30 Best Gifts for 8-Year-Old Boys Who Love to Get Hands-On

One way to get a kid to read nonfiction? Make it a graphic novel about a World Cup hero. Our kid testers love the way the on-field action was translated into the images. “I really liked the suspense that was built throughout the story,” said one 11-year-old tester. Ages 8 to 12

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At our in-person toy testing day, kids loved sending this skateboarder zooming down the hallway and up the ramp—and it flies pretty high! (The brand says up to 6 feet.) It's Tech Deck's first motorized toy, and kids can feel it rev up before they let it loose. Ages 6+; four AA batteries required

If they have World Cup fever, this set will give kids the game in the palm of their hands. It's like foosball, only kids use handheld players that spin when they're squeezed to try and knock the ball in the opponent's goal. It's easy to move compared to a real foosball table, and comes with the greens, goals, two balls, and three spinning players (though more can be collected separately). "They loved setting it up, playing with it, and keeping score," one parent said. Ages 6+

Challenge his problem solving and memory skills with this handheld game that involves repeating the light sequence. He can play alone or setup a head-to-head competition with another family member. Ages 7+; three AAA batteries required

For the guys who love trick-shot videos on YouTube, this set lets them set up their own. It comes with suggestions for how to create the stunts, or they can design something unique. Our Toy Award testers liked that kids can enjoy it together, with one person saying, “It was also nice to see the older sibling teach his sister how to use it.” Ages 6+

Up to four players can try their hands at getting three-in-a-row with this light-up game, which gets more challenging as the game progresses. "[My son] liked that it had multiple game modes and different difficulty levels, so the game stayed interesting as it got harder and faster," one parent said. "He also enjoyed the different ways to play, like getting three in a row, diagonally, or both." Ages 7+; three AAA batteries required

If he has a Nintendo Switch, he can bring a whole new level of interaction to his favorite games with this construction kit. Commerce Editor Jessica Dukes's son built all of these when he was 8 and 9 years old with minimal help from the adults, because the video instructions are very detailed and clear. The whole family had fun playing with these games (especially the race car!) after the consoles were complete. Ages 7+

If the 8-year-old in your life is a Pokéfan, they'll love getting creative and making their own Pokémon out of folded paper. The book takes them step-by-step through how to make 10 different origami Pokémon, representing all regions from Kanto to Paldea, and it comes with its own specially-designed pieces of paper to use, too. Ages 7+

RELATED: The Best Pokémon Gifts for Fans of All Ages

He can play by himself or with others, use the cards as prompts or make his own mazes. Either way, this logic puzzle challenges him to build a working marble run with the set of cubes that direct the marbles in different directions. Ages 8+

We picked CrunchLabs’ kits for a previous Toy Award, with our editors saying, “Sometimes the most satisfying toys are the ones kids build themselves.” The company was founded by Mark Rober (a former NASA engineer that kids may know from YouTube) and each toy they build teaches them an engineering concept. Ages 8+

This box comes with enough supplies for kids to make 80 different paper airplanes. It also comes with stickers so they can decorate their fleet before it takes off. Ages 6+

Good Housekeeping experts have long been a fan of Clixo, since the flexible, magnetic pieces let kids build in new and different ways from the standard magnetic-block set. This pack comes with glow-in-the-dark pieces that could be used to make space vessels—or whatever their imaginations dream up. Ages 6+

This kit lets kids experiment with electricity just by snapping components on and off a board. This set is focused on pieces that launch into the sky, like a flying saucer that can shoot high in the air or a paper-airplane launcher. "Entry-level snap circuits generally focus on lights and buzzers, so it was cool that this one had a spinning motor that could be connected to a variety of heads, like a fan blade, spinning disk, or a rubber spinner," a parent tester said. Ages 8+

Attach the cubes to each other and the spinning connector to create unique fidget spinners. Likewise, the cubes can be used like blocks to build anything they imagine. Did we mention that the cubes glow in the dark, too? Ages 6+

Kids can get the foundations of coding with this robot. It lets kids control it with voice commands that explore loops, events, and sequences. Then, use the Wonder Workshop's free apps to program Dash to sing, draw, and move around. There's also a Wonder Pack bundle that comes with Dash and a bunch of accessories. Ages 6+

Kanoodle is a fave on TikTok for a reason, and to celebrate the toy's 20th anniversary, they've released a version of the game with 20 fan-inspired, double-sided #ShakeChallenge cards. "We love that this toy is portable," one parent said. "It’s a frequent pick for drives and play dates." Ages 8+

Yes, this kit will help him learn awesome magic tricks, and comes with actual VR goggles to use with your smartphone, but it can also help with building confidence, especially if you allow him to put on a show for the family. "My kids loved putting on a magic show for us," one Good Housekeeping Institute parent tester said. "We had several laughs as a family together." Ages 8+

Not only can kids build Pokémon with this LEGO set, they can battle them, train them, and have them make sounds, thanks to the new LEGO SMART Play system. The set comes with two rechargeable SMART Bricks, four SMART Tags, two brick-built Pokémon figures, a Poké Ball, healing spray, and a training station. Once they have a SMART brick, they can also use them with other compatible sets. Ages 8+

RELATED: We Got a First Look at LEGO's New SMART Pokémon Sets—Here's Our Honest Reaction