0

The Best Toys for 8-Year-Old Girls – 2022 Gift Ideas

Let’s not mince words, shopping for 8-year-old-girls can be a daunting task. There are too many options out there to sift through effectively. And 8-year-old girls are starting to become more complicated harder to understand. But you can find the best toys for 8-year-old girls with a little effort and a lot of know-how.

Girls at this age are starting to become more independent. They learn and acquire knowledge on their own through reading and experience. They are so close to plunging into the world of being a teenager. It must be an exciting and frightening time for them. Luckily, they still get to play with toys which are a calming escape that everyone can appreciate.

Below are some of the best gifts for 8 year old girls on the market in 2022.

Bracelet Making Kit

Rubber band and string friendship bracelet kits contain all the supplies and instructions need to make a verity of projects. She can keep her finished bracelets or give them as gifts to family and friends.

Once the 8-year-old girl you are buying for learns the skills of making these bracelets she can get new materials and make more of them.

Nail Art Kit

With this Nail Art Kit, 8-year-old-girls can go beyond just painting their nails. It includes an extensive instruction manual and over 35 nail designs. The kit comes with water-based, non-toxic nail polish that peels off. No nail polish remover required.

There are enough supplies in this kit for a nail painting party with friends. Or one girl could decorate her nails multiple times.

Clay Charm Making Kit

This award-winning Clay Charm Making Kit comes with nine clay bricks in different colors. It has all the necessary findings to make the charms attachable to the included bracelet. It also comes with an extensive instruction manual with over 30 design ideas.

The finished charms can be added to jewelry and warn or given to friends. When the supplies run out, she can go to any craft store to get more and still use the instruction manual.

Magnetic Building Blocks

This magnetic block set is not your average set. It comes with magnetic balls, posts, and panels like most sets of its kind. But the panels are not flat and boring. Instead, they are styled to have doors, windows, and balconies. Young girls can build impressive structures while developing mathematical and architectural skills.

3D Coloring Puzzle

Part art project, part puzzle this set from IQ Builder contains four separate 3D puzzles. The set also includes markers in various colors. First, color the pieces of the puzzle, then assemble them to make beautiful and unique 3-dimensional structures.

Password Journal

This password protected journal is voice activated. It only responds to the private password and voice of the 8-year-old who owns it. It also includes a light that doubles as both a reading light and a black light. Why does she need a black light? To read the messages she writes in invisible ink, of course.

Snap Circuit

The Snap Circuit discovery kit from Elenco has the parts and instructions to build real, functional circuits. There are over one hundred projects that you can build with this set. It is a fun and interesting way to introduce engineering concepts. A great STEM toy for 8-year-old-girls.

Sewing Machine

The Varmax Mini Sewing Machine is a great starter machine. It is portable and easy to use. Great for girls who love fashion or crafting. A full-fledged sewing machine it has a slot underneath for easy sleeve and pant leg sewing. There is also an extension table to help accommodate larger projects.

Quilt Puzzle Squares

The Put & Pull Craft Kit combines the benefits of building toys with the fun of arts and crafts. These uniquely designed quilt squares can be interlocked to build an endless array of projects. You can use the project you complete or take it apart and make something new.

The only downside is it only comes with 36 squares which might leave your 8-year-old wanting more.

Bow and Arrows

With a lot of today heroines being skilled with a bow and arrows, many girls are starting to show interest in them. This Nerf bow and arrow is styled to look like it is for a girl. The bow’s design encourages the idea that sports like archery are not just for boys.

The soft-tipped arrows make this a safe way to learn basic archery skills.

The only downside is that most girls probably won’t be able to draw the string back completely. So, it is not a true bow and arrow experience. But it is a fun toy and may spark an interest in archery.

