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The Ultimate Guide to Toys and Gifts for 8-Year-Olds
These ideas are unique, educational and have approval from kids.
When shopping for gifts for kids who are 8 years old, it seems like a totally new world has opened up for them. Do they like science? They can do anything from learning about chemistry in virtual reality to snapping together their own electronic circuits. Are they into art? They can make their own comic books or design their own kinetic sculptures out of LEGO sets.
And while it seems like they've left their toddler blocks behind, building might have a special appeal for 8-year-old boys and girls. "Kids this age have much greater fine motor dexterity and can create endless possibilities whether building structures, personalized characters, associated complex storylines or copying a preferred design," says Jennifer Rothman, LCSW. She also recommends games, staring with collaborative ones. "Working together with friends in a more structured game is a nice entry point before more competitive play," she says.
And while more choice is always great, sometimes it also makes things more complicated. It'd be nice to have first-hand knowledge about which toys and gifts are actually going to last, both in terms of construction and appeal for an 8-year-old.
The Good Housekeeping Institute does just that, testing hundreds of toys that hit the market each year in advance of the Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards. First, it tests the quality, durability and — most importantly — safety in the lab, but then real 8-year-olds have the tougher job: making sure the toys are actually fun. We mixed their results in with some editor's picks, which include bestsellers and other trendy items, like fidget toys, to bring you the best toys and gifts to buy 8-year-olds in 2023.
Under $25
Best of Mad Libs
Eight-year-olds are in the perfect sweet spot for Mad Libs since they still find silly things very funny and haven't yet figured out how to anticipate all the jokes. This offers a best-of compendium of 125 classic fill-in-the-blank stories, and they're just as funny as you remember. Ages 8+
It's a silly, soothing sensory toy that can help them keep their fidgety hands occupied. The board is filled with gel and beads, and kids can push around the beads with their fingers or the included stylus. It comes with a two-sided background, but kids can also print or make their own. Ages 5+
Thames & Kosmos Creatto
They can build countless creations that will light up and shine when it's all put together. Tiles are fitted with light-up wire, and each kit can be put together in a couple of different ways (or they can come up with their own). Good Housekeeping testers say it does take a little time to make something, but they'll be super proud once it's done. Ages 8+
GooToobz
If the 8-year-old in your life is always looking for a new way to busy their hands, GooToobz has them covered. A windy pathway is filled with goo, glitter and other objects, and kids get a quiet sensory experience when they tilt and squeeze the fluid through the maze. It comes in several colors and looks. Ages 4+
Rubik’s Phantom
Rubik’s Phantom
Have they already mastered the iconic Rubik's Cube? Take the challenge up a level with the Rubik's phantom, which tests their memory as well as their puzzle-solving skills. The colors of the squares don't appear unless they feel the body heat of a hand, so they'll have to touch them, make their moves and then twist the cube before they disappear again. Ages 8+
USA Giant Coloring Poster
Artsy 8-year-olds will be able to color in the whole country, from the amber waves of grain to the purple mountain majesties, with this oversize coloring poster. When it's unfurled, it's more than 3-feet- long and 2-feet-high, and all incredibly detailed, so it'll take them a while to fill it in. No age recommendation given
Sunflower Garden
This kit comes with everything they'll need to grow a tall, beautiful sunflower, indoors or out. First, your budding gardener can decorate the pot, then plant the seeds and watch their new bloom grow. It even comes with a little notebook so they can sketch its progress. One Good Housekeeping tester was amazed by how fast the plants sprouted. Ages 6+
Sleuth & Solve
Kids can break out their deerstalker caps and critical thinking skills when they step into the role of detective. The book lays out 20 different mysteries, and kids have to use their powers of deduction and logic to figure them out before lifting a flap to reveal the answer. If they like it, they can move on to other Sleuth and Solve books, including Sleuth and Solve: Science and Sleuth & Solve: History. Ages 8+
MasterChef Family Cooking Game
Good Housekeeping Institute testers loved this game because they actually got to do real cooking with real ingredients (and test the results). The game offers challenges, like prepping one-handed or taste-testing an ingredient while blindfolded. It also comes with two child-safe knives. Ages 7+
Good Housekeeping Kids Bake
If they love being in the kitchen, this book with gives them more than 100 new recipes to try, all triple-tested by the pros from the Good Housekeeping Institute. And even though it's a baking book, there are plenty of savory delights — like spanakopita and classic margherita pizza — in there with the chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls. Ages 8+
Adults may remember Digimon from back in the day, and it's returned with cool, new features, including a new quest mode. It's reverse-compatible with all the old units, too! Ages 8+
Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic
Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic
Kids will get a big environmental message when they see these sculptures made from objects reclaimed from beaches and oceans. Each page also has facts about each animal, as well as a seek-and-find challenge that asks kids to look for things like lip balm or hangers in the sculptures. Good Housekeeping Institute testers reported that this was a good book for siblings, since older kids were into the information, while younger kids liked doing the seek-and-find. Ages 6 – 10
Giant Diplodocus 3-D Puzzle
Rarely are puzzles this challenging also this pleasing displayed in a room when they're finished. After kids complete this one, they'll have a 3D, 19" tall dino they can proudly put on display. The colors are nice and bright, too. Ages 4+
Pokémon Battle Academy
Pokémon Battle Academy
Kids who are interested in learning the Pokémon Trading Card Game can get step-by-step instructions from this game, which makes the rules easy to understand for new players. It comes with three decks, so you can jump in right away. Ages 6+
Kanoodle Pyramid
Get their brains going with this mind-teaser that's taken the world of social media by storm. Challenge cards give players the beginning of a 3D shape, and players have to fill it in with the remaining pieces. With more than 200 puzzles to complete, they'll definitely have enough challenge to keep them busy. Ages 7+
My Comic Book Making Kit
My Comic Book Making Kit
Future Stan Lees and Jack Kirbys can check out this kit, which includes pre-formatted comic book pages along with a booklet of tips for how to design a graphic novel. When your kids are finished with their masterpieces, you can mail it in a pre-paid envelope, and in four to six weeks they'll receive a bound version of their comic book, complete with an about-the-author page. Ages 8+
'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' Fire-breathing Bowser
When this Bowser gets all fired up, his mouth glows red and real smoke emits from it. (Don't worry, it's a cool mist.) It stands tall at 7 inches, so it'll also look mighty on a shelf. It's enough to make you sing, "Peaches, Peaches, Peaches!" Ages 3+
A companion to Cat Crimes, this game turns kids into detectives. Each of the increasingly difficult challenge cards offers a list of clues as to which canine committed a crime, and kids have to put them together to deduce the culprit. It comes with 40 challenges, and it's one of the rare games that kids can play on their own. Ages 8+
RELATED: The Best Board Games for Kids
Lego Gear Bots
LEGO fans — and what kid isn't? — can find new projects and ideas with this kit, which gives them pieces and inspiration to make eight different kinetic LEGO sculptures. They can build an octopus that DJs, a pterodactyl that moves its wings or a yeti that smashes, all of which are operated by a crank on the side. The characters are made out of paper, so they'll be able to use their art skills, too. Ages 8+
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
Rachel Rothman (she/her) is the chief technologist and executive technical director at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she oversees testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also manages GH’s growing research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems. During her 15 years at Good Housekeeping, Rachel has had the opportunity to evaluate thousands of products, including toys and cars for GH’s annual awards programs and countless innovative breakthroughs in consumer tech and home improvement.
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