As your eight-year-old girl gets closer to tween and teenage years, it’s important that she have access to increasingly challenging toys that both inspire her creativity and cause her to think critically. Many of today’s gifts and toys for 8 year old girls offer 21st-century skill training and will better equip her to head into her teenage years.
Best Gifts And Toys For 8 Year Old Girls – Comparison Table
Image | Product | Features | Star Rating |
---|---|---|---|
![]() ![]() ![]() | Barbie Dreamhouse | Three-story interactive dollhouse Includes over 70 accessories Smart accessories include sound, lights, or motion | 4.8 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | ALEX Spa Super Mani Pedi Party Kit | 88 nail essentials Create fabulous hand and toe nail designs Enough for a whole party | 3.9 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Gemstone Mine | Discover Crystal Treasures Find 15 Amazing Gemstones A Complete Learning Activity | 4.8 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Thames & Kosmos Ooze Labs: Soap & Bath Bomb Lab Science Experiment Kit & Lab Setup | Real STEM learning with a fun, fictional storyline Compatible with other kits in the ooze labs line Explore acids, bases, pH levels, and the biology of skin. | 4.1 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Just My Style ABC Beads | Teaches six jewelry-making techniques Includes over 1,000 pieces Includes letter beads, molded beads, and more | 4 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Duddy-Cam Mini Quadcopter Drone | Endless Fun In A Tough Package Dazzling Lights, Reliable Performance Extreme Stunts With The Touch Of A Button | 3.5 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Melissa & Doug Decoupage Made Easy Unicorn Paper Mache Craft Kit with Stickers | All-inclusive Unicorn Craft Kit Variety Of Stickers And Patterns Comes With Patterned Pre-cut Stickers | 4.6 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Kanoodle | 2-d & 3-d Brain-twisting Puzzles Includes 12 Puzzle Pieces, 200 Puzzle Challenges, A 48-page Illustrated Puzzle Book, And A Carrying Case | 4.7 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Osmo - Genius Starter Kit for iPad | Requires compatible iPad Camera-based sensor For ages six through 10 | 4.7 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | L.O.L. Surprise! Ooh La La Baby Surprise- Lil Bon Bon | Also includes bottle with disappearing glitter Pack up purse to take all the accessories on the go Makeup includes color change lip gloss necklace | 4.8 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | LEGO Friends Heartlake Hospital | Featuring a waiting room With sliding doors and a reception desk An emergency entrance, an x ray suite, and more | 4.8 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Spinmaster Games Perplexus Epic | Inside the Perplexus Epic you'll discover 22 feet of track Containing 125 challenging obstacles Wide array of fun & stimulating board games | 4.7 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Mattel Games Pictionary Air – Navy Pen Version with 30 Unique Cards [Amazon Exclusive] | Easy-to-use app Lets you record your performance Hilarious twist on the classic drawing game | 4.3 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Kano Computer Kit | Comes with step-by-step book Raspberry Pi 3, programmable LED lights DIY case, power button, wireless keyboard | 4.7 out of 5 |
![]() ![]() ![]() | Wicked Cool Toys Pokémon Mewtwo Plush | 14 inches tall Officially licensed by The Pokemon Company Soft polyester plush | 4.8 out of 5 |
How Do You Choose Gifts And Toys For 8 Year Old Girls?
Kids at this age are building on skills learned the previous two years. They’ve solidified many of their own interests, and it’s important to continue to challenge them. Their friends are more important, and they are experimenting with limits.
Challenges
Kids at eight, especially girls, are beginning to test limits by challenging their friends and challenging themselves. They frequently try to best their scores and times in sports games, board games and other activities.
They also enjoy having puzzles to solve, which encourage critical thinking. Things that allow them to experiment with different solutions and create their own types of answers for different things.
Longer Projects
At this developmental age, children are ready for longer projects that help them sustain focus. Gift ideas for 8 year old girls that offer children the chance to stretch their imaginations also help them practice sustained focus.
This pays off as they learn to keep trying for things that challenge them and don’t offer immediate gratification. It’s critical that children be allowed to practice focus through toys that aren’t immediately solvable.
These long projects can take the form of science kits or computer and tech-based toys that come with multiple steps and can take several days to master.
Individuality
Your eight-year-old girl is exploring her individuality at this stage. She is asserting independence and loves to test her creativity. Some of the best toys are those that give her many avenues to express herself through art projects or beauty crafts.
