Today’s gift guide focuses on the biggest kids in my wheelhouse and was a blast and a half to put together. This age group — the 8-to-10-year-olds — is so much fun to shop for because they are increasingly independent and adventurous but still easy-to-please and easily excitable. The stuff they love is just plain FUN at this age! Books are more interesting to read for this age group, toys are faster and cooler, craft projects are more stimulating and creative… it’s all just so good!
The gifts I’ve assembled for children in this age range are largely finds that are tried-and-true favorites and some things that will pop up under the tree for our kids this year as well as some finds I think will be a big hit with little ones not only when they’re first opened but ideally for months and years to come.
One important note: If you happen to notice any repeat items between my gift guides for kids, think of these items as the slam-dunk “unicorn gifts” that hold up and entertain kids for YEARS. The repeat gift items are where it’s at in my book, as they are the items our kids have played with as they’ve grown.
I’m hopeful you’ll find something fun for a child in the 8 to 10 year old age range below and, like my previous children’s gift guides, I’ve organized the gift ideas below into the following categories:
Something they want (subdivided into a few additional categories)
Something they need
Something to wear
Something to read
NOTE: You may find most of these items rounded up in one place in my Amazon shop for easy browsing: Big Kid Gift Guide (ages 8-10)!
GIFT GUIDE FOR KIDS: BIG KIDS (Ages 8-10)
Something They Want
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY + GET THAT ENERGY OUT:
- Portable Tennis/Pickleball Net: We gave this to the boys last year and it’s used all the time for pickleball and tennis but, honestly, it’s mostly used for super random racket games they like to make up themselves in our driveway.
- Rechargeable Rocket Launcher: This rechargeable rocket far exceeded all of our expectations! It flies hiiiigh and far so use it in an open field to blow your kids’ minds!
- Nighthawk Electric Ride-On: This ride-on toy was the hit of our big kids’ summer birthdays in 2023 and continues to be one of my top toy recommendations! (Rhett at 5-years-old loves it but it goes fast enough to be cool and fun for Chase this year at 10 years old!) It’s the first thing the boys’ friends want to do when they come over. They all LOVE it and the learning curve is practically non-existent for all the kids who have tried it at our house.
- Light-Up Football: Chase got this last year and it’s especially awesome this time of year when the sun sets so early. We’re actually getting the boys this light-up basketball and LED basketball rim light for nighttime basketball practice this year.
- Silent Basketball: A basketball they can dribble indoors!!
- Bow & Arrow Set: My dad gave this set to Chase and it’s an activity he wants to do all the time! He typically shoots at a target but also love practicing on cardboard boxes, our old pumpkins, etc. (Note: Your child does need to have decent upper body strength to do this one but we’ve tried some of the smaller/easier sets and they don’t work half as well.)
- Bike/Skateboard/Scooter Ramp: Our 4-way ramp gets used constantly in our driveway. The boys fly over it on their bikes, Plasma Cars, scooters, Nighthawks, skateboards, rollerblades, etc.
- Hammock: Irresistible to our kids whenever we hang this up! A favorite spot to read and relax on our camping trips but also just in our yard!
- Large Outdoor Trampoline: This is always the FIRST thing our kids want to do when we go to our best friends’ house.
- Laser Tag: We’ve had this set of 4 for years and our kids still reach for these all the time. Especially great for indoor physical fun during the colder months!
- Razor Scooter: Our big kids love these and as parents we love how they easily collapse, making them a breeze to throw in the car and bring along when we go to a park, greenway, etc.
- Kid Kayak: This one is obviously location-specific, but if you live in a warmer climate with access to water in the winter, I highly recommend these kid kayaks. Our boys live on them every summer!
- Bike: We typically use Christmas or Easter to upgrade our boys’ to the next bike size. We’ve loved this bike for the boys’ younger years and have it in two sizes. It’s also passed the hand-me-down test!
- Dodgeball Balls: Just in case your kids like to pelt each other with balls like ours do.
- Ninja Warrior Outside Obstacle Course: Another one the boys love to use in our friend’s yard.
- Rollerblades: We have these + this set of pads for our big kids and they’re both great!
- Glider Airplanes: Our boys throw and chase these glider planes all over the place.
- Snow Tube or Sled: To fly down snow-covered hills!
Creative Finds:
- Projector Digital Camera: Our big kids love filming their own movies and I couldn’t resist ordering this one for them this year to make it easy to watch their movie creations!
- Age-Appropriate Craft Kits: So many options out there! Some with great ratings that caught my eye: Make Your Own Clay Jewelry Dish, Embroidery Backpack Charms, Loom Weaving Kit, Felt Animal Kit
- Fun Cooking + Baking Supplies: Kids at this age can and often want to be a little more helpful in the kitchen. A few fun finds they can use with you in the kitchen: Popcorn maker, mini treat maker (for mini donuts, waffles and muffins), DIY cake pop kit (I ordered this!), make-your-own-slushie cups
- Kids’ Cookbook: For little chefs and bakers — Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs, Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs, Fake Out Cakes (for kids who love the show Is It Cake?)
- Paint-Your-Own Light Up Gingerbread House Craft: Ryder loved the Halloween version of this $5 Target craft so much that I bought the holiday version for all the boys and their cousins to do together over Thanksgiving. (Honestly, all the holiday Target crafts are worth checking out and priced very well.)
- Modeling Clay: Our kids loved this so much in art class at school that I ordered some to have at home. They can use this clay to make little creations that, when left out, will dry and harden into something they can keep. This Modeling Clay Idea Book for Beginners is also helpful and easy enough to follow.
- Cardboard Construction Kit: Our boys have transformed cardboard boxes into the coolest creations with this kit my mom gave them last year.
- Learning Block Construction Kit: Our boys (ages 5-10) ALL adore these and the idea book that comes with it is easy for them to follow on their own.
- Loom Bracelets Kit: Chase’s second grade class was so into these and got our boys into making bracelets, necklaces, etc. to wear and gift to friends and family.
- No Sew Blanket Kit: Great reviews for this affordable find on sale for $10 right now! I ordered one for both of our big kids.
- How To Draw 101 Things Book: Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions on how to draw 100+ things for little artists.
- Melty/Perler Beads: You knew this one would make the list! For years our boys have been obsessed with melty beads! Our kids love this kit with the beads divided into separate sections based on color. Just make sure you get boards and a pattern book, too!
- Camp Snap Camera: Like the disposable cameras from our childhood but digital! There is no screen — you just point and shoot — and then upload all your pics to your computer. One charge lets you take 500+ pics! Code PBFINGERS saves an extra 7% on top of all sales right now.
- Diamond Painting: Perfect for a quiet activity and one I enjoy doing along with our kids! The boys also really like the diamond stickers that go along with favorite characters and put them on their school folders.
Educational + Brain Games:
- Kids’ Kindle: Chase’s most-used Christmas gift from last year. He adores his Kindle so much! We load it up with library books. You can also save 20% on top of the Black Friday pricing if you have an Amazon device to trade in which is what I did last year.
- Snap Circuits: For kids who like to tinker and build, these electronics exploration kids have been a slam dunk!!!
- FlipSlide: Huge hit with Chase last year and he continues to repeatedly reach for this light-up puzzle game.
- Kanoodle: The BEST stocking stuffer!!! Stimulating, fun and everything is contained in a small case, making it great for on-the-go brain teasing entertainment. 10/10!
- Brain Flakes: Amazing for open-ended play, especially if your child likes building/creating. Our boys love using this book for creation inspiration and these wheels and axels to create vehicles!
- Sashibo Shape-Shifting Cube: A cube they can morph into a bunch of different shapes. Great for road trips and travel! Chase and Ryder love it and never get sick of it.
- Genius Square: I’ve been saving this one for Christmas for Chase since ordering it on Prime Day! Fantastic reviews for this STEM puzzle game I think he’ll love.
- Giiker Super Decoder: This is going under the tree this year! Our boys loves puzzles and cracking codes and I think this will be great for road trip/travel/restaurant entertainment.
- Rush Hour: An incredibly fun and engaging brain-teaser game kids can play on their own.
- Games: Beat the Parents (I ordered this one after the reviews made it sound so easy to learn and super fun!), Mancala, Walk the Dogs, Ticket to Ride: First Journey (we all get into this one!), Clue Jr., Shut the Box (another one that’s fun for the whole family)
- Card Games: UNO Golf (I think it’s more fun than regular UNO!), SkipBo, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (our big kids love this one), Sleeping Queens
- Light-Up Memory Cube: A great stocking stuffer and travel game. Think Simon from our youth but in cube form.
