23 of the best toys for 7 year olds
We've tried, tested and chosen the top toys for boys and girls aged 7 to 8 – from playsets and dolls to scooters and even an exploding, light-up-lava volcano...
At 7, your child is becoming more independent and curious about the world and their play is becoming more sophisticated as a result. So what toys are best suited to them?
Well, as your 7-year-old is likely to be curious and fizzing with ideas and questions, they might want to play with toys that are engaging and challenging.
They've also probably grown a fair bit in the past few months, and rapidly refined their balance and coordination skills, so pedal bikes and more 'grown-up' scooters are a great buy – as are toys that require running around exercising those improved motor skills outside.
Your child is also ready for toys that take a little time and patience to build, nurture or collect – from craft projects to more complicated construction toys.
Below, you'll find a great selection of toys suited to your 7-year-old. From science and STEM toys to help improve their education, to care and nurture toys like Tamagotchi's!
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We've left gaming off of here because, if you have a family Nintendo Switch console, you might want to check out our list of the best Nintendo Switch games for kids.
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Best toys for 7 year olds at a glance
Best science, STEM & building toys for 7 year olds
- Great for video game lovers: Pixicade Mobile Game Maker, £19.99
- Great for learning pre-coding skills: SmartGames Cats & Boxes, £16.99
- Great for interactive building: Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course, £54.99
- Great for construction skills: Fiesta Crafts 3D Construction Model, £12.98
Best creative toys for 7 year olds
- Great for fine-finger skills: Gift in a Tin Magical Fairy Fun, £13.93
- Great for endless creativity: Plus-Plus Learn to Build Colorverse, £49.99
Best role-play toys for 7 year olds
- Great for movie-inspired fun: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Delivery Van, £40
- Great for pet-related role play: Scruff-a-Luvs Cutie Cuts, £15
- Great for farm-themed role play: Schleich Large Farm House, £69.99
- Great for vehicle play: Hot Wheels Action Sky Crash Tower, £48
Best interactive toys for 7 year olds
- Great nostalgic buy: Tamagotchi Pix, £46.39
- Great interactive pet: MINTiD, £66.99
- Great for interactive fun: Squeakee the Balloon Dino, £79
Best dinosaur toys for 7 year olds
- Great for prehistoric-themed role play: Schleich Volcano Expedition Base Camp, £119.99
- Great budget buy: Build Your Own Tyrannosaurus Rex, £9.99
Best dolls and soft toys for 7 year olds
- Great fashion doll: L.O.L. Surprise! OMG Cores Series 6 – Sketches and Melrose, £29.99 each
- Great novelty toy doll: Barbie Pop! Reveal Fruit Series Dolls, £26.99
- Great for cuddling: Cam the Calico Cat with Beanie Squishmallow, £25
Best active toys for 7 year olds
- Great all-action game: Legends of Akedo Powerstorm Triple Strike Tag Team Arena, £49.99
- Great for outdoor play: Dr Zigs My First Giant Bubble Starter Kit, £24.99
- Great ride on toy: Liferyder Infinity Scooter, £140
- Great for football fans: Smart Ball Soccer Bot, £49.99
- Great for discovery: LeapFrog Magic Adventures Binocular Camera, £69.99
Jump to:
- Best science, STEM & building toys for 7 year olds
- Best creative toys for 7 year olds
- Best role-play toys for 7 year olds
- Best interactive toys for 7 year olds
- Best dinosaur toys for 7 year olds
- Best dolls and soft toys for 7 year olds
- Best active toys for 7 year olds
What are the best toys for 7 year olds?
Best Science, STEM & Building toys for 7 year olds
1. Pixicade Mobile Game Maker, £19.99
– Great for video game lovers
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L30cm x W23cm xH5cm | Batteries: None | Awards: Editor's Choice, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2022
A great combination of creativity and gaming, Pixicade is all about drawing out a video game on paper and then seeing how it comes to life as a real game. The games can be played on either a tablet or smartphone, and shared with friends in the Pixicade Arcade on the app. Included in the box are 5 Pixicade pens, 3 game design booklets with an introduction to concepts, activities, templates and 40 drawing pages that take you though ever more complex tasks. Two special QR codes allow you to access the app on 2o devices – and with the app, you upload a pic of your game and, in 30 seconds, the game will be ready to play.
