Best Universal Orlando Rides for Kids 5 to 8

Universal Orlando Resort is a great place to vacation with your family–just ask my kids!

We had the chance to visit both Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure when we attended the Family Forward conference last month and cannot wait to head back. We are big amusement park lovers so knew we would have a great time, but we were all blown away by just how cool some of the the rides were!

The kids helped me put together a guide of the best Universal Orlando rides for kids ages 5-8 and we’ve included the height requirements for easy reference.

Best Universal Studios Florida Rides for Kids

We had a blast at Universal Studios Florida! Here are our favorites for kids ages 5 through 8 grouped by height requirements (because we know that that is a big deal for kids in this age group!)

Best Rides for Kids of All Heights

• Shrek 4-D
• Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl
• Hogwarts™ Express (must have 2 park ticket)

Best Rides for Kids 36 Inches and Taller

• E.T. Adventure® (only need to be 34″!)
• Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster

Best Rides for Kids 40 Inches and Taller

• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
• TRANSFORMERS™: The Ride 3-D
• The Simpsons Ride™

Best Rides for Kids 42 Inches and Taller

• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™
• MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack™

Best Islands of Adventure Rides for Kids

We highly recommend the Park-to-Park Admission tickets if it’s in your budget! There are so many thing to see and when you buy multi-day passes the price per day decreases. Here are our favorite Islands of Adventure Rides for Kids ages 5-8!

Best Ride for Kids of All Heights

• Caro-Seuss-el™
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish™

Best Rides for Kids 36 Inches and Taller

• Flight of the Hippogriff™
• The Cat in the Hat™
• Pteranodon Flyers®

Best Rides for Kids 40 Inches and Taller

• The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man®
• The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!™

Best Rides for Kids 42 Inches and Taller

• Jurassic Park River Adventure®
• Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges®

Best Rides for Kids 48 Inches and Taller

• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™

If you’re heading to Universal Orlando Resort for a family vacation we highly recommend staying at one of their hotels if you can.  We stayed at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and were completely charmed by the Italian atmosphere and attention to detail.  In addition to a wonderful hotel experience we were also able to take advantage of the on-site hotel benefits.

When you stay at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and the Hard Rock Hotel® you get extra perks including a daily Universal Express Unlimited ride access pass where you can skip the line on almost every ride in the park. We were there over Labor Day weekend and were shocked at how quickly the Express lines went!

When you stay on-site you also get complimentary water taxis, priority seating at restaurants, early admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, character appearances and more!

Disclosure: We were able to visit Universal Orlando Resort at a discounted rate as part of the Family Forward conference. All thoughts and opinions are mine and my family’s alone and we were not compensated for this post. We just had a really great time!