card game, narrows the choice faster than an age band does.

  • LEGO Cristiano Ronaldo – Football Highlights: 490 pieces, a Cristiano Ronaldo minifigure and a collectible plaque, marked 10+.
  • LEGO Speed Champions Ferrari SF-24 F1 Race Car: 275 pieces and a driver minifigure, marked 10+.
  • Pokémon TCG: Miraidon ex League Battle Deck is a ready-to-play 60-card deck that the manufacturer describes as for skilled Trainers and Pokémon TCG players. It is one deck, so a match needs another player with a deck of their own.

Strategy games for the family table

Many children at this age can join in adult games, which makes a game a gift for the whole household as well as the child.

Both games here are marked 7+, younger than this page's readers, which makes them easy to share with younger cousins at the same table.

  • Ravensburger Labyrinth: marked 7+, 2–4 players, 20–30 minutes.
  • UNO: marked 7+, 2–10 players.

A build for the shelf

LEGO sets for this age are often built once and then kept on display, which suits a child who likes to show what they have made. Both sets here are marked 10+, so they suit the older half of the band, and each comes with a minifigure. Plan for a clear table on the day of the build, and somewhere flat for the finished model to live.

For fans of a film or a game

Children of nine to twelve often want the thing from the screen in their hands. The LEGO Avengers: Doomsday Quinjet is marked 9+ and comes with Cyclops, Doctor Doom, The Thing and Captain America, so it can be built in the week before the film opens. Minecraft players can build the large, posable LEGO Minecraft Chicken Jockey, also marked 9+.

Pokémon fans who have moved on from cards to building can free Mewtwo from its tank in LEGO's Mewtwo's Lab Break, marked 10+. It works as a normal LEGO set; LEGO says its interactive extras need a SMART Brick sold separately.

For a longer game than Labyrinth or UNO, Ravensburger's Scotland Yard is marked 8 to 99 for two to four players and takes about 45 to 60 minutes, a good fit for the slow afternoon after Christmas lunch.

A gift for quiet time

ThinkFun Gravity Maze is a one-player logic game with 60 challenges and 3 marbles, and the manufacturer marks it 8+. It suits the quiet part of the holiday, when a child wants something to work through alone. Because the set includes marbles, think about any younger children in the house.

Check the exact edition and the seller

Trading-card products change often. The manufacturer pages we checked for the Miraidon ex deck state no age marking, so check the packaging. Buy from a seller you can identify: UK guidance warns that unusually cheap listings can be counterfeit and that not everything sold on an online platform is supplied by that platform.

Manufacturer-checked facts

Product details

The contents of all ten, with the manufacturer's age marking and any notice worth reading first. They run from the youngest marking up and are not a TopTenToys ranking.

Image: © The Pokémon Company International (pokemon.com)

Trading card game / advanced preconstructed deck

Pokémon TCG: Miraidon ex League Battle Deck

In the box: One ready-to-play 60-card deck, 6 damage-counter dice, 1 coin-flip die, 2 condition markers, deck box, accessory box, strategy sheet and online code card

Designed for skilled players; play requires an opponent with another compatible deck.

Age guidance
6+
Brand
The Pokémon Company International
Model / item
POK87273
Facts checked
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Image: © Ravensburger (ravensburger.co.uk)

Family strategy game

Ravensburger Labyrinth

In the box: 2-4 players; 20-30 minutes; board, 34 maze cards, 24 treasure cards and 4 pieces

Age guidance
7+
Brand
Ravensburger
Model / item
26448
Facts checked
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Image: © Mattel (mattel.com)

Family card game

Mattel UNO Card Game

In the box: 2-10 players; classic colour-and-number matching card game

Age guidance
7+
Brand
Mattel
Model / item
W2087 / MATW2087A
Facts checked
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Image: © ThinkFun / Ravensburger (ravensburger.co.uk)

Logic puzzle / marble run

ThinkFun Gravity Maze

In the box: One-player logic game with 60 challenges, towers, a target piece and 3 marbles

Age guidance
8+
Brand
ThinkFun / Ravensburger
Model / item
76433
Facts checked
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Image supplied by The Entertainer through the Awin product feed.

Game / strategy game

Ravensburger Scotland Yard Game

In the box: Strategy board game for 2 to 4 players; about 45 to 60 minutes a game

Ravensburger lists the age as 8 to 99.

Age guidance
8+
Brand
Ravensburger
Model / item
22991
Facts checked
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Image supplied by The Entertainer through the Awin product feed.

Construction / LEGO Minecraft

LEGO Minecraft Chicken Jockey Construction Set 21582

In the box: 344 pieces that build a large posable chicken and a baby zombie to ride it, plus a baby chicken

Age guidance
9+
Brand
LEGO
Model / item
21582
Facts checked
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Image supplied by The Entertainer through the Awin product feed.

Construction / LEGO Marvel

LEGO Marvel Avengers Doomsday Quinjet Construction Set 76347

In the box: 433 pieces: a Quinjet with 2 stud shooters, an opening cockpit and opening top and rear panels, with Cyclops, Doctor Doom, The Thing and Captain America minifigures

Age guidance
9+
Brand
Marvel
Model / item
76347
Facts checked
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©2026 The LEGO Group

Building set / collectible

LEGO Cristiano Ronaldo – Football Highlights

In the box: 490 pieces, including a Cristiano Ronaldo minifigure and a collectible plaque

Age guidance
10+
Brand
LEGO
Model / item
43012
Facts checked
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©2026 The LEGO Group

Building set / vehicles

LEGO Speed Champions Ferrari SF-24 F1 Race Car

In the box: 275 pieces, including 1 driver minifigure

Age guidance
10+
Brand
LEGO
Model / item
77242
Facts checked
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Image supplied by The Entertainer through the Awin product feed.

Construction / LEGO Pokémon

LEGO Pokemon SMART Play Compatible Mewtwo’s Lab Break Toy Construction Set 72163

In the box: 605 pieces: a lab with a dial that breaks open the tank to free an articulated Mewtwo figure, a lab monitor and a Master Ball

SMART Play Compatible: interactive features need a SMART Brick from an All-In-One set, sold separately.

Age guidance
10+
Brand
Pokémon
Model / item
72163
Facts checked
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Questions

Common questions

Does the Pokémon deck need two people?
Yes. The Miraidon ex League Battle Deck is a single deck, so a match needs another player with a deck of their own; check that the child has someone to play with.
Which game works for adults and children together?
Labyrinth and UNO are both marked 7+, so a family table with younger children can play them too. Labyrinth takes two to four players and UNO up to ten.
Are the LEGO sets suitable for a 9-year-old?
Both LEGO sets here are marked 10+ by the manufacturer, so they suit ten to twelve-year-olds. For a nine-year-old, go by the marking on the box rather than by how capable they seem.

Research

Sources checked

We use official safety guidance and manufacturer sources for specific product claims. Retailer popularity can inform discovery but does not replace these checks.

Each pick's identity, age marking and contents were checked on its maker's own page: