This Coding LEGO Robot Will Be Your Kid's New STEM Best Friend
This Coding LEGO Robot Will Be Your Kid's New STEM Best Friend
Most 7-year-olds already know what they like and have a list of interesting toys and gifts a mile long, but if you're looking for some inspiration when it comes to picking out the perfect thing, look no further. While you likely will already know which areas of interest your kids are most passionate about, whether that be art, STEM, sports or some combination of everything, narrowing it down to one (or a few) perfect presents is harder than it looks. You want something that your kids will play with, will keep them interested for longer than a few minutes and won't drive you nuts.
To help you parse through the large number of new toys that hit shelves every year, the Good Housekeeping Institute tests hundreds of toys annually in order to find the best gifts for kids and releases the results in its annual Good Housekeeping Institute Toy Awards. Our lab experts evaluate the most promising ones for factors like safety and quality, and then we bring in real kids to test them all out — all to help you know which ones are actually worth buying for your own kids this holiday season. Our list of the best toys and gifts for kids of this age is made up of the hottest new toys on the market, including winners of our 2022 Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards, former Toy Award winners, best-sellers and editors' picks. When we took them all into account, these were the best toys and gifts for 7-year-old boys in 2022.
This year, cool RCs, STEM toys and active outdoor toys are high on their lists, as are games that get their minds working, or gifts that help them foster their creativity in music and art. Whatever they're into, there's bound to be something for them on this list.
1) Zero Gravity Laser Race Car
Air Hogs
amazon.com
$39.99
This car will go anywhere you point the laser — even up walls! And yet, it's still easy enough for kids to control and handle. It comes in either red or blue. Ages 8+
2) Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic
Millbrook Press
amazon.com
$16.99
Whether he's into oceanography or he's wowed by sculpture, he'll love this book, which features different sculptures of ocean creatures, along with animal facts about each one. But the most amazing thing is that every sculpture is made from items reclaimed from beaches or oceans, so there's a strong environmental lesson, too. Good Housekeeping Institute Testers also loved that there was a seek-and-find element on each page, which asks kids to look for items like coat hangers embedded in each sculpture. Ages 6+
3) BOOST Creative Toolbox
LEGO
amazon.com
$107.00
With the LEGO Boost, kids can learn how to program a robot. They'll get 847 pieces that can be used to build five different types of robots — including a guitar and cat! Using the free LEGO Boost app, they can code in order to make cool things happen (like make the robot dance, for example). Ages 7+
4) First Act Roll Up Drum Pad
Jazwares
target.com
$5.00
Kids can play along with this drum pad set to learn about staying on beat and keeping a rhythm. Then, when they're done, they can roll it up and put it away (or take it along to Grandma's house). In addition to six different rhythms, there are also sound effects and loops for kids to experiment with — and a volume control for the adults. Ages 6+
5) KidiZoom Creator Cam
VTech
amazon.com
$40.99
Kids love creating and editing their own videos, using special effects like green screens and animated backgrounds. Parents love that it doesn't connect to Wi-Fi, so they don't have to worry about safety and privacy. Ages 5+
6) Stomp Racers
Stomp Rocket
amazon.com
$27.99
Kids can stomp these cards, launch them and watch them go! The pack comes with two kid-powered cars, which can race to see which one will go farthest. There's also a ramp included, and kids can launch the vehicles into the air! A Good Housekeeping Institute parent tester said she loved that her kids were able to set this up by themselves in about five minutes, so it's easy-to-use, too. Ages 5+
7) Artie 3000
Educational Insights
amazon.com
$49.49
This STEM toy for kids combines coding, robots and creative arts in one product. Once you set it up — which is super easy! — Artie will draw the designs according to the code. The kit comes with the robot, activity cards, colored markers, an alignment tool (to keep the marker in place) and instructions. Ages 7+
8) Tech Deck Shredline 360
Spinmaster
amazon.com
$19.99
Bring the skate park to your home with this motorized Tech Deck that lets your fingers do tricks on ramps and obstacle plates you can add in to personalize your park. This year's Tech Deck won a Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award because it spins and changes direction for added excitement, and can be individualized for basic and advanced play for all ages. Ages 6+
9) Kanoodle Gravity
Educational Insights
amazon.com
$17.99
If your 7-year-old enjoys games, then he'll love this puzzle board. It contains 40 different challenges that work on skills like problem-solving and strategic thinking. The game can be played with two players if he's up for some friendly competition. Ages 7+
10) Good Housekeeping 123 Cook!
