Looking for gift suggestions

[harley]

I've got a soon to be 9 y.o. DGD. We're going to be flying north to visit in a few weeks for her birthday. We're looking for a nice gift, nothing super fancy, to give her. She's got a ton of stuff, and is recently into Legos and video games. But we thought it would be nice to find her something she could play with by herself, and maybe with others. She's a standard kid for these days, very busy schedule, loads of toys and gadgets, and lives in a busy suburban neighborhood where she can't play outside unaccompanied very much. We'd like to find her something non-electronic, non-Lego, sort of simple and fun. Just a game/board game or project or artsy craftsy thing she could have some fun with without too much adult help.

I was thinking of a Spirograph, which I enjoyed as a kid. But then I thought "I've got access to a community of smart and creative people, why not throw it out for suggestions". So any ideas would be appreciated. It should be fun to see what y'all come up with.

 

[Boxman51]

If she is mature for her age why not buy her some stock in companies that she likes, like Lego, Disney, McDonalds, etc.. Then she can read about what the company is doing and begin to save.

I know that there use to be several mutual funds that were aimed at children, with the idea that their reports would be written for a child to understand and with information that they would be interested in.

 

[Meadbh]

A book.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Lucky DGD!

Books are good--is there a series she likes?

Spirograph is fun. Paint by number kits too.

Potholder loom is fun.

I learned to knit at that age with my grandmother and a kids' "learn to knit" kit. If there is a yarn store near her they will be happy to sell you lessons for her.

 

[Dreamer]

My DGD is 6. One of the gifts that we got her was 12 books from Roald Dahl. We were watching her and her sister Tuesday night and she kept giggling and then telling me about the book. Another Christmas gift was 3 small pillows that you used a tool to punch fabric pieces into a pillow. She enjoyed doing that on Christmas day, but I have not seen her with it again. I don't know if she has completed them already or not. Her 5 month old sister keeps me hopping.

One of my Christmas presents for me was 12 coupons where I could take the 6 yr old for the day and do whatever we want and eat whatever we want. Her parents can be a little strict. I used January's coupon on Saturday. We went to see Paddington, went shopping just for her (Frozen diary and new outfit), ate dinner at Chik-Filet and stopped at Sweet Frogs for yogurt. Came home and played Monopoly Junior and she spent the night. It was a wonderful day. Maybe a coupon for a similar day for your DGD.

 

[Ally]

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-4371-Suspend/dp/B007EA4UBY/ref=pd_bxgy_t_img_y

We bought this for our grandchildren at Christmas and although it looks simple, it provided all of us with hours of entertainment. Anyone can play from about age 3 to adult. Even as grandparents, we enjoyed playing. Plus, it's small and can fit in a suitcase.

 

[freebird5825]

You didn't specify a budget, so I found something (that is electronic) that would be a blast for her to use for artwork on the computer.


http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Intuos-Touch-Small-Tablet/dp/B00EN27U9U/ref=pd_cp_e_0

 

[Dreamer]

I will have to keep in mind the Spirograph and the Suspend game for my DGD for later gifts. When I clicked on Suspend, it showed the Spot It game, which my DGD has and we have all played too. Keep those ideas coming.

 

[sailor]

My 8 y.o. daughter recently plays "Gravity Maze" - it was a Christmas gifts from relatives and a month later she still likes to play with it.
Gravity Maze | Thinkfun

 

[Spudd]

I loved the spirograph at that age. Super loved it.

I also really liked The Game of Life.

 

[unno2002]

Maybe I'm just too old, or primitive…


How about the games Monopoly, and/or Scrabble, and enthusiastically play the game with the kids?


Learn to mix strategy with the luck of the dice/draw, learn new words…

 

[harley]

Some excellent suggestions here. Thanks. I like the Suspend Game, and the Gravity Maze game would be great because it's for one player. She's an only (so far) kid, and I'd really like something she can do by herself. I talked to her Mom again, and ended up buying books 11-20 of the Pony Pals series. They were a pain to find, since they're out of print. But yay for Amazon. She's a voracious reader, and has already read the entire Harry Potter series. These are much easier, so she'll probably go through them fairly quickly. But her Mom said she loved books 1-10. I may throw in a Spirograph or the Gravity Maze too, but we'll see.

 

[springnr]

Active toy: (good core workout)