22 best gifts for 7-year-olds, tried, tested and approved by kids

Mini testers and adults alike loved this instant camera. Kids can snap away, and there’s an internal thermal printer that spews out the images instantly. It’s also much cheaper than other instant cameras, and there’s no need to wait for the shots to dry.

The images are black and white but we found our testers enjoyed colouring them in – the camera comes with some felt-tip pens for just this purpose.

Our testers also enjoyed adding some age-appropriate frames and effects to the photos. We were happy that everything was safe and saved locally, and the battery is rechargeable, so we didn’t need to keep stocking up on AAAs.

Seven-year-olds are often obsessed with animals, in our experience. They just can’t resist the call of the cute – and this sea otter is no exception. It’s constructed by threading layers of cardboard to create the model, using glue between each layer. Our seven-year-old spent about 30 minutes with us, focusing on building the sea otter and its oyster shell.

It wasn’t too fiddly, and the end build is really decent – it can be played with by gentle hands, and is worthy of display in your kid’s bedroom. The sense of achievement our mini tester got from building this made it definitely worth the money, and they have since asked to buy more in the collection, using saved-up pocket money – surely an indicator of a successful gift, if ever there was one?

Our seven-year-old testers were instantly drawn to this friendship bracelet maker. It looks impressive in the box, ticking off that initial wow factor, and mini tester and adult soon set about making some accessories.

You stamp the beads out of the foam included in the set, then you can thread the beads onto string, with the help of a groove on the machine.

It’s child powered rather than battery powered, and, while our seven-year-old needed a bit of help initially when punching out the beads, they quickly got the hang of it. They then had a great time designing their bracelet and adding extra beads. When the foam sheets run out, you can easily buy refills pretty cheaply from any stationery store. Our tester loved this device, and we had a lot of fun spending some mindful time with our seven-year-old while using it.

Spirographs have been intriguing to children for decades. This modern set comes with art cards on which you scratch off a black coating to reveal technicolour underneath – it’s hugely satisfying. The set can be used to create loads of different circular patterns, with some relatively easy ideas in the leaflet included, to get you started. Our seven-year-old testers took to this set with gusto, wheeling out more and more patterns at the rate of a factory production line.

It isn’t frustration free, however – the scratching implement is a bit fiddly to use but, once we worked out a method, our testers were kept busy for an hour or so. Vitally, they returned to this set a few days later, too.

It’s easy to buy more of the scratch-off paper once you run out, or you can just use traditional pen and paper instead.

For kids, the appeal of this toy is the fact they can unlock new pets as they play and care for the interactive animals, eventually amassing a menagerie of colourful creatures – some of them are rare, apparently.

For adults, the appeal is your kids get a pet you don’t have to tend to and, if it still gets too much, you can simply shut the lid of the box and your pet will cease its demands for food and attention. Silence is an underrated feature in kids’ toys, in our opinion.

Our seven-year-olds loved this gift, returning to it again and again. If your child forgets to tend to their Bitzee, they won’t return to a deceased pet, either, as they’re hardy creatures. This means, when your kids are at school, you’re not left at the beck and call of a beeping screen that constantly demands attention (aside from your email inbox, that is).

Kids can interact with their pet, selecting food and treats for them, while the animals also respond to being petted and played with (shaking the box, essentially). It’s all a lot of fun, and there’s no mess to clear up – it’s win-win.

Kinetic sand is deeply satisfying whatever your age but it’s like cat nip for kids. Fairly mess free, it’s made from fine sand and some elastomer (yeah, we’ve got no idea either), which means it flows and clumps together in the most pleasing way.

Our testers were already kinetic sand converts when we wheeled out this set and were delighted by the prospect of creating ‘ice creams’ with it. The set comes with three coloured sands, scoops for moulding, and a soft serve machine.

We’ll level with you – our colours got mixed, and, once that happens, there’s no going back. If that doesn’t make your eye twitch, this is a great gift. It kept a gang of kids entertained and quiet for an hour, and they’ve returned to play with it again since. Apart from the ‘ice cream’, our testers were able to come up with loads of different creations using the sand, so, it gets a tick for encouraging imaginative play, too.

For the gift that keeps on giving, Whizz Pop Bang magazine offers a monthly subscription. The science-focused title mercifully comes without any plastic toys, which immediately felt like a win for us, and it’s absolutely packed full of activities, facts and experiments to try (you’ll need to be on standby for some of them).