Hearst Home Kids
amazon.com
$19.80
The 50 easy recipes included in this cookbook is enough to get them started on a culinary journey. In addition to instructions for how to make things like Ooey-Gooey Glazed Cinnamon Rolls or Totally Twisted Pasta with Cherry Tomato Sauce, it also offers tips from Good Housekeeping experts on kitchen tools and techniques. Once they've mastered these, they can move on to Good Housekeeping Kids Cook! Ages 4+
11) RC Wheelz Stuntin’ Remote-Controlled Wheelchair
Hot Wheels
amazon.com
$42.99
This new type of RC does spins and tricks that will have your jaw drop. This model inspired by Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham, the Wheelchair Motocross World Champion, won a Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award because of its speed, self-righting feature that helps it flip back up after a fall and ease of controlling for little fingers. Ages 6+
12) Roller Coaster Challenge
Think Fun
amazon.com
$33.99
This game incorporates logic skills with roller coaster building for a super fun take on a STEM toy. It comes with 39 tracks, 40 challenge cards (with solutions, too) and a roller coaster car to bring all the loops and drops to life. It's the perfect gift for budding engineers to learn essential reasoning skills that they can use throughout their life. Ages 6+
13) Worlds Smallest Board Games
Worlds Smallest
amazon.com
$8.99
Snag this set of four mini board games for your next game night and while the small pieces might be easier to lose, these pocket-sized collectible games are as fun to play as they are to unbox! Join in the fun with games like Uno, Jenga, Pictionary and more. Ages 6+
14) Light-Up Tracing Pad
Crayola
amazon.com
$25.97
Kids can trace more than 100 images, and layer them on top of each other to make new designs. The set comes with all the art supplies he needs, including a graphite pencil for tracing, colored pencils, tracing sheets and blank paper. And the pad lights up, so he can work in his room at night before bed. Ages 6+
15) Stunt Shot
Air Hogs
amazon.com
$22.89
This RC is designed to be driven indoors. The big wheels let it easily conquer obstacles like carpets and other toys, but they're also super soft, so they don't damage walls or furniture. Ages 5+
17) Good Housekeeping Amazing Science
Good Housekeeping
amazon.com
$17.00
Budding scientists will thrill with the 83 hands-on experiments in this book, which are led by the scientists from the Good Housekeeping Institute. The book goes from room to room in the house and explains the scientific concepts behind the phenomena you might find there, like why bathroom mirrors get foggy or what makes sweaty sneakers so stinky. Then, the experiments let them dive deeper into the concepts. Ages 7+
18) LEGO Super Mario Adventures Starter Course
LEGO
amazon.com
$47.99
This LEGO set combines IRL building with a screen-time fave. Kids can construct the game levels out of LEGO bricks. Then, the Mario works with an app so he can complete challenges and collect virtual coins in the LEGO app. The Mario figure also has an embedded speaker and LED screens in his face and belly to give instant feedback. Ages 6+
19) Moon Lamp
LOGROTATE
amazon.com
$13.98
Foster his love of science with this 3D-printed lamp, which re-creates the craters and bumps on the surface of the moon. It also comes in four sizes and lights up in 16 colors; kids can change the colors at the push of a button with a remote control. No age recommendation given
20) Pokémon Trading Card Game Battle Academy
The Pokémon Company
amazon.com
$19.79
If your kids have been curious about learning how to play the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the board game takes players step-by-step through gameplay and makes it easy to figure out. It also comes with three decks, so you have everything you need to get started right away. Ages 6+
21) Robo Alive Roaring Ice Dragon
Robo Alive
amazon.com
$38.30
This dragon has so much personality — it roars, walks and has ice-blasting LED effect in its bite! Toy testers kept returning to this one again and again. Ages 6+