Light-Up Terrarium for Kids by Dan & Darci

Introduce kids to the natural world with this enclosed garden with light. As the manufacturer says, it grows by day and glows at night.
A small switch controls the LED light built-in underneath the terrarium lid. It creates a gorgeous glow on the blue sand, river rocks, wheatgrass, mini mushrooms, and other flora and minerals. At four by six inches, it fits on most desks and counters without a problem.

Additionally, the set includes a spray bottle, stickers, and a wooden planting stick. Kid-friendly instructions help you plant the seeds and maintain the terrarium. Kids can arrange and decorate their terrarium however they wish.

Gem Stone Water Bottle

No young girl wants a boring water bottle. Add some sparkle with this gem stone water bottle kit. Aside from the durable, BPA-free water bottle, you also get seven sheets of rhinestone stickers for practically limitless decoration options.

The water bottle has a wide mouth for easy cleaning and a flip lid to help prevent spills. Carrying a water bottle around helps develop healthy hydration habits for life. When a child feels that the water bottle reflects their personality, they’re more likely to carry it around.

Plus, decorating the bottle helps encourage creativity. Kids can choose the stickers they like and place them in unique patterns.

I Am Confident, Brave & Beautiful: Coloring Book

It’s important for girls to develop healthy self-esteem at a young age, and this coloring book can help. Titled I Am Confident, Brave & Beautiful, it features 22 pages that explore concepts related to confidence, bravery, independence, and other positive messages.

It’s written for girls between the ages of three and eight. Each detailed page features a variety of cartoons kids can color with crayons, colored pencils, or markers. With over 100 illustrations, the coloring book provides hours and hours of entertainment.

Coloring books are often an effective way for eight-year-olds to understand positive messages. Because coloring each page often takes a lot of time, the youngster spends time contemplating the ideas.

Unicorn Journal: I am 8 & Magical

Journaling is often an excellent way for kids to process their emotions and practice their writing skills. This kid-friendly Unicorn Activity Journal is more than a mere notebook. It’s also filled with positive messages directed towards young girls. Plus, it’s decorated with a delightful unicorn theme that girls will love.

At six by nine inches, it fits into a backpack without a problem. The 109-page journal includes both lined and framed pages. You can write, draw, sketch, and more.

The entries don’t need to be profound. Simply writing in a journal on a regular basis helps develop small motor skills in the hand while also increasing writing proficiency.

On the downside, the journal doesn’t have enough pages for daily entries for an entire year. You’ll need three journals to equal over 365 pages, so it might not be the best choice for girls who already have a solid interest in journaling.

My Fairy Garden – Magical Cottage

Grow your own garden and bring the natural world indoors. My Fairy Garden is a playset with a magical fairy theme and the ability to grow a variety of real plants. It includes soil and seeds you can plant along the top and bottom of the playset.

As the plants grow, girls can play with the included dolls. It features Isla the Fairy, Freckles the Frog, two ladybugs, and a butterfly. It also has spinners, fences, a ladybug house, mushroom chimney, and other whimsical décor.

Watching the small plants and flowers bloom from seedlings is a real-time study in nature and botany. Also, the magical forest theme helps foster unstructured, creative play, too.

BONUS

Want to get a STEM gift for your 8-year-girl? Here is the perfect one!

The Boolean Box was created by BooleanGirl.org to teach girls computer programming and engineering. The box comes with everything a girl needs to build a basic computer. All you have to do is open the box, hock the HDMI cable to a TV and she’s ready to go.

Girls can use the Boolean Box to build hundreds of projects. And with free admission to Boolean University, she can keep learning about computer science and engineering at her own pace.

The Boolean Box is a great way to introduce girls to computer science and engineering and keep them learning about if years to come.

FAQ About Toys for 8-Year-Old Girls

At first, you might think that you have the shopping process well in hand. Armed with the list of the best toys for 8-year-old girls above, you think the decision will be easy. And then you realize you have questions like:

• What would an 8-year-old girl like?
• What kinds of are appropriate for their age?
• What about safety?
• Should I be considering other factors?

Below are the answers to these questions.