- Marble Run: Marble runs are absolute magic to kids. They entertain our boys for a LONG time which is a win in my book!
- Puzzles: We do puzzles in our house daily! The 100-piece Mudpuppy reversible animal puzzles are some of our favorites.
- Science Experiments Kits: If you ask our boys if they want to do a science experiment at any time, their answer will always be yes! We’ve loved the National Geographic interactive experiment kits.
- Smart Camera Bird Feeder: For the nature lovers to get an up-close video view of the feathery friends who visit this bird feeder!
IMAGINATION:
- Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage: The ultimate gift for Hot Wheels lovers! When I tell you this was the hit of Christmas two years ago with all of our boys, I mean it! It’s also a toy all three of our boys continue to play with all the time.
- Invisible Ink Spy Pens: So cool for kids! They can write each other secret messages that can only be revealed with the special light on the pen.
- Picasso Tiles: At 10 years old, Chase STILL uses these to create amazing structures, buildings, mazes for our leopard gecko, etc. I recommend getting a pack with at least 100 tiles because your child(ren) will play with them for years and make increasingly impressive creations!
- Mini Karaoke Machine: A hit for kids who love to sing and put on shows!
- Lego City Arctic Explorer Ship: A birthday gift from my MIL to Chase last year, he’ll tell you this is the coolest Lego creation he’s ever made. A Lego splurge but the attention to detail within the ship is amazing and Chase absolutely loves this one.
- Mini Remote Control Monster Truck: I have a visceral reaction to most remote control cars because they all break and die so quickly but this little guy has held on for a few years and continues to amuse the boys.
- Warmies Stuffed Animal: Because kids love stuffies! These are adorable AND you can warm them up in the microwave to make them extra snuggly.
- Amazon Retro Video Game: The cheap Amazon game our 3 boys think is super cool. Filled with retro picky-parent approved games. We save this one for travel only and it’s a big hit! (Note: Our kids don’t play a lot of video games so it might be one I’d pass on if your kids are used to “cooler” more legit games! For kids who don’t get a lot of video game time, it’s awesome! )
- Flat-to-Fast Car: A big-hit stocking stuffer. A car shoots out of a flat launcher and instantly morphs into a race car.
- Foosbots: Think of this like a mini version of Foosball for 2 players that you can easily pack up and take on-the-go.
- Squishmallows: These adorable, super-soft and squishy pillow-liked stuffed animals are huge right now.
- Hot Wheels Transporters: This one for a splurge + This one for a lower price point. And if you’re looking for the ultimate Hot Wheels gift, the Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage is a monstrosity but also truly the hit of Christmas 2 years ago!
- Bitzee: A little interactive pet kids think is the coolest.
- Blanket Fort-Building Kit: If your kids are as into fort-building as ours, this kit includes a large blanket, clamps and small weighted sand bags so they can come up with amazing for creations. We’ve also used this kit to make incredible forts, though this one usually involves the help of a grown up to make the forts taller.
- Foamnasium Couch: Our kids drag these cushions everywhere. So great for fort-building, story time relaxation, imagination play, clubhouses, etc.
- Walkie Talkies: For a three-pack of inexpensive walkie talkies, these have held up great for us over the years!
- Pokémon Cards + Ultimate Pokémon Handbook: I don’t get the hype on these cards at all but our boys are so into them it’s insane. If your kid is the same way, I cannot recommend the Pokémon Essentials Handbook enough. Our boys pour over it to learn more about their cards, Pokémon characters, damage points… and whatever else Pokémon cards mean to them that I don’t understand. They also heavily rely on their Pokémon binders to keep everything organized.
SOMETHING THEY NEED
- Reading Light: Our kids all flip through books before bed (even before they can read) and a reading light makes a great useful stocking stuffer!
- Tangle Teezer Hairbrush: Easily glides through knots!
- Silicone Snack Box: We use our snack boxes every afternoon for healthier on-the-go after-school snacks.
- Bike Basket or Handlebar Bag: Going under the tree for all of our boys this year to keep snacks + store treasures during our family bike rides.
- Bike Bell: For safety but also for fun! These twistable bells are our boys’ favorites.
- Tangle Teezer Hairbrush: Easily glides through knots!
