If I hear the term: toys 8 year old boy, what comes to my mind? Video games. Video games are not all bad but I think we can all agree that kids could do with spending a lot less time playing them. According to healthline.com, 90 percent of American kids play video games and it might be as high as 99 percent for boys. We have kept this in mind when selecting the toys on this list and we have tried to make sure that they are educational. We have carefully researched the 10 best educational toys for an 8 year old boy.
In the age of Covid-19, children have been stuck indoors for long periods of time. Many parents are working or busy and it can be trying to help them, entertain them, feed them, educate them and all the rest. My children have been stuck at home for 5 months now and they are bored out of their minds. We have tried to do as many activities as we can with them, but who has 5 months worth of activities?
My son is 8 years old. Boys in particular seem to be drawn toward online games (video games). As of this writing, Roblox, Fortnite, and Among Us are some of the popular ones. My son loves Roblox. As with anything, moderation is key, so playing games for a short time is okay with me. When our kids are finished their games, what are they going to do?
A lot of these toys are STEM toys. What is STEM? Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. STEM has become increasingly popular in the past 5 to 10 years. I think it’s great. The term has been introduced into schools and its popularity has gotten teachers to implement more STEM activities. STEM activities are more hands-on, project based, thinking and doing. STEM has added a level of excitement and intrigue to schools, which is great for students.
Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy
That’s why we compiled this list of the best educational toys for 8 year olds and 8 year old boys in particular.
1. Botley the Coding Robot
How cool is this? Coding is all the rage for kids these days and will be hugely beneficial in the future. Botley helps your child learn early STEM skills. Kids can learn to code with active, screen-free play that helps them with critical thinking and problem solving.
I think the fact that it’s screen-free is important. There’s no need for phone or tablet. Botley comes with 40 coding cards, 6 double-sided tiles, 27 obstacle building pieces and a starter guide with coding challenges. Loads of fun and learning. Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy – Price on Amazon.com $49.45
2. ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run
This Gravity Maze will help your kids develop planning and spatial reasoning skills without them even knowing it. They will be having too much fun figuring out how to build the maze and where to put the marble. This is another STEM game with over 60 challenges from beginner to expert. It comes with a game grid, 9 towers, 1 target piece and 3 levels. You can see how it works in the video below:
Gravity Maze is a great choice for your kids or for the whole family. Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy – Price on Amazon.com $29.99
3. HomeTTER Construction Blocks
No list for boys would be complete without a building set. And this construction set is awesome. It’s another STEM activity that comes with 100 pieces of construction blocks. Kids can get really creative with this and build forklifts, diggers, cranes, windmills, bulldozers and more. It’s easy to assemble with the tools that come with it and the step-by-step guides. There are different challenge levels as well. Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy – Price on Amazon.com $27.99
4. Take Apart Dinosaur Toys
Boys love dinosaurs. These take apart and put together dinosaur toys are perfect. They can have fun putting it together and then enjoy playing with them. It comes with 3 types of dinosaurs: a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Triceratops, and a Velociraptor. It also comes with a low-speed electric drill with 2 kinds of drill bits, 3 manual screwdrivers and instructions. The dinosaurs are safe too, made of durable, non-toxic ABS materials. Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy – Price on Amazon.com $25.94
5. Flashdash
This flashing cube has 4 quick fingered games. Kids will love chasing the lights on the cube around. It’s a great activity for brain skills and hand-eye coordination. There are speed games, memory games, and a game that’s similar to “Simon says”. This is for kids that like the “Rubiks cube” but are looking for something a little more exciting. You can see all about Flashdash in the video below:
Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy – Price on Amazon.com $29.99
6. Sillbird Solar Robot
It’s a robot. It’s a solar powered robot that comes with 190 DIY pieces. Your child can make 12 different types of robots. This a great STEM toy and it allows children to learn about solar energy and the power of the sun. Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy – Price on Amazon.com $26.99
7. VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch
This is one of the best smartwatches for kids. I can’t believe how many watches we have gone through in my household. This watch actually lasts. It’s great for photos, videos and selfies that you can put certain filters on which kids love. There are a few games as well like the Monster Detector game. You can see more about this watch below:
Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy – Price on Amazon.com $59.23
8. Lego City Space – Mars Research Shuttle
Lego is always a favorite for boys. It allows children to be creative. And they can smash it when they are done. Then build it back up again. We included this in our list of best educational toys for 8 year olds because it is space themed. Children can learn about space and Mars in particular. It’s also great to teach about the space shuttle too. There are 273 pieces of Lego for kids to build with. It includes 2 LEGO City Mars astronaut minifigures, plus a helidrone and storage drone. Below is a short Lego movie of the Mars Research Space Shuttle in action:
Educational Toys 8 Year Old Boy – Price on Amazon.com $31.99
9. Beginner Microscope
This is a great microscope for beginners. It’s high quality which means it can handle the wear-and-tear and it comes with a strong carrying case. It includes a 52 piece accessory kit. This microscope has a high magnification so your kids can use it for all kinds of interesting experiments. You can see it in action in the video below:
Price on Amazon.com $39.99
10. Shifu AR Interactive Globe
This toy does require an app but that’s what makes it so cool. Your kids will learn all about geography with this fun globe. They can spin the globe and use their app for that country to come to life. There are all kinds of facts about places, animals, landmarks and more. It comes with a 10” globe, passport, stamps, country flag stickers, and a detailed help guide. Your kids can pretend to be on a trip around the world with passport and all. Check out the video below to see how it works:
Price on Amazon.com $45.97
Summary
We have selected 10 of the best educational toys for 8 year olds. We hope that your children enjoy some of these toys and that they can have fun and learn at the same time.
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