Seven-year-olds have a lot of energy and love playing with all types of gadgets and toys. At seven years old kids are just beginning to fully use their vivid imaginations. I used to be a nanny and I came to learn quite a few things 7-year-olds love to play with.
What do 7-year-olds like to play with? Seven-year-olds are at a time in their life where they have a great imagination. They will play with almost anything that will assist them in making their imaginations real. This age is when they start being able to be extremely creative, not only by
It can be hard to know what types of things they would be interested in playing with. Here are 15 examples of toys and things that 7-year-olds will enjoy playing with. They aren’t in any kind of order of best to worst, it’s just a regular list.
Note: All of the items/ideas listed below have been taken from personal experience with seven-year-olds. They are all things that a seven-year-old could do on their own or with friends. Not all seven-year-olds will love these ideas, but they’ll love at least one of them because I’ve seen them do these things.
1. LEGOS
LEGOs are colorful and they go together like a puzzle. You can create something big, or something really tiny. 7-year-olds like these because they can create whatever they want. (It’s also fun for you too if you are the parent or nanny.)
There are all kinds of LEGOs you can buy which are awesome. When I was little, my parents bought my little brothers a LEGO set that came with dragons and warriors. The set taught you how to build barricades and castles.
The directions were easy enough for a 7-year-old to understand and they even had step by step pictures. My brother just younger than me was about 7-years old at the time and he was really good at putting those castles and even boats together.
There are even giant LEGOs that you can find. I don’t know how big they get or their package sizes, but they can be pretty big. My brother used those to build huge walls and things around the castle.
2. Barbies
Even though the girl barbies are completely out of proportion and greatly unrealistic in their fashion choices, 7-year olds like barbies. I know, I don’t really understand it either.
Barbies have houses that come with them as well. Seven-year-olds can play like they have a family in that little plastic house to their heart’s content and they really do have a fun time of it. I remember playing all day with my sisters pretty often. I didn’t even notice that the day had gone by without me.
They even have man barbies, I’m not sure what they are called. I think Ken dolls? My little brother had a man barbie that was fully equipped for battle- he loved that thing. He had the army attire and a backpack that couldn’t hold anything, but it was still cool. (Ironically he’s now serving in the armed forces.)
We both played with it when we were little and got a lot of play time out of it. We played like the “Ken” doll married the Barbie doll. He went off to war and protected her. We spent most of our playtime with the Ken doll at war. Since my brothers outnumbered me two to one I really couldn’t argue, but it was still really fun.
7-year olds like things that let them dream. Barbies and Ken dolls do just that- whether for better or worse. I don’t know why, but there’s something about toys which make them feel like a ‘big’ kid that draw seven-year-olds’ attention and desire.
3. Forts
Forts are an awesome toy for 7-year olds! Forts are big and life-sized. They really bring to life whatever imaginary world a 7-year-old decides to create. They’re also fun to put together.
There are tons of different kinds of forts that can be built. The old-fashioned and the more commonly known fort is with blankets and chairs- although those tend to be geared towards 5- or 6-year-olds.
7-year olds benefit from those plastic tent-like forts or cardboard forts. Cardboard forts are awesome because they can draw all over it and you won’t have to worry about it getting anywhere else. These forts are inexpensive to build. You can just go to your local grocery store- or your basement- and get their
They can build castles and dungeons, houses, and they can even build tunnels. You’d be surprised at how creative kids can be when they set their mind to it. (Especially 7-year-olds)
4. Dolls/Dollhouses
When I say dolls, I’m not just talking about Barbie dolls. Dolls can mean baby dolls or American girl dolls. If you’ve never heard of an American girl doll then I’ll enlighten you.
American Girl Doll
This is the name of a brand of dolls. All the dolls come with a book that tells their story. They are about $95 for just them and their book. Their stories are all from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
When I was 7-years old I got the Mexican doll Josephina. She came with the clothes on her back and her book. I admittedly never read her book all the way through, but I did start.
Baby Doll
7-year olds like to play with this toy because it’s easy to mimic their parents, especially if they have younger siblings. They like to feed it and change it. They’ll put it to sleep and even rock it.
You’d be surprised how drawn they are to baby dolls. When my niece was 7 she really wanted a baby doll of her own
5. Kitchen Sets
To go along with a baby doll you have to have a kitchen set. I remember being so upset about having a baby doll without having a kitchen set as well.
7-year-olds love to play house. They use every component they know how to use in a kitchen set. Even if they don’t know what it’s for they’ll use it. Kitchen sets usually come with plastic food items and pots and pans, which they’ll use for more than cooking.
6. Remote Control Vehicles
7-year-old boys love remote control cars! They can sit there for hours on end just going back and forth in that battery powered piece of plastic. I honestly don’t know what the fascination is with cars, but they love it.
The fun part about remote control cars is that you can play with them inside and you can play with them outside. They can drive on carpet and wood floors, and there are some that can even flip over when they hit into the wall. If you don’t believe me, click here for a really snazzy one on Amazon!
