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Shopping for tween girls can be quite daunting! In my experience, it is also the first time that it drives it home to you that your daughter is no longer a little girl. Gone are the days when you could confidently buy an assortment of fun toys and craft stuff and create a giant tower of gifts for her to open.
If you feel like a rabbit caught in the headlights, don’t worry, I’ve got you! I’ve compiled a gift guide of tween-approved gift ideas for you to browse and choose a really cool gift for your tween.
Related: Best STEM gifts for girls
GET INSPIRED: 27 COOL GIFT IDEAS FOR TWEEN GIRL
Look at this wide range of tween-girl gift ideas I have curated with my daughter and her friends. I’ve steered clear of run-of-the-mill gift ideas for tweens and sourced cute and cool gifts that get the seal of approval from a bunch of very cool tween girls. I guarantee you will find the perfect gifts that your tween will actually want and love.
- Instax SQUARE SQ1 instant film Camera
- Paper Girls: The Complete Story
- Lucky Voice Karaoke Machine &and Microphone
- Heartstopper Volume 1
- POGS The Gecko kids wireless bluetooth headphones
- HappySelf The Journal – The Award Winning Daily Journal
- Echo Dot (5th generation, 2022 release) Kids
- Raina Telgemeier Five Book Collection: Smile / Drama / Sisters / Ghosts / Guts
- Venom Pro Complete Skateboard | Spectrum - 8.0"
- Revlon Salon One-Step Hair dryer brush (mid to short hair)
- Reusable Boba Cup Bubble Tea Cups
- Multicoloured Led Strip Lights
- Nintendo Switch (OLED Model)
- Animetrics: A Striking Geometric Sticker Painting Book
- Retro Acrylic Name Necklace | MYKA
- Abstract Painting Kit
- Sillbird STEM 12-in-1 Education Solar Robot Toys
- Donut Bath Bomb Fizzer Gift Set (6 x 58g)
- Spots and Stripes Starter Skincare Girls
- 4M 406805 Logiblocs Spy Tech
- Scentology Vanilla Latte and Velvet Woods Body Spray
- Florence By Mills Zero Chill Face Mist
- Florence By Mills Dreamy Dew Moisturiser
- LEGO Dots Big Message Board
- Pink Medium Jewellery Box | Pandora
- Makeup Revolution, Glaze Lip Oil
- Squishmallows 12-Inch Lelila the Ice Cream
The Instax SQUARE SQ1 instant film camera is a step up from kids' favourite, The Instax Mini
It looks much more grown-up looking (choose from blue, orange or white), which will please tweens. There is a big trend towards film photography, so tweens with an eye for trends will love getting their hands on one of these.
It's a really easy-to-use camera that instantly produces high-quality prints in a square format. It has automatic exposure (AKA 'point and shoot', which is useful for avoiding dud shots that just waste film) and a built-in selfie lens and mirror.
The film works out to be a little more expensive than the Instax Mini film. The most economical way of buying it is to go for the 50-shot pack.
Papergirls are the graphic novel books of the moment - and also now a very successful Amazon Prime TV series. The novels feature four twelve-year-old newspaper delivery girls from 1988 who uncover the most important story ever. It's a tale where suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide with nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood. In short, Papergirls is wonderful, and I challenge any 12-year-old tween not to love it!
Karaoke can provide hours of fun, either solo fun for tweens just getting into spending more time alone in their room (around 12 is when it starts to happen) or when they get together with friends for sleepovers or parties.
How about giving a graphic novel as a party favour for older kids? Graphic novels are cult classics at the moment. The Heartstopper series of books is now a monster hit on Netflix. Great for kids aged 12+
POGS The Gecko Kids Bluetooth headphones are brilliant for tweens. They are wireless headphones, softly padded and adjustable, which makes them super easy and comfortable. The sound quality is awesome. Oh, and they are foldable, so they are perfect for packing for family travel. The charge lasts around 12 hours. The headphones come in four understated colours, mustard, raspberry, dusty blue and soft green, which make them look far more grownup than headphones for little kids.
The HappySelf Journal is an award-winning daily journal designed to help children aged 6-12 develop positive habits and boost their happiness. With all the challenges that tweens face, a spot of daily journaling is a great way to find moments of calm to focus on the positives in life.
The Amazon Kids' Echo Dot (5th Generation 2022 release) is a smart speaker with Alexa designed for kids.
Tweens can use Alexa to play music, listen to the radio, read bedtime stories and get homework help. The Echo Dot comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, which gives access to kid-friendly Audible books, interactive games and educational Alexa skills.
Parents can set daily time limits, review activity and filter explicit content using the Amazon Parent Dashboard.
It's a great gift for tweens as they become more independent.
The Raina Telgemeier Five Book Collection (Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts, and Guts) - is a must-have for tween girls who love graphic novels. Raina Telgemeier is a cult-favourite author amongst tweens and teens, and graphic novels are a great way to entice them to read in a world otherwise dominated by screens.
Each book follows relatable characters facing real-life issues such as friendship, family, and growing up. The cool illustrations and engaging stories make this collection perfect for tweens looking for a fun and inspiring read. With themes of resilience, self-discovery, and empathy, these books. My daughter absolutely loves them.
