Best toys for 8 year olds 2025, tried and tested by parents and children
After lots of testing, we've found some great toys for 8-year-old girls and boys - from games, crafts and construction toys to dolls, playsets and even an animatronic dinosaur...
Where has the time gone? Suddenly you go from browsing prams to getting toys for an 8-year-old, but what should you be buying at this stage?
According to Helen Brown, author of Parenting for Dummies: "Your 8-year-old now plays for extended periods of time, requiring much less help and direction from you." So, you're more likely to need toys that are fully engrossing and time-consuming.
"Your child's fine motor skills are also becoming more and more adept, which means they'll probably enjoy quite fiddly or complex art, craft or building projects," continues Helen. "And, as their reading, writing and counting abilities increase, they'll be ready for toys and games that make use of simple maths or involve puzzles and secret codes to work out."
Helen reckons that playsets and role playing will still be popular for your little one: "Especially if they can involve putting on a show or demonstrating something entertaining," she says, but it's also worth remembering "that your child may have started to develop quite a fixed idea of the kinds of activity they like or are 'good at', which can sometimes make play a little restricted."
With all that in mind, we've put together a guide of the best toys for 8 year olds. We've broken our list down into categories across a range of prices.
Best toys for 8 year olds at a glance
Best action toys for 8 year olds
- Jurassic World Rebirth: Dolores Deluxe Puppetronic, £49.99
- Beyblade Xtreme Battle Set,
£45£36 - Jurassic Park Real FX Baby T. Rex, £57.99
- Optimus Prime, £80
Best Educational toys for 8 year olds
- Clementoni Science and Play Smart Tech Greenhouse, £30
- LeapFrog Magic Adventures™ Telescope, £74.99
- Clementoni Science Museum Mechanics Junior Moving Animals, £17.30
- Apples to Pears Build a Bee Hotel Gift in a Tin,
£16£11.99 - Cotton Candy Maker, £29.99
Best Pokémon toys for 8 year olds
Best board games for 8 year olds
Best construction toys for 8 year olds
Best stationery for 8 year olds
What are the best toys for 8 year olds?
Jump to:
- Best action toys for 8 year olds
- Best educational toys for 8 year olds
- Best Pokémon toys for 8 year olds
- Best boardgames for 8 year olds
- Best construction toys for 8 year olds
- Best stationery for 8 year olds
Best action toys for 8 year olds
1. Jurassic World Rebirth: Dolores Deluxe Puppetronic, £49.99
Available at: Smyths
Suitable for: ages 8 and up
Taking its rightful place in the Made For Mums Toy Awards 2025 Top 10 list is the Rebirth Aquilops Dolores Puppetronic. Inspired by the pet dinosaur from Jurassic World: Rebirth, Dolores can blink her eyes, move her head and opens her mouth just like a real baby Aquilops.
I would definitely play with Dolores again, she is one of my favourite toys now. I'm really wowed that the tiny remote can control so much of the dinosaur. I love the part where you can make her eyes wink and her mouth move up and down. I love when you pat her head and she makes noises and that she can go on your shoulder and move her head.
2. Beyblade Xtreme Battle Set, £45
Available at: Amazon and Boots
Age suitability: 8+
Beyblades are back with a vengeance. This new generation of tops is called Beyblade X, and the new Xtreme Beystadium (the arena) features an X-Celerator Rail and X-Celerator Gear System to level up the acceleration, speed, and ferocity of your Beyblade battles.
I think the Beyblade Arena is cool and I love that the Beys can battle easily in the arena without going all over the floor. I would play with it again when my friends come over.
3. Jurassic Park Real FX Baby T. Rex, £57.99
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 8+
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park, the Jurassic Park Real FX Baby T. Rex is a roar-somely realistic animatronic dinosaur for any wannabe park rangers. Controlled by inserting your hand into the protective ranger’s handling glove and activating the hand-grip controller, the realistic, rubber baby T. Rex-shaped toy – that perches on your hand - will engage with those around it. The T. Rex features sound effects and actions including bite, roar, battle, and growl.
It looks so real and also has so many noises.
4. Optimus Prime, £59.99
Age suitability: 6+
Transformers toys have come a long way from the old action figures you had to transform yourself. This interactive transforming toy has lights and sound effects, 360-degree spin and it cleverly changes between Truck and Optimus Prime autobot form using the remote control.
