I need help on a Tween Girl gift!!

[fmdjgirl]

The limit is 10.00 but we want to spend 20.00 on the present. She is my 12 year old niece and very hard to buy for. She enjoys reading but reads so much and often, that it is too hard to keep up with all she has read. She loves music (girl groups are her favorites, esp the Cheetah Girls!) but NOT BOYS. She still thinks they are dumb. I thought about getting her a tween magazine like Bop, Tiger Beat, J14 or something but I know nothing about these magazines now. Are they all obsessed with boys or is there one that might fit her?

 

She loves movies, music, bands and I thought maybe one of this might fit her. She's in that in between stage where she adores Limited Too but hates pink and girly girl stuff. She is above her 12 year old status maturity and intellectually so I just don't want a "childish" gift.

 

PLEASE HELP ME PICK ONE!!! Or if this idea sucks, any suggestions? PLEASE HELP ME PICK ONE!!! Or if this idea sucks, any suggestions?

[alimfp]

When I was her age, those magazines were 75% about boys, 25% about fashion/makeup. Girl's Life is a good one, but I forget what age it's aimed for. It probably says on their web site.

 

What about a cute basket filled with accessories from Limited Too, then a gift card to a book store (like Barnes & Noble)?

[trbarginhunter]

My 12 yr old reads Girl's Life, I don't like the others listed--neither does she. She also reads National Geographic (not the kids one) but I think Girl's Life is more what you are looking for. Honestly, what would send my tween over the moon is a gift card to the bookstore. She loves to read, and knows that it's hard to keep up with what she has recently finished. Add at book mark (they have some intial ones at Barnes and Noble, right at the checkstand) or a book light (Target) if you would like.

[pastasalad]

what about the High School Musical dvd, or the soundtrack. My dd's 10 & 13 LOVE HS Musical...

as far as the teen mags my 10yo dd Loves them they are about half n half I would say now, the last one she bought had stuff about ashley tisdale, zac effron, has a lot of disney channel stars etc,she likes to "write" so she writes to all the stars that they have listed address's for in the mag...but she may like the Girls Life mag better.

 

You could always do a book bag set and fill it with goodies and book store gc, you can get an inexpsensive canvas bag at hobby lobby,micheals etc, and decorate it with her name and some quotes from authors-My children love shell silverstien...

 

good luck I am sure you will come up with the perfect gift for her.

[dtwdmaty]

It's all about Hannah Montana here. My tween loves the soundtrack. Old Navy has non-girly clothes, too.

[preacherswife2]

We just got our Granddaughter's Girls Life, its a great mag. that keeps giving all year. It is really for the 11, 12, 13 year olds and deals with things they deal with. We spent HOURS reading over all the ones out there and found it to be the best. Great deals on it also! Its under 20.00 for a year

[madiiisc]

I have a 12 year old, she loves music, so she's getting an MP3 player this year. If your 12 year old has an MP3 player, how about an ITunes gift card, or if she likes CD's and downloads music, a CD case with a pack of blank CD's. My DD didn't ask for much except clothes, it's really the only thing she's asked for. A couple of things I know she likes: anything from the 3A's: Aeropostale (everything in this store is 50% off, you could get her a hoodie, a top, or pj's under $20), American Eagle (more expensive, you might find a cute scarf, hat and mittens or a top in the clearance section for under $20), Abercombie & Fitch (most expensive, you could get a t-shirt for $12 - 14 in clearance, then get a long sleeve from another store so she can wear in the winter). How about jewelry? A silver necklace with her name or initial engraved on it? These can usually be found for under $20. A cute fleece throw with her named monogrammed on it, that's under $20. These are all items that my girl is getting and I know she'll go crazy for them Christmas day. Hope this helps

[kdymott]

how about starting her on a hobby..... like jewelry making?

A How-To book on basics with a set of tools / starter kit.

[suzanneb]

How about a subscription to Teen People?

[petalmom]

You can't go wrong with a bookstore giftcard. Along with it maybe a "certificate" for a girls day out. You can treat her to lunch and then take her to the bookstore to choose her gift.

[heatherkw]

Check out American Girls book.not the story ones. They have ones just for girls with stuff about friends school advice body stuff, etc. The favorite of my DD(12) is called the big book of help. she loves these and we buy one whenever we run across them.

 

heather

[pastasalad]

Last night while at Target my dd(13) reminded me of the Klutz books.....maybe your niece would like one of these.

heres a link incase you havent heard of of these books

 

http://www.klutz.com/

[ms_mckenna]

My daughter is 13 and loves craft kits that you get from the craft stores like hobby lobby.

[tiffbiles]

I agree with High School Musical. The DVD has both the regular version of the movie AND a sing-along version with the words at the bottom. My ten-year-old just had a slumber party and all 10 of the girls there sang and danced along to every song. It reminded me of being that age and watching the sing-along version of Grease with my friends (who am I kidding...I did that in college too with all of my sorority sisters).

[pastasalad]

I agree with High School Musical. The DVD has both the regular version of the movie AND a sing-along version with the words at the bottom. My ten-year-old just had a slumber party and all 10 of the girls there sang and danced along to every song. It reminded me of being that age and watching the sing-along version of Grease with my friends (who am I kidding...I did that in college too with all of my sorority sisters).

 

me too

[fmdjgirl]

These are all awesome ideas! I called her Dad and we discussed them all. After checking into everything, we've decided to go with the Girl's Life magazine. I love the idea of her getting a gift for a year, lol!

 

thanks for all the help!

[preacherswife2]

I think she will love it, and if you think about you can just renew it or start a new one each year. My Grandkids love all the ones they have gotten over the years and you choose a new one as they grow! They all love getting mail, no matter how old they get!

[fierymyst]

Check out American Girls book.not the story ones. They have ones just for girls with stuff about friends school advice body stuff, etc. The favorite of my DD(12) is called the big book of help. she loves these and we buy one whenever we run across them.

 

heather

 

I cannot recommend these more!! They are wonderful and good for the self-esteem. Also a subscription for American Girl magazine. Gift certificates to book stores would also be great.

[steph1]

I can also give a HUGE recommendation for the AG books!! My DD reads the stories but also the About your Body; Dealing with friends and stresses of these years etc....

She also gets AG magazine -- not all boys; in fact it's more about girls, what they do and empowering themselves. We love them!

 

Steph