As girls get older their tastes mature, which can make it tricky to pick out the perfect birthday or Christmas gift. As they enter the tween girl phase, they tend to want the cool new toys their friends are after – while also desiring something special that suits their personality.
When shopping for your 9 to 12 year old, look for gifts she can enjoy solo and also with her friends. Consider getting something fun and challenging, like a STEM kit. Or find an interactive and creative gift, such as a DIY craft set. Perhaps help her celebrate her individuality with an instant camera or personalized purse.
To make your shopping easier, we’ve looked at a bunch of unique gifts for girls and narrowed the choices down to these top picks – all chosen with your budget in mind (most are presents under $40).
Here’s our list of 10 cool and inexpensive gift ideas for girls (9-12 years old).
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Best Cool & Inexpensive Toys And Gifts For Girls (Ages 9 – 12)
1. Gravity Maze Marble Run
This learning play set triples as a logic game, marble run, and STEM toy. Help her build spatial reasoning, planning and engineering skills…and have lots of fun! It offers 60 multi-level challenges that become increasingly difficult so she’ll never get bored. Ages 8+
2. Sparkle Unicorn Light-Up Crafting Kit
Thames & Kosmos’s new Creatto line combines DIY projects with STEM learning. This kit makes a sparkly, 3-D piece of art that doubles as a cool nightlight. The pieces can also be assembled to create a bunny, ballerina, Polar bear… or whatever her imagination wants. The pieces easily snap together, and a string of LED lights is woven through to make her creation magically “come alive”. Ages 8+
3. Nancy Drew Mystery Series Special Edition – Books 1 – 4
Introduce your daughter to the series you loved as a girl. This Nancy Drew box set features the reissued editions of books 1-4, all with gorgeous covers reminiscent of when the series was first published. This special set is perfect for collectors and is also a great birthday or Christmas gift for turning new readers on to the girl sleuth.
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4. Light-Up LED Unicorn Slippers
Everyone deserves stylish and comfy feet and these light-up, plush slippers will be perfect for a tween girl’s tootsies. Not only are they in the shape of adorably fluffy unicorns but they are available in pink, purple, or white. She will love watching the cheeks light-up in the dark – which flash through a rainbow of colors.
5. ICEWATER Smart Water Bottle With Bluetooth & Dancing Lights
This glowing water bottle makes a fun birthday gift that will remind her to drink more water. It has a portable, wireless bluetooth speaker and built-in battery so she can rock-out while at the beach, on the sports field, or camping out in the backyard with friends. In “dancing lights mode”, she can watch the bottle’s lights dance along to the music. 100% BPA-Free Non-toxic and water resistant.
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6. Women In Art & Women In Science Book
This beautifully illustrated and inspiring book highlights the achievements of 50 notable women in the arts. Girls can read about how painters Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keefe, 19th-century African American quilter Harriet Powers, and Hopi-Tewa ceramic artist Nampeyo, paved the way for the next generation of artists.
Girls will be inspired by these 50 women who changed history. This book celebrates female pioneers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, including primatologist Jane Goodall and physicist Katherine Johnson. It is a New York Times’ bestseller, featuring illustrations and a scientific glossary.
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7. Cartoon Series Leather Wallet & Clutch
Nine to twelve years old is the age range when girls start getting interested in fashion trends. This series of fine leather wallets make great Christmas or birthday gifts for girls who want a more sophisticated option for carrying their money. Choose the design that best fits her style: owls, foxes, bunny rabbits, elephants, kittens, huskies, various flower and bird patterns. This clutch will even hold her cell phone or iPod!
8. Star String Lights
These are a great , sparkly addition to any pre-teen’s girl’s room. My 10-year-old daughter is big into room décor and I bought her a set of these twinkly lights for Christmas. She likes how they add a warm glow to her bedroom and a touch of sophistication now that she is getting older.
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9. Fujifilm Mini Instant Camera
Even though the world is going digital, your daughter will love being able to snap a photo and hold it in her hand. This camera comes equipped with a new Automatic Exposure function, making it easier to take perfect photos. Also included is a Selfie Mode, with a built-in close-up lens and selfie mirror! This compact camera is available in 5 colours and uses Fujifilm instant colour film to make prints.
10. Rainbow Loom
Help foster her creative side with this 2014 Toy of the Year Winner – Rainbow Loom. My 10-year-old daughter bought this design kit herself and she loves it! It comes with a Metal Hook, 1 Original Loom Board, 600 Multi-Color Rubber Bands and 24 C-Clips that she uses to make jewelry and crafts for her friends. Kids can even make colourful animals and key chains.
It’s A Wrap! Gifts Ideas For Girls Conclusion
Whether you are looking for cheap birthday gifts or Christmas list ideas for the tween in your life, I hope you found the perfect special something. If you enjoyed our list of 10 cool and inexpensive gift ideas for girls (9 -12 years old), please share!
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Well, my girl totally loves this gifts and I feel really proud for that. These gifts were really helpful to choose from as they are really simple gifts but actually good for my 10 years old. Thanks a lot for sharing these items,
Regards
Alex
Great ideas!