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Are you scratching your head, wondering what on earth to buy your eight-year-old son for his birthday or for Christmas? Well, dive straight into my carefully curated list of gift ideas for 8-year-old boys. The list is based on things I’ve bought for boys about to turn eight or already bonafide 8-year-olds.
Related: Great gifts to buy kids who absolutely love football
20 BEST GIFTS FOR 8-YEAR-OLD BOYS
Whether your son is sporty or bookish or creative, or a mixture of all of the above, there is bound to be at least one perfect gift on this list for him.
- NERF Nerfoop - Classic Mini Foam Basketball and Hoop
- Tony Hawks SS 360 Complete Utopia Mini Skateboard
- Wipeout Dry Erase Kids Bike Helmet
- LEGO Minecraft The Mushroom House Set
- Kickmaster Quick Up Goal And Target Shot
- Kinetic Sand, Sandisfying Set
- Football Heartbeat Hoodie
- SCRIB3D P1 3D Printing Pen
- Nintendo Switch (OLED Model)
- LEGO Gear Bots (Klutz): Create 8 Machines
- The Boy At the Back of the Class: Onjali Rauf
- Dinosaur Kids Interactive Glow in the Dark T-shirt
- 8 Years of Awesome Cotton Gift Bag
- Hot Wires: Plug and play electronics set
- Ravensburger GraviTrax XXL Starter Set (Amazon Exclusive)
- John Adams | Edible Science Kit
- You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum!: Volume 1
- Snap Circuits Beginner
- KLASK
- Kay's Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body
This is a great gift for those rainy or super cold winter days when a sport-loving boy would still love to be shooting hoops. It goes on the back of a door and comes with a soft mini basketball to minimise the chance of basketball-related incidents!!
My daughter and her boy and girl pals started skateboarding in earnest at around age 8. They are all fans of Tony Hawk (OG pro boarder) skateboards.
This 'mini' board is great for kids just starting out boarding between 6-9yrs. The board is deemed 'mini' because it is 31" long x 7.25" wide, plus its trucks and wheels are scaled down, making the board lighter and easier to manoeuvre.
How brilliant is this? A bike helmet that comes with wipeable pens. So creative kids can cruise out on their bikes or boards with a different drawing on their helmet every day.
Kids start getting into Minecraft at 8 years old, so this collaboration is bound to be received with open arms by kids excited about diving into Minecraft for the first time whilst still loving Lego.
This is so clever! A popup goal and target shot practice set. Pack it up, then pop it up, and kids can play anywhere. Also great for smaller gardens when you don't want a permanent goal cluttering up the space.
Kinetic sand is popular with kids of all ages. It can be lovely and calming for kids to sit and let the sand run through their hands and lose themselves in creating shapes.
This football heartbeat hoodie totally sums up the passion for the game for true football fans and footie stars of the future. There are six different colourways.
This 3D pen set is a best-seller on Amazon. It includes a 3D pen, 3 Starter Colours of filament, a stencil book, a project guide and a charger. 3D doodling is a great way for kids to flex their STEM skills without needing to go near a screen.
You might well wonder if the Nintendo Lite would be more suited to an 8-year-old. I believe the OLED offers the best value for money. It docks with your TV, and there's a tabletop and handheld mode.
Most importantly, there are lots of multiplayer Switch games that can't be played on the Lite. The Joy-Con controllers on the OLED can be detached and used as two separate controllers for multiplayer fun with friends.
Clearly, it is more expensive than the Nintendo Switch Lite, so it could be one to suggest as a club-together gift from family members. Whichever you buy, don't forget to set up the parental controls.
This is a great STEAM gift for kids. It's a mix of Lego and paper characters by Klutz, makers of premium book-based activities for kids. Kids can make eight different machines that actually move.
The Boy At The Back of the Class is a touching children's novel written by Onjali Q. Raúf. The story gives a child's perspective on the refugee crisis, focusing on a young Syrian boy named Ahmet, who, at the start of the book, is alone, friendless, and sits at the back of the class.
The story unfolds through the eyes of an empathetic classmate who, along with his friends, embarks on a mission to make Ahmet feel welcome and help reunite him with his family. The book is a heartfelt exploration of friendship, kindness, and the power of small acts to create big changes. I think it is a wonderful book for any child to read - my daughter read it and loved it.
I've bought a couple of these T-shirts as gifts. When kids draw on the image using the glow pen that comes with the T-shirt or a smartphone torch, they can create their own design that lasts around 5 or ten minutes each time. The T-shirts are machine washable.
Not strictly a gift, but a lovely way to give gifts to someone turning 8 and it can totally be used after the big day. The cotton bags have a drawstring and come in 25x30cm for smaller gifts or 30x45cm for larger gifts.
