At 11, a boy wants what he collects and what gets him playing with his friends: a Norev or Solido model car for a shelf, a backgammon or a wooden Connect 4 that stays in the living room, a party game like Défifoo for birthdays, a Pokémon Lego kit he builds alone in one evening. The gifts that work are those with a value he knows, and those played with others.

What an 11-year-old loves

This is the start of secondary school: friends matter more than toys, and the gift that works is the one brought out when they are over. He collects for real, 1/43 cars, Pokémon cards, comic-book figurines, and he knows what a piece is worth. He prefers skill and party games with laughter to long games. Soft toys have not disappeared, they have changed role: they are funny, or they come from a world he loves.

Our gift ideas

To collect

The 1966 Ford GT40, the Porsche 911 Targa and the Facel Vega III are Norev models in 1/43 and 1/87, the gendarmerie Bugatti Chiron is a Siku, the 1961 VW bus with Stitch and the pink Beetle with Patrick combine car and character, and the 1/12 Renault R4 GTL is the exceptional piece. All our cars, boats and planes.

To play with friends

Défifoo and its 150 challenges, Tossit thrown indoors or out, the 3D fish playing cards for evenings, the wooden Connect 4 and the backgammon in its case, kept for life. All our board games.

For the worlds he loves

The Eevee Lego kit and the Pokémon First Partners collection for the card collector, the Marsupilami and Spirou figurine tube, the 500-piece Tintin Black Island puzzle, the Tintin family playing cards and the Tintin happy families game. Our figurines and our Tintin world.

To make and keep busy

The Little Birds mini resin kit casts real objects, Cozy Art Kawaii is coloured in quietly, the padlocked diary keeps his secrets, and the Schleich stallions, the Mustang and the Lusitano, start a stable. See our arts and crafts.

To keep on the bed

Steiff's Batman bear, Horatio Pistachio, the nemu nemu tiger, the standing donkey and the hedgehog have the humour or realism it takes at 11, and the Bartholomew bag is worn. All our soft toys.

What budget?

Under 20 euros: the Norev and Siku models, the Schleich stallions, the Beetle with Patrick, the Tintin cards, the happy families game, the 3D cards, Cozy Art, the diary or the hedgehog. Between 20 and 50 euros: the VW bus, the Tintin puzzle, Horatio, the Pokémon collection, the Marsupilami tube, the mini resin kit, Tossit, the Connect 4, the donkey, the tiger and Défifoo. Above 50 euros: the Batman bear, the Bartholomew bag, the birthday cake bag, the Eevee Lego, the backgammon or the 1/12 R4, for a gift that leaves a mark.

Frequently asked questions

Which board game at 11?

A game brought out with friends, short, with laughter: Défifoo or Tossit. And a game for life, played with the parents, like backgammon. At this age he explains the rules himself.

A model car, in which scale?

1/43 is the classic collector's scale, for a cabinet or a shelf, under 20 euros. 1/24 and 1/18 are bigger and more detailed, 1/12 is a display piece. All are for shelves, none is for the floor.

Can the gift be wrapped?

Yes, gift wrapping is free: tick the box on the product page before adding to cart. Delivery to a pick-up point is free from 80 euros in mainland France, and you can collect your order in our shop at 211 boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris.

See also

• Gifts for an 11-year-old girl
• Gifts for a 10-year-old boy
• Gifts for a 12-year-old boy
• All toys for ages 8 to 12
• All our gift ideas by age

Advice from the team at L'Oiseau de Paradis, a toy shop in Paris since 1932.