Seven years old. It’s a time when a boy begins to leave his young childhood behind. He’s thoughtful and experimenting with the environment. He’s branching out and getting just a little more independent. You can do a lot to encourage his creativity and innovation with the types of toys and gifts you get him. Ones that are open-ended and allow him to experiment with his body, his mind, and his environment will be sure-fire winners at the next birthday party. If you aren’t sure where to start, that’s ok. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite toys and gifts for 7 year old boys. We’ve also answered a few questions about what’s going on in their world right now. Let’s take a look.
The Best Toys And Gifts For 7 Year Old Boys – Reviewed
Squigz Starter Kit
Squigz is an innovative building kit with suction cup pieces instead of traditional bricks. Trust us. Your feet will thank you.
The starter kit comes with 24 brightly colored pieces comprised of different shapes. All Squigz have two essential parts, the ball, and the suction cup. Some have suction cups on both ends, while some have one. Some are straight, and some are bent.
He can build fun towers that wiggle and move. Plus, the sound of the suction breaking when he takes them apart is deeply satisfying. The toy builds hand-eye coordination and allows him to see a problem through to the end. They are endlessly rearrangeable. If he loves them, there are other sets for purchase to expand his obsession.
Kano Computer Kit
Kano’s kit comes with everything your seven-year-old needs to build his own computer. It runs on Raspberry Pi and includes all the pieces including the DIY case, programmable LED lights, a wireless keyboard with a trackpad, and Kano’s operating system. It also includes all the challenges necessary to get him into building his own.
STEM skills are critical 21st-century skills. With Kano, he learns the world of technology and computing. It inspires critical thinking, superior problem-solving skills, and focus. He has to build new inventions and figure out how to make them run.
This version also comes with Minecraft. Once the computer is finished, he can hack into his favorite game and turn it into a custom suite that no one else has. There are further challenges and designs to get him thinking with his technology brain.
Ripstik Ripster
Ripstik’s unique design isn’t quite a skateboard or a snowboard. Instead, it combines the movements of a snowboard with wheels for an innovative take on skateboarding.
The middle of the board rotates so he can use the power of his body weight to produce movement and tricks. The wheels are set on casters that rotate 360 degrees. The body is a no-slip polyurethane deck while the urethane wheels provide a smooth ride on a variety of hard surfaces.
The Ripstik encourages balance and coordination. It helps him build essential core muscles and helps him get outside and exercise. Developing good health habits now is necessary to later health in his teen years and adulthood.
The Ripster version is a slightly smaller style of the original, so it’s easier for him to maneuver at this age of his life. More manageable equals more fun.
Hape Quadrilla Marble Run
What’s more fun than a marble run? Almost nothing. With this wooden set, he can build his own runs and make marbles to tricks and fantastic feats.
Wood is an excellent tactile stimulant. It feels good in the hand and provides a satisfying weight. As he puts the track together, he develops critical thinking skills and essential problem-solving skills. It’s an excellent way for him to hit the engineering part of the STEM.
21st-century engineering skills include the ability to think outside the box, design something and see it through to construction, plus solve any issues that crop up along the way. He can learn why specific designs don’t work and how to fix them. He can also make happy accidents to discover what does work along the way.
Hape’s toys are made from sustainable materials sourced from responsible locations. They use non-toxic paints and are safe for kids to use for extended periods. They are also highly durable.
Lego Chain Reactions Kit
Does your seven-year-old have a bunch of old legos laying around? Has he already built all the machines and now he’s bored? He can fall in love with Legos all over again with this kit. It includes 33 new Lego pieces, six plastic balls, paper, string, and other essentials.
The directions tell him how to build his own moving machines. As he builds them, he learns to see the world with an engineering eye. He has to problem solve and focus on following the directions. In the end, he has a fun new machine and a renewed interest in his old Lego bricks.
The kit has directions for ten different machines with an 80-page instruction booklet. It teaches him how to achieve different types of movement and actions. From there, he can build his own wacky inventions.
Original Stomp Rocket
Stomp rockets are pure adrenaline. They just need his biggest stomp to send them spiraling through the air. Simple and satisfying.
In this version, the stomp rockets also glow in the dark for after-hours play. The rockets are connected to a tube. When he stomps on the other end, the air sends the rocket through the air. IF he stomps harder or softer, it affects the trajectory of the rocket.
