Best Gifts & Toys for 8 Year Old Boys in 2021

Best Educational STEM Gift

Is your kid interested in science? If so, it’s important to fuel that fire early and let them explore. You never know, they could invent a world-saving medicine or be the first to step foot on Mars. This Kids Beginner Microscope STEM Kit is the perfect way for them to experiment and expand their curious mind. Your child will be able to see familiar objects in new ways as they explore the building blocks of our world.

The STEM kit includes a microscope for kids with up to 1200X magnification and a 49-piece accessory kit, everything needed to perform real-world experiments in one convenient carrying case. A bottle of brine shrimp eggs comes included for the first experiment.

Connect with your 8-year-old with the Selieve Toys Walkie Talkies. Great for imaginative play indoors or outdoors, these walkie talkies open the door to tons of adventures. Explore the great outdoors, play hide-and-seek all over the house, or try to sneak up on a lizard. Safety features like a flashlight and voice-activated transmission help your child learn to be responsible as they explore.

The Walkie Talkies come with two units equipped with 22 channels and reinforced by 99 CTCSS sub-codes for privacy that protects your child. The unit is designed for kids and features a backlit display, headset sound out, and belt clip. With noise reduction, call alert, crisp sound quality, and half-mile to mile range in most neighborhoods, these are high-quality electronics.

The Thinkfun Gravity Maze Marble Run Brain Game is perfect for young brains that need to be creatively challenged and encouraged to use critical skills like reasoning, logic, and planning. Build your towers to get the ball to the target block, it’s more challenging than it sounds! This gravity-powered maze game comes with 60 challenges of increasing difficulty. Great for any school or home classroom, this gift is perfect for any kid who loves building or puzzles.

The Gravity Maze was a Toy of the Year Award winner in 2017. In the box you will find the game grid, nine towers, one target piece, three marbles, and a clear and an easy-to-understand instruction manual.

The Flybar My First Foam Pogo Jumper updates the classic pogo stick for the 21^st century. This is a great way for an active kid to be introduced to pogo and get out some energy! Designed for indoor and outdoor use, this jumper is made of high-quality foam and teaches balance and coordination for pogo sticking or other sports.

The Pogo Jumper is easy to use, making it easy for your kid to jump, jump, JUMP. Fun, colorful designs fit any kid. The stretchy handle adjusts to any height and the Jumper squeaks when you hop. It is an especially good time when the weather is bad.

The Toy Rocket Launcher is fun for your 8-year-old for hours and maybe teach him a little physics on the side. Just run and jump to launch the safe foam rocket up to 100 feet in the air. Great for a parks or playgrounds, a day at the beach or lake. Get away from the screens and out in the backyard while learning STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) with high-flying fun.

The Rocket Launcher set comes with an easy-to-assemble launcher and eight sturdy foam rockets. Try to see who can launch their rocket the highest. Hours of fun for 8-year-old girls and boys and grownups!

Most 8-year-old boys can teach grownups a thing or two about Minecraft. With the LEGO Minecraft The Zombie Cave, you can teach them it’s possible to build cool Minecraft stuff in real life! Classic elements from the game like coal, redstone, gold, and diamond ore come to life, but Steve has zombie and baby zombie mobs to contend with. This is a great way to get your boy off the screens with imaginative play.

The 241-piece LEGO Minecraft set features building elements, furnace, and ladder from the Minecraft game. ASteve Minecraft minifigure, bat, baby zombie and zombie figures are included. It’s compatible with other Lego sets, which lets you build a whole world of fun.

The UWANTME Electronic Shooting Target is perfect for an 8-year-old looking for a competitive advantage in Nerf gun battles. He will become a true marksman with four targets that rebound automatically after being shot and include realistic firearm and broken glass sounds. Invite his friends over for a tournament with multiple game modes. These targets are perfect for developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

The Shooting Target lets you start your boy’s sharpshooter training right out of the box. The base unit comes with four targets and features a three-digit digital display. This allows for a three-round competition for two players.

The Light-up Dino World Terrarium Kit is more than just a hands-on ecosystem experience for your 8-year-old. This kit gets your boy away from the screen, working with his hands, and seeing science in action. But it is more than that! After he sets the soil, rocks, and sand, time to add a ferocious dinosaur to the mix. When he waters the seeds, his hard work will make a lush jungle grow around his Velociraptor. After dark, a vibrant LED light puts the dino on display.