I like that my drawing comes to life and that you actually get to play it as a game. It's my best toy after Lego and playing outside! My favourite games to make are the maze ones and each one gets better.
2. SmartGames Cats & Boxes, £15.99
– Great for learning pre-coding skills
Available at: Amazon, Smart Toys and Games
Age suitability: 7+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: Box approx 24cm x 17cm | Batteries: None | Awards: Editor's Choice, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023
It may seem simple but this single-player game develops logical thinking, problem-solving and pre-coding skills and is a whole lot of fun to boot. The object of the game is to move one puzzle piece at a time until all five cats are inside a box. We love that it has 60 multi-level challenges to complete, providing longevity for your 7-year-old. The mid and high levels are a genuine challenge for parents to join in with, too.
The game is really well made. It is one of those toys that you can play for hours on end and re-use over and over. My daughter really, really enjoyed it. It’s a fantastic twist on a moving pieces puzzle game and the quality is fantastic. It's a really well-thought-out game.
3. Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course, £54.99
– Great for interactive building
Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: L9cm x W31.7cm x H26.2cm | Batteries: 2 x AAA (not included)
This 280-piece LEGO set creates an interactive Super Mario Adventure course starring Mario's friend Luigi. The course blends real-world construction with video game-style play – you make your way around the course, collect coins and battle Pink Yoshi. The real draw is the Luigi figure which reacts to obstacles with different facial expressions. He also has animations on the LCD screen on his tummy and plays music and sound effects from the Super Mario video games.
The course itself has fun elements including a spinning seesaw and flying challenges. We really like the Spinning Seesaw Challenge that’s included in this course – great fun! Comes with Pink Yoshi, Boom Boom and Bone Goomba figures.
4. Fiesta Crafts 3D Construction Model, £12.98
– Great for construction skills
Available at: Amazon and Fiesta Crafts
Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: Varies but roughly L45cm x W32cm x H25cm | Batteries: None
With this foam-board construction kit, you can build a detailed 3D fire station, hospital, castle or a train station – no glue, scissors or tools required. The inside of the building is open at the back and the model comes with furniture and accessories to place inside. The build itself is great – long enough to require some concentration but not tediously long – and the instructions are clear. But it's the open back and the attention to detail in the finished model that set this craft kit apart.
It's very high quality and a very reasonable price. The instructions were great – this toy is very good to build and play with!
Best creative toys
5. Gift in a Tin Magical Fairy Fun, £13.93
– Great for fine-finger skills
Available at: Amazon and Bright Minds
Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: L10cm x W14cm x H5cm (tin) | Batteries: None
This is a complete craft set in a tin, including all the materials you need (including pipe cleaners, fabric flowers, thread and glue) to make up to 8 wooden-headed fairies and a fairy door. The instructions are easy to follow and picture-led and there's plenty to keep little fingers occupied over several crafting sessions – unlike some kits where all the fun is quickly had and then it's over.
6. Plus-Plus Learn to Build Colorverse, £49.99
– Great for endless creativity
Available at: John Lewis and Amazon
Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 5-9 | Size: H27.50cm x W34.50cm x D6.00cm | Batteries: none
The Colorverse set is packed with accessories and over 1000 building pieces in a spectrum of beautiful colours. This set includes six small baseplates and ten wheels, offering endless possibilities for building and design.
I liked the different colours available and wanted to try to make the sun and dragon, but it was hard to follow the pictures, even with Mummy’s help (as Mummy struggled too). I like that there’s lots of pieces, and I like picking the colours and counting. Yes, I will play with this again another day.
Best role-play toys for 7 year olds
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Delivery Van
– Great for movie-inspired fun
Available at: JD Williams and Very
Age suitability: 4+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: L38.1cm x W20.32cm x H20.32cm | Batteries: 3 x AA (not included) | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023
Our home testers had great fun playing with this exciting playset, which features the pizza van out of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem movie. Brightly coloured and decked out in fun features, the van is designed to help Turtle fans and their friends recreate scenes from the film. The biggest feature is the pizza-fire button, which slings pizzas in quick succession from the van’s motorised launcher and is adjustable so you can hit targets near and far.
