7-year-olds are growing and developing new skills. By the time they are this age, most kids have developed dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and balance. Your child may even enjoy gymnastics and somersaults. This allows many options of toys for 7-year-olds that focus on fine and gross motor skills. At this age, many children are entering first or second grade. They have a rich vocabulary, longer attention spans, and can demonstrate an understanding of complex, logical thoughts and problem-solving. Kids this age thrive on figuring things out and putting things together. This makes puzzle and construction toys perfect for 7-year-olds. Kids at this age are also curious about the world around them. They love to observe and experiment, making this a great time to invest in toys to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
1. Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 32 Piece Set – $50
Image Source: Magna-Tiles
The Magna-Tiles® Clear Colors 32 Piece Set provides hours of creative fun. These mathematical toys for 7-year-olds encourage Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills such as geometry, 3-D shapes, and construction. Magna-Tiles Clear Colors are translucent and brightly colored, like stained glass. The 32 Piece Set is the perfect starter set for any young Magna-Tect. All sets and styles are compatible, so you can add more sets later. Consider using a metal baking tray as a building base. These toys were designed to teach children about shapes through play. Every tile edge has a hidden magnet inside. These tiles have the unique ability to attract even when flipped, so they always connect.
Why We Recommend:
- Activity to support STEM learning
- Teaches about shapes, magnets, and structures
- Great for home or schools
- Open-play for creative learning
- Bright colors
- Made of durable plastic for long-lasting use
2. Just Jump It Stepper – $12
Image Source: Just Jump It
The Stepper by Just Jump It is a colorful, plastic version of the classic “can stepper.” These are excellent active play toys for 7-year-olds. The stepper develops gross motor skills such as balance, agility, and coordination. A flared base and anti-slip top textures makes these steppers stable. The high-quality braided polypropylene is built to be walked on. The stepper’s 5-inch rise provides a whole new view of your entire world.
Why We Recommend:
- Uses gross motor skills
- Improves agility, balance, and coordination
- Encourages active play
- Stable, durable design
- 5-inch rise
- Vibrant, assorted colors
3. Fat Brain Toys Acuity – $20
Image Source: Fat Brain Toy Co.
Acutiy by Fat Brain Toy Co. is a game of sharp vision and keen thought. In this mind-bending, eye-catching tile race players can race against each other or work together to discover hidden patterns in the tile arrangement. To play, set up a grid of 36 durable pattern tiles. Play consists of matching the remaining 34 tiles, but none of the tiles actually match, so players must search, scrutinize, and analyze adjacent sides or corners to discover the matching pattern. Every game is different for a new challenge each time. When no match can be found, the game allows for a quarter turn to make a match.
Why We Recommend:
- Reinforces visual-spatial skills, pattern recognition, and quick mental processing
- Competitive or cooperative play
- 70 durable pattern tiles
- Each game presents a new challenge each time.
- Group activity—family fun or play with friends
- Simple rules with challenging gameplay
4. Klutz LEGO Crazy Action Contraptions – $22
Image Source: Scholastic
This Klutz LEGO Crazy Action Contraptions is a book and LEGO collection from Scholastic. The book provides 50 full-color pages with easy to follow instructions to create fantastic LEGO contraptions. Kids can build a supercharged speedster, a squeezeclaw grabber, and more. Every project in the book can be created using the custom selection of LEGO bricks that come included. All the contraptions spring to action—spinning, stretching, speeding, cracking, or rolling.
Why We Recommend:
- Everything needed to build 16 different contraptions
- Illustrated step-by-step instructions make building easy for kids
- Instruction book with 50 full-color pages
- 87 LEGO pieces, 5 rubber bands, 2 o-rings, and a dish
- All contraptions spring into action
- Encourages fine motor skills, logic, creativity, following instructions, and creativity
5. Toysmith Super Stacking Tops – $8
Image Source: Toysmith
Super Stacking Tops by Toysmith is a new spin on the classic top toy. These 5 tops stack on top of one another for a tower of spinning fun. Use the powerful wind-up handle for long lasting spin action. Stack the different sized whirling tops to create a multi spinning tower. Push the button to release the top. Kids will be mesmerized as all 5 tops spin at once. Stacking and spinning these toys will help develop your 7-year-olds fine motor skills and ability to stack and balance objects.
Why We Recommend:
- Develops fine motor skills
- Wind-up handle for long-lasting spin
- 5 tops in assorted colors
- Multiple options for mixing and stacking
6. Fat Brain Toys Coggy – $15
Image Source: Fat Brain Toy Co.
