Gifts for a boy aged 7 or 8 — gift ideas

No time for the whole list? These are our four favourites for a boy aged 7 or 8: the Martian Moon Ball that bounces ridiculously high, the card game Exploding Kittens that has him and his friends in stitches, the Parking Puzzler — the most clicked idea on this page — and the LEGO Minecraft Ender Dragon, which takes pride of place in his bedroom once it’s built.

A small gift for a 7 or 8-year-old, for the Sinterklaas shoe, for a good school report or for a birthday party. Everything below costs less than ten euros.

With up to 25 euros there’s plenty of choice: a pack of Pokémon cards, a game, a book from a series or something to take outside. Everything below has been picked for a boy aged 7 or 8.

From jigsaws to challenging logic games, relaxing and stimulating at the same time. The Crocodile Creek ocean animals puzzle and Ravensburger’s “Protect our Earth!” are perfect for puzzle fans, and Perplexus Rebel gives hours of spatial-thinking fun. For brain training there are the SmartGames classics Parking Puzzler and IQ-Fit, and the Crocodile Creek opposites puzzle is for those who prefer to puzzle together. A large collection at Lotana.

Drawing, sketching, painting and crafts stay a top gift at this age. Good graphite or watercolour pencils, pastels and a sketchbook last for years, a complete colouring and drawing set is the gift for the real artist, and with a set of paper planes crafting turns straight into playing outside. You’ll find the example products at Pipoos. Also see our blogs on lovely drawing supplies for children and the best drawing books for children.

LEGO Minecraft is hugely popular with boys of 7 and 8 at the moment, and no wonder: what he builds in the game, he builds here for real, with the same blocks, mobs and portals. The small sets start at around ten euros and are a perfect birthday-party gift, the bigger sets are the birthday present, and everything can be combined into his own Minecraft world in his bedroom. Browse the full range in the LEGO Shop.

Welcome on any pitch with a good ball, and with a goal in the garden the match never ends. Goalkeeper gloves in a child’s size for the boy who’d rather be in goal, or a LEGO set of Cristiano Ronaldo for his bedroom. More ideas in our football gift blog.

LEGO stays one of the very best gifts at this age, and there’s so much more than Minecraft. With the Mario Kart Standard Kart you experience the racing of the game for real, with the Little Eater T. rex you build your own dinosaur, the Batmobile is for the superhero fan, Mateo’s fire chameleon from DREAMZzz is full of imagination, and the NINJAGO Spinner and pull-back racing car are made to play with, not just to put on a shelf.

The Nintendo Switch is hugely popular from about age seven: you play it on the sofa, in the car and together on the TV. There are four versions. The Switch Lite is the cheapest and sturdiest, all in one piece, handheld only — so not on the TV and no motion games. With the regular Switch you take the Joy-Cons off and can do all of that. The OLED is the same console with a bigger, better screen. The Switch 2 is the newest generation: more powerful and bigger, and it plays almost all older Switch games too. Not the other way round: a game with “Nintendo Switch 2” in the title won’t work on a regular Switch or a Lite.

Mario Kart is the classic anyone gets the hang of in minutes, four players at once. In Super Mario Bros. Wonder you race together through cheerful worlds, Mario Party is gloriously chaotic and most boys already know Minecraft from their friends. The green box at the bottom left is the PEGI age rating: 3 is perfect to start with and stays fun for a long time, 7 gives a bit more challenge once there’s some gaming experience. Note: a game with “Nintendo Switch 2” in the title won’t work on a regular Switch or a Lite.

Nothing beats children heading outdoors! At this age, exploring is the magic word: out and about with binoculars or a compass, treasure hunting with a metal detector, a glider sent into the sky or a bouncy ball that goes ridiculously high. And for the boy who can already ride a scooter: a real stunt scooter with a good helmet. Gifts that invite him to move and explore the world outside.

Around 7 and 8 a whole world opens up: he reads his first books on his own, while being read to stays lovely. Funny series such as Dog Man, Blitz! and Agent en Boef are perfect for beginner readers, and an adventurous book to read aloud like De Gorgels sparks the imagination. Most are Dutch editions — Dog Man also exists in English. Is he still in groep 3? Then also see our blog with reading tips for groep 3.

Lots of boys of 7 and 8 love playing Minecraft, or watching their favourite YouTubers play it. What they see there, they want in their own room too: a Creeper lamp, the diamond sword, trading cards for school or Uno with Minecraft cards. And for an evening without a screen: a logic game or air hockey in Minecraft style.

Pokémon cards have been hugely popular for years, and there’s no end in sight. Collecting, swapping in the playground and showing off a rare card are all part of it. A new pack of cards or a collector’s album is a guaranteed winner, and for the fan who has everything: a Pokémon puzzle, card game or colouring book.

Card games are hugely popular with boys of 7 and 8: quick to learn and always fun! Dobble and Beverbende are absolute classics, Exploding Kittens is the game that has him and his friends in stitches, and Regenwormen (Heckmeck) is the fastest dice game there is. Strategy fans get their fill with Stratego, Ticket to Ride Europe and Rummikub. Lotana and 999 Games have a huge range of games for every budget.

Books full of fascinating facts, beautiful illustrations and surprising trivia. The series “Het dikke boek van alle bijzondere…” (The big book of all the remarkable…) is highly recommended: from remarkable insects, everything that lives in the water and our Earth to outer space. The insect book is the most accessible; the space book is a bit more challenging but just as fascinating. (In Dutch.)

A fun day out together is a treat in itself: you experience something special and make memories to talk about for ages. A few ideas:

🤸 An afternoon at a trampoline park

🎢 A day at a theme park

🍿 A film night with popcorn (and staying up late!)

🏊 An afternoon of swimming and playing

🎨 A painting or sculpture workshop

🛴 A pump track or freerunning workshop