The van opens front and back and comes with 8 pizzas to load up and fire. While there is room for all four Turtles and even Splinter to sit together, the figures are sold separately and none are included with this set, which is something to note if your child doesn’t already have the figures.
Harry was so excited to open it and set it up. He was really impressed with how fast the pizzas flew out of the side of the van. He had lots of fun playing with it and showing his 3 year old brother how to flip out the pizzas too.
8. Scruff-a-Luvs Cutie Cuts, £29.98
– Great for pet-themed role play
Available at: Asda, Amazon and Argos
Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L15cm x W25cm x H23cm | Batteries: 2 x AAA (included)
This super-shaggy puppy (choose from a Yorkie or a Frenchie) comes with clippers for you to clip its fur into a tidier shape and stuff the clippings into a little cushion for your pup to sit on. The box includes a comb, collar tag, doggy nail polish and other styling accessories – and the box itself doubles as a pooch-pampering salon. It certainly has a lot of wow factor: the clippers make a great buzzing sound, there are accessories to unwrap and, well, who wouldn’t love to paint a pup's toenails?
I loved cutting her hair and washing and drying her. It was a lot of fun and I loved bathing and drying her. This is one of my best toys and I really hope Santa will bring me another one.
9. Schleich Large Farm House, £69.99
– Great for farm-themed role play
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L49cm x W14cm x H34cm| Batteries: None
This generously-sized playset features a 2-level farmhouse with a kitchen and bedroom, extending out to a detachable stable with hay loft, fences and a winch. It comes with 2 people figures and 7 animal figures and accessories including hay bales, a bed, flower boxes, a wheelbarrow, a dog bowl and a carrot.
Don't be fooled by the 3+ age description: this is definitely an older child's toy – with lots of little accessories that a preschooler would probably just lose or struggle to pick up.
10. Hot Wheels Action Sky Crash Tower, £48.01
– Great for vehicle play
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: L83cm x W50cm x H70cm |Batteries: 4 x D (not included)
This tall tower, complete with a looping track, means you can race multiple cars up and down at the same time. It features a motorised booster that makes the cars jump high and crash in mid-air, and comes with 1 Hot Wheels vehicle (others sold separately).
Best interactive toys for 7 year olds
11. Tamagotchi Pix, £58.99
– Great nostalgic buy
Available at: Amazon and Smyths Toys
Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: L7cm x W6cm x H3cm| Batteries: 2 x AAA (not included)
Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2022
This revamped version of the classic '90s toy allows you to interact with your Tamagotchi pet in a whole new way, thanks to a built-in camera. You can use the camera to take photos with your Tamagotchi character, play with them, cook for them, bathe them and customise your items, then connect with friends and send your Tamagotchi on playdates. You can collect multiple Tamagotchi characters and raise them with different traits and jobs, and you can also complete missions on Tamagotchi.com to unlock additional features.
I love this Tamagotchi, I love to use the camera to take photos with it and also take selfies with it. There are so many games, and also I like to complete the missions – some of them are really hard and challenging.
12. MINTiD Dog-E, £66.99
– Great digital pet
Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L25.4cm x W13.5cm x H25.4cm | Batteries: 1 x 3.7V Lithium Rechargeable Battery (included)
This highly interactive robot pet has hundreds of responses and personality traits. No two dogs are the same as each one has its own combination of colourful lights, eye shapes, and collar design. Just like the real deal, every dog will behave differently, whether that means they demand food regularly, want lots of walkies or just want more hugs. Whatever their behaviour, your dog will use emotes, icons and messages to communicate with you. You can either interact with the dog itself or through Dog-E’s connected app and even teach it a few tricks.
It is very fun! I like playing the start and stop game with Elsa (the name Melanie gave her Dog-E). There are so many things to play with Elsa in the App. I like changing her colours, I like to feed her with the bone and then she will follow me and I like to take her to the vet.