Skateboarding is huge with tween girls. After all, they have an icon in Skye Brown, who slayed at the Japan Olympics. This is a great starter skateboard for sk8tr girls.
My daughter and I share one of these brilliant Revlon hairdryer brushes, and I wish with all my heart that I had had one when I was a tween, struggling to style my hair for the first time! It is so much easier to blow-dry hair when you aren't having to juggle a brush in one hand and a hairdryer in the other. Needless to say, my daughter absolutely loves using it.
The brush is really light and the handle is shaped in a way that makes it easy for tween hands to hold.
Bubble tea is hugely popular with tweens and teens, so this set of two bubble (boba) tea cups will no doubt be a hit. One for her and one for her BFF when they hang out together.
Striplights are a TikTok trend that has taken hold with tweens and teens. They are super easy to put up, and it's fun for kids to control the different lighting schemes with the remote-controlled app that comes with the lights.
The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular tech gadgets amongst tweens. Whether your tween loves the more classic games, like Mario Kart, or is a fan of the latest releases, they will be beside themselves if they unwrap a Switch.
This is the latest model, the Nintendo Switch OLED. It has a 7-inch OLED screen and 64GB of storage. It has a built-in stand, dock, wired LAN port, and controllers. It is backwards compatible with previous models and supports 4K gaming resolution, a frame rate of up to 120 fps, and 3D spatial audio, which make gaming sessions more immersive.
Sticker Art is increasingly popular as a calming and creative way to while away a few hours. The aim is to use the stickers like paint to create beautiful images.
I just love this Retro Acrylic Name Necklace. It is on my list for several tween girls' birthday gifts. The necklace is customisable for any name up to 8 characters. It comes in five different acrylic colour combinations and is made from durable acrylic. The necklace has a cute but edgy vibe that's perfect for cool tweens.
This painting kit has everything budding tween artists need to get started creating abstract art. There are even some tutorials from abstract artists on the Sculpd site. Art supplies are guaranteed to be a big hit with creative tweens.
The Sillbird STEM 12-in-1 Education Solar Robot Toys is a brilliant gift for tween girls who love science and technology. This 190-piece DIY building science kit contains various pieces and parts to help kids explore their creativity and develop their STEM skills.
Plus, the kit is powered by the sun, so no batteries are needed (parental win!). With 12 robots to build that can move on land or in the water, this kit offers two degrees of complexity, making it perfect for both kids just starting out with building robots and those who are more advanced.
Bath bombs always go down well as a gift for tween girls, particularly younger tweens or young-at-heart tweens who have yet to graduate to more of an interest in beauty and skincare.
Spots and Stripes is a favourite among parents for tween skin. It is super gentle and kind to young skin. Starting tweens off on a good skincare routine young is setting them up to look after their skin well for life.
Great for younger tweens who love a bit of STEM tech, Logiblocs allow you to record and playback secret messages, set traps, build door alarms and do sneaky activities whilst learning about electronics and computer science.
Body spray is a great gift for a tween girl, she's not yet old enough for perfume but wants to smell fragrant - especially after sport!
12-year-old girls are often just starting to become interested in skincare, they may have noticed spots and bumps appearing. Gentle skincare brands with no nasties make great gifts. This face mist is a real favourite amongst the tweens and young teens I know.
This is a lovely starter moisturiser for tween girls keen to look after their skin. It's a particularly winning gift for fans of Stranger Things, as the range is by Millie Bobby Brown.
The LEGO Dots Big Message Board set is a great gift for tween girls who love to express themselves by creating and customising. There are 1,464 pieces in the set, which means there are endless possibilities for building and designing unique message board messages. I love that tweens can create something special and use it to personalise their bedroom decor.
Pandora is a bit of a favourite with tween girls, so why not get them ready to start their Pandora collection with this fab little jewellery box? Of course, it doesn't have to be filled with Pandora jewellery!
Revolution is a hugely popular beauty brand with tween and teen girls. It's got really pocket-friendly prices and dupes for some of the massive cult beauty favourites. This lip oil is really gorgeous and a favourite dupe for Dior Lip Oil.
I challenge anyone not to love squishing and cuddling a Squishmallow. This is the perfect little treat of a gift for tweens who are oscillating between being almost-teens one minute and little kids another.
HOW TO CHOOSE GREAT GIFTS FOR COOL TWEEN GIRLS
Here are some things to take into consideration when choosing gifts for tween girls:
- Interests and hobbies: Take note of her interests and hobbies, and choose gifts that align with them.
- Educational value: Your tween may not be a young child anymore, but it is still worth looking for educational gifts, such as STEM toys or craft kits.
- Quality: It. is always worth choosing high-quality and durable gifts, so they will last longer and be handed down or even sold.
- Trendiness: Tween girls are starting to really notice the latest trends. Whilst there is no need to be a slave to trends, particularly if it means blowing your budget, it is worth considering things that are currently popular among tween girls.
- Personalisation: Consider adding a personal touch to a gift, such as a monogram or custom engraving, to make it more special.
Luci is the founder of Mums Make Lists (Est. 2011). Over the last decade or so, she has used her experience as a mum to create useful guides to organising family life. During that time, she has found the most joy in creating lists of ideas and inspiration to make it easier for busy parents to plan and host kids’ parties and find great gifts. Read more.