What Do 8-year-old-Girls Like?

According to PBS.org’s development tracker, 8-year-old-girls are starting to read to gain knowledge. Books on a subject that they like or want to know more about are good choices. Books that teach you how to do something will probably also be of interest.

8-year-olds have a strong sense of self-worth. They know who they are, so they’re pretty sure what they like and are good at. If you know some of their favorite things, you could choose a toy that fits with one of those things. Or if you know of a particular skill they have, a toy that enhances that skill will probably be met with excitement.

Hopefully by now, the 8-year-old girl you are shopping for has developed an interest in either science, technology, engineering, art, or math. There are many STEAM toys out there that would be suitable for 8-year-old girls. Encouraging involvement with STEAM subject is always a good thing.

What if you don’t know what the 8-year-old girl you are shopping for likes? You could try asking another 8-year-old girl, like perhaps your daughter, what she would want.

A good fall back plan is to think back to what you liked as an 8-year-old (even if you aren’t a girl yourself). Or rather, what you would have wanted to have since the toys nowadays are so amazing!

What Toys are Developmentally Appropriate for 8-Year-Old Girls?

According to PBS.org, at this stage, girls motor skills have become refined. If your 8-year-old is into sports, equipment and toys along those lines would probably be a good choice.

WebMD says that board games can help with cognitive development, among other things. 8-year-olds are at a good age for more complex board games. They are also excellent activities to do with friends and family.

The most important thing to consider when deciding whether a toy is developmentally appropriate for an 8-year-old is safety. (Discussed a little bit more below). They can handle pretty much all fine motor skill activities. Their gross motors skills are also good enough for most outdoor toys. And cognitively only the most complicated puzzles and games will be beyond them.

So, if the 8-year-girl can use the toy without hurting themselves or others, it is probably appropriate.

What Safety Concerns are There?

Safety for 8-year-old girls goes beyond physical safety. In the world today, there is more we need to protect them from then just scrapes and bruises. Bullying and other negative influence constantly surround them, eroding their self-esteem.

Toys and games should provide a safe, uplifting experience for all. The best toys for 8-year-old girls will allow them to express themselves while remaining safe. They will not encourage unnecessary comparison or competition with others.

It comes down to being smart. To being aware of the world that these 8-year-old girls are living in and choosing toys to help them enjoy it.

Social media is also a concern for girls of this age. They might still be a few years away from being fully immersed in the online world. But according to DailyMail, half of kids use social media before the age of ten. Despite the various terms and rules employed by the social media websites themselves. It is easy for kids to enter a false birthdate.

These girls will soon face many of the issues discussed in Times article American Girls: How Social Media is Disrupting the Lives of Teenagers. Now is the time to prepare them. Teaching them through play, and correct toy choices is an easy, low-pressure way to start.

What Other Factors Should Guide My Decisions?

Many of the factors in choosing the best toys for 8-year-olds have already been discussed. But there are two more you might what to think on.

First, positive social interactions. Look at the toy you are thinking of buying? Is it the kind of thing kids could use to tease the 8-year-old? Or is something she could use to bully or put down others? Kids worlds are negative enough without having some of the toys out there making it worse.

And finally, parental involvement. How much can the parent be involved with the toy that you are getting the child? 8-year-olds are starting to become fiercely independent and may not want help from their parents. Other toy or gift choices might bring out a common interest between parent and child that could lead to some crucial bonding.

Bottom line is the hardest part of choosing the best toys for 8-year-olds is whittling down the giant list of choices. So most likely you won’t be wanting for possibilities.

Conclusion

At the age of 8, girls are solidifying their self-image. Their interests and skill are becoming concrete. They might even have an idea of what they would like to do for school, or a career. They are also becoming more independent. But they still get to play with toys. Toys that straddle the line between independence and being a kid will significantly enhance that unique 8-year-olds life.

Searching for the right toy or gift might be hard, but the effort brings great rewards.