The Terrarium Kit comes with everything you need to build your garden in a jar. The box includes the jar, a light-up lid, a charging cable, and everything for the garden, including seeds and soil. It also comes with a Velociraptor dinosaur model, four smaller dinos, stickers for personalization, and step-by-step instructions.

Elevate your Nerf blaster battle game with the Kids Tactical Vest Kit. Designed with plenty of storage for Nerf darts, extra magazines, and even small blasters, this vest does more than just make your child look tacticool. This vest lets your boy carry more ammo on the move and the protective eyewear and mask give him confidence on the Nerf battlefield. Get ready to Nerf!

The Vest Kit comes with the adjustable tactical vest, tactical mask, protective glasses, dart pouch, reload clip, wrist band ammo holder, and 30 Nerf darts. Works with all Nerf N-Strike Elite blasters and most original N-Strike blasters.

The Activ Life Kid’s Flying Rings is an update to the classic flying disc backyard game you know and love. These rings are easy to throw and catch, making them a great way for 8-year-olds to get outside and play with their friends or family. Pull them out of the air on your arm, catch them with your foot… then zip them across the lawn to your buddy!

The Flying Rings come in a variety of cool colors and float on water. Perfect for the park or your next trip to the beach or pool. At only 33g, they are light enough to be safe around little kids or younger siblings. This classic game has never been easier to play. And for more fun options like this, check out our selection of the top frisbees on the market.

The Klutz Lego Chain Reactions Science & Building Kit is a fun way to teach chain reactions – how one thing leads to another, and then to another, and another, and so on. Build 10 different Lego machines that spin, swing, pivot, roll, lift, and drop – and combine them to create different chain reactions. See science in a cool new way while building cool new Lego machines.

This cool gift for boys is an award winner and includes 33 Lego elements, six Lego balls, and assorted other elements to build all 10 machines and see the chain reactions. The crystal clear instruction book from Klutz guides you at every step. 

With Skillmatics Educational Game: Animal Planet – Guess in 10, your 8-year-old can show off how much they know about the animals that share the Earth with us. Ask up to 10 questions to guess the animal. The friendly competition helps your child learn a bit more about 52 land, aquatic, wild, and domestic animals. It also helps teach problem-solving, creative thinking, and social skills. Bring the zoo home with this exciting game!

The Educational Game is ready to go right out of the box, with game 52 Game Cards and 6 Clue Cards. Suitable for two to six players, this educational board game is an excellent way for a boy to bond with his parents, siblings, and friends. Grab it for your next game night! 

Crazy Forts solves a problem that your 8-year-old has no doubt experienced – the couch cushion fort doesn’t hold up to a real siege. Defend the castle! Kids love forts and will think Crazy Forts is great, especially on a rainy day or in the heat of summer. This creative building kit uses interconnecting pieces to build life-sized forts: an igloo, pirate ship, castle, and more. Just toss a bedsheet over what you build and get playing.

Crazy Forts comes with everything you need to build forts, including 44 sticks and 25 balls. Detailed instructions make construction easy. With two kits, you can build bigger, crazier forts, a new play space every day. 9-year-old boys will also love it.

There are remote control cars that do stunts, and then there’s the Threeking RC Cars. With 360-degree rotation, four-wheel drive, and extreme grip tires, this car can dance, flip, and tumble over any obstacle. The durable, lightweight ABS plastic means it’s fast and can handle rough and rugged play. The console-style controller makes it easy to use for almost any 8-year-old. Great indoors or outdoors, this extreme stunt machine is sure to flip its way to the top of your child’s favorite toy list.

The RC Car comes ready to stunt right out of the box, which contains the car and a 2.4 GHz game console-style controller. Don’t just stunt, get extreme with it!

The Growsland Remote Control Car is low and sleek, with wide tires and a big wing in the back. It is built for speed. It’s also perfect for any boy looking to zoom around the house in a 1/18 scale RC supercar. Race into the night with light-up headlights that shine the way forward. The 27MHz two-stick controller is simple and easy to use. Best suited for indoor use, the car even looks great when you aren’t racing.

The RC Car box contains the remote control car, controller, and instructions. The car takes four AA batteries and the controller takes two AA batteries, which are not included. From the display case to the trophy case, this RC car is sure to please.