My son loved it and was so excited to play with it, he was squealing with delight when he saw it. My son and his brother have been playing on and off for hours with it. They’ve been laughing and having fun transforming it backwards and forwards and copying the voice.
Best educational toys for 8 year olds
5. Clementoni Science & Play Smart Tech Green House
Available at: Argos
Age suitability: 8+
We love STEM toys as they're great at sparking curiosity among kids. This Smart Tech Green House won gold at the Made For Mums Toy Awards 2025, and it's easy to see why. The immersive play experience examines the science behind plants, and comes complete with a LCD screen to monitor temperature, humidity and light levels in the greenhouse.
I have had lots of fun making my own greenhouse and planting my seeds. It’s so easy to know what they need to grow as my greenhouse tells me when something is wrong. I was able to make my greenhouse and plant my seeds all by myself as it was super easy! The instructions told me what to do and i just followed them. I can’t wait for my plants to fully grow so I can plant different things next!
6. LeapFrog Magic Adventures Telescope, £69.99
Available at: Currys and Amazon
Age suitability: 5+
This is a working digital telescope that allows budding astronomers to explore the night sky and world around them. Although it’s designed for kids, the telescope has a solid technical spec with a 2.4” screen and 110x magnification that lets you zoom in on the sky at night or nature during the day. Keen astronomers can also capture and save what they see on the screen, which can be used to play NASA videos – 100+ are included – as well as display images.
You can also use the telescope to play games, including an interactive adventure game where you assist Mission Control in fixing planets. Included with the telescope are 20 cosmic cards for finding out facts about the universe.
The telescope is full of fun, with many features such as facts, videos, quizzes, camera function and telescope function. Due to the wide range of features it means it can be used day or night and will last a child several years.
7. Clementoni Science Museum Mechanics Junior Moving Animals, £17.30
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 6+
This construction kit, which includes a motor unit, contains 120 pieces that can be assembled into 5 different animals – gorilla, lion, seal, shark, insect – all of which will move and walk. The build for each animal is a good challenge: long enough to keep a child absorbed but not so long they'd get frustrated. The real excitement, though comes when the build is finished and you can make your animal move.
Wow! It's flapping its wings as it moves! I really love the bright colours. I definitely want to make a different one now!
8. Apples to Pears Build a Bee Hotel Gift in a Tin, £13
Available at: Amazon and Bright Minds
Age suitability: 6+
Inside this 14cm x 10cm tin you'll find all you need to make a diddy wooden house for bees and other insects, including all parts, glue and instructions. This is a great-value gift for a nature-loving child, especially you also get tips on attracting bees to your garden and loads of info about solitary bees and how your bee hotel can help one. The instructions – with colour pictures – are great and clear enough for a child to (mainly) get on with the build themselves, making this a doable crafty afternoon project.
I really like the design, I didn't need much help to make the bee house but my dad helped with the putting the roof on as it was tricky seeing where the holes went. We put the house in the garden on our shed. I think this should be recommended a lot as it is easy to make and keeps you busy.
9. Cotton Candy Maker, £29.99
Available at: Very
Age suitability: 8+
This portable candy floss maker is perfect for sleepovers, movie nights or easy dessert-making. All you need to do is add a table spoon of sugar, switch the machine on, and voila! Plus, this machine is safe to use, easy to clean and small enough to store away.
Best Pokémon toys for 8 year olds
10. Pokémon Flame & Flight Deluxe Charizard, £35
Available at: Very
Age suitability: 8+
Take this articulated Charizard dragon figure, awarded silver at the MadeForMums Toy Awards 2022, for a flight through the air and he'll respond with different lights, sounds and movements, depending on whether he's swooping up or down, right or left or spinning around. You can also load a missile in his mouth (3 are included) and then press a button on his back to fire it out. He comes with a little Pikachu figure and a spring-loaded launcher that fires Pikachu into the air to do battle with Charizard. For more gaming picks Pokémon, check out our best Pokémon games for Switch article.
I love shooting the fire bolts at my sisters and trying to scare them with its sounds! I like how Charizard lights up and make sounds as I move him and it's also fun launching Pikachu and seeing how far he will fly.
11. MEGA Pokémon Forest Pokémon Center, £49.99
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 8+
Though this set might be on the pricier side, the exciting range of features and impressive detail make it a must-have for any Pokémon fan. Bringing to life on the Pokémon Centres from the game, the set features 4 Pokémon including fan favourites like Pikachu and Eevee.