It’s also a great time to explain that everyone learns differently and it’s ok if she doesn’t immediately grasp a concept or feels unsure of her skills. Toys and projects that help her to work through this at her own pace and give her confidence in who she is will be great gift ideas for her personal development.
Editors Pick
Barbie Dreamhouse
The Dreamhouse gift set has been a staple Barbie toy for young girls for several decades. With this new modern iteration, you can give your little girl the hours of joy that you might have experienced as a child. This new version of the Barbie Dreamhouse is very detailed. It’s made out of molded plastic and includes over 70 different accessories that your child can use to customize the play space. Many of the accessories work with built-in technology to create sounds, motion, and lights.
There are three stories and multiple rooms. These include a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. There’s also a garage and a working elevator. The living has a small smartphone holder. With a compatible phone, you can put on videos to simulate a working television. Like all Dreamhouse models, this one works with any Barbie doll that your kid may have. This is one of the best gifts for 8 year old girls!
Pros:
- Three-story interactive dollhouse
- Includes over 70 accessories
- Smart accessories include sound, lights, or motion
- Includes elevator and garage door
- Built-in smartphone holder television
- Made of molded plastic
- Works with any Barbie
- About 4 feet tall and 3 feet side
Cons:
- Doesn’t include any dolls
- Doesn’t fold up to save space
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The Best Gifts And Toys For 8 Year Old Girls – Reviewed
With these characteristics in mind, there are a few great choices for your toy choice. We’ve compiled a list of the best toys that address the aspects of this list and include plenty of chances to solve problems, address STEM skills, and express her growing creativity. Let’s take a look at the list.
ALEX Spa Super Mani Pedi Party Kit
The Alex mani-pedi kit is a creative way for your eight-year-old to express her individuality. It features 88 pieces, all the essentials for manicures and pedicures.
There are five different colors of nail polish and four different colors of glitter. She can also add any of the 72 stickers and sequins to her nail design. The nail art kit comes with tools like toe separators and nail files so she can effectively finish all her nail art. There are enough supplies to share with friends at a party or a sleepover. They can also add another deluxe dimension to her dress up imaginative play.
The polish is intended to peel off easily so that her nails aren’t exposed to toxic remover products. She can create nail designs that remove quickly so she can design again and again.
It’s a great gift idea and a good way for her to experiment with her creative side. Perhaps your little American girl can get fun out of this at her birthday party with all her friends. Alex Toys provides all the tools for her unique personality to appear as she participates in popular nail trends without all the harsh chemicals. She can get as crazy as she wants and peel it off to go to school the next day.
Key Features:
- 88 nail essentials
- Create fabulous hand and toe nail designs
- Enough for a whole party
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Gemstone Mine
National Geographic’s toy line is intended to get kids interested in science and exploration. Their gemstone mine gives your eight-year-old a chance to explore how the environment produces different types of gems and to find her own. These are great birthday gifts, or a nice little treat for Christmas and the winter holidays too. That’s why you will see many kits like this appearing in gift guides, though often not as cool as this one.
The high quality kit includes at least 15 different gems to uncover. Some kinds include tiger’s eye, pyrite, quartz, and others. It also provides all the tools she’ll need to make her own explorative digs. There is a chisel, brush, and magnifying glass so she can dig through the soft rock exterior for hours.
There’s a 16-page booklet included that will teach her all about the gemstones she’s uncovering as well as how each type is made in the natural environment. The book will help her identify the gems as she reveals and cleans them.
STEM toys are essential parts of your eight-year old’s learning process. This particular model focuses on science as she identifies gems and learns about their different properties. It’s good for focus while giving her a chance to collect something she’s interested in.
Key Features:
- Discover Crystal Treasures
- Find 15 Amazing Gemstones
- A Complete Learning Activity
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Thames & Kosmos Ooze Labs: Soap & Bath Bomb Lab Science Experiment Kit & Lab Setup
How do you encourage your 8 year old girl to have an interest in science? By introducing them to experiments that have a reward at the end. The Ooze Labs Soap & Bath Bomb kit from Thames & Kosmos is a good place to start. The kit quite literally mixes the fun of creating soaps and bath bombs, with lessons in cosmetology and skin care. It’s a great STEAM learning kit that can be used time and time again.
The materials are non toxic and this is compatible with other kits in the series. It includes a mold tray for the soaps and a lab station in the box. It also contains everything you need to get started mixing and creating.
Key Features:
- Real STEM learning with a fun, fictional storyline
- Compatible with other kits in the ooze labs line
- Explore acids, bases, pH levels, and the biology of skin.