13. Squeakee the Balloon Dino, £79
– Great for interactive fun
Available at: Very
Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: L40cm x W22.5cm x H30cm | Batteries: 6 x AAA (not included)
This green plastic dinosaur is shaped like it's made of balloons and programmed with 70+ interactive sounds and movements. It comes with headphones (put them on him and he'll dance) and a squeaker bone (squeak it to make him stomp and roar, put it in his mouth and he'll chomp down and play tug of war with you). You can also 'pop' him and pump him back up, with the included play balloon pump.
I love Squeakee so much – he's just so funny! My favourite is making him fall down asleep, and then I get to pump, pump, pump him up like a real balloon! Sometimes he even farts!
Best dinosaur toys for 7 year olds
14. Build Your Own Tyrannosaurus Rex, £9.99
– Great budget buy
Available at: Build Your Own
Age suitability: 8+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: 38cm-long (once built) | Batteries: None
This clever kit contains 23 thick cardboard parts that you slot together to build into a sturdy T Rex that stands in a suitably menacing crouch – and, when you pull a tab, it opens its fearsome jaws.
The instructions could be a little clearer in places but the build is great fun and takes about 40 minutes. Comes with a press-out T Rex Fact Stand.
I like how the T Rex roars when you move it. Some bits were tricky to build and I needed help but I liked looking for all the different pieces and fitting them together. It looks great when it's finished!
15. Schleich Volcano Expedition Base Camp, £199.99
– Great dinosaur toy for 7 year olds
Available at: Schleich and Amazon
Age suitability: 4+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: L43cm x W45cm x H35cm| Batteries: 3 x AA (not included) and 4 x LR44 (included)
This volcano set vibrates, smokes, has a river of light-up lave and actually erupts, spewing out stones. Plus, if you can take your eyes off the volcano effects for just a minute, this playset all ofeatures a research station, an obstacle course, an escape slide and a secret cave. It certainly delivers on the excitement front: sounds, vibrations, flashes lights, smoke.
Comes with 1 dinosaur researcher figure, 2 dinosaur figures, a firing canon, a removable laboratory container, crystals, stones, plants, and a stalactite.
The volcano is great, I like making the rocks fall down!
Best dolls and soft toys for 7 year olds
16. LOL Surprise! OMG Core Series 6 – Sketches and Melrose, £27.99 each
– Great fashion doll
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 4+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: H23cm| Batteries: None | Awards: Gold, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2022
These 2 articulated dolls, sold separately, are loud, bright and colourful and very poseable. Sketches has long rainbow-coloured hair while Melrose has blonde hair and big purple eyes. They come – as you'd expect from the LOL! Surprise label – with 20 'surprises', in little paper parcels, that you unwrap to find clothes, a hair brush and accessories – and there's also a stand. The clothes seems a bit tricky to get on and off at first – until you discover that the doll's hands are removable.
Isabella likes the outfits and has been having fun interchanging them with each other. She loves Sketches’ long rainbow hair and Melrose’s cool guitar bag. The dolls have encouraged some great imaginative play.
17. Barbie Pop! Reveal Fruit Series Dolls, £26.99
– Great novelty toy doll
Available at: Hamleys, The Entertainer
Age suitability: 3+| Best for age: 3+| Size: L:12.5cm, W12.5cm, H32.5cm| Batteries required: None
The Barbie Pop! series comes with one surprise after another. Our child testers loved opening their drink cup to reveal their fruit-themed Barbie (she comes in one of four flavours: strawberry lemonade, fruit punch, watermelon crush or grape fizz). A neat feature is the colour-changing hair – you just add cold water to your doll and watch as a bright hair streak runs through her hair and make up appears on her face. You can take them away by adding warm water.
The container also unboxes a fruit-scented slime that's hiding Barbie's pet and a number of accessories. Plus, ice cubes that you can "pop" open to reveal extra roller-skates and a mini-drink.
18. Squishmallow, £25
– Great for cuddling
Available at: Argos and Selfridges
Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 6+| Size: 41cm| Batteries required: None
With their big eyes, fuzzy fur and squashy insides, these toys are great for squishing – and they've acquired cult status with older children who also enjoy collecting them. One of the first Squishmallows was Cam the Cat. Now, his brother Calico has hit toy shop shelves in his super-stylish purple beanie. Cam comes in multiple sizes but we're plumping for the 16-inch, as it's a great size for bedtime hugs.
