The 19 Best Gifts for 8-Year-Old Boys of 2021

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Our Top Picks

ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Logic Game at Amazon

"Containing 60 challenges with increasing difficulty, the Logic Game provides a fun mental challenge for kids."

Capture the Flag Redux at Amazon

"Capture the Flag is now perfect for nighttime with this update, including 25 light-up pieces, so its players can run, chase, and hide."

LilGadgets Untangled Pro Bluetooth Headphones at Amazon

"Your 8-year-old will jam out in style with LilGadgets’ Bluetooth Headphones, available in nine colors and complete with a 12-hour battery life."

Djubi Slingball Classic at Amazon

"An upgraded version of catch, the Djubi Classic is ideal for beach or pool days."

BrainBolt Memory Game at Amazon

"Keep your 8-year-old learning outside of the classroom with this portable game that’ll undoubtedly challenge his memory."

Alesis CompactKit 4 Drum Kit at Amazon

"Designed to be used wherever your aspiring drummer goes, this kit is accompanied by a teaching feature and a game function."

Diggin Black Max Football at Amazon

"A twist on the classic football, Diggin’s version spiral ring allows for tighter and longer spirals and painless catches."

Razor RipStik Caster Board at Amazon

"A mix between a snowboard and a skateboard, Ripstik’s Caster Board features a light design and slip-resistant platform."

Watch Ya’ Mouth Family Edition at Amazon

"A classic party game, Watch Ya Mouth will likely lead to endless laughs as you try to read phrases while wearing a cheek retractor."

Klutz LEGO Crazy Action Contraptions Craft Kit at Amazon

"Put together 105 LEGO bricks to create 16 distinguished projects, all from one kit."

As they transition from little to big kid, 8-year-old boys are ready to challenge themselves with higher-level toys, cool gadgets, and more sophisticated electronics.

To save you some time and effort, we’ve done the research and compiled a list of the best gifts. Whether they want to play games, build, be active, or listen to music, there’s something here for all interests and abilities.

Here, the best gifts for 8-year-old boys.

Our Top Picks

ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Logic Game

Fun for the whole family, this game combines the challenges of solving clues and building marble mazes. Kids learn to strategically organize, reason, and plan while having too much fun to realize it’s an educational game.

Capture the Flag Redux

This updated take on the popular Capture the Flag game uses cool glowing balls that kids try to steal without getting tagged. With 12 different game modes, this game encourages kids of all ages to ignore their electronics and have some active fun.

LilGadgets Untangled Pro Bluetooth Headphones

These kid-friendly headphones have a safe maximum volume, so you don’t have to worry about your 8-year-old damaging his ears by playing music too loud. Kids love that they’re stylish, comfortable, wireless, and have excellent battery life.

Djubi Slingball Classic

Whether they’re playing with it at the beach, backyard, or in the pool, this catch and throw game is a huge hit with kids. The set comes with two paddles, which are equipped with a launching hook and a catching net, and two plastic balls. To send the ball, you pull back and release the launch hook, while your partner tries to catch it in their net.

BrainBolt Memory Game

A new take on the popular Simon game, BrainBolt challenges kids to memorize the light sequence and repeat the pattern for as long as they can. The handheld design is ideal for taking the game on the road, and kids can play solo or go head-to-head with a friend.

Alesis CompactKit 4 Drum Kit

Budding musicians will enjoy this portable tabletop drum kit that comes with four electric drum pads and a set of drumsticks. The coaching feature teaches them how to play, and the game function enhances learning while having fun. Kids can listen to their drumming via the built-in speakers or headphones for private practice.

Diggin Black Max Football

Unlike regular footballs, this one has a patented spiral ring for tighter spirals and longer throws, helping kids improve their skills and encouraging them to play longer. The soft foam and grippy surface also make it easier to catch and throw.

Razor RipStik Caster Board

A great introduction to board riding, the RipStik is basically a skateboard and snowboard hybrid, combining the fun of both riding and carving. Eight-year-olds can work on their balancing and coordination, and eventually, move on to tricks as their skills improve.

Watch Ya’ Mouth Family Edition

This fun game will inspire kids to put down their devices as they try to speak tongue-twisting phrases while wearing one of the game’s 10 included mouthpieces. Meant to be played with three or more players, it’s perfect for a hilarious family game night.

Klutz LEGO Crazy Action Contraptions Craft Kit

This award-winning craft kit comes with more than 100 LEGO blocks and easy-to-follow instructions to build 16 cool projects. Kids can make and have fun playing with creations such as a Squeezeclaw Grabber, LEGO Launcher, and Wall Rocket Racer.

Meltdown Game

This fun, suspenseful game challenges kids to avoid a nuclear meltdown as they balance squishy cubes on an unstable platform. They’ll need to use their critical-thinking and planning skills to get rid of all their cubes without making any fall.

Melissa & Doug Suspend Game

Melissa & Doug’s Suspend Game tests kids’ puzzle-solving and fine motor skills while they have fun stacking and balancing bent rods without knocking over a tower. It can be played solo or with up to four people.

ThinkFun Traffic Jam Logic Game

This award-winning game presents kids with traffic jam scenarios that they need to figure out how to escape. With 40 different levels, it challenges kids to use critical thinking and planning skills to solve each puzzle. It comes with a handy storage bag to take it on the road.

Build Your Own Catapult Wars

For kids who love building and gameplay, this learning kit lets them build their own catapults using precut wooden pieces. Once their creation is built, kids can use mini bean bags to take aim and launch at targets.

Lego Creator Mighty Dinosaurs Toy

Eight-year-olds will have hours of fun building and playing with this three-in-one dinosaur playset that lets them build three different types of dinosaurs. It comes with cool dinosaur accessories, such as teeth, claws, and a moving tail, as well as a buildable rib cage that kids can use as prey during pretend play.

Star Wars The Child Plush Toy

Inspired by Disney+’s very popular The Mandalorian series, this adorable plush creature known as The Child is a must-have for any Star Wars collection. At 11 inches tall, it’s the perfect size for kids to carry around the house or stash in their backpack if they want to take it on the road.

Scrambled States of America Game

Kids will have so much fun playing this fast-paced geography game that they won’t even realize how much they’re learning about the states. Recommended for ages 8 and up, it’s played with two to four people and is perfect for family game night.

K’NEX Education Bridges Set

For 8-year-olds who love to build and tinker, this K’NEX lets them construct 13 replicas of real bridges or invent their own freestyle creations. It comes with 207 pieces, including connectors, rods, stems. Kids can build multiple types of bridges, such as suspension, truss, bascule, and more. The portable tray with lid makes it a cinch to store and organize all of the pieces.

Be Amazing! Toys Big Bag of Science

Perfect for future scientists, this kit includes step-by-step instructions for more than 65 fun science-based activities and experiments. It comes with real science equipment, including test tubes, Petri dishes, and pipettes, which can all be packed up into the carrying bag for easy storage and transport.

Why Trust Verywell Family

Christine Luff is a freelance writer who covers fitness, health, parenting, and other topics. She’s also mom to a 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son, who both enjoy a wide range of active and educational toys. Family game night in her house is a regular, raucous, and highly competitive event.