We have a couple of birthdays coming up this summer at my house which means its time to start searching for great gift ideas for my girls. My kids have accumulated enough toys by now that I am becoming increasingly picky about which toys I am willing to make room for at our house. I don't really want any more plain stuffed animals, I don't want something that is going to break in a week, and if possible, I would like something that has some learning potential or gets my kids active and moving.
Here are some of my top picks for gifts for my girls this year.
Hot Pink PlasmaCar - This award winning toy has no gears, batteries or petals. To ride you sit down, put your feet up and just turn the steering wheel back and forth and to propel yourself forward. You can race, play tag and have lots of good fun with these durable, unique toys.
Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera - My husband is a photographer in his free time so my children have spent a lot of time in front of and around cameras. This camera gives them the chance to get behind the lens and experiment with telling a story through pictures. The picture quality is not fantastic, but the camera is built to withstand repeated dropping and abuse which makes it a great starter camera for kids.
B. Pop-Arty Beads - My girls just discovered these interlocking fashion beads on a play date at their cousins house this week, and they