Remote control airplanes are a good one too, but for some reason, those are a bit harder. If your 7-year-old is more hand-eye-coordinated than most they’ll be fine, but those are a bit more difficult.
Plus, remote control airplanes are really only good to be played with outside, not inside. If we’re talking realistically, your seven-year-old will love playing with it, but it might not last as long as a remote control car.
7. Other People
7-year-olds are at an age where they are most eager to go play with their friends. Girls and boys both are more social. They’ve been at their
Depending on the child, they’ll still want to play with you. (Parents, aunts, Uncles, and Nannies I mean.) They can actually be quite fun to play with at this age actually.
Because their imagination is growing so rapidly they can imagine the craziest things. They’ll play toilet tag, velociraptor (or as my cousins and I used to call it,
7-year olds are at an age where they are finally able to really join everyone in big kid games. They have left kindergarten and are halfway through first grade. This makes them excited and able to try out tons of new things.
They are pretty capable to participate in a lot of games with other people that they weren’t able to do before. Not just that, but they love to participate. (generally speaking) They are pretty fun to have around if you let them join in the fun.
8. Bike (With or Without Training Wheels)
I was about 8 when I learned to ride a bike with no training wheels, but I learned later than my siblings. Most of them learned to ride as early as 7 years old. Again, they are coordinated enough to handle learning to ride a bike.
If they are too scared then they’ll probably go for a scooter or something with more wheels. Although, they’ve probably moved on from their training wheels by 7 years old.
9. Stuffed Animals
My brother and I used to play with stuffed animals ALL THE TIME. I don’t know, maybe we’re unique, but I loved them. We had so many stuffed animals. We built whole cities with them in our basement.
We built houses for them and cars and boats. Stuffed animals are similar to dolls and barbies except for one thing: Stuffed animals are animals. Animals talking and living in a town is way more fun to play with than barbies and dolls in my opinion.
I think 7-year-olds like stuffed animals because they are different colors, their animals, and they didn’t need to be assembled. Stuffed animals come in all shapes and sizes and will last a long time with a 7-year-old.
It’s fun to assemble things as a 7-year-old, but they aren’t always in the mood to build something. They need variety. Stuffed animals are all unique and kids can give them all names and personalities which is super fun. They can do all the voices and create their stuffed animal’s background stories.
I still have some of my stuffed animals from when I was seven. I remember all their names, and my brother and I talk about our adventures with them even to this day.
10. Card Games
Whether or not a 7-year-old will like a card game will depend on the seven-year-old and the card game. If it’s too hard, they probably won’t play it. If it’s boring they also won’t play it.
If a 7-year-old is going to play a card game it’s going to have to be a matching game, Go Fish!, Old Maid, or Gubs (super fun game by the way). These games are fun, but the rules are simple.
If you don’t know what Gubs is, purchase it here on Amazon, you won’t be sorry that you did. I absolutely love this game! It’s for all ages and I guarantee any 7-year-old would love it too once they learn how to play. It’s not expensive and what you do pay for it is worth every cent.
I”m sure you could teach a seven-year-old something more complicated than these games, but I also know that most 7-year-olds want something they don’t have to think too much about. There’s a good balance between using your creativity and having to think too much.
11. Hair Chalk Pens
Hair chalk pens are fun because they are so colorful. 7-year-olds can color their hair like a rainbow and it will wash out once they take a bath. They can try all sorts of designs they create themselves and they can do something different every day.
They can do it with their friends too. I can just imagine a whole line of seven-year-olds drawing on each other’s hair to see who can make the best design. They’d be all over it.
12. Dress-up Clothes
Seven-year-olds love dress-up clothes. They can use these clothes with or without their forts. They can pretend that they are a pirate, a prince or princess, or a poor man.
A really fun combination that I’ve done with my niece was when she would record videos of her dancing or telling a story in her dress up clothes. She loved it and she could watch it after she was done. (Which was great for me when I was especially tired and couldn’t go on much longer.)
Most of what 7-year-olds like to play with has to do with their imagination and can get all intertwined. They can use their dress up clothes with their kitchen, fort, other people, and even outside without any other toys.
Dress up is particularly fun for them, I
13. Board Games
There are so many different types of board games. There are plenty of board games that a 7-year old might enjoy. Some board games that a 7-year-old might be more
Candyland
Something that is particularly fun for a 7-year-old is to make a real-life Candyland with candy. It doesn’t have to be life-size, but you can make one with candy.
Monopoly
You might think that monopoly would be too complicated for a seven-year-old, but that’s not true. They are pretty capable of understanding what’s going on in Monopoly. I don’t know if they’d be able to win, but they like to play so that’s something.
Monopoly has a lot of fun elements to it; the pieces, the money, and not to mention the famous middle “GO!” prize. We all know what happens when you land on “GO!”. What seven-year-old doesn’t love a chance to land on “GO!” to get all the players taxes and rent. It’s such a fun consequence.
Scrabble
For your more academic loving 7-year-olds, Scrabble is a good challenge. As seven-year-olds are learning a lot of new words, this is a fun way for them to practice and learn new words from other people. Plus, they don’t even know they are learning or practicing.