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Just My Style ABC Beads
What kid doesn’t love to make their own jewelry! It’s an art form they often have to wait until summer camp to learn. But with this Just My Style kit, they can learn at their own pace!
This kit comes with over 1,000 different pieces. They include hundreds of unique beads, cords, and plenty of fun accessories. It also comes with instructions, which teach your child six different techniques. They’ll learn the basics and have free reign to create as they please.
Key Features:
- Teaches six jewelry-making techniques
- Includes over 1,000 pieces
- Includes letter beads, molded beads, and more
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Duddy-Cam Mini Quadcopter Drone
What could be more exciting than her very own helicopter? This drone is a durable flying toy that will provide hours of entertainment as she manipulates the controls.
Remote control toys provide practice with motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It has a six-axis gyro system that offers better stability even during windy days. You can even play at night with the system’s LED light display.
The controller is versatile and provides kids with greater flexibility to perform tricks and stunts. It has a 50-meter range for racing and other exploration.
The battery for the drone is rechargeable and comes to a full charge in just 30 minutes. It is connected to a polarized charging port with USB for convenience. It provides up to seven minutes of flying time on each charge. The controller requires two AAA batteries.
Key Features:
- Endless Fun In A Tough Package
- Dazzling Lights, Reliable Performance
- Extreme Stunts With The Touch Of A Button
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Melissa & Doug Decoupage Made Easy Unicorn Paper Mache Craft Kit with Stickers
For the girls that like a little bit of craft work and some hands on DIY with their toys, this great little craft kit from Melissa & Doug is a nice little gift to consider. Decoupage is a skill, and a very rewarding craft, and this easy unicorn paper mache kit is a great way to let your kids explore their creative side. The kit comes with a blank paper mache unicorn and all the stickers, glitter and glue your kid needs to customize it the way they want it.
Key Features:
- All-inclusive Unicorn Craft Kit
- Variety Of Stickers And Patterns
- Comes With Patterned Pre-cut Stickers
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Kanoodle
Kanoodle is a type of 3-D puzzle of which there are many pieces but only one correct answer. Kids can try out 101 puzzle challenges in which they attempt to fit 12 puzzle pieces into a correct shape.
The pieces are different combinations of balls stuck together in different shapes. Think tangrams but in 3-D. There is a 44 page illustrated book outlining the challenges and a carrying case to keep everything together.
Kids stack the pieces in one of the puzzle challenges or create their own stackable shapes. It teaches spatial awareness and critical thinking, two critical mathematical skills. The puzzles range from simple to incredibly tricky, providing hours of interest.
Kids choose a design and are given a starting point. The trick is to fit the rest of the pieces into the plan without compromising the shape. Kids can begin with 2-D and work up to more challenging spacial puzzles.
The carrying case is compact, and the entire toy system has been a finalist or recipient of several significant awards.
Key Features:
- 2-d & 3-d Brain-twisting Puzzles
- Includes 12 Puzzle Pieces, 200 Puzzle Challenges,
- A 48-page Illustrated Puzzle Book, And A Carrying Case
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Osmo – Genius Starter Kit for iPad
Here’s another toy that harnesses the power of the iPad for educational purposes. This one is a bit unique. Instead of using a robot, it marries the real world with the digital one!
After placing the iPad on the stand, you can attach the included camera. Then, your child can go through the various lessons about shapes, puzzles, physics, and more. As they use the included pieces to do the lessons, the camera will up the movement and respond. It’s an innovative system that makes learning fun!
Key Features:
- Requires compatible iPad
- Camera-based sensor
- For ages six through 10
- Includes puzzle pieces and tiles
- Combines real-world action with digital learning
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L.O.L. Surprise! Ooh La La Baby Surprise- Lil Bon Bon
By the age of eight, your little girl probably has at least one or two LOL Surprise dolls in her collection. What she might not have though, is the L.O.L Surprise! Ooh La La Baby Surprise. Similarly to other L.O.L surprise dolls, the Ooh La La Baby Surprise comes in the instantly recognisable outer wrapping that kids tear off to reveal their specific gift. In this case, rather than unwrapping the standard LOL sphere, this toy contains a purse, the Lil Bon Bon doll and collectibles unique to this series. Accessories include a color changing lip gloss necklace and there are three different dolls and collectable purses in this series.