The WisToyz Kids Toys Hover Soccer Ball Set updates soccer for the 21^st century. Every active 8-year-old will love zipping the hover ball around on the floor. This new soccer style is played with a durable disc that hovers just above the ground on a smooth floor like tile, hardwood, or low carpet. Two goals turn any good room into a soccer field so you can teach your boy the fundamentals of sportsmanship.

This Hover Soccer Ball Set comes with the LED light-up hover ball, two goals, and inflatable ball with pump. Four AA batteries are required and not included. Goals can also be used to play hockey.

Before there were video games, there was the ball-in-cup toss. The pindaloo Skill Toy is an update of the ball toss for the next generation, and it can get your kid off the screen today. Based on a simple loop principle, pindaloo is simple to play but difficult to master. Once you get the throw down, there are endless tricks that require focus and coordination to pull off. Pack pindaloo for your next outing and you will never be bored.

The Skill Toy is pretty simple and comes with a pindaloo tube, two juggling balls and caps that turn the tube into ball storage for when you aren’t playing. Your boy will have hours of fun loop de looping the pindaloo!

The LLMoose Hover Soccer Ball takes a different approach to indoor hover soccer. It’s the same game with a disc-shaped hovering ‘soccer ball’ that lights up with colorful LED lights and glides above smooth surfaces such as tile, wood, and low-pile carpet. Instead of the goalposts that other hover soccer sets include, you get TWO hover balls. Perfect for a rough and tumble 8-year-old.

The Hover Soccer Ball set includes two hover soccer balls, each in their own box. Both balls hover on a cushion of air, feature colorful LED lights, and have foam around them to protect furniture and your foot when you kick it. Use paper cups for goals and get in the game!

The past few years have proven that drones are here to stay. The Holy Stone HS190 Foldable Mini Nano RC Drone is a great way to introduce your boy to flying a drone. This affordable drone is also easy to use, with a powerful altitude hold function that keeps it hovering in place when you release the throttle stick. One-key takeoff makes takeoffs and landings smooth, which is great if you’re just learning. One-key return brings it back every time. Once you have the fundamentals honed, try out the high-speed rotation and 3D flip to make the drone dance.

The Mini Nano RC Drone offers a palm-sized flight experience. The box includes the foldable quadcopter, a 2.4 GHz controller, spare propellers and guards, repair tools, a user manual, and a USB charger cable. Three speed modes help beginners advance their skills.

Kids love dinosaurs and can experience the thrill of a real dino dig with the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Fossil Dig Kit. Your aspiring paleontologist will learn to use the tools of the trade like the chisel, brush, and magnifying glass as they dig up real fossils from prehistoric times. A 16-page learning guide will help your 8-year-old explore the world of dinosaurs, sharks, brachiopods, mosasaurs, ammonites, and more.

The Dig Kit is a real hands-on digging experience and includes a large dig brick with 15 real fossils from around the world, the 16-page learning guide, a set of digging tools, and a magnifying glass. With a name like National Geographic, you can trust this will be both fun and full of facts. It would make a cool gift for 7-year-old boys as well!

The Fortnite craze is sweeping the nation, and the NERF Fortnite Sp-R & Llama Targets brings the popular game to life in your home. Your 8-year-old will love practicing his aim with the Sp-R Blaster and Llama targets. The detachable barrels allow for personalization. From the online battle to a sofa shootout, your little Fortnite fan will be flossing in no time.

The Nerf Fortnite targeting set includes the Sp-R Blaster, three Llama targets, and six darts. The targets are different sizes to test aiming skills and allow for competitive play. The Blaster has a three-dart internal clip and requires no batteries. Get on the battle bus!

Science can be so cool that you want to show it off to others. With the Crystal Growing Kit for Kids, now you can! Your young scientist can get an idea of what it’s like to conduct a real chemistry experiment. They can mix the ingredients and grow big, colorful crystals. Then the light-up display stand helps show off their hard work in the lab – red, blue, and clear crystals glowing for all to see.

The Kit includes everything you need to grow crystals, including three growing cups, three bags of crystal powder, and starters. Included are tools and a 12-page instruction guide. The USB-powered LED display stand comes with a micro-USB cable.

For more creative gift ideas for your kids, check out our guide to the best toys for 6-year-old boys.