Each issue is themed – our seven-year-old loved the detectives issue, as they got to learn about DNA, solve riddles, create fingerprint records and more. As parents, we also loved that it’s completely gender neutral, and has content depicting both female and male scientists, to inspire young minds.

Lego is a fantastic pick when it comes to choosing a gift for a seven-year-old. At this age, kids are able to follow the instructions, and it’s great for improving spatial skills and problem solving.

Our seven-year-old was drawn to this set because it offers three builds in one, with each creating a different space-themed fairground ride, including a big rollercoaster. It kept our mini tester busy for hours on end. The light-up brick was a highlight, too.

Lego provides age ranges on each of its sets but although this one is labelled as being suitable for those aged nine and above, our seven-year-old was able to follow the instructions easily on their own.

The footprint of the finished build will depend on which ride your child constructs, but none are insanely big, for which we were grateful.

We’re big fans of practical gifts for seven-year-olds, and this coat ticked a lot of boxes for us and our mini tester.

The puffer is incredibly warm, keeping our tester toasty through the coldest of winter days. With a tog rating of 6.3, the coat is made from recycled down and has a soft Sherpa-lined hood that feels nice and cosy. It also buttons under the chin, for extra snugness, and features fleece-lined hand warmer pockets.

Despite all this, it’s really lightweight and didn’t hinder our tester’s movement. To top it all off, the Toastie puffer comes in a range of gender-neutral colours and the sizing is bang on.

Kids taking over your Alexa with their own music (shudder)? It could be time to invest in this neat device. Our seven-year-old was delighted to have this kids’ Echo Show in their room – don’t worry, the gizmo has been designed with parental controls, so you’re still very much in the driving seat.

Our tester liked that they could listen to their own music, control their lights (Alexa-controlled lightbulbs sold separately) and listen to their Audible audio books. They can also do image searches and ask for facts – all within the safety net of the Amazon Kids environment. As parents, we liked that we could use the dashboard on our phone to switch off the Echo, set time and volume limits, and filter content. We think this device will really grow with your child, too.

If you’re a dedicated Yoto player family, you’ll be pleased to know there are plenty of fantastic audiobooks for older kids as well as little ones. Our seven-year-old was absolutely delighted with this catalogue of Horrible History titles. From Terrible Tudors to Rotten Romans, the gross-out facts and general silliness went down a storm.

We have to admit, we also enjoyed listening along – we were able to flex our historian muscles a bit, and learn new things alongside our mini testers.

You can play the audiobook cards through your Yoto player (sold separately), or through your phone, which will also enable you to play the titles via Bluetooth speakers and your car’s sound system when you’re away from the Yoto player itself.

If you’re looking for a big-ticket item, a bike is probably top of the list for a lot of seven-year-olds. This bike has been especially designed for children aged six and up, and comes in a range of cool, gender-neutral colours.

Kids can swap between the seven gears by using a dial on the handlebars, as they get to grips with different terrains and inclines. The ergonomics and lightweight nature of this bike meant our tester took to it like a duck to water – rediscovering their love of cycling and feeling a bit more grown-up.

Squishmallows are highly collectable – cue them taking over your house – and this guy was a huge hit with our seven-year-old testers.

Roboyo is incredibly squashy and soft, and clearly well made. At 12in tall, it’s the perfect size for cuddling or using as a cushion on your kid’s bed. The purple/rainbow colourway is cute without being ‘babyish’, and collectors will appreciate the unique bio included.

We tested this with a seven-year-old who is a bit of a reluctant reader, and we were amazed at how this transformed their approach to literacy. In fact, it’s hard to rate this book highly enough. The story is incredibly silly – there are sea monkeys, giant gorillas and flying cats, all coming for the protagonists Andy and Terry as they try to write a book in their treehouse.

The illustrations are simple, but bring the story alive, with loads of different types of illustrations, including maps and comic strips. There’s never an overwhelming amount of text, and the chapters are the perfect length for bedtime. We found ourselves laughing along as we read it, and our tester even started reading it independently.

The good news is there’s a massive series of these books for kids to explore, once they’re hooked. Books can change lives, and this one certainly changed our tester’s.

