1. One of the easiest ways to find out what a child likes is to ask. Of course, this also has its problems. The child may not tell you or may give you a list four miles long so really what does he or she want.

2. You could give a toy catalog to the child and ask him to circle his top three or another amount choices. This is good to get a true idea of the childs likes as long as he or she really only chooses the few that she really wants.

3. Search the internet. Many online places have a Top toys for this age group. These will give you great ideas. Check several just to be sure you choose a toy that is really popular for that age group.

4. If you know any other kids that age you could ask them what they want. This will give you a general idea of the likes of kids. Just be sure that the toy is not gender specific that could traumatize the poor guy when his friends tease him about it.

5. If you are daring you could take the child to the toy section and watch her look at the toys. The toys that he lingers on are more likely the ones that will get played with. This is dangerous though as the child may not want to leave without a toy so use cautiously.