Your 8-year-old is probably way into robots. If so, he will love the SGILE RC Robot. This robot companion may just be one of the best on the market with hand gesture command response, intelligent programming, and patrol function. Watch him zip around on his wheels, sing, and do a little dance. With a futuristic look and tons of potential for imaginative play, this robot for kids is sure to be a big hit.

The RC Robot is more than just a remote-controlled toy – it’s programmable and can perform up to 50 motion commands. This bot is a fun introduction to programming.

With the Playz Disgusting n’ Gross Zombie Poop, Boogers, & Bloody Slime Science Activity & Experiment Set, your boy can learn the science behind the grossness. The kit encourages kids to learn about gels and cross-linked polymers using slime and special effects. Get your child hooked on science today and spark a lifetime interest.

The Activity & Experiment Set comes with everything to make disgusting slimes, including detailed instructions. This set is an excellent educational toy that engages kids with something they love – gross green slime. Get your slime on!

The 2-in-1 Remote Control Racer is two kinds of fun for kids, while parents can be sure they are learning and developing critical thinking skills. First, your 8-year-old can build his vehicle, choosing between a racecar or an off-road truck. Then when he’s finished building the car, he can race it on any smooth surface using the remote controller. Perfect for an aspiring engineer or racecar driver!

The Remote Control Racer comes with 335 pieces that build either the racecar or truck RC vehicle. It also comes with a remote control for when it’s time to drive.

With the Rally and Roar Tabletop Air Hockey Table, you can bring the friendly competition home from the arcade. This tabletop air hockey features a 15-minute setup and high-powered blowers to get you playing in no time and make the fun last all day. Perfect for parties, barbeques, or your 8-year-old’s next sleepover, you can host a tournament and crown a champion from among your friends and family.

The Air Hockey Table comes with everything you need to quickly get a game going, including the table, two mini pucks, two mini pushers, and assembly instructions. Two scoreboard options give you different games to play. What a great way to get off the screen and have some fun!

The LEGO Hidden Side Graveyard Mystery is one set where the fun keeps going long after construction. After building the set, your 8-year-old can play ghost hunter with mini-figures that include a spooky skeleton and Spencer, the ghost dog. The excitement doesn’t end there: activate the augmented reality game and hunt ghosts in the graveyard using a smartphone or tablet. Open a new side of LEGOs and discover the Hidden Side.

The Graveyard Mystery comes with 335 pieces to build an interactive cemetery that features a twisting statue, a grave that opens, and a haunted toy tree. Four mini-figures come included – Jack, Parker, Mr. Branson, and a skeleton – all from the popular Hidden Side story. Download the app to hunt the ghosts that haunt this set or be a ghost and haunt it yourself!

LEGOs are a fantastic way for a child to learn about building, and the Klutz LEGO Gadgets Science & Activity Kit takes that learning potential to the next level. The Klutz kit uses LEGOs to help your 8-year-old build 11 different machines. Some are practical, and some are silly. The important thing is that your child is learning and having fun. With 78 pages of step-by-step instructions, this isn’t just a building toy. It’s an introduction to engineering.

The Science & Activity Kit comes with LEGO elements to build 11 machines – from the Classic Catapult to a Robo-Boxer. Your boy can learn how gadgets work while putting his years of LEGO practice to good use. Who knows what he may grow up to build!

If you want a fun take on the mini-drone concept, then look no further than the Flying Toy Ball Infrared Induction RC Flying Toy. The ball uses inductive suspension flying, sensing objects around it, and moving intelligently. Just turn it on, hold it in your hand, and then let it go. It will hover in place! Control movement with your hand and turn it off with the remote control. Flying fun indoors and out!

The RC Flying Toy is pretty simple and comes with the ball, a one-button remote control, and the USB charging cable. Built for kids, the ball has a 3-second safety delay when you turn it on, and it shuts off if it hits anything. Bright LEDs light up the night when flying after dark. 

Your kids will also love some of the most sought-after remote control planes from our list. Check them out.

Your 8-year-old will learn about dinosaurs in a whole new way with Take Apart Dinosaur Toys. These buildable puzzles let your child build a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Triceratops. Build them up and then play with them, increasing coordination and creativity. This do-it-yourself dino teaches that a little work can lead to a lot of fun. ROAR!

The Dinosaur Toys come as a set of two, with 34 pieces, plastic screws, and tools needed to build both dinos. Assemble and take apart the models over and over. Talk about dino-sized fun for your pint-sized paleontologist.