22) Gnomes at Night
Peaceable Kingdom
amazon.com
$24.95
If you're tired of sibling rivalry, get your kids this game, which challenges players to work together. Players need to cooperate to help their gnomes exit the maze before the clock runs out. Ages 6+
23) Treasure X Dino Gold
Moose Toys
amazon.com
$22.94
There are 16 levels a kid has to get through in order to find the dinosaur's gold, rescue the treasure hunter and turn the beast into a Battle Dino! It starts with a dissection, where kids have to dig through the ooze of a dinosaur's belly to discover what's been eaten! Ages 5+
24) Corner Crush
Big G Creative
amazon.com
$25.00
It's a four-in-a-row game just like you remember, but with a twist: The game actually wraps around the sides of the 3-D playing tower, so it tests memory, too! Our testers loved rotating the tower. Ages 7+
25) My City Hospital
LEGO
amazon.com
$119.99
Aspiring doctors and scientists will love this LEGO CITY hospital set that lets them explore the joy of helping others. Kids can build and play with a multi-room hospital, rescue helicopter, ambulance and more with the 816 pieces. Several of our testing panel parents noted that there was no shortage of exciting imaginative play. Kid testers were able to check in a patient at the hospital reception, use the MRI scan and welcome a new “baby” in the maternity ward. Ages 7+
26) Operation: Escape Room
Hog Wild
amazon.com
$24.99
With this Spy Code game, you can pretend to be spies from the comfort of your living room. There are seven different tasks to complete — that might sound like no big deal, but you only have a certain amount of time to set free whoever was captured! The set comes with everything you need to transform your home into an escape room. Ages 6+
27) Plus-Plus Learn to Build Set
PLUS PLUS
amazon.com
$26.99
If your 7-year-old can't get enough construction sets, add the Plus-Plus to the mix. Every piece connects easily with all the other pieces, making for limitless open-ended building, and the learn-to-build sets guide kids through multiple building projects. Ages 5+
28) Pass the Pigs
Winning Moves Games
amazon.com
$12.99
In this hilarious tabletop game, players roll pigs like dice and add up points based on the positions they land in, sharpening those math skills. It takes very little setup, so you can break this out at a moment's notice, whenever there's a lull in the action. Toy testers found this very easy to transport, too. Ages 7+
29) Dash Coding Robot
Wonder Workshop
amazon.com
$149.95
This robot from Wonder Workshop helps promote STEM skills and keep kids busy for hours using the included suite of free apps. Kids can get comfortable with all of Dash's functions first, and then they can explore various levels of robotics and coding. Good news, parents: The robot comes charged right out of the box. Ages 6+
30) Build Your Own Solar Powered Car
Captain Nosa
teniandtayo.com
$24.99
This kit teaches kids how to construct, create and paint a real, working solar-powered car. They'll learn about construction and electricity and, best of all, it doesn't require any screws, tools or batteries. Ages 6+
31) Blackhawk Backyard Soccer Goal
Franklin Sports
amazon.com
$29.99
This goal is so sturdy, Amazon shoppers have given them more than 11,000 five-star reviews. It comes in four sizes, and buyers especially appreciate how easy it is to set up and pack away. Ages 2+
32) Fire HD 8 Kids' Tablet
Amazon
amazon.com
$149.99
When you invest in a tablet for your kids, it opens up the door for them to play and learn on the same device. The Fire HD 8 Tablet is a super durable option thanks to the included case. When you purchase one of these tablets, your kid gets access to tons of content (like apps, videos and games) with Kids+, which is free for a year, then it's just $3/month. Ages 3+
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The best gifts and toys for 7-year-old boys in 2022 include the most popular new gifts, active ideas and expert-tested toy award winners.