Best active toys for 7 year olds
19. Legends of Akedo Powerstorm Triple Strike Tag Team Arena, £49.99
– Great all-action game
Available at: Amazon and Argos
Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 7+ | Size: L47cm x W46cm x H12cm| Batteries: 3 x AA (not included)
Awards: Silver, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2022
Taking Akedo warrior play-fighting up a notch, this cool 2-player arena playset has space for 6 plastic figurines (3 per team) and features 2 easy-to-use tag-team levers that allow you to switch your warriors mid-battle. Turn up the volume and you’ll hear over 40 high-octane battle sound effects blasting out, then watch the scoreboard light up as you hit your Split Strike button to celebrate victory over your opponent.
I like pulling the trigger to change my warriors, listening to the songs while I played – and winning!
20. Dr Zigs My First Giant Bubble Starter Kit, £24.95
– Great for outdoor play
Available at: Babi Pur
Age suitability: 3+ | Best for age: 6+ | Size: H25cm (bubble wand) | Batteries: None
This eco-friendly bubble kit comes with enough concentrated mixture to make up to 1,000 giant bubbles, a bubble wand, cotton rope and a book of instructions and tips to help your child get started. It takes a wee while to get the hang of making the bubbles (and diluting the mixture correctly) but the results are truly squeal-makingly spectacular.
The bubbles are incredible – this is super cool and exciting!
21. Liferyder Infinity Scooter, £140
– Great for balance and coordination
Available at: Liferyder
Age suitability: 5+ | Best for age: 7+ | Weight: 5.5kg | Max user weight: 50kg | Batteries: None
This stylish, all-terrain foldable scooter has 2 big 12" wheels and handlebars with 3 height settings (extending from 75cm to 85cm). It’s available in more than 35 different graphic designs – which can be peeled off and replaced as your child's tastes change.
My daughter loves this scooter and this is her preferred choice over her bike and another scooter she has. She loves the funky design on the scooter which makes it really unique and she feels really grown up.
22. Smart Ball Soccer Bot, £49.99
– Great for football fans
Available at: Argos
Age suitability: 6+ | Best for age: 7+ |Size: L19cm, W19cm, H16.5cm | Batteries: 4x AA Batteries (not included) & 3x AAA batteries (not included) | Awards: Editor's Choice, MadeForMums Toy Awards 2023
This intuitive football trainer will help you improve your football skills, whether you play in single or multi-player mode. It uses sensor technology to try and tackle the ball from you plus the robotic base keeps track of the football wherever it goes, weaving itself around any furniture or obstacles —perfect for indoor play!
I like that the Soccer Bot chases the ball. I like dribbling the ball away from the robot to practise my skills and it is good exercise. I will play with this lots and show my friends.
23. LeapFrog Magic Adventures Binocular Camera, £69.99
– Great for discovery
Available at: The Entertainer and Amazon
Age suitability: 4+ | Best for age: 5-7 | Batteries: 4 x AA (included)
These real interactive binoculars can help budding nature enthusiasts to discover plants and animals in their very own back garden. Using the flip up screen, you can view over 340 real life images and videos provided by the BBC of animals, plants, and habitats from all over the world. The binoculars also come with a built-in camera to capture and share photos, and a day and night mode.
My daughter was very excited to play with this toy. I liked how the binoculars took us outside to play and for walks along country lanes and nature reserves, which in turn led to other activities, introducing play and excitement beyond the toy itself.
Images: Product websites
About the author
Helen is Deputy Editor of MadeForMums, the author of Parenting for Dummies (Wiley, £17.99) and the Head Tester for our MadeForMums Toy Awards. She has written about parenting for Mumsnet, Pregnancy & Birth, Prima Baby, Boots Parenting Club and She Magazine and she's also been Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby. She has 3 boys and a heavy-duty washing machine.
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Authors
Helen is author of the classic advice book Parenting for Dummies and a mum of 3. Before joining MadeForMums, she was Head of Community at Mumsnet and also the Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby.
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