You've gotten great tips already. smile My experience may be most similar to what Portia describes.

I'll just add that in order to have something to open, one possibility may be a gift card to a favorite bookstore, museum gift shop, or science lab supply company. Some children enjoy thinking about the possibilities and tradeoffs (opportunity costs), planning, and immersing themselves in an experiential gift.

In case it may be of help to you, I'm adding a link to another thread about gift ideas.