- Activity Bag/Kid-Friendly Luggage: For kids to keep their activity stuff organized (Etsy has adorable personalized options!) or for kids in families who like to travel. For a splurge gift that’s sure to be a hit, these scooter suitcases seem amazing! We also swear by this hardside carry-on for everyone in our family.
- Art Supplies: I highly recommend one of these storage containers with deep bins for art supplies organization!! I gifted this to my nieces last year filled with some of our favorites: KwikStix Fast-Drying Paint Pens (the best for making posters/banners — we use our butcher paper roll all the time), Retractable Markers (to eliminate the frustration of losing caps), Crayola Twistables Crayons (for kids who get easily frustrated by broken/dull crayons), Gel Crayons
- School Supplies: But make it fun with these pretty pastel highlighters, a colorful calculator or this cutie electric pencil sharpener
- Rainbow Marker/Pen/Colored Pencil Organizer: A small but adorable way to keep craft supplies organized.
- Kids Camping Chair: Whether you’re camping or heading out to watch a sibling’s soccer game, kids love having their own place to sit!
- Headphones: Our boys’ school requires headphones for computer work and the iClever headphones are comfortable and affordable and also Bluetooth compatible.
- Pottery Barn Loungers: If your child is in need of a larger (but still kid-friendly) chair or place to lounge, I cannot recommend these loungers enough. We have a pair in our living room and in our play loft and sit in them all the time. They’re the boys’ favorite spot to curl up with a book and the large size works for our whole family. (You may see ours in action in this post.)
- A “You” Day Coupon: The boys LOVE this one! They can use their coupon in what ever way they choose — for one-on-one time with me and Ryan, to select our family’s activities and meals for the day, etc.
- Clear Backpack: This is one of my ultimate travel hacks. It makes it a million times easier for little ones to find whatever they might need on the go!
- Wallet and/or Electronic Safe: Our boys love their electronic safes for keeping their money and other treasures “secure.”
- Water Bottle: Our big kids like the 24-oz Owala water bottles and the 26-oz Reduce bottles. Pair this with a silicone water bottle name band so they’ll always be able to identify their water bottle in a sea of kid water bottles!
- Sporting Goods/Activity Supplies: A new soccer ball for a soccer player, a new leotard for a dancer, etc. Chase has this soccer backpack and it’s great, especially for such an affordable price point.
- Kid-Friendly Luggage: For kids in families who love to travel. For a splurge gift that’s sure to be a hit, these scooter suitcases seem amazing! We also swear by this hardside carry-on for everyone in our family.
- Surprise Inside Bath Bombs: Bath bombs still feel like a treat even as kids get older, especially when they have as little surprise toy inside! Our boys actually have a collection of their tiny bath bomb surprises saved in a box that we bring with us to sports’ games, restaurants, etc. for on-the-go entertainment.
- Kid Umbrella: We have this one and it blows their mind because it changes color when it gets wet!
- Visible Task Timer: For kids who are motivated by a timer. We still use this all the time (especially for piano practice) and I swear it helps with battles/expectations so, so much.
- PackIt Freezable Snack Pouch: Makes taking on-the-go cold snacks a breeze.
- Alarm Clock: Because these kids actually start to sleep in! Our big kids use their Amazon Echo Dot Kids for their alarm and also love it for music, trivia games, jokes, stories, etc.
SOMETHING TO WEAR
- Target Shearling Slippers: I got these Target slippers for the boys last year and the next size up this year because they were such a hit.
- Cozy Joggers/Sweatpants: If you have slim kids, we’ve had great luck with these sweatpants from Amazon for a slimmer fit. I know it says “girls’ sweatpants” but they’re super gender neutral. They also come in a 2-pack.
- Lined Crocs: Everyone’s favorite slip-on shoes but lined for fall and winter.
- Shearling-Style Boots: Target discontinued my favorite shearling boots for the boys in the bigger size so I ordered this pair for Chase this year because he still loves wearing cozy pull-on boots all winter long. They’re warm, cozy and have a thicker sole so they’ll last!
- Personalized Crossbody Bag: We’ve given this to a handful of the boys’ girl friends and they’ve LOVED it!
- Rain Jacket + Rain Boots: For outdoorsy kids who won’t let a little rain hold them back! This is the exact rain jacket Chase has and it’s been great. And we love these Western Chief rain boots.