There’s nothing to master, and the premise is simple. Nothing stands in the way of fun, and he gets to run out some energy competing with himself to get a higher and higher rocket. Plus, the glow in the dark is a fun surprise as the sun starts to go down.
Anki Cozmo
Cozmo is a tiny, personal robot that learns your seven-year-old’s personality as he interacts with it. He displays different emotions and behaviors that begin to evolve.
It’s compatible with iOS and Android devices. It includes a downloadable app for him to play with as he programs new behaviors through the drag and drop coding system.
Cozmo will play games, handle challenges, and you can even look at the environment through Cozmo’s eyes in explore mode. The robot continually updates so that behavior and learning is an evolution. The more your seven-year-old plays with it, the more things there are to discover.
Cozmo is a crucial introduction to STEM skills. He can learn to control, manipulate, and explore the environment all while having fun with this pocket-sized robot.
The kit comes with Cozmo, a charging cable, and three power cubes for playing games and conducting challenges.
Scientific Explorer Disgusting Science
Little boys are pretty obsessed with gross things. This kit gives them a chance to discover what’s going on in their bodies, plus a host of other gross experiments.
It comes with all the tools needed to conduct experiments: Petri dishes, tweezers, cotton swabs, baking soda, gelatin, sugar, and baking yeast, plus food coloring. The magnifier helps observation at the end.
The instruction booklet includes directions to make a stinky intestine, fake blood, and snot. He can also grow friendly mold and bacteria. It gives him a chance to explore scientific principles and experimentation.
STEM toys are vital parts of his learning and playing process. They teach valuable 21st-century skills that he’s beginning to learn in school and that will follow him throughout his academic life and career.
Dangerous Book For Boys
The Dangerous Book for Boys is a hilarious, poignant book full of things all boys need to know. It has games, tasks, challenges, and curiosities. The Dangerous Book For Boys will get him back into reading but also inspire him to explore his environment.
It teaches him essentials like how to find true north, how to build a tree house, and even information about all the fuss surrounding girls. It’s a way for him to get real ideas about the world and get away from all the screens.
It’s the kind of book he can come back to again and again. The book is part reference book, part stories, and part lifestyle. There’s something essential about boys learning some old school skills and also having a reason to pick up a book.
Nerf N-Strike Elite Strongarm Blaster
Nerf is a classic boy toy, and this is one of Nerf’s classic designs. It holds up to six elite darts to fire without having to reload. It’s simple to fire and requires no learning curve.
It fires up to 90 feet with no batteries. It’s great as a toy that encourages him to get outside and practice hand-eye coordination. It’s also suitable for social activities with other kids who have their own Nerf collections.
It comes with the blaster and six elite darts. It also has instructions in case there are any questions. The Nerf N-Strike requires no batteries and is made of a durable plastic capable of withstanding a lot of little boy enthusiasm.
Best Toys And Gifts For 7 Year Old Boys – Buyer’s guide
Kids this age are beginning to notice how they measure up to the world. They might be more sensitive than they were in previous years and mistakes can frustrate them.
They need a lot of reassurance as they begin to think of themselves independent of their families. There are a few things to keep in mind as you buy toys and gifts for this age.
Individuality
If he hasn’t before, he’s likely to begin to request things that specifically interest him. Toys and kits that target everything he’s interested in right at that moment, from science to art to the outdoors, will be good choices.
They are testing individuality at this point. They aren’t as concerned about mom and dad (though they still need plenty of support) and instead of mimicking, they begin to branch out to their own and figure out their interests.
Social Toys
Things that encourage them to get out and play with others are also valuable choices. They are still developing emotional intelligence and empathy. Also, they are working on their confidence. They need a lot of time to work out who they are within a group that isn’t their family, so these toys give kids a chance to figure these things out as they are playing.
STEM Skills
This is the time that he’s immersing into the world of STEM. Science, technology, engineering, and math skills are all vital 21st-century skills that his teacher is introducing in school now.
Toys that help him transfer the skills he’s learning now into real-world skills. He can encourage STEM thinking without feeling like he’s in school. This play helps him develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and cause and effect thinking. He begins to look at his environment with an engineering eye and these toys give him reason to innovate.
