The Best Toys to Buy Your Creative, Active, Social, Independent 7-Year-Old

After so many years of guessing what your kids want and need in their early childhood, things get a little bit easier in that department when they turn 7. Though 7-year-old kids vary greatly from each other in terms of things like reading level and athletic ability, they are almost all very good at telling us what they like and don’t. But when it comes to buying toys for a 7-year-old, an adult’s job is to channel their interests for good.

As much as we love giving our kids freedom to explore their own interests, we do know that if left entirely up to them, many would spend all day and night playing video games on their devices. Some of that screen-time is great, but doing nothing but video games is also detrimental to their ability to function IRL. That’s why the toys for 7-year-olds we’ve listed here are all physical objects they’ll play with in the real world. They’ll likely guide you to Roblox and Minecraft ideas on their own; we’re here to show you what else 7-year-olds will probably love, even if they don’t quite know it yet.

In terms of developmental milestones, 7-year-olds are smack in the middle of what pediatricians call “middle childhood.” A neurotypical child of this age can talk circles around you (really, they don’t stop) and is getting better at reading and math every day. Their understanding of language leads to a more developed sense of humor than when they were younger. Their growing brains are also capable of elaborately imaginative games. Meanwhile, they’re more independent from their parents and more interested in playing with their peers.

If you’ve got a 7-year-old at home, you’ve no doubt also noticed that these kids are becoming quite coordinated, and they’ve got tons of energy in those athletic bodies. The CDC recommends they get at least one hour of physical activity a day at this age. And even though they’re not clumsy toddlers anymore, they still require some supervision for all their risky climbing, running, balancing, and jumping games.

Among the toys we recommend here, you’ll find some that rely on their imaginations, kits that incorporate science and engineering into fun, ways to inspire artistic creativity, and games for very social 7-year-olds to play with others. We’ve also included ways for your 7-year-olds to play actively indoors and outdoors without getting hurt or driving their parents up the wall.

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Here are the best toys for 7-year-olds that suit their milestones.

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