Harry Potter World at 7?

[Dramateacher1]

Hi, my 7 year old son loves Harry Potter. We have read the first 3 books (me reading to him) and watched the first 3 films. No plans to watch/read the others until he’s a bit older.
Do you think that he would enjoy/get a lot out of Harry Potter World? Or is it better to wait until he’s a little older?
Thank you

If it helps, I took my 2 children (6&7) just before Christmas and they absolutely loved it. They have both watched the films & we are reading the books at the moment so they don't know all of the detail. Just be prepared for the gift shop at the end!

Following as my 8 year old is as the same stage- we’ve read and then watched the first three and have started the fourth. Would love to take her to HP (and go myself!) but wondering if it’s best to hold off until she’s older/read more. I do see younger kids going though, but I think many do watch all the films without having read the books- obviously totally fine, no problem but us reading each book before watching each film is really slowing us down ha! Some of them are very weighty tomes!

I think they'd get more out of it when they've seen all the films and so everything there is something they can associate with the film. My kids aged appropriately for the books so I've never had to think about how I feel about a 7 year old with some of the later books. It does get a bit darker towards the later books. I'd take them to HP World though.

Thanks for your views. I do think that we will hold off on the rest books/films until he’s older, but it sounds like he’d still enjoy it now!

Even if you want to go now, you can go again when he's older. It will be a new experience for him a second time around then.

I have an 8 and 9 year old. We had similar plans for the books but now on the last and they seem completely unbothered by the darkness of them. We went to HP world over the Christmas hols and had a blast. The gift shop is amazing but managed expectations and just left with some chocs and a photo

Right. I’m going to book! So excited! Will def try and swerve the gift shop, or take out a second mortgage… 😂

We took our eldest just after he turned 8, and our then 5 year old tagged along. The 8 yo loved it, and tbh, our younger one still talks about it two years later. They might get more out of it when they are older, but like many things, it can be experienced differently from the point you are at.

Ok, so you have to book months in advance… any thoughts on Lego land instead 😂

It's very expensive. I personally wouldn't take a young child unless I was made of money. Lots of the exhibits involve reading information boards to properly understand what you're looking at (it's basically a big exhibition of props from the films), more so if you've not even seen more than half the films.
It was a big expense for us so we waited until DS had read all the books and seen all the films. He was 10.
Sure ,there were younger kids there and clearly enjoying themselves but they'd definitely get a lot more from it if they were a bit older.
If it's likely to be a one-off treat, I'd wait. If you're lucky enough to afford to go regularly, then go for it.

I took my 7 year old before Christmas and she absolutely loved it. She’s read all the books and watched all the films.
There is so much to see, I’m sure your DS will love it.

We went yesterday (for the fourth time 🙄) and there were all ages there, all loving it. Tiny kids in robes and up! Any child with more than a passing interest in Harry Potter would love it.

My 8yo has read and seen all the books and films (he has older siblings). He absolutely loves Harry Potter. We took him last year when he was 7 and he was completely starstruck. He loved it and wants to go back for a different season. My friend brought her 5yo who had only seen the first couple of films and she also loved it. Would definitely recommend.

Doom my nephew around that age and he loved it. We went dressed up in his robe and had a fabulous time. He even got his cousin, my dd, to dress up with home even though she was around 17y at the time.

We took my DDs when DD2 had just read & watched to the Knight Bus in book 3. It was OK for her, but we zipped her past some of the more gruesome scenes from later in the series. She would have got much more out of it if we had waited until she had finished the series, but DD1 was 5 years older so we compromised.

Personally I'd wait until your DS has read all the books and seen the films. He'll get more out of it.

My dd got very into HP last year and still is. We took her for her 9th birthday. She had seen all the films but not read all the books yet. She loved it!

100% wait and go to Harry Potter. If you're going to drop a massive amount of cash you don't want to feel badly about about it afterwards.

I felt like I'd been mugged at legoland.

Harry Potter was excellent fun for all of us.

Harry Potter was great fun, lots of interactive stuff for the kids - and doesn't have to be crazily expensive unless you plan to buy everything they ask for! No need to do the green screen stuff which costs extra, ours didn't even notice that going on.

Just give them some spending money of their own for the gift shop and they can pick from the gift shop using that, 7 is old enough to understand that means one bigger thing or a combination of smaller things.