Best toys for 8-year-olds

What toys should you buy for an 8-year-old?

Most 8-year-olds won’t require supervised play at all times like younger children. But they are still easily distracted. Having a selection of toys on hand that keeps them entertained promotes independence and gives you more time to get on with your own day-to-day tasks. 

But toys need to be age-appropriate to hold a child’s interest and keep them engaged. If you’re trying to keep your child busy and reduce screen time, you need toys that are made with an 8-year-old's capabilities in mind.

Types of toys to buy for 8-year-olds

Children can get tired of toys pretty quickly. Adding some variety to their collection means you always have something on hand to keep them busy. Categories of toys suitable for 8-year-olds include:

• Creative toys: Whether it’s painting, drawing or molding clay, creative toys help with brain development and give children an outlet to express their imagination. Just make sure to lay down a protective layer over whatever surface they use to protect your furniture.
• Action toys: Action figures and dolls typically fall into the “home life” toys category, as children use the dolls to imitate real-life scenarios. Dolls are one of the most traditional types of toys you can get. But these days, they’re updated with kids' favorite characters and additional accessories to extend the enjoyment.
• Educational toys: Not all kids are into reading, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn effectively through play. Construction sets, science experiment kits and gamified learning tools are all great ways to encourage curiosity and skill development in your 8-year-old.
• Movement-based toys: Physical activity is important for health at any age. Outside of sports teams, toys that encourage physical movement are ideal for energetic 8-year-olds. Choose between indoor toys like dance mats or set up toys like tetherball in the yard to keep them active.
• Electronic toys: Toys that make noise or move about on their own provide interactive play that will keep your kids occupied. Classics like remote-control cars and planes still have their place alongside high-tech electronic toys like robots.

11 best toys to buy for 8-year-old kids

Skillmatics Marvel Card Game

If your 8-year-old loves Marvel, this fun, award-winning guessing game will test their knowledge of their favorite characters to the limit. This strategic guess-to-10 game comes with 52 cards and can be played with friends or as a fun family game.

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Kidzlane Light-Up Dance Pad

This light-up dance pad provides excellent exercise for high-energy 8-year-olds who want to try out complex dance routines and have fun. With three interactive games, five difficulty levels, a freestyle function and the ability to play music from your device via AUX cables and Bluetooth, your 8-year-old won't be bored in a hurry.

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Carrera GO DTM Racing Kids Toy Race Track

This race set comes with two intricately designed cars that race at scaled speeds of up to 370 mph around a track with two loops, a flyover and banked curves. Kids can race alone or with friends, and the track is easy to construct and disassemble.

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Airfix Supermarine Spitfire Plastic Model Kit 

This build-it-yourself model allows kids to work through a process that includes gluing, painting and applying stickers. Ultimately, they will have a scale model of one of the world’s best-known fighter jets to use as decoration in their room.

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Sillbird STEM 12-in-1 Education Solar Robot

This STEM kit allows kids to build up to 12 sun-powered robots for use on land or water. It's not only fun but also educational, stimulating the imagination and developing engineering skills by giving kids hands-on experience.

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Dolanus Remote Control Car and Robot Transformer

In just one click, your 8-year-old can transform a remote control sports car into a robot. The car uses five wheels to travel at a high speed while maintaining a high level of control for stunts and 360-degree spins.

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Force1 Scoot Hand Operated Drone for Kids

This self-flying UFO-style drone can be used hands-free and comes with a motion sensor and a gesture control function so kids can fly it around. Launched at the touch of a button, this drone can be used to play catch with friends. It comes with a webbed shell to protect fingers.

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NASA Lunar Telescope for Kids 

Perfect for budding astronauts, this NASA telescope is uniquely designed for moon viewing, is easy to assemble and includes two eyepieces to view craters on the moon. It also comes with a detailed learning guide containing information about the moon and its many wonders.

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Slinky Original Walking Spring Toy

The Slinky has never gone out of style, and this original slinky can be used to walk downstairs and occupy restless hands. Not only does it stretch, wiggle, walk and jiggle, but it can also help kids develop motor skills and creative thinking abilities.

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Shashibo Shape-Shifting Box 

Kids can make over 70 shapes in this little cube, making it one of the most versatile puzzle toys. Using 36 rare earth magnets, kids can stack and combine the geometric pieces to build structures, solve puzzles and have limitless fun.

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VTech Kidi Zoom Creator Cam

At the push of a button, kids can make their own mini-movies, weather reports and other cool videos using the built-in microphone and special effects of this creator camera. Video files can only be transferred to a USB rather than uploaded directly to the internet so parents can maintain oversight.

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Lauren Farrell writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.