10 Best Disneyland Rides for 7 Year Olds You Will Love

Tea Cups at Disneyland” by Justin Ennis licensed under CC BY 2.0

If you have young kids and are planning a trip to Disneyland, then you’re probably very interested in learning about the best Disneyland rides for 7 year olds.  If so, you’re in luck, as we provide you with our favorite rides for young kids looking to have a great time at Disney without being too overwhelmed or intimidated by various attractions.  

Best Disneyland Rides for 7 Year Olds

Let’s begin by discussing one of the most popular Disney rides ever—It’s a Small World.

It’s A Small World

it’s a small world” by Sam Howzit licensed under CC BY 2.0

It’s A Small World is absolutely considered a Disney classic and a must-do for folks of all ages, although children are generally more likely to enjoy the calm atmosphere and repetitive sounds. The ride features a huge variety of cultures from around the world and, while the song will get stuck in your head as soon as you enter the ride, it offers children the opportunity to experience things that are different from what they are really used to seeing. This ride is much longer than many of the other attractions, which gives kiddos the perfect opportunity to sit down, enjoy the air-conditioning and enjoy the experience!

This ride is one of the more popular attractions especially during those pesky hot summer months, so if your child doesn’t tolerate standing in lines well, I would highly recommend doing this attraction either after the evening firework show or in the morning shortly after rope drop! The first half of the standby lines also are not protected from the brutal Los Angeles sun, so this is something to be aware of also!

While also a great attraction for 7 year olds, it’s probably even better for younger kids. So if you’re seeking the best Disneyland rides for 4 year olds, you may want to pencil in some time to visit “It’s a Small World.”

Autopia

Autopia – Disneyland” by Josh Hallett licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

While this particular Tomorrowland attraction is certainly not considered the most gentle and well loved, it allows children to ‘take control’ of the ride vehicle to an extent and drive cars like the grownups! While the steering is a bit difficult to master for those younger children, the ride as a whole would be perfect for a seven-year-old to enjoy and fully participate in! Guests on this attraction can even purchase a customizable Autopia drivers license to take home as a souvenir!

This attraction has a height requirement of 32 inches, which is important to note if you are taking younger children. Although most anyone over about four years old safely meets this height requirement!

Astro Blasters

This ride is a super simple, easy-going attraction that combines the fun of a laser tag type experience with Buzz Lightyear himself! Guests participating in this attraction will have the opportunity to use Astro Blasters to help eliminate some pesky alien critters, and gives children the opportunity to help out their favorite Toy Story character! This ride is a wonderful option for kids who may have some mobility issues or who aren’t a fan of rides that jostle participants in an uncomfortable manner!

This attraction does feature machinery that is similar to weapons, and as such requires use of extremities. If your child struggles with this or has audio sensory difficulties, you may want to consider skipping this particular ride. 

Dumbo’s Flying Elephants

Guide to Guests with Disabilities at Disney World
Dumbo Flying-2” by Henry Mestre licensed under CC BY 2.0

When I think of the best Disneyland rides for seven year olds, this is the first attraction that comes to mind! Truly a classic, this attraction is a must do for anyone and everyone! This particular attraction however would be a great starter experience for a child who has never been to Disneyland before, and while it may not be the most exhilarating for adults in the party it’s certainly fun for those older kiddos to get a view of the park that they can’t get without riding the bigger rides! The ride queue has lots of themed items for children to look at and enjoy during the wait also, which helps to keep them entertained when lines are a little bit longer!

This ride does rotate in a semi large circle, as well as raise and lower in height for the entirety of the experience, so if your child easily gets motion sickness it would be best to skip this ride. The movements are gentle and slow, but if anyone in your party is prone to bouts of dizziness it is certainly something to be aware of.

Mike & Sulley to the Rescue

Has your child ever wanted to get up close and personal with his or her favorite Monsters Inc. characters? This is the perfect opportunity for them to do just that! This attraction is extremely gentle, with no sudden movements, drops or noises/lights that could trigger sensory overload issues! This is without a doubt one of the calmer experiences for older kiddos to enjoy, but very few rides provide quite as much visual entertainment for younger minds. The ride gets you up close and in on all of the action as the Monster characters try to hide themselves from the view of the human child while Mike and Sulley attempt to protect her (just like in the movie).