Oodie has become a coveted brand – even for seven-year-olds. The company’s massive hoodie-blanket hybrids offer the perfect attire when cuddling up on the sofa, or after a swimming lesson.

The blanket-hoodie is lined with sherpa fleece that’s as soft as you like, and it feels “a bit like being inside a cuddly toy”, according to our tester. Meanwhile, the outer is a strokable flannel fleece.

Although the hoodies come in a wide variety of prints, our Star Wars-obsessed tester loved this design, which is covered in illustrations of Yoda and Chewie, storm troopers and the Millennium Falcon. We also love that it’s machine washable.

Sometimes, kids’ toys are absolutely mystifying to adults – this set was beyond us but a stratospheric hit with our testers. It essentially enables you to learn how to do skateboard tricks... with your fingers. The set even includes diminutive hi-top trainers (for your fingers) that attach to the tiny skateboard.

It comes complete with a skate ramp on which to practice your moves, and our testers played with the set for ages. When a playdate occurs, this is the toy all the seven-year-olds seem to gravitate towards – it’s hard to argue with that.

This junior journal is designed for children aged 6-12, and we think it’s fantastic for giving kids the tools to process their feelings. There are pages that explain emotions, why a growth mindset is essential in life and a guide to how to start journaling. There are then spaces to write ideas and feelings, with plenty of prompts – kids can design their own emojis, write gratitude lists and celebrate their wins.

The journal part of the book encourages children to document their day – the prompts are slightly different on each day. Our seven-year-old was just about old enough for this journal, and enjoyed filling out the days and lists – with some help from us. It brought up some great conversations with our tester about gratitude, too.

We think this is a wonderful gift for children – both those in touch with their feelings, and those that struggle to process things. It will also be something to look back at when they’re older.

When kids get to the age of seven or so, they will probably start learning their times tables at school. Getting them to practice these at home can feel like pulling teeth, but we found this Math Whiz gadget resolved some of our battles.

You can select from a range of functions, including divide, multiply, subtract and add – the machine will quiz your child on number sentences and then they just have to hit the tactile buttons to give the answer. The machine makes a quiet-ish noise to let them know if it’s right or wrong, and then reveals the time it took them to complete the sum.

It feels pretty low stakes, which creates a stress-free situation when it comes to practising maths. You can set the difficulty level for your child, so it’s going to grow with your budding mathematician. We loved that this built our child’s confidence and took the hassle out of home learning.

Now, here is a gift with mega wow factor. Kids can mix potions in the top section of “the lab”, which makes a range of noises and emits smoke (major awe moment), before the gunge in the vial drains out and your beast appears, ready for your kids to start playing (there are two different “shark beasts” to collect).

To say our seven-year-old was totally enamoured by this would be an understatement. The action figure they created was played with over and over again. If you want to, you can buy refill packs to recreate the magical experiment element of the toy.

As well as our seven-year-old testers, older kids who visited the house were immediately drawn to this gift. Beyblades are very complex spinning tops, which you spin into the arena together, so then they "fight" (aka bump against each other). Whoever is left spinning is the winner.

The Beyblades included in this set are Lightning Pandora Endless and Divine Evo Belfyre A09. If this means nothing to you, you’re not alone, but rest assured they’re impressive. Beyblades are often currency on the playground, so you’ll definitely win some brownie points for gifting this set.

Our testers got hours and hours of enjoyment out of this multiplayer Nintendo Switch game. It’s challenging enough for a seven-year-old to play, without being too tricky or violent.

The side-scrolling game sees Mario, Luigi and their pals traverse a world of wonder, collecting flowers and badges that unlock new games and skills. It’s really simple to play – up to four people can play locally, or 12 can play online in a virtual room.

Our testers loved winning the power seeds and unlocking new skills, but it’s not without frustration – all characters have to be roughly in the same area of game play, otherwise you’re out. Although we liked this teamwork aspect, it did mean there were several arguments during play. That said, our testers went back to it again and again.

Despite trying their best to pretend they’re totally grown-up, most seven-year-olds still love a cuddly toy. When we found this teddy cushion, we knew it’d be an instant hit – and we weren’t wrong.

The teddy-cushion hybrid was a firm favourite at bedtimes; on the sofa during movie nights; and when our testers snuggled down to read. It’s as cuddly as you like, and it’s a cute addition to a bedroom. It’s fairly large, too, so will impress kids when they open it.