What is your 8/9/10 year old girl asking for? Or previous hits for this age group?

[Christmaspotion]

My dd will be 9 on Christmas Eve - she doesn’t really play anymore with toys but does like crafts and she likes reading (very good reader) although she tends to read less than I’d hope for.
She has asked for a Switch which I’ll get her for either birthday / Christmas but I’m struggling that aside.
She is quite easy to please and is generally thrilled to open anything but it’s in terms of what she’ll get any use out of as I don’t want to spend money for the sake of it.

Anything your dds have asked for or have been previous hits?

TIA.

How about things to go with her switch? Bean bag/gaming chair. Wireless headphones, more games like nintedo sport, Mario cart, animal crossing (Dgd has put on her list 2 switch games: cat rescue and monster high)
Other ideas: kids alexa, theatre tickets or zoo keeper experience, kindle, posca pens, mathmos lava lamp, lights for her bedroom.

I'm getting my 9 year old a purple light up box as well as a light up flowery "A" for her name to add to her room as she requested room decorations. For that, I'm also getting her fairy lights, posters relating to her favourite singer (Olivia Rodrigo!) and a few fruit candles.

She is also very sporty and loves swimming especially, and so we are buying her a new swimming costume and also her very own ice skates!

Some other ideas we are thinking of are:
Her first perfume
A mini fridge
Olivia Rodrigo merch
Jellycat
Harry Potter lego set
Jewllery set
Lip balm
Mermaidcorn (she's very much outgrown toys but still into soft fluffy ones so hoping she might like it!! it comes with bubbles and play sand and hair clips too).

How much freedom does she have to make her own purchases? One of the best presents my daughter got was a book token. She had so much joy going into a physical bookstore, browsing through and selecting her book, and was pleased as punch paying at the counter herself like a grown-up.

It could perhaps be presented with an ex libris stamp or embosser - this sort of thing https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handheld-Library-Embosser-Decals-Personalised/dp/B07Y3VHK15?th=1

Craftswise - my daughter is obsessed with clay beads at the moment. She also enjoyed a jewellery making kit, knitting, sewing and cross stitch sets. She had quite a few of these Christmas decoration kits last year, which she really enjoyed https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trimits-Decoration-Dove-Fairy-13-5cm/dp/B08GPS9KH6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PU2KSZTVNVKL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.q3ULH-e_wbo_BFQDqyTb3c6bLOoHtezcRsL5eDYEpLvS0wNtFi2XmZ8L1PF0L0oovBcdcoDYJE4Pd2NqEx2G6fQRXzXj1WZCph2GTCvnOnuiW9ac3NRBMQQov_hg_XAmn6Y67_N7ANZQOpv_eFyYramaLTJOIo-nRh_AoakeyFccyd6_kanKeKsywx5gcaNk-1j3oBgJCpdoJG3f0Ajti-ukG2Z5x9a2egqRbA_MpR4.N9xnlyh5ygtMAXd5oqUv9J0AvUh9qnMnOc-DuOKZHxc&dib_tag=se&keywords=trimit%2Bsugar%2Bplum%2Bfairy&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1727649533&sprefix=trimit%2Bsugar%2Bplum%2Bfairy%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1&th=1

Does she like stationery? How about a calligraphy set?

For a bigger ticket crafty present, how about a pottery painting day (Or even learning how to throw pots)?

I’d echo the above suggestion regarding theatre/ballet tickets too.

I’d really recommend the sleepover at the Natural History museum if you are anywhere near London. We paired it with the science-themed afternoon tea at the Ampersand Hotel beforehand. (Although you may want to choose a date in a warmer month).

Something else that went down well for my daughter’s last birthday was a duvet set, with the design being one of her main interest.

A present we were toying with the idea of was an mp3 player - one where you can download when you have WiFi, and play this list when you don’t. We’re not planning on getting her a phone until she goes to secondary school.

There are also those instax cameras - although I think the cost of the film can work out to be quite a lot in the end.

I’d also add that my 9 year old seems to be at the point that she really appreciates a bit of autonomy over the things in her life - so she’s really enjoyed being able to choose things for her room, and also is really keen on organising herself/knowing what engagements she has coming up.

She had an academic year diary in September, and has got so much enjoyment out of adding her activities, friends’ birthdays and other significant dates. A pretty diary and a set of gel pens might be a nice small present. It brought me back to the days when I was given a Filofax. I loved organising things in it (although I didn’t really have anything to add to it). In the mundanity of keeping track of everything, I forgot about how joyful it was to write all these dates in a fresh book until my daughter asked for a diary this year.

She also really enjoyed a recent trip to IKEA, to buy bits and pieces to organise her desk and dressing table.

Great idea for a thread, very helpful. It’s a tricky age. For my 8 year old, I’m finding she doesn’t play with toys a lot but still enjoys it every now and again so don’t want to rule toys out. But most ideas I have seem either too young or too old for her.

Swiftie t shirt
Kumi Kreator
Hair wrap kit
Nail art kit
Pictionary Air
Legami pens
Diamond painting
Roller blades
Aquarellum

My DD will be 8.5 at Christmas and still loves toys - she's really into be barbies at the moment so likely will get a Barbie dreamhouse and another couple of sets.

She's also built a complex Barbie school with magnetic tiles so also going to get the magna tiles house building set.

She also loves crafts, so as a shared present with her younger brother, am going to get an art trolley and fill it with arts and craft bits.

I got her and and her brother yoto players last Christmas which they still enjoy.

Oh and I also made her a portions set last year which also went down really well.

Dc2 will be 9 just before Christmas hasn’t asked for anything specific yet but ideas so far include:
Polaroid camera, photo albums/scrap books.
Sketch book & pencils as she loves to draw.
A stack of books as she’s an avid reader (collection of classics eg Anne of Green Gables, Heidi mixed with the new Hannah Gold one, history or reptiles as non-fiction).
Roller skates.
Football kit & personalised boot bag.
Junior helper/experience with reptiles or snakes.
Switch Lite Game.
She still plays a lot as she shares with her sister who’s 7 & has a younger brother.

My DD is will be almost 11 at Christmas. But his over the last couple of years have been:
Instax camera & album
Kindle
Theatre tickets
Mini brands (I hate them but at least they take up minimal space!)
Roller skates