Coggy by Fat Brain Toy Co. presents a tactile, 3-dimensional puzzle that will get your mental gears turning. These bending, clicking, shape-shifting toys for 7-year-olds promote problem-solving and logical and spacial reasoning. The challenge cards provide a variety of puzzles and it’s up to you to fold this connected collection of 16 colorful gears into the matching image. The card puzzles start out easy and move to harder challenges that promote higher-level thinking. Then flip Coggy over to the black and white side and try the black and white challenge cards. This brainteaser doubles as a fidget toy, too.
Why We Recommend:
- Encourages visual-spatial skills, critical thinking, and logic
- 2 ways to play – color gears or black and white
- 4 levels of difficulty – Easy, Medium, Hard, Extra Hard
- Includes Coggy and 40 challenge cards
- Doubles as a great fidget toy!
- High-quality design and materials for lasting durability
7.Simon by Schylling – $25
Image Source: Schylling
The popular classic 80’s game has an updated design with a sleek new style and LEDs. Increase your memory, test your skill and challenge your friends. Simon is good to play anywhere – the car, doctors office, plane or right at home. Simon offers three different games with one common goal – remember the color and sound sequence.
Game One is the original “Simon Says”. Repeat the ever-increasing sequences of flashing colors and notes. Simon keeps adding colors as long as you repeat them correctly. Game Two adds an intriguing twist. You determine the next color and note. Play solo or with friends and keep adding sequences, just know that you have to repeat them correctly to continue. Ah! You’re starting to feel the heat. Game Three is made for you and your friends – 2, 3 or 4 players. Assign each player a color and they are responsible to press it at the correct time. Simon lights up a pattern and you must follow perfectly. When a color signal is missed, that player is eliminated.
Why We Recommend:
- Develops memory, color recognition, visual tracking
- Play with friends, or solo
- Great for travel
- Promotes memory and attention
- Colors light up with note sounds
- 3 AA batteries included
8. ALEX Toys Craft Fashion Weaving Loom – $31
Image Source: Alex Brand Toys
ALEX Toys Craft Fashion Weaving Loom has everything you need to make your own scarf, purse, belt, and handbag is included – All you need to provide is a strong brain and plenty of creativity. Detailed instructions guide your 7-year-old through setting up the special wooden loom. Then Just thread the needle over and under the loom for an easy weaving experience. As your child gets more adept at using the loom there are more challenging items to create such as straps, frills, pockets, and buttons.The simple instructions and tools make help guide the way.
Why We Recommend:
- Promotes creativity and self-esteem
- Works fine motor skills, dexterity, and logic.
- Create your own scarf, purse, belt, and handbag
- Rainbow and fluffy yarns included
- Includes wooden weaving loom, weaving needle, loom comb, stitching needle, 2 D-Rings, button
- Comes with detailed instructions
9. Toysmith Root Viewer – $13
Image Source: Toysmith
Kids learn a lot through observation and experimentation. You child as seen the parts of the plant growing above the ground—flower, leaves, stem. What about the roots? The Root Viewer by Toysmith has everything you need for a fun, scientific project studying root growth and structure. Your 7-year-old can watch vegetables grow from sprouting to full harvest. The unique plastic root “toobers” lets your child see right through to the roots in the dirt. The kit comes with growing medium, seeds, and a wooden stand. This hands-on learning science project is a great way to introduce your child to a plant’s root structure.
Why We Recommend:
- Promotes curiosity and scientific observations
- Teaches and understanding of plants and roots structure
- Hands-on, long-term project
- Seeds, growing “toobers,” growing medium, and wooden stand included.
- Comes with radish, carrot, and green onion seeds
- Instructions included
10. Play-Doh Ice Cream Castle – $20
Image Source: Hasbro
Play-Doh Ice Cream Castle promotes creativity and imaginative play as kids make their own Play-Doh ice cream creations. Kids can choose different shapes to press out their own swirly Play-Doh ice cream. The soft-serve machine has an easy-press handle for little hands. This pack even comes with a special sprinkle Play-Doh.
Why We Recommend:
- Promotes creativity, imagination, and dramatic play
- Works fine motor skills and dexterity
- Includes 6 ice cream discs, 5 spoons, 4 dishes, 2 cones, roller
- Comes with 6 cans of Play-Doh Brand Modeling Compound
- Easy-press handle helps squeeze out the make-believe ice cream
- Interchangeable ice cream discs alter the shape and style of the swirls
11. Nerf Super Soaker Hoverflood – $25
Image Source: Hasbro
The Nerf Super Soaker Hoverflood is an incredible water play experience. This water-powered helicopter hovers in the air while releasing a watery downpour. Attach this water blaster to your garden hose and use the controller to adjust the water flow. This fun water activity encourages kids to go out to play and be active. This cool toy makes a great group water activity for the hot summer months.
Why We Recommend:
- Encourages outdoor, active play
- Individual or group activity
- Hovers in the air and sprays water
- Attaches to a typical garden hose (not included)
- Includes water blaster, controller, and instructions
