Add TODAY to Google Searching for a present for the kid in your life? The best gifts for 8-year-olds help them engage in elaborate fantasy play or bury their noses in good books. It’s an age when children are developing their physical skills and social identities, and some may start to identify as “athletic” or “artistic,” says Dr. Amanda Gummer, founder of Fundamentally Children, a toy testing and parent consulting company in the United Kingdom.