With the holiday season fast approaching, many parents, family members, and friends are on the lookout for the perfect gifts for the eight year olds in their lives. You can also keep these ideas around for birthdays too.
You can find these gifts on Giving Assistant, which is packed full of coupons to help you more easily get through the time when gift purchases are necessary.
I’ve split this up by listing gifts for girls and boys, fully understanding that both genders can always play with the same toys.
The Best Gift Ideas for 8-Year-Olds for 2023
Whether you are dealing with a boy, a girl, someone into drones, or someone who adores unicorns, this list of 15 gifts has something sure to please the eight-year-old in your life.
1. Bluetooth Speaker Night Lights Alarm Clock
The young ladies in your life will absolutely adore the Night Lights Bluetooth Alarm Clock. It’s multifunctional, with operations from the alarm clock to color changing lamp to an mp3 player. The LED light can even change color to the beat of the music while using the mp3 player.
The soft lights and music playing at bedtime may be what she needs to lull her to sleep at the end of a long day. What’s even better is its battery is rechargeable using a USB cable.
2. Friendship Bracelet Kit
Next up on our list is the Friendship Bracelet Kit. Eight year old girls love jewelry, and it can’t get much better than designing her own bracelets! A portable box comes with a treasure trove of threads and buckles in every color of the rainbow.
It comes with instructions for a first-timer at creating friendship bracelets. Your little lady will enjoy the art of creating friendship bracelets so much that she, her friends, and her entire family will wear the result of her newest hobby.
3. Glow in the Dark Blanket
The next “hot” gift is one in which I have personal experience. The Glow in the Dark Blanket was something my daughter not only loved but was obsessed with when she was eight years old. This is also perfect for young ladies who are afraid of the dark.
The great part of having this blanket is that it only needs to be exposed to sunlight for at least twenty minutes before the stars glow in the dark. This will no doubt help ease the worry of a little one scared of a shadowy room.
4. Mermaid Gift Set
Moving from ultra-popular unicorns, we will now be delving into the fandom of all things mermaid with the Mermaid Gift Set. She will get a reversible pink and blue drawstring backpack that comes with several accessories inside.
The sequins mimic the scales on a mermaid. All you have to do is run the palm of your hand over the bag, and the shiny colors on the opposite sides of the sequins will reveal.
Whether she takes it to school, to dance class, or to an overnight stay at a friend’s house, she can carry her forever-changing mermaid bag.
5. Musical Jewelry Box
So remember the Friendship Bracelet Kit at the beginning of this gift guide for eight-year-old girls? Nothing could be better than giving her a Musical Jewelry Box for all the new jewelry. We are back to ultra-popular unicorns with the Magical Unicorn Jewelry Box, which is available at Walmart.com.
This violet-lined case is just like mom’s, protecting new jewelry. The difference is the unicorn that prances to the music that the box plays as soon as you lift the lid. Perfect for your little princess to dance along to also. She and the unicorn will make quite a pair!
6. Paint and Plant Gardening Kit
Do you know an eight-year-old kid who is not only artistic but also has a green thumb? If so, this is the perfect present!
This kit has everything they need for a container garden. They can decorate their tin planter with the included paint set. Once it’s dry, they can plant the marigold, cosmos, and zinnia seeds with the soil that also comes with the set.
They can learn to care for the new flowers by watering them with the watering bottle that comes as part of the kit.
7. Model Kit 4-piece Car Set
Eight years old is about the time young men start to find hobbies, so what could be better than introducing him to building model cars? He can put time, care, and detail into the work that starts with car pieces and ends with a complete classic car that he can display for years to come. It’s definitely something he will be proud of!
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8. Mandalorian Black Series Helmet
Do you have an eight-year-old boy (or girl, really) who loves Star Wars? This next gift is right up their alley. What is cooler than putting this helmet on and running around like their favorite Star Wars character?
It is adjustable for your kiddo’s head and also has removable tactical light! Enjoying playtime while wearing the Mandalorian helmet has never made playtime so entertaining!
