Gift ideas · Age 8
Gifts for 8 year olds
Eight year olds can handle real challenge: longer builds, harder games and projects that take a week. They're also old enough to notice a gift that's too young for them.
Skip: Anything with ages 4 and up in big letters on the box. They'll notice.
Remind me beforeor
As an Amazon Associate, How Kids Play earns from qualifying purchases. Nobody pays to be on these lists.
Safe bets for most 8 year olds
- 1A LEGO Creator 3-in-1 setOur pick: LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Fierce Shark (31381)Three builds in one box, so it doesn't end up on a shelf. Find it
- 2A rock tumblerOur pick: Thames & Kosmos Rock TumblerIt takes weeks, which is the point. They keep checking on it. Find it
- 3Ticket to Ride: First JourneyOur pick: Ticket to Ride: First JourneyA shorter version of a grown-up favorite, made for this age. Find it
- 4A sketchbook and good colored pencilsOur pick: Faber-Castell Do Art Color Pencil setReal supplies read as a real gift. Find it
Match how they play
- 1A gear or K'NEX building setOur pick: K'NEX Classics Motorized CreationsFor a builder. Moving parts are a new kind of problem. Find it
- 2Gravity MazeOur pick: ThinkFun Gravity MazeFor a puzzler. Sixty challenges that get harder, and it's satisfying when the marble drops. Find it
- 3A ukuleleOur pick: Kala KA-15S soprano ukuleleFor a performer. Four strings, small hands and a song in a weekend. Find it
- 4Kid binoculars and a bird guideOur pick: Celestron Outland X 8x25 binocularsFor an explorer. Now a walk has a checklist. Find it
Find gifts that match how they play
The gifts that get used match how a kid already likes to play. The quiz takes two minutes. No account needed, and adding a name is optional.
More gift ideas
Gifts for 7 year oldsAge 7Gifts for 9 year oldsAge 9Gifts for ages 7 to 9, by play typeAges 7 to 9All gift ideasBy age and by how they play
Holiday gift lists
Christmas gifts for kids that last past New Year'sChristmasStocking stuffers for kids that actually get usedHolidays
Buying for the grown-ups too? Gifts they'll still own, scored on warranty and repair: for dad, for mom, under $100.
Print it before the partyHalloween Party Games for Kids: picture bingo, a monster hunt and pin the face on the pumpkin. 11 pages, $5.Get the printable →
