7 year old niece - stuck for ideas

[Candlesandrust]

What can I buy my seven year old niece? I am fresh out of ideas. Not a clue! I don't have children myself and struggle every year, but this is a fresh kind of blank, she's a bit too old for toys and games, but too young for trying make up and nail varnish! Help please.

I've got a 7 year old DD. She is getting Lego as she loves it, a couple of soft toys, lots of books and a load of stuff from Smiggle . I think they're quite easily pleased at this age!

Ask her mum, my 7 year old DD hates LOLs, Shopkins and Hatchimals, loves drones and cooking, gardening. Best presents we've got were subscriptions to the Week Junior and Whizz Pop Bang! A contribution towards gymnastics classes, tickets to Operation Ouch live, party shoes, a magic kit.

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I wanted it to be a surprise for her mum and I'm sure she's got enough on her plate and won't want me asking for suggestions from her.

My niece is now 9. She has too much stuff so for the last couple of Christmases and Birthdays I buy her a small gift to open on the day but take her to the theatre or a day out with lunch before or after the occasion. Couldn't you do that with her?

Last year i bought my DN a sparkly backpack from the Disney store and filled it with bits of cute stationery and a little notepad all individually wrapped in tissue paper, it was a huge hit

My 7 yo is getting
Lego Batman game
Probably Qwirkle or Cubissimo game though I'm losing the will to live with my mum's inability to find Google.
Subscription to Willoughby Book Club.
Yellow submarine t-shirt
Christmas pyjamas
Story cubes type thing.
Possibly a den kit for his Jan birthday.
A real Venus Fly trap

Oh and a lava lamp.

It makes me really sad to hear that 7 year olds are too old for toys. My nearly 7 year old certainly hasn’t shown signs of outgrown g them, and he absolutely loves games.
Top gender neutral toys here are:
Science sets
Hotwires
Origami sets
Hama beads
Card-making bits
Lego
Favoured games/ games on Xmas list include:
Pop to the Shops
Bugs in the kitchen
Labyrinth
Rummikub
Exploding kittens
Game of Life
Frustration
Monopoly Junior
Ticket to ride:first journey
Dibble
Jenga
(We are keen family game players!)

Oh yes DS loves his Snap Circuits.

hoodie
mermaid tail blanket
unicorn blanket
hair chalk
crayola light up tracing box
princess tent
art set
kareoke machine
dolls
cuddly toy
cute letter writing set

Reversible sequin cushion
Teddy or animal that you heat up in the microwave
Light up globe
Dobble or uno card games
Things from Smiggle
Anything from National Geographic

starlight lamp
jewellery box
kids bow and arrow set
book set
walkie talkie
hot choc set
bead set
art set
socks
bath bombs
shower gel
hobbie experience
tickets to see the nutcracker

7 is definitely not too old for toys. My 7 yo dd is having a Schleich horse club house and stable from us, she also loves the Bayala mermaids/ unicorns/ fairies. The Horse Club things have some expensive sets and some cheaper- there's a caravan, and a mobile vet, as well as individual stables and characters/ ponies. Other things she loves are pokemon and minecraft and lego, as well as fancy dress in princess costumes.

7 is very definitely not too old for toys .

I don't think asking mum is putting her out at all. I have only one relative who never ever asks what to get my kids and they almost always end up with something they already have, usually an inferior version. Examples, character plastic instruments when they already have a vast array of good quality instruments. Character art sets when they already have good quality art equipment. Duplicate books. The kids will never let me exchange, or relatives encourage them to open them there and then so it's just a waste. I'd always much rather someone ask if they are struggling.

Do you find it hard to buy for your kids? Would you prefer a solution that gets them what they want, or do you like the surprise aspect?

I don't have my own children.

@user1573334 thanks for your comments, but that's a very ungrateful attitude to have. I hope my DS and BIL never feel that way.

I hate it because our planet is dying, and having the earth polluted with plastic crap that will end up in landfill is really fucking depressing.

My dd is 7 nearly 8. Things she likes or has asked for for christmas:-

David Walliams books (Sainbos do dress ups costumes which match so that could be a good gift)
Guess Who game
Slime
Drawing stuff (pad of plain paper, pad of tracing paper, colouring pens, stencils)
Baking stuff (apron, kids recipe book, piping bag etc)
Lego
Playmobil

I'm getting my niece of the same age a mermaid tail blanket. My DD has one last year when she was 8 and she still loves it

@user1573334
I agree, but what is also depressing is the way that society seems to think being ungrateful is acceptable, and using plastic pollution and climate change as an excuse for bad manners.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Mermaid tail blankets have come up a few times so I'll have a look at them. I've also asked her mum for suggestions, so as not to ruin the planet!

Too old for toys and games??!! DC grow up so fast these days. I sound like my granny.

Serin I have a 29yo who builds Lego.

My 7 year old DD loves her mermaid tale blanket! Also likes lego (especially lego friends), sparkly accessories or bags, games (dobble is good if she doesn't already have it), sylvanian families, cuddly toys (although she already has a ridiculous number!)

All the 7 y olds I know are still happy to play with toys too!

For girls of that age you can't normally go wrong with craft stuff and stationery. If you have a Flying Tiger nearby head there and max out on inexpensive sequinned notebooks, colouring pencils, pens, glittery stuff, stickers, sticky notes, paper stuff and crafty things. My nearly 7 yo DD would love nothing more than a box of sellotape, glitter glues, coloured cards, ribbons, and crafty items, and they'll all get used in some way.

If your niece is creative, you can't really go wrong with a watercolour paper pad and some of those colouring pencils in a tin what you can use a brush on to make into watercolour paints.

Galt craft sets are good for that age, too, and decent quality. Galt also do a range of very good and reasonably priced science sets, eg. Science Lab, Rainbow Lab, Magnetic Lab, for about £12-13. My DD loved the Rainbow Lab.

Nightlights, battery fairy lights, bouncy balls that light up, any stuff that lights up to be honest: they love it all. Rex London does cute nightlights plus lots of super-cute unusual toys and stocking filler type things.

The Book People is great for good value inexpensive book sets for that age group. Enid Blyton, Darcey Bussell, Worst Witch etc. all very good.

That age group still loves soft toys and is also normally keen on a bit of tat so a beanie boo toy or something like a Twisty Petz thing often goes down well. (I am keen on Twisty Petz for presents for girls that age because they satisfy the small girl urge for glittery tat but they are also Small and Easily Tidied Away so other parents like them too )

My DD is getting for Christmas from us:
Lego
Narwhal beanie boo
Unicorn colouring cards/pad
Metallic colouring pencils set
Some book sets

a Twisty Petz bracelet
wooden cloud bookends
cloud nightlight
Aquabeads keyring set
Nail art set
Pocket microscope.