The 30 Best Toys for 7-Year-Olds to Support Their Creativity and Imagination (2024)

• Our Picks

• How We Selected and Tested

• What to Look For

• FAQ

• Why Trust Verywell Family

The Elmer’s Squishies are one of the latest popular toys for kids because they’re a fun activity and they glow in the dark. One of our writers received a free sample of the Elmer’s Squishies Glow in the Dark Activity Kit and created one of the squishy toys with the included tools and ingredients. In the kit, kids receive stir sticks, glue pens, mixing cups, secret solutions, mystery character molds, and one UV light.

Squish the Secret Solution A for 15 seconds before opening it to pour it into one of the mixing cups and repeat with Secret Solution B. Add glue and mix the ingredients before pouring the concoction into one of the reusable molds. Unlock the mold one hour later, and kids have a new squishy toy that’s not only fun to squeeze and play with, but it glows in the dark with the included UV light.

Our writer says she had so much fun creating the first squishy that she gifted the second one to her 7-year-old niece, who loved it just as much (and asked for more).

UNO! This fast-paced card game is great for a crowd and is a classic family game for good reason. Portable, with quick gameplay, UNO requires no reading (other than color and number recognition). If your kid is familiar with classic UNO, check out some of the themed card decks for a fun spin on the favorite, like UNO Super Mario or UNO Dare. There's also the UNO Harry Potter theme, which is a favorite of parents we surveyed (their kids are big fans, too, because the game includes a special rule and it's fun to play).

Join Stephanie and her crew as they embark on a sea-faring adventure aboard the ship Hope. This brightly-colored kit has all kinds of fun accessories to get little ones’ imaginations going, including a tablet, walkie-talkies, binoculars, a drone, and, of course, three life vests to keep the LEGO Friends safe. In addition to the LEGO blocks, pieces include a flexible sail and a turnable wheel for interactive play.

Perfect for a rainy day or quiet crafting moment, this kit is stocked with more than 250 pieces. From felt to sequins to pom poms, kids will have everything they need to craft an entire village of enchanting characters. Your kiddo will unlock their creative side as they craft fairies, ghouls, and other magical creatures that they can imagine.

The VTech Kidizoom Duo Selfie Camera earned a top spot on our list because this real digital camera allows children to take photos, play games, and create photo collages. The kid-friendly design means that it’s sturdy and durable, so it will hold up to the inevitable drops and bumps. It uses four AA batteries, and photos can be downloaded to a computer via the included mini USB cord.

Basically two plushies in one, this viral TikTok toy will be an instant hit with your kiddo. On one side, the plushie is happy, but with a quick flip, the plushie is a different color and may be featuring a smile, frown, or something in between. Adorable and a fun fidget toy, this plushie will be their favorite thing.

Combine squishy toys and an art project, and you’ll get this innovative kit. Kids will love painting their very own alpaca, cactus, and smiling sun squishy. Along with the blank squishies, the set includes four colors of paint, two brushes, and decorating accessories.

Remember making friendship bracelets with your besties? Well, this gem-filled DIY kit is just like those vintage bracelets but way better. Each pod is filled with five fun bracelets to get your mini designer started.

The best part is that each kit comes with three surprise designs to help your little one create the perfect bracelet. Packaged in a handy kit, the pod can be used as storage for the gemstones and is a convenient carrying case to take the set to the next sleepover.

Kids can customize their own clothes with this cool T-shirt, which allows them to color in a superhero scene with the included non-toxic markers. The best part? When the shirt is washed, the color rinses out, so kids can enjoy coloring it over and over again.

Inspire imaginative play with this high-quality set of farm stand characters. Fun alone or with other sets, this farm stand includes 21 realistic pieces, including two humans, a horse, some food, and lots of other items.

For chilling at home, traveling, calming down in the classroom, or anywhere else, Huggaroos are weighted stuffed animals that relax and soothe your kiddo. The machine-washable stuffed animal, which weighs 3.6 pounds, provides gentle pressure and stimulation that are fantastic for soothing kids’ sensory needs.

The joy of PLUS PLUS blocks is that they empower kids to explore while building fine motor skills, creativity, imagination, and STEM thinking. This set includes 100 pieces, a base plate, and, to the joy of parents, a convenient case that holds up to 500 blocks. Kids can choose to create a 3D masterpiece or a flat design with the same set of pieces.

Little football fans will cheer for this personalized book that puts them at the center of the story. Choose from a number of popular college football teams, pick a skin tone that matches your child, and add your kiddo’s name for a custom book that’s truly one of a kind.

Just like bingo, Zingo Sight Words is perfect for early readers, using the Bingo game format to reinforce the importance of sight words. To play, kids will use the zinger to deal tokens with sight words printed on them, then race each other to match the tokens to the words on their boards. Easy, fun, and fast-paced, most 7-year-olds will be able to play without the help of an adult.

Head outside and start stomping! This kid-powered toy is simple and super fun. The set comes with a stomp launcher and four foam-topped rockets. Great for year-round fun, these rockets will get kids outside.

