Gifts for a child aged 7 or 8 — gift ideas

No time for the whole list? These are our four favourites for a child aged 7 or 8: the card game Beverbende that comes along to every birthday; the Perplexus Rebel, a 3D maze you won’t want to put down; Blitz!, the book that has beginner readers laughing out loud; and the Bruynzeel Rijksmuseum watercolour pencils that turn drawing into painting. Four gifts you can’t go wrong with.

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, and every one of them is a gift they’ll be happy with.

With up to 25 euros there’s plenty of choice: a game for the table, a book from a series, a craft kit or something to take outside. Everything below has been picked for a child aged 7 or 8.

At this age a board game is the gift that comes out on the table most often. Beverbende and Keer op Keer 3 (That’s Pretty Clever) are learnt in five minutes, Sushi Go is a fast card game parents really get into too, and with Catan Junior and Ticket to Ride Amsterdam they play a “big” board game in child size for the first time. More choice at Lotana and 999 Games.

At 7 and 8 children read their first real books themselves, while being read to stays lovely. Series work best: after Dolfje Weerwolfje (Wolfie the werewolf) you want the next book, Dog Man and Superjuffie are funny enough to laugh at together, De waanzinnige boomhut (The 13-Storey Treehouse) is the series almost every 7 or 8-year-old gets hooked on, and De GVR (The BFG) and De Gorgels are wonderful books to read aloud. Most are Dutch editions; several also exist in English. Is your child still in groep 3? Then also see our blog with reading tips for groep 3.

At 7 or 8 they can already do a lot in the kitchen themselves, especially with a cookbook that explains every step. There’s even a children’s cookbook without cooking, and the children’s baking books are a gift you get back as a parent in biscuits. (These are Dutch books.)

Something to take outdoors stays one of the best gifts for a child of 7 or 8: a ball that bounces extremely high, a skipping rope, a frisbee that really flies far or a badminton set for the campsite. For the playground, the holidays and the garden.

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 animals, insects and birds to outer space. The animal book is the most accessible; the space book is a bit more challenging but just as fascinating. (In Dutch.)

A jigsaw of 100 to 200 pieces, a brain teaser for the car or a pocket-sized escape room: puzzling is calm, yet exciting. IQ-Stars, MazePop and the Perplexus Rebel are for playing alone, while the wooden butterfly puzzle or the Rainbow of Nature puzzle are for doing together. A large collection at Lotana.

Drawing, colouring and crafts stay favourites: good watercolour pencils and pastels, a sketchbook, a craft kit for bracelets or a kaleidoscope, or learning to draw in cartoon style. Pipoos has plenty more. Also see our blogs on lovely drawing supplies for children and the best drawing books for children.

LEGO has been the gift that makes children happy for generations. At this age they build a set of 200 to 400 bricks themselves: the tropical toucan, the panda rescue centre, a glamping hut in nature or the cherry blossoms that then go on the windowsill. Browse the full range in the LEGO Shop.

There’s plenty of building to do outside LEGO too. A marble run you design yourself and test straight away, magnetic tiles with a marble run built in, a Plus-Plus tube or a HABA construction set that turns sticks into a dinosaur. Gifts for a child of 7 or 8 that absorb them for a whole afternoon.

Why, how and what happens if? At this age they want to see it for themselves. Growing crystals, hatching triops from an egg or making your own soap and bath bombs: experiments that work at home, with an explanation a 7 or 8-year-old understands.

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

🐴 A riding lesson