Need to buy a present for an 8yo girl I have never met

[TheHouseofMirth]

I've signed up to donate a gift to a child in care via the Met Police's Christmas Tree appeal and have been allocated an 8 yo girl. Can anyone suggest a gift up to £20 in value which is likely to be appreciated by a girl who I know nothing about?

I woul look at monster high dolls or Barbie stuff.

Doh Vinci by the play doh people is the thing amongst dd2's friends at the moment who are all turning 8. They do various kit sizes.

I would get a cool pencil case and fill it with different things for school - gel pens and scented rubbers etc. I think it would be nice for her to have something like this to show friends maybe?

I second pencil case with sharpies in

I would get something creative - a build your own snow globe or something. At eight they have really diverse interests, some love Barbie etc but some pride themselves on not playing with dolls.

My daughter is 8. She loves Lego friends and monster high. Also loves top model books where you design the outfits. she also is obsessed with descendents but that is probably dependent on them having access to Disney Chanel which you don't know! I would say her and her friends are may be leaving the barbie phase. The mobster or ever after high are a slightly more grown up option of those.

I have a 7yr old who would like:
Lego friends
Adult colouring books and sparkly gel pens
Doh vinci
Aqua beads
So cool sewing machine (bit more than £20 though)
Little live pets

My 8yo really wants Doh Vinci or Crayola Marker Maker for Christmas. I'd go with something like that, fun creative stuff.

A book that teaches drawing, plus a pad and pencils.

Is there a link to this appeal. It seems a lovely idea.

A proper sketchbook and good quality felt pens would be great for my dd. Top Model also fab or you could probably get an Usbourne sticker book as well as the pad and pens.

My 8 year daughter has never been into dolls. She really likes creative stuff though - such as the craft kits sold in places like The Range. And she still really likes playmobil - she has a lot of the "summer fun" range which can be added to and played with as a large set, or you could get something like the camper van which could be played with on its own. I'm not sure if that's babyish or not though.

We also play a lot of board games - monopoly, guess who, battleships, connect 4 are all particular favourites.

A couple of things to think about before your purchase anything.

Children in care often have been neglected and have abilities and maturity below their chronological age. So if buying craft or books then do not go above the age, and preferably younger. So a 5-8 rating would be better for an 8yo than a 8-11.

Also, they may not have much room to store their own things, and may move in and out of care as family circumstances dictate. So probably nothing too bulky or fragile.

(adopter)

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, looks like Doh Vinci is the winner!

Florentina1 is link to the project

Sorry, let's try that again: link

As a foster carer, in my experience, children in foster care get lots of Christmas presents from their foster family and their birth families.
It is the children that are living in poverty, that are living at home in families that are struggling, that need these gifts more.

When I was 8, my favourite presents were Girls World, boules, and Buckaroo, amongst other things. I'd perhaps throw in a selection box too.

What a lovely idea!

I agree with wonderpants

The 2 Christmases my DDs had in foster care they got loads of presents.
From what DD1 has said, Father Christmas didn't know where she lived for the previous 5 years, despite her being known to SS.

OK, so how do I reach those children then?

without doubt, creative or interactive, not a doll.

Doh vinci looks good op,

I would have gone for coluring book and pens for that age and a lego creator set.

I was looking at the Met police link and it doesn't specify that it is for children in care, just for children that might otherwise not get presents.

This states that they are: here.

DD turns 8 after Christmas. She likes:
Lego Elves
Shopkins
Doh Vinci
Mosaics
Beados
Anigami

I second something creative or how about a scooter - you can get some for under £20?

My DD1 is 8 and she likes playing outside on her scooter, roller skates. She loves painting and arts and crafts. She likes toy animals, I think because she's not allowed a pet , so plays with little animal sets a lot (things like Littlest Pet Shop or similar). Play doh is a winner here as is Lego.

Some 8 year olds love Barbie but DD1 would rather stick pins in her eyes.

A nice cuddly toy? Both my DDs LOVE cuddly toys. They have too many but they all get played with constantly. A child who isn't likely to get Christmas presents might not have any/many.