Our Favorite Digging Kit for 8 Year Olds

Our favorite digging kit for 8-year-olds. Photo by National Geographic

Dinosaurs and 8-year-olds go together, well,  like … dinosaurs and 8-year-olds. These children know names, where the dinosaurs lived, what they ate, and how they died.  But actually finding them would make the most of this love affair, and the way to do that is with a digging kit. Designed to educate, entertain and ignite young imaginations, digging kits are made for inquisitive young scientists who have a knack for discovering things on their own. 

While archaeology kits for kids are aplenty these days, the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Fossil Dig kit stands apart from the rest. Here’s why. 

While most digging kits will have your child hammering for dinosaur bones before “assembling” them, this one from Nat Geo goes the actual scientific route by providing 15 “genuine” fossils from millions of years ago, including dinosaur bones, sharks, mosasaurs, and ammonites. Of course, no dig kit is complete without tools of the trade, and this kit is complete: the included chisel, brush, and magnifying glass are all quality products. To enhance the experience, the kit also comes with a 16-page, full-color guide that your child can read while on the hunt, resulting in a complete fun and educational activity that can last hours. Of course, the dig kit passes all safety standards, while the dig brick is tough enough to provide hours of digging without being too hard. 

The dig kit has received rave reviews, an Amazon’s Choice tag, and a 4.5/5 rating. Satisfied parents wrote that it makes for a great weekend activity, while others have helped digging with their child. Parents also took note of the excavation tools that are perfect for kids, while another wrote that it even taught her child to be more patient. Lastly, reviewers wrote that it’s a great gift for science-minded kids, and has a competitive price tag. 

For these reasons, the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Mega Fossil Dig kit gets our recommendation as an excellent digging kit for 8-year-old paleontologists in the making. 

Medically reviewed by Yvonne Stolworthy, MSN, RN.
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