(Click here for Scrabble on Amazon!)
Sorry!
Sorry is a game of sweet revenge. It’s a way for 7-year-olds to get out their frustration without actually harming anyone. I make that sound so violent, sorry, I promise it’s safe. (Click here for Sorry! on Amazon!)
Life
Life may be slightly uneventful for the rest of us sometimes, but for seven-year-olds, it’s a fun way for them to get an idea of what real life is like. They love the game of life because they can pretend to be adults.
The plus of this game is that their game decisions never have any e
(Click here) for a fun game of life from Amazon!
Note: Those are just a few board games but there are lots more that would be fun for a seven-year-old to play.
14. Science Experiments, Books, and Crafts
Watching things explode and grow is very exciting for
Examples of science experiments:
Rock candy- I’ve done this craft before out of my niece’s science book. All you need is sugar, a wooden stick, saran wrap, a rubber band, and a cup of water.
You fill a cup with sugar water, get the stick wet with regular water, dip it into sugar (daily as the experiments progresses) and then place it into the sugar water. You then watch it grow over several days. (Typically a week or so)
You can even flavor the sugar with artificial flavoring you get in the baking section of your local grocery store.
Grow a seed- Get a simple plastic cup with soil in it and plant a seed. Any seven-year-old will love to water it each day and watch it grow to something bigger.
Click Here for a good science book on Amazon that has 100+ experiments for seven-year-olds.
Book Examples:
Here is a small list of books (and a link for you to purchase it on Amazon) that a seven year old could read on their own and really enjoy:
- Hank the Cow Dog (Click here)
- Charlotte’s Web (Click here)
- Junie B. Jones (Click here)
- American Girl Doll Books (Click here)
- Pippi Longstocking (Click here)
- The Roald Dahl Collection (Click here)
- Little House on the Prairie (Click here)
I read a lot of these books when I was seven-years-old and I remember them all still today. Some are just recommendations from some of my friends, but they are all really popular.
I especially liked Junie B. Jones because my older sister would read it to me at night before I went to bed. Generally, good books for a 7-year-old are the ones that have a medium, to more complex, storyline, and characters that are their same age.
Note: That’s not always the case, but usually when I was that age, if I was going to do something
on my own, the story would have to be shorter and simpler.
If a 7-year-old is going to have an adult read them the book than their range of likable books goes a lot broader. Things like Lord of The Rings and Narnia aren’t too beyond their understanding.
Examples of crafts:
Seasonal Crafts- Something as simple as cutting out snowflakes and taping them to a window is extremely entertaining for a seven-year-old. You can also make turkeys for Thanksgiving, and pumpkins for Halloween. They’ll love it.
Nature Crafts- As a kid, I always loved going outside and collecting leaves, rocks,
15. Cardboard and Markers
I know that I mentioned cardboard earlier, but this is a more extensive explanation of why I chose this one. Cardboard can make all sorts of things. You’d be surprised at how much you can do with just a couple of cardboard boxes.
Everything that cardboard can make may not last very long, but seven-year-olds can cut it out themselves and they can draw on it. They can make things like swords, shields, doll houses, forts, hats, armor, huts, and many other creative things.
Cardboard is so diverse that I don’t think I can think of a toy that is as inexpensive or creative. Seven-year-olds don’t really need toys that are all colored and in need of batteries.
Another cool thing you can do with a cardboard box is to poke holes in it and put a light inside. Turn off the light and it will look like stars. Seven-year-olds can be just as happy with something as simple as a cardboard.
Of course, they can’t have just a cardboard box all the time, they need things to go with it. One of those things is markers like I mentioned earlier. If you get those really big markers from Crayola and just your seven-year-old go for it, maybe he’ll be the next Rembrandt or Picasso. (Click here for Crayola bulk markers.)
Is the List Not Long Enough?
This list is by no means all-encompassing for the vast expanse of toys, games, and sports that 7-year olds like to play with. If you would like some more ideas, here are a few:
- Roller blades
- Nerf
- Soccer
- Baseball
- Kites
- Water (Swimming, Sprinklers, Water Balloons…etc.)
- Coloring Books
- Stencils
- Chalk
- Binoculars
There are tons more that I could list, but this list is merely to give you a few more you may have not seen in the 15 examples. You can also check out our other articles about good gifts to buy a seven-year-old by clicking here.
Related Questions
What are some good gifts for a seven-year-old? Anything from the list above would make a great gift for a seven-year-old.
Where can I find cardboard boxes? Basically, any place that would use them and that is trying to get rid of them. Office supply stores, grocery stores, or bookstores would all have them.
Where can I find dress up clothes for a seven-year-old? Dress up clothes can be anything from your child’s old clothes to your old clothes. If you are thinking about clothes that are more costume-like, the best thing to do is find pieces of outfits that they can put together themselves and create their own.
Whether those pieces are found on Amazon, Deseret Industries, or from other various costume stores, it doesn’t matter.