This ride is fully wheelchair accessible and safe for those with mobility issues! It can get a little bit loud at times, but none of the sounds are overly sudden or unexpected, making this a potential option for kiddos with sensory processing disorders to feel comfortable enjoying!

Mad Tea Party

Tea Cups at Disneyland” by Justin Ennis licensed under CC BY 2.0

Another classic Disneyland adventure, this ride is a must do experience for any seven-year-old who happens to also be an adrenaline junkie! This particular ride is the infamous teacup ride, and spins guests around at the speed that they decide for themselves! This ability to determine speed makes it a great potential option for children who are just starting out on rides because it allows you to slow down a little bit if your child is getting nervous or apprehensive at all! Children can also enjoy the beautiful colors and details both in the ride itself but also as you wait in line! This is visually one of my absolute favorite rides and has been since I was a young girl!

If you or your child are prone to motion sickness, I would highly recommend either watching a POV (Point of View) video first to determine if it’s something you would feel comfortable participating in, or whether you should skip this ride in its entirety.  This is definitely one of the best Disneyland rides for kids at the parks!

Ariel’s Undersea Adventure

This ride is without a doubt one of my absolute favorites (I rode it three times in the row on our most recent trip) and is loved by girls and boys alike! If your seven-year-old is a fan of Ariel and her fishy friends, this ride should be considered an absolute must do! Guests are taken down into the deep sea and shown the story of The Little Mermaid film up close and personal, with singing and animatronics of course! Children will have the opportunity to experience black light lighting, beautiful audio design and seashell shaped ride vehicles to really tie the experience together!

This ride and its queues are completely wheelchair accessible, and would be perfect for children who have been getting too warm in the sun to cool off on a hot day! Wait times fluctuate throughout the day but are significantly longer in the mid afternoon.

Jungle Cruise

This ride is a fan favorite among children and adults of all ages, however a lot of the humor from the skippers within the ride is geared towards children between the ages of approximately six and ten years old. This is a water ride so it offers a bit of a different experience for kiddos who have never participated in an attraction like that before. Guests will see tigers, elephants, snakes and more as they traverse the dangers of the waters (including piranhas, better watch those fingers!), and it gives children an opportunity to see beautiful plants and animatronics!

This ride is fully wheelchair accessible so anyone in your party can participate in the ride! For those children who have noise sensitivity issues, there is one small moment where a cap gun is used to scare off some animals, and it can be quite loud. 

Emotional Whirlwind (“Inside Out”)

This ride is another option that goes in a calm and gentle circle, making it great for younger children between the ages of six and ten who are not yet used to the more aggressive and involved rides (much like Dumbo’s Flying Elephants)! This particular attraction is great for younger children because of the bright, beautiful colors and details both in the vehicles and the standby lines! Characters from the film are directly involved in every aspect of the experience, and this allows children to feel like they are interacting directly with the characters themselves!

This ride is not wheelchair accessible, however there are transfer vehicles available for children who have mobility issues. There are no sudden movements, flashing lights or sounds in this ride, making it great for children with sensory issues or those who are prone to difficulty in crowds and bright flashing lights.

Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree

If your child is a fan of the Cars film, this ride is an absolute necessity for them to participate in! While this attraction may look dangerous and nauseating, speaking from personal experience is actually quite fun and not nearly as bad as it looks! Children enjoy this ride not only for the characters but also for the ‘unpredictable’ nature of the ride vehicles themselves! No matter how many times your child participate in this attraction, it is likely you will have a different experience each time which of course adds to the fun!

This ride is a bit noisy and could cause children with auditory processing disorders to struggle, but there are no flashing lights and as a general pattern, the movements of the ride as a whole are gentle and not jarring or jolting.

Conclusion

Well that’s it–the ten best Disneyland rides for 7 year olds! Hopefully these fun attractions will provide enough of a lighthearted thrill for every young child that’s in your family!

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