- Pajamas: We’re a sucker for matching holiday jammies in our house! This print has been a favorite 2 years in a row in our house! I also couldn’t resist this print from Old Navy this year, too.
- Robe: I didn’t think our boys would care about a robe until they all started asking for one when they noticed me wearing mine all the time in the winter months. They adore their robes and I’ve had good luck finding them at Target or a local consignment shop. For a splurge-worthy robe, Pottery Barn Kids has some adorably plush and cozy options.
- Winter Jacket: We’ve had good luck with Patagonia jackets (they majorly pass the hand-me-down test) and these packable Amazon jackets.
- Winter Accessories: Hats (love that these are only $12 + fleece-lined, warm and not itchy), gloves, scarves, mittens… whatever they need!
- Winter Boots: BOGs have been our favorites for years and also pass the hand-me-down test.
- New Underwear/Socks: Not that fun but often necessary! Chase really likes his Vans socks and adidas socks and we have these Amazon crew socks for all 3 boys and they’ve been great (aka thick enough that they don’t get holes and they also stay up).
- Cozy Sweatshirt: Our boys live in comfy sweatshirts this time of year. Some of our favorite affordable finds include Old Navy hoodies and Cat & Jack hoodies. And Ryder and Chase both have and love this Under Armour fleece sweatshirt and reach for it all the time.
- Sneakers: New Balance 237 pull-on sneakers have been our boys’ favorites for years and years. I’ve ordered them the next size up every Christmas.
- Hair Accessories: Little claw clips, new hair ties that don’t pull, etc. Chase’s girlfriends are super into hair tinsel right now, too!
- New Athletic Clothing: A new leotard, soccer shorts, winter sports gear, etc.
- Necklace: Chase adores his shark tooth necklace and I’ve seen some of the sweetest custom name necklaces out there for little girls on Etsy.
Something To Read
Beginner Graphic Novels for Young Readers:
The below books are great chapter books for kids who still want a lot of pictures. They all have text bubbles and very engaging pictures. Note: You may also wish to check out this blog post with more favorites and recommendations: 10+ Graphic Novels for Kids
- Press Start! (The kindergarten, first, second and third grader obsession with these books is REAL. Perfect for reluctant readers because they’re so engaging for kids.)
- CatWad (These books crack Chase and Ryder up!)
- Bird & Squirrel (Silly, fun and a hit in our house)
- Dog Man (Chase and Ryder are obsessed)
- DnDoggos (The book our big kids loved so much from the library that we had to order it to keep!)
- Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly (These captivate our kids)
- Arcade World (These are kind of like the next step up from Press Start and have been a big hit with Chase and Ryder)
- Owl Diaries (Lots of pictures and text bubbles to hold the interest of young readers)
- Unicorn Diaries (If your kid loved Owl Diaries, they’ll love this series by the same author, too!)
- The Party Diaries (Another series similar to Owl Diaries. If you have an introverted child, I highly recommend the first book in the series as it will provide a sweet, relatable character for them.)
Young Reader Chapter Books:
Most of the below books are more text-heavy but they still have pictures sprinkled in, making them great for young readers growing in their confidence:
- Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (For kids who love solving mysteries)
- Hardy Boys Clue Book Collection (Another fun whodunit series)
- Dragon Masters (A dragon lover’s dream series. Lots of not-so-scary adventure.)
- Ballpark Mysteries (For baseball lovers who enjoy solving mysteries)
- Magic Tree House (The first chapter book series both of our big kids loved)
More Big Kid Chapter Books:
More advanced than the above category, these books are chapter books we’ve enjoyed reading aloud as a family but they may also be a great fit for the kids in this age group who are stronger readers:
- Land of Stories (I cannot recommend this magical series enough. Our big kids adore it and I love reading it aloud with them. Creative, funny and full of adventure.)
- The Underland Chronicles (Non-stop adventure! Written by the author of The Hunger Games but for a younger audience. Ryan and I loved it, too!)
- Percy Jackson (Chase was all-in on this series and we flew through the books in this series and the spin-off series as well last year)
- The Wild Robot (A perfect read-aloud book for the whole family)
- Harry Potter Illustrated Editions (A great way to introduce the magical wizarding world to kids — we’ve read the first three Harry Potter books and the illustrated editions are beautiful)
- Arkspire (Chase was super into this one!)
- Roald Dahl Collection (We are making our way through this collection and so far Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the #1 fav!)
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