Key Features:
- Also includes bottle with disappearing glitter
- Pack up purse to take all the accessories on the go
- Makeup includes color change lip gloss necklace
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LEGO Friends Heartlake Hospital
Heartlake hospital is a building kit that emphasizes your eight-year old’s love of medicine. It includes 871 pieces to build the building, including the reception desk, x-ray center, and emergency entrance. There are separate pieces to build an ambulance.
Accessories include nursery furnishings, a helipad with helicopter, and an anatomy skeleton. It comes with a few figures including a doctor and newborn baby figure, as well as the Olivia character.
These Lego sets are compatible with all other Lego sets to help your eight-year-old expand her Lego universe. They may have an existing Lego set, but the good thing about Lego, is that it doesn’t matter what the theme is, it’s all universal. The Lego Friends pieces are compatible with Lego Harry Potter, Lego Disney or any other theme for that matter. It’s an excellent kit for aspiring workers in healthcare or to develop her view of what is possible. When she’s done with the hospital, the pieces can be reassembled into anything she can imagine.
It fulfills the STEM requirements so necessary in the digital world and promotes engineering and strategic thinking.
Key Features:
- Featuring a waiting room
- With sliding doors and a reception desk
- An emergency entrance, an x ray suite, and more
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Spinmaster Games Perplexus Epic
The Perplexus Epic is a challenging puzzle game. It’s a 3-D labyrinth that she can flip and twist to solve. It’s easy to learn to use, but challenging to master.
The interior is a series of twists and turns with over 125 barriers. Users must maneuver the ball through the numbered track without falling off the path. When the ball falls off, the game starts over.
The Epic is a continuation of the original Rookie game and the next step from the more elaborate Twist. It teaches strategic thinking and helps girls practice hand-eye coordination. It provides hours of fun without screens, batteries, or blinking lights.
Key Features:
- Inside the Perplexus Epic you’ll discover 22 feet of track
- Containing 125 challenging obstacles
- Wide array of fun & stimulating board games
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Mattel Games Pictionary Air – Navy Pen Version with 30 Unique Cards [Amazon Exclusive]
We’ve come a long way in the world of doodling. In my day we had a piece of paper, a Spirograph and a crayola pencil. Now your girl can literally draw doodles in thin air with the Pictionary Air game from Mattel. This version of the game follows much the same rules as your standard Pictionary game, with the exception that it comes with a special pen and app. When you download the app to your supported smart device, the special pen will take your air doodle and display it on the screen of your device. It’s a real party game and one your girl can enjoy with all her friends or family.
Key Features:
- Easy-to-use app
- Lets you record your performance
- Hilarious twist on the classic drawing game
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Kano Computer Kit
Kano’s Computer kit is a storybook that teaches all about computers and coding. Through the story, kids learn to build their own computer and then perform a variety of commands and activities. Computer kits and craft kits are great gifts for 8 year olds. You might not think they are the coolest thing to buy, but when your kid can build and use their very own computer, you will soon realise why these are top gifts.
There’s a central computer brain plus other bits and pieces. As she reads through the book, she builds the computer and learns to program different commands.
Activities include art projects, hacking the popular game of Minecraft, and rewriting the rules to the vintage game Pong. The computer also connects to the internet so she can watch Youtube or browse through her favorite websites.
It fulfills a vital component of STEM toys including technology and engineering. It’s her first chance to get into the foundations of computer systems and technology and will encourage a lifetime of interest in this 21st-century skill. This is the perfect gift for introducing kids gently to coding and problem solving. Skills that are ever more in demand for now and in the future.
Key Features:
- Comes with step-by-step book
- Raspberry Pi 3, programmable LED lights
- DIY case, power button, wireless keyboard
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Wicked Cool Toys Pokémon Mewtwo Plush
From Wicked Cool Toys is this officially licensed Mewtwo plush. The toy is inspired by the iconic 151st Pokemon. While it doesn’t have every detail as the illustrations or movies, it looks great. The colors are true to the original artwork, making it easy to identify in a large collection of Pokemon plushes.
The plush measures approximately 14 inches tall. It’s covered in soft polyester fabric. Inside the arms are small flexible wires. You can use them to pose your Mewtwo plush into any menacing pose that you want. NO matter your girls age, from 2 to teen, they will love this plush toy.
Pros:
- 14 inches tall
- Officially licensed by The Pokemon Company
- Soft polyester plush
- Posable arms
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The Takeaway
All the toys on the list address critical aspects of your eight-year-old’s mental and physical development. They offer a chance for her to express creativity and practice essential 21st-century skills.
Which toy seems to fit your eight-year-old the best? Let us know which one you chose in the comments below and tell us a little about her.