I like how you have to build the centre in two different parts and attach them together. I think it's really cool they have added that you can move the Pokémon trailer. I keep playing with it because I like it so much.
Best board games for 8 year olds
12. Brainbox – The World, £13
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 8+
This quick-fire country-themed memory and observation game has a nice, simple format: pick 1 of the 55 country cards, study the picture and word 'answers' about it for 10 seconds, then roll the dice to find out which question you're going to get asked. Get the answer right and you keep the card, and the player with the most cards at the end is the winner.
It's good value for money, especially as the cards as so sturdy and nicely printed, and we think the questions and answers are well pitched for this age range – lively and interesting without being too primly 'educational'. We also like that the box is small enough to throw in a bag and take to a friend's house or on holiday.
It's fun to play and easy to get the hang of.
13. Exploding Kittens: The Board Game, £22.99
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 7+
Are your family fans of fast-paced, frantic games, and everything feline? If so, Exploding Kittens: The Board Game could be right up your alley. In this game, your goal is to make it to the end of the board without exploding, but each move could be your last.
Get ready for strategy game meets family fun.
I like how it was different to other board games with two different sides, it has a unique layout. I like how it was competitive and it's similar to the card game but still different, the same sort of cards and exploding kittens. Yes, I would definitely play again.
14. SUSSED Green, RRP £10.99
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 8+
Do parents know if their child would rather hike up a mountain with a storyteller or a talking bear? Do children know if their parent would rather pet a friendly vulture or a slimy stingray? When playing the game of SUSSED Green, players guess each other’s answers and say why they made that choice. It’s a simple idea that is an opportunity to start a conversation and discover something new about other players.
I like SUSSED a lot! It was fun to play with my family. I liked reading the cards and deciding what I would choose, then seeing what everyone thought I would say!
Best construction toys for 8 year olds
15. GraviTrax Obstacle, £41.99
Available at: Amazon
Age suitability: 8+
This newer spin on the bestselling GraviTrax starter set also builds into a multi-level marble run, using a cardboard hexagon-holed base, magnetic balls and, this time, 140-odd plastic and metal pieces that slot together to create bridges, junctions, tracks, trampolines, a spiral, a zipline and even a magnetic cannon. It's pricey but it's supercool – and there are so many tracks to build and stunts to devise.
It's really exciting to play with! I enjoyed building the obstacles and it kept me and my brother and sister busy for hours.
16. Build Your Own Paper Plane Launcher, £19.99
Available at: Amazon and Build Your Own
Age suitability: 8+
With this ingenious, eco-friendly 47-piece construction kit you can build you an impressive-looking, elastic-band-powered cardboard paper-plane launcher and 10 different fold-and-fly planes to launch from it. There's no cutting out or glueing involved; you simply press out the pieces and slot them together, following the picture-based instructions. It takes about 1 hour to assemble the launcher – which, thrillingly, has power-indicator settings and can, if you get your aerodynamics right, propel paper planes up to 20 metres away.
The best bit's seeing how far the planes go. My friends should get one too and then we could all have a big flying contest!
Best stationary for 8 year olds
17. Clementoni Idea Message Pen Creator Studio, £29.99
Available at: Very
Age suitability: 6+
Whether for crafting at sleepovers or solo creative time, the Clementoni Idea Message Pen Creator Studio is ideal. Kids can create their own designs with beads, stickers, letters and more, as well as explore their personal style and tune their fine motor skills.
I liked it, it was really good fun. I liked adding the beads to the pens, it was like making a bracelet. I liked where we could make our own design. I found it really easy to put it together and make the pens. They were really cool.
18. Miniverse Make It Mini Kitchen playset, £45
Available at: Selfridges
Age suitability: 8+
This 30cm mini kitchen comes with an oven with UV light, refrigerator and countertop, plus oven mitts and a cupboard full of mystery ingredients. From doughnuts to smoothies you can assemble your mystery meal with through combination of goo, sprinkles, fruit and more, then put it in the oven to finish your creation.
Images: Product websites and MadeForMums child testers
How to choose toys safely
- Look for the CE symbol as this is used by manufacturers to show the toy meets all the relevant regulatory requirements
- Also keep an eye out for the British Toy and Hobby Association's (BTHA) 'Lion Mark' – although this is voluntary it means that the toy has to meet safety requirements to be a member
- Pay attention to the age suitability of the toy
- Check toys over time for sharp points or edges. If they have become dangerously worn considering getting rid of them or having them repaired if possible
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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