The Hot Wires: Plug and Play Electronics Set is a really fun way to introduce girls aged 8-12 to electronics and engineering. This set has over 100 pieces, including wires, switches, and circuits, for kids to build electronic projects.
The instructions are easy to follow, and there are over 100 projects, from a flying saucer to a burglar alarm. Kids can also get creative and design their own projects.
The pieces are colour-coded and snap together easily. It is a great way for kids to build their engineering skills alongside flexing their creativity.
Age: 8+
GraviTrax is a 21st-century take on a marble run. There's a variety of tiles, tracks, and action accessories kids can use to create intricate layouts for the marbles to navigate. It is a great STEM toy that helps kids learn about gravity and kinetic energy and encourages creative problem-solving alongside hours of fun.
The John Adams Edible Science Kit is a great mix of fun and education that brings science to life by creating tasty, edible experiments, 15 of them in total.
It helps kids learn basic scientific principles through digestible experiments like making their own jelly worms or creating drinkable slime. You will need to supply a few kitchen basics, but overall it's a great way for kids to turn the kitchen into a science lab.
The Mr Gum series by Andy Stanton is about Mr Gum, a truly horrible man with a knack for finding himself in bizarre and often surreal adventures in the eccentric town of Lamonic Bibber. The books are filled with zany humour, quirky characters, and wild plot twists that make for an entertaining read.
Combined with David Tazzyman's lively illustrations, the Mr Gum series offers a delightful blend of silliness and wit perfect for capturing the imaginations of kids used to the fast-paced, immediate gratification of our modern world.
The Snap Circuits Beginner set is made up of colour-coded snap-together parts. It is a great way to get kids interested in the basics of electronics and circuitry.
Kids can easily make more than 20 exciting projects, like a music alarm or a flashlight, without the need for any tools or soldering. The kit's engaging, hands-on approach makes learning about electricity and circuits really fun and accessible.
Klask is like the love child of air hockey and foosball. It's got all the fun of a classic arcade game but right in real life. It's a two-player game (there is a four-player version as well) where you have to manoeuvre game pieces with a magnetic striker under the board. The goal of the game is to shoot the ball into the opponent's goalpost.
This book is a brilliant mix of education and entertainment - the best way for kids to learn. The book is essentially a tour of the human body, explaining how all the body parts function, from the brain to the toes and everything in between.
The book is filled with fun trivia and disgusting (yet intriguing) facts that keep kids hooked. Beautifully illustrated, Adam Kay has managed to turn biology into a fun and accessible subject for young kids.
THE QUICK GUIDE TO SUCCESSFULLY BUYING GIFTS FOR 8-YEAR-OLDS
1. Q: What should I consider when buying a gift for an 8-year-old boy? A: Always consider the child’s interests first. Whether they love sports, art, science, or tech, there’s a perfect gift out there for them. Also, bear in mind their developmental stage. At this age, they are often keen on mastering new skills, so gifts that are challenging yet achievable work best.
2. Q: Should I choose an educational toy or just something fun? A: Why not both? The best toys are often those that blend fun with learning. This could mean a science experiment kit, a creative DIY project, or even a challenging puzzle game. Remember, learning doesn’t have to feel like a chore!
3. Q: Are tech gifts appropriate for an 8-year-old? A: Yes, as long as they are age-appropriate and encourage positive tech habits. There are many educational tech toys that promote problem-solving and coding skills. Do keep screen time limits in mind, though.
4. Q: What if I’m unsure of his interests? A: If you’re unsure, opt for versatile gifts. Building sets like LEGO, science kits, or books from popular series are generally well-received. Alternatively, consider a gift that might introduce him to a new hobby.
5. Q: Are books a good gift for an 8-year-old boy? A: Absolutely! Books encourage imagination, build vocabulary, and cultivate a love for reading. Choose age-appropriate books that cater to his interests.
6. Q: What are some unique gift ideas for an 8-year-old boy? A: Think outside the box! Consider items like a dinosaur fossil dig kit, a butterfly garden, or a make-your-own comic book set. Personalized gifts also add a special touch.
7. Q: Is it okay to give an 8-year-old boy a gift card? A: If you’re uncertain about what he might like, a gift card to a favourite store or an online platform can be a great choice. It allows him to pick out exactly what he wants.
Luci is the founder of Mums Make Lists (Est. 2011). Over the last decade or so, she has used her experience as a mum to create useful guides to organising family life. During that time, she has found the most joy in creating lists of ideas and inspiration to make it easier for busy parents to plan and host kids’ parties and find great gifts. Read more.