Gift Ideas for 3rd Graders

When my kids were in third grade, there wasn't a good way to find gifts online for them. I would walk up and down the isles of Toys R Us, Walmart, or Target and not find anything I thought was appropriate for my eight year old. However, now having had to do this for my four children, I have compiled a list of great gift ideas for this age.

Third grade is a great year for toys. Eight year olds are exploring more and being more creative. When buying toys look for more complex toys they have played with in earlier years, or that add on to toys they received last year.

There are also outdoor toys like trampolenes, scooters, pogo sticks, and roller blades.

Another great gift idea is to start an eight year old on a collection. I remember starting my coin collection in third grade and these days it can be quite easy with the state quarters and US President dollar coins.

If you don't find what you are looking for here, check out my 4th Grade Gift Ideas.

If you are thinking about getting a dog for your family, or live somewhere where you can't have a dog, Zoomer is a great alternative. This is a trainable electronic toy that is great fun for kids of all ages.

I love Puzzle toys, in fact even as an adult I continue to look for different kinds of toys that make you think and solve problems. Rubiks Cube was probably one of the first mass market puzzle toys. However, there are all kinds of block puzzles, ring puzzles, and others that are great ways to pass the time.

The first child's video game is one that needs to be simple to use and provides the ability for an eight year old to be entertained. The Nintendo DSi provides for a handheld device. Nintendo provides for some great games like Super Mario and Sonic. The handheld games also have some great games around Pokeman and Yugioh.

A kids first game console is another great way to introduce kids to the word of video games.

Kids love electronic toys, especially those that keep score. Basketball arcades, bowling games, and even air hockey games provide for hours of entertainment. Your house will be the hit of the neighborhood and your child will make more friends than they know what to do with.

My eight year old son loved legos. His favorite are Star Wars Legos and Batman Legos. With all the different ships and vehicles in Star Wars, the creation of lego Star Wars ships and vehicles is a natural extension.

On the other side of the lego gender barrier, my three daughters also love legos. In fact, my daughters love the new Lego Friends sets, harry potter legos, city legos, and disney lego sets.

Teaching kids through games and toys

My son loves to do experiments like putting mentos in coke bottles and putting baking soda in vinegar. Along with science, there are lots of great computer programs and video games that teach math and reading.

The Brain Quest series has different grade levels and ask grade level questions that make kids think and ask questions. I have always been a huge fan of the JumpStart computer game series as well.

Here's one for the scooter finantics, sometimes called the Y Scooter and sometimes called the Carving Scooter. This scooter has three wheels instead of the two-wheeled version, which allows for tighter and faster turns.

Healthy Kids are Happy Kids

I am a huge proponent of getting kids out of the house and doing fun things to keep them active. Scooters and bicycles are great ways for kids to burn off energy. Trampolines help them learn coordination. Pogo sticks and basketball hoops are great ways to keep kids jumping throughout the day.

US coins have been changing in the last 10 years, there are new reverse pictures on quarters, pennies, and nickels. Kids love collecting the different coins.

There are coin collecting folders for every US coin. It's a great way for eight year olds to start a collection of their own using household change. Thirty years later, I still have my Whitman coin collecting folders.