Wrong place to ask but for traffic what are your 8-10 year olds in to !!

[Bringminimoons]

Hey
I am looking for ideas on what to get 8 year old DD.
She is very musical and arty. She has recently unfortunately has to have a leg amputation.
I have asked her for ideas but apart from a gaming pc she hasn’t really specified anything else and is a bit down for obvious reasons so is not really excited much.

Is there any hidden gems out at the moment that are popular ?

Minecraft
The Switch
Reading
A Toucan box (an arty box) 1x a month
Lego
Knitting
Puzzles (simple crosswords and wordfits etc)
Jigsaws
Meccano type kits

So sorry to hear that about your DD. Artsy activities are definitely good for passing time and healing trauma. There are kits called Rainbow Jellies (not sure if they're in shops but easy to get on Amazon) where you can make your own squishy toys. Then there are Aqua Beads, Diamond Painting and these weird water gel toys. The final one has various brand names and you can draw things using colourful gel that turn into solid shapes when submerged into a special solution. On Amazon they're listed as "Water Elves" kits but I've also seen larger, fancier kits in toy stores.

If she's very careful and good at crafting then you might let her work with things that have needles such as needle felting or punch needle embroidery. The advantage of these is that they don't really need a table and she can do them sitting in bed or a sofa, useful if not feeling 100%. There are plenty of needle felting kits online that have everything required to make cute, small animals. For children it's best to go with the simplest designs possible, basically balls with ears, and avoid realistic designs with detailed arms & legs.

If she's allowed to have screens or consoles then Animal Crossing is a great calming game that helps develop reading and various general knowledge skills. The one for mobile is called Pocket Camp (free) and the one for Nintendo Switch is New Horizons.

Sticker activity books are also easy to use in bed and a bit more exciting then just reading. There are loads with unicorns, mermaid themes or ones that tie in with cartoons (Peppa Pig, Hey Duggee etc)

My granddaughter really enjoyed paint by number. Also second the watercolour set with proper brushes and paper. There are some really lovely and accessible videos on Youtube that are great for learning to paint things like loose florals. Check out Shayda Campbell and Emma Lefebvre. Excellent to get your mind into a new space for a bit.

I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.

My daughter (9) has just discovered David Baddiel children's books, she is hooked! She also loves card games, diamond painting with me and dressing her Barbies with clothes she has made out of scrap (outgrown clothing!) fabric and tissues which are the modelled by the dolls who are more likely than not sitting in the Barbie wheelchair.
We (I) have also been taking a trip down memory lane watching 80s and 90s chart music programs!
Best wishes for your daughter and you xx

Fidgit toys are the current obsession for my almost 9yo, this includes squishies, popits, simple dimples, those weird squashes with the beads in them. Every time he opens his mouth it's all he talks about 🤦‍♀️

My 8yo DD loves making bracelets from loom bands, the scratch off foil drawings and hair chalks.

Poor lass, that's really tough!

Not a present idea, but I wanted to say if she's quite an active individual (as I assume from the bike/roller skates) and she likes animals, maybe look into children's Riding for the Disabled? I volunteered with them for years. Might give your DD a positive hobby to enjoy in the longer term.