9. Sonic and Tails Vinyl Figures
Sonic the Hedgehog has re-emerged as a favorite for many ages after the 2020 film of the same name. These vinyl figures are perfect for eight-year-old children. It’s available at kidrobot.com. Along with these, they can find many other figurines to add to their growing collections.
10. Parrot ANAFI 4K HDR Drone
Is there an eight year old kid in your life whose interest in drones has been piqued lately? What better to give them the opportunity to exercise that curiosity with this drone.
It beats a cell phone for photography details with 3X zoom and the ability to tilt the camera 180 degrees for remarkable coverage. This drone is incredibly durable, withstanding high winds and temperature extremes.
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11. Lego Epic Battle Set
Legos! Who doesn’t like legos? This special lego set is geared towards fans of NINJAGO as they fight off the evil forces, such as watching the battle between Zane versus Nindroid. This toy is a kit that contains two mini figurines, a Nindroid factory, and a revolving battle podium for interactive playtime.
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12. VTECH Kids Kidizoom Action Cam
This may be an exceptional option for those not yet ready to try their hand at photography using a drone. This is ideal for photography anywhere, as you can mount it on a bicycle or skateboard.
It also comes in a waterproof case. All that’s left after giving this gift to your eight year old is seeing adventures and fun outings they explore!
13. Stories for Kids Who Dare to be Different
Granted, there is a plethora of toys and other hobby items listed here, but do you have a kiddo who loves to read? This book may be for them.
This book’s full title is “Stories for Kids Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing People Who Stood Up and Stood Out.” It’s a follow-up of author Ben Brooks’ New York Times bestseller “Boys Who Dare to be Different.”
This book offers more amazing true stories of extraordinary people who broke the mold while changing the world for the better.
14. Educational Insights Talking Microscope for Kids
Is the eight year old in your life an aspiring scientist? Do they love animals? A talking microscope could be the perfect present to inspire and delight your little one.
This microscope comes with 20 prepared slides, allowing your child to learn about different animals. It even has two different settings: Fact Mode and Quiz Mode. Your eight year old can learn different things, and then they can quiz themselves with the help of Bindi Irwin, the late and great Steve Irwin’s daughter.
However, they can also go exploring in their own backyard and neighborhood to find more things to examine with their new talking microscope!
15. Connect 4 Shots Game
If your eight year old loved the game Connect 4, it’s time to take things to the next level with Connect 4 Shots!
Instead of simply sliding pieces into rows, you now have to bounce four balls of the same color into a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line. The first one to do so wins! While it only needs two players, more can join in the fun, so it’s the perfect option for family game night or for a quick match after dinner on weeknights.
Frequently Asked Questions
In case you’re looking for more insight or advice on the ideal gift, here are some common questions you may find useful.
What are some tips for getting the perfect gift for an eight year old?
When it comes to my own child or family members, I first ask the child’s parents what their hobbies are. Are they into building blocks? Reading magazines? Playing certain sports? Do they enjoy certain cartoons or other TV shows?
That information alone can give you a great idea of what to give the child in question.
When the child is older, like the children this is geared towards, you can just ask them. Make a list and compare it to what their parents said. I’d choose similar ones, for the most part, but also look at the ones that are different and make your own decision over whether you’ll add that to your shopping list.
Shopping for 8 Year Olds
Eight-year-olds are typically in third grade, so it’s interesting to see where they’re at with physical and emotional development. That can help people pick out the perfect presents when taking that all into consideration.
According to webmd.com, an eight year old’s attention span and focus improve, and reading skills become more sophisticated.
Children around the age of eight also like to collect things and read more.
In short, maybe that toy that was too complicated for that seven-year-old last year is perfect for that eight year old now. They can get the directions out, read them, and follow them to either put something together or operate it correctly.
Hopefully, this idea guide will help lessen the stress that gift buying can cause! Good luck, gift buyer!