Gift ideas for a 12 year old (getting desperate!)

[Thealarmhasgoneoffagain]

About £50ish budget. She's 12 but young iyswim.

• She's just had her room done so nothing for that.
• not into clothes / make up / smellies
• not getting an alexa or anything like that
• we already have a couple of days out / experiences planned
• her hobbies don't need any equipment
• already have plenty of craft stuff.
• She's not having money or gift cards
• no garden and no where to ride a bike or the like.
• she is a viroucious (sp?) reader and loves writing her own stories

I can only really think of an ooodie or switch game but I don't think she particularly wants them. She would lose a really fancy pen.

Hi op,

This special edition of The Armourers House by Rosemary Sutcliffe is lovely and the story is wonderful:

www.manderleypress.com/shop/p/the-armourers-house

Writing Magazine

www.warnersgroup.co.uk/creative-leisure/writing-magazine/

Also echo others' suggestion of typewriter. Used model, perhaps? And ream of nice paper.

I'm a professional writer & would have loved such gifts as an adolescent.

You say she's not into clothing but what about a classic she can wear for life like a denim jacket? Used or vintage would be fine.

She would LOVE a typewriter. Good call.
Will have to look into them. I know where you can get them second hand but I don't know about the ribbons (I think that is what they are called?). Would have to be portable one because we have nowhere to keep it out.

Dad would think it was rubbish and add to the "stuff" but she does eye them up when she sees them.

Instead of a giant Rubik's cube, how about a smart Rubiks cube that has a computer app so you can be set challenges, given tips on solving it and time herself?

I think it would be quite an exciting gift.

www.thetypewriterman.co.uk/supplies.html

Book club subscription, like something from this list or similar www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com/best-subscription-boxes/best-book-boxes

Fun software like a simple image editor for PC or a language learning app or an animated collage maker.

Merch products related to her favorite books and movies, ie clothes, posters, figures etc.

I gave my niece (similar age) a mermaid sleeping bag snuggle thing that she sits and reads in so it looks as though she has a mermaid's tail. For some reason it was the best present ever!

smaller maybe more of a stocking filler than a main gift but how about story dice?

I would add at that age I got a type writer, I have always loved writing but cant hold a pen due to my disability, mine even had the ink eraser ribbon for if you made a mistake... I HATED it, it was hard work and a PITA, typing on a computer was a million times easier so it rarely ever got used.

I know you said no to Alexa but it gets a lot of use in our house. Music, audiobooks, jokes, facts, timer, alarm clock etc.

Another great gift we got was this money box

Photo won’t load but it’s the Husan money safe. Looks like a safe or ATM, you feed in the cash and it sucks it in, locked/unlocked by a code

Has she read the diary of Anne Frank yet OP

Anne wanted to be a writer and writes about that amongst the rest, it might appeal to her and she is about the right age.

I think she might find a typewriter difficult unless she has quite large hands with some strength. You can get mini keyboards that connect to a phone or tablet.

uk.bestreviews.guide/mini-keyboard-for-phone

Yes, I've looked into typewriters and although I think that she would love opening one, I don't think she would like using it so it would be a novelty present and not much use. I know not everything has to be useful and sometimes it is about the excitement of opening it but I think she'd be disappointed. ☹️

I subtley asked about an electronics kit and she said that she likes doing the clubs at school but wouldn't do extra at home.

She has now asked for something... one of those jumping fish toys for the cat. The cat will hate it (she's scared of everything) but now my daughter has said she wants that as her birthday present to give it to the cat. Her dad has said we should because that I'd what's she's asked for even though it isn't for her.

@PhotoDad is it possible to get a somewhat decent camera for less than £50? I have absolutely no idea what I need to look for in one and there are no camera shops by us anymore to ask.

I think she might find a typewriter difficult unless she has quite large hands with some strength. You can get mini keyboards that connect to a phone or tablet.

It does seem to me that typewriters are basically obsolete now - surely moving towards some combination of keyboard, perhaps word processing software apt for whatever computer/tablet she has and maybe a printer would be more generally useful - for coding type of thing as well as other forms of creative writing.

What about an animation kit like the HUE Animation Studio, or there are cheaper simpler ones. She could animate her own stories

A DSLR or mirrorless will cost at least £300-£400 for a standard entry level 'amature' one like the canon 4000D.

Photography is a very expensive hobby... any camera you get for £50 will be crapper than the standard phone camera now a days.

Could you set her up on Revolute Junior and she might fl cool tapping her own card and saving into their areas.

Thanks @mam0918 that is what I suspected. We don't have that budget.

@junebirthdaygirl isn't that just a bank account? She already has one, although I do need to see if she can get a debut card now.

How about Heelys? Their Tommy Hilfiger range is on a very decent sale at the moment. I just bought a pair for DD for £32 delivered. Link: www.heelys.eu.com/en/collections/tommy-hilfiger.html

Does she like baking? A Bakedin subscription or maybe just a couple of their baking kits might be nice. Or you could make a package with a nice mug, a book of mug cake recipes and a baked in mug cake kit?

Other stuff my 12 year old likes are:

• warmies heat up cuddly toy
• Harumika set
• Cross stitch kit
• Bath bombs
• This Book www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0692452745?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share create this book
• Miniature Library: 30 Tiny... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1786270250?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share My Miniature Library
• converse

Hi @mam0918, @Thealarmhasgoneoffagain,

My daughter started with a Fujifilm S8650, which at the time was just under £100 and now is a bit over. Haven't looked at entry level for a while to be honest. Not £50, but not £300 either.

Admittedly phone cameras are better now than then (some 6 years ago). They're still mostly rubbish for wildlife photography though.

What about an experience type gift? Could you check out nearby book festivals and go and see an author?

If she's a reader, she might enjoy going to see a play?

Tickets to theatre? Or maybe you can do some sort of mum/daughter spa day type thing