Your Kids Are Going to Go Wild for These Gifts for 8-Year-Old Girls (2025)

By the time they reach 8 years old, they know what they like and want things to be tailored to their interests. That's not just in the age-appropriate gifts they receive (DIY everything!), but also in the ways they want to personalize their rooms, decorate their desks and accessorize their outfits.

The best gifts for kids of this age help them develop their interests and follow their favorite pursuits in their own way. Do they like STEM toys? Give them a kit that will let them build a lamp that's also a cute decoration for their room. Are they interested in a certain academic area, like social studies? There are educational toys out there that will let them see the world in a new light. Are they crafty and creative? The world is theirs, and there's a kit for every project under the sun.

Too much choice? These are Good Housekeeping's picks for the best toys and gifts for 8-year-old girls in 2024. (We have suggestions for gifts for 8-year-olds in general and gifts for 8-year-old boys, too.) Among our list are past and present Good Housekeeping Toy Award winners, which have been tested and vetted by the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute, then handed over to kids to make sure they have a high fun factor. In addition to those, we've added in some of the hottest new toys, along with editor's picks and bestsellers to come up with this list of favorites. Whether they're interested in science, sports, collectibles, arts and crafts or fashion — or some combo of all of the above — there's sure to be something here to put a smile on an 8-year-old's face.

Now kids can add some strands of tinsel to their hair without taking a trip to the salon. The kit comes with nine bunches of tinsel hair extensions along with a project guide with ideas for how to style them. It also comes with other hair accessories, like pony beads, clips and elastics. Ages 6+

The best school supplies are the ones they make themselves! This kit comes with enough materials and ideas to make 25 mini erasers, along with some paper crafts they can use to hold their new creations. Ages 8+

What do you get when you cross a stuffie with a purse? This adorable, smiling watermelon slice, which also has a strap so it can be used as a crossbody bag. It comes in other smiling shapes, like a rainbow or a sun, or you can opt for bag charms instead. No age recommendation given

For fans of Magic Mixies' cauldron, crystal ball and magic lantern toys, this potion bottle comes with another surprise. Kids can add in the magic ingredients to summon a poseable fashion doll in the potion bottle. You can get a fairy, deer, dragon, mermaid or unicorn. Ages 5+

I may be biased because I wrote the foreword to this one. (Then again, I wouldn't have written the forward if I didn't like it!) This fill-in-the-blank journal gives kids the tools they need to understand their emotions, including information about what feelings are, how they live in the body and why they're important. When they're done filling it out, they'll be more prepared to talk about how they're feeling. It comes out August 20, but it's available for pre-order now. Ages 8 – 12

Kids who are into STEM will love building a battery-operated Ferris wheel that brings marbles to the top of a twisty track, then watching as the marble zooms down to the bottom again. It's a little lesson in potential and kinetic energy. Ages 7+

Lots of 8-year-olds want to personalize their rooms, and a neon name sign is a cool touch that doesn't overdo it. You can choose the size, the font, the color and even a symbol to add after the name. No age recommendation given

This ingenious little device stretches out elastics for bracelets so kids can snap on beads very easily — and pop! A new craft. Everything stores easily inside. Good Housekeeping Institute testers loved making these so much, they were giving their finished creations away to friends and family. Ages 6+

Give them an outlet for their culinary enthusiasm without having to pre-heat the oven. With your supervision, they can make 12 cake pops at a time (sticks included) in five minutes, and then get creative frosting and decorating them, too. No age recommendation given

The Artie 3000, a Good Housekeeping engineer favorite, is a drawing toy that teaches kids how to code. Kids can create a design and then translate it into "drag and drop" code on a computer or tablet and then Artie will draw the design on a piece a paper. It's a great blend of art and science. Ages 7+

This set introduces kids to the basics of 3D printing, allowing them to build three-dimensional representations of objects by adding layer upon layer of plastic from thin filaments. The pen is great for reinforcing creativity, spatial awareness and fine motor skills. Ages 6+

What 8-year-old wouldn't want this cute little koala sitting on their shelf or dresser? It feels even better to put it on display when your 8-year-old makes it herself with the latch kit. It comes with everything you need to make a 3D character, including a mesh form, snap-in eyes, a heart charm, a looping hook, yarn and instructions. You can also get a panda or a penguin. Ages 8+

In this make-believe laboratory, kids pretend to be a chemist for a bath and body products company. They get to make and test different cosmetic products (kind of like our Beauty Lab experts). This kit includes a lab station and 10 soapy and bubbly experiments, so your 8-year-old can get hands-on STEM learning. Ages 6+

Get their brains working in three dimensions as they try to solve this geometry-based puzzle. Players get a challenge card that uses the Kanoodle pieces to create the beginning of a 3D shape, then they have to use their wits to try and figure out how the rest of the pieces fit in. There are 200 challenges to complete, and it all fits nicely into a carrying case so you can take it on the go. Ages 7+

A little art, a little craft, a little science and a cute room decoration at the end — what more could an 8-year-old want? When it's done, they'll have a lantern they've designed and styled themselves that not only works, it lights up in 13 different colors. Ages 8+

They're soft. They're squeezy. They're popular on TikTok. What's not to like? If she's not into this cute rainbow axolotl, there are plenty of other Squishmallow animals and other friends to choose from. Ages 3+

Even the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab approved this one — it teaches kids to use a sewing machine, but uses preloaded cartridges so there's no threading. The machine also automatically senses when the fabric is in place, so there's no pedal, either. Ages 8+

Keep them occupied on the go with this board, which is lit from behind and features a large drawing surface. Kids can make their creations with the included gel makers, wipe the board clean and then start again. It lights up so they can use it at night, and also has cool lighting effects. And you can even take the black panel out and use the board for tracing. Ages 6+

She'll be able to practice her penalty kicks long after the sun goes down with this soccer ball, which uses battery-operated LEDs to stay illuminated. Plus, she'll dig the cool star pattern, especially when it's glowing. If soccer isn't her game, GlowCity also makes footballs, pickleballs, baseballs, golf balls, volleyballs and basketballs that light up at night. No age recommendation given

You can choose the font, the chain length and the metal (silver, yellow gold or rose gold) for these personalized name necklaces — and she'll be thrilled to have something that is uniquely hers. You can also just go for the initial/monogram, too. No age recommendation given