Feel good about makeup with this nontoxic collection from a mom-made company. Crafted in the USA, the butterfly fairy set includes two lip shimmers, blush, and eye shadow. The makeup is gentle and safe for young kids.

Just challenging enough for kids to do alone or with a friend, this jumbo floor puzzle has 100 pieces and is over four feet long when it’s built. Sturdy pieces mean it’s long-lasting, and kids will love spotting their favorite safari animals once the puzzle is complete.

Real, working walkie-talkies encourage kids to communicate with each other while exploring the world around them. This affordable model is kid-friendly but made by a company that manufactures walkie-talkies and radios for grown-up outdoor enthusiasts and professionals. Kids can communicate using one of 22 available channels at a range of up to 1 mile (depending on the terrain). It also features a non-slip handle, a belt clip, a backlit LCD display, a low battery indicator, and superb sound quality.

Many 7-year-olds still relish creative play, making Melissa & Doug’s well-made costumes an imaginative addition to any dress-up closet or corner. This costume will inspire make-believe meals that little chefs can serve to parents, siblings, or even pets. Bonus: The chef’s hat and coat are machine washable.

Whether your little one wants to practice their skills from their youth sports league or just likes to run around, soccer nets are a great way for 7-year-olds to get outside and stay active. These soccer nets are collapsible, so they can easily be stowed in the trunk for trips to the park, though they’re also small enough to fit in the backyard. The nets come with a carrying bag and stakes and rods for anchoring them to the ground.

Seven-year-olds will love “destroying” this hands-on STEM book, which features pages they can rip out, cut, glue, and draw on. In a fun, age-appropriate way, they’ll learn about scientific concepts like the Hermann grid illusion, color in an Albert Einstein bobblehead, and so much more.

Kids will love this whimsical toy, which lets them cast a creation spell, flourish a wand, and watch as a Magic Mixie plushie rises out of the crystal ball in a cloud of mist. The fun doesn’t stop there, though: Kiddos can also ask their new friend questions in fortune-telling mode, enter game mode to interact with the plushie, and use the crystal ball as a night light that glows for 30 minutes before automatically shutting off.

For extended fun, the Magical Mist Refill Pack can be purchased separately.

Young artists can bring their doodles to life with this 3D pen, which lets out flexible PCL plastic that kids can shape into clever creations. The pen not only helps 7-year-olds express themselves, but they’ll learn useful STEM concepts along the way. Included with the pen are several colors of plastic filaments and a transparent mat for getting started.

At age 7, many young readers are ready to try out chapter books. These classic stories are a great introduction to chapter books and Junie B. Jones is sure to entertain with her sassy antics. The set of four covers topics like the first day of school, becoming a big sibling, making mistakes, and more.

Make bathtime fun with this soap-making kit from Klutz, which helps 7-year-olds melt and mold 10 soaps from scratch. The soap molds come in fun shapes like stars, cats, and cupcakes, and kids can add glitter, coconut papaya scent, stickers, and colors to customize their creations.

With this indoor basketball hoop set, young hoopsters can practice shooting from the comfort of their own room. The set includes a steel-rim basket, net, backboard, air pump, four colorful rubber basketballs, and all necessary mounting hardware.

Kids become authors with this clever kit, which includes everything they need to make their own 18-page, professionally printed comic book. The thorough guidebook leads the young author through creating characters, settings, and artwork on the included template. When they’re done, send the pages to the company, and your 7-year-old will receive a physical copy of their comic book.

Seven-year-olds will dodge and throw squishy burrito toys as they try to match cards without getting hit. Designed for two to six players, the game includes two foam burritos, 120 game cards, and stickers. (Note to grown-ups: Make sure there are no fragile items in the line of fire!)

Slime is all the rage with elementary school kids, and this ice cream-themed kit is sure to take your 7-year-old’s slime game to the next level. Kiddos can make fluffy, brightly-colored slime with the included ingredients, then pop their slime into a plastic ice cream cone and top it with sprinkles and a cherry.

Creative kids will love decorating their very own t-shirts with the included chalk markers. Once they've had enough of one look, they can simply erase the design and make something new. You'll appreciate the machine-washable chalk markers that won’t bleed in the laundry. Choose from five sizes for a perfect fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How many toys should a 7-year-old have?

  While your 7-year-old may suggest otherwise, there’s no minimum number of toys they need for cognitive development, entertainment, or life satisfaction. In fact, promising research on toddlers suggests that fewer toys actually lead to longer periods of play per toy, greater focus, and more creative play—a perfectly good argument to share with an older child who has a bottomless wish list.
  

• How do toys influence a child's development?

  Toys can provide new opportunities for children to practice skills like problem-solving, imaginative play, and critical thinking, all depending on the toy. That said, it’s often play that fosters all of these skills, not toys themselves. So rest assured that your child’s toy collection won’t make or break their academic, social, or emotional success.

• How do I choose a toy my child would want?

  When purchasing a toy for a 7-year-old child, a good place to begin is to ask them what toys they wish they had at home. They may seek inspiration from commercials or playdates where they’ve played with friends' toys. If you’d prefer to surprise them, consider your child’s interests and choose a toy that speaks to them and is age-appropriate.