Kids who are between ages eight to ten years old are fun to buy for since you can get them some of the more interesting and advanced toys. There are a whole lot of very appealing toys, crafts, instruments, board games and books that will help them learn and make discoveries while having lots of fun doing it.

Here are our top picks for all the best toy and gift ideas for 8, 9 and 10 year old children.

Artistic or Creative

There is no shortage of arts and crafts kits for kids ages 8-10. Any kind of make your own craft kit is a safe bet, while design and sketching kits are also very popular. One kit that we came across and really like is the Spirograph Deluxe Design Set which lets kids draw really beautiful designs and pictures while encouraging fine motor skills, creativity and critical thinking.

If you are buying for a creative child who is into Star Wars you could get Star Wars® Thumb Doodles. This kit lets kids use their thumbprints to draw Star Wars characters by following step by step directions.

Another great kit for this age is the Master Kitz The Starry Night. This is such a neat set, it gives kids the supplies and instructions to recreate Vincent van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night. If you are interested in this idea there are eight sets in this series of Master Kitz that show kids how to recreate famous paintings including Paul Klee’s Flower Myth, Wassily Kandinsky’s Black Lines, Monet’s Water Lilies, Sunflowers in the style of van Gogh, The Great Wave of Kanagwa, and Matisse’s Red Studio.

Musical

If you are lucky enough to have a child who is musically inclined child you could get him or her this beautiful MINI Strat Electric Guitar. This is a great starter electric guitar for kids for a pretty reasonable price. The interesting thing about this guitar is the size, it is 3/4 size which just means it is 3/4 of a full sized guitar which makes it easier for kids to hold and to play. I would get this guitar over something you might pick up at a toy store because it is from the reputable brand Squier, which is basically Fender’s budget brand. You can’t really go wrong with anything that is made by Squier and the quality is so much better than a toy store brand.

If you are looking for an instrument for a child who might not be very musical but you want to help get them interested in learning music I would consider getting a Ukulele. They are very easy to learn to play and are just generally a lot of fun. Ukuleles are great because you can get a professional quality instrument for under $50, they easier to learn than a guitar, partly because they only have 4 strings instead of 6 and their small size make them comfortable for children to hold and to play

Technology

I love all the new robotic toys that have come out in the last few years, as the technology improves some of the stuff that toy companies are coming out with are just awesome. This MiP Robot is really fun and entertaining for kids. It has a bunch of different modes and can responds to your hand movements, sound or you can control it using an app (make sure your device is compatible with the app- it doesn’t run on older devices). It can dance, do tricks, play games, move around and do lots things that will keep your kids busy for hours.

Simon Swipe Game is an update of the old Simon Game so it has a great retro feel to it. The difference in the update is that you are swiping the light patterns rather than pressing them.

Fun Toys

These Zing Bows are a lot of fun. They come with the bow and 3 arrows (2 Zonic Whistling Arrows and 1 Suction-Cup Zartz Arrow). The whistling arrows make a fantasitc sound when you shoot them and are lots of fun to play with, kids can’t keep their hands off them.

If you are looking for a gift with a bit of a challenge to it you could get a Perplexus Maze Game. It’s a game where players must move a small marble around barriers inside a transparent sphere. It’s fun and infuriating and helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

If you are looking for a child who is into electronics or building things, an amazing gift would be Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Kit or any of the Snap Circuits kits. These kits are incredible, you build electronic devices using little pieces that snap together. Another good choice for kids who are into building things are any of the K’NEX Sets.

For kids who love being outdoors a great gift is a Ripstik Caster Board. You have probably seen kids riding around your neighbourhood on these things since they are super popular. They are kind of a skateboard snowboard hybrid and are good for ages 8 plus.

Educational

If you have a LEGO expert you can try a Lego Technic set. Technic sets are the more complicated sets for experienced LEGO builders – they can build advanced, real-life functions like gearboxes, working piston engines, steering systems, and working crane arms.

SmartLab Toys Squishy Human Body is an excellent kit to help kids learn about the human body. It has removable squishy organs as well as representative skeletal, vascular and muscular systems. It lets kids explore the complex inner workings of the human body and literally see how it all works.

A safe gift choice for this age would be a science or a science themed kit. A science kit that we came across and really like is the 4M Crystal Mining Kit. This kit lets kids excavate their own crystals and learn fun facts about the 8 natural crystals that they are digging out of a plaster block.

Another very fun and educational gift for kids who are ages 10 + is the OWI Robotic Arm Edge. This set lets kids build their own robotic arm that they can then learn to control from a computer.

Board Games

There is a bounty of great games for this age group. Our favourites are:

  • Carcassonne is a simple, tile laying game that is easy to learn, and where you need to use lots of strategy.
  • Catan: Junior is the kid’s version of the insanely popular Settlers of Catan.
  • HedBanz Game is a silly fun game where kids have to figure out the cartoon on their head that they cannot see by asking yes or no questions.
  • Ticket To Ride is another great strategy game that is easy to learn and super fun.
  • Forbidden Island has teams working together to find 4 treasures before the island sinks. It’s a fun and affordable board game.

Best Books for Kids Ages 8, 9 and 10

In this age range a lot of kids become deeply interested in reading, luckily there is an abundance of wonderful books for kids.

  • Wonder by R. J. Palacio
  • The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz
  • The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hall Iggulden
  • Harry Potter by J.K Rowling
  • Matilda by Roald Dahl
  • The Ramona Series by Beverley Cleary
  • Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
  • Dork Diaries by Rachel Renée Russell
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
  • TIME For Kids Big Book of How
  • Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman and Skottie
  • Goosebumps (series)
  • Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce
  • Smile or the follow up Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

More great gift ideas for birthday and Christmas for kids ages: 2, 3 and 4, 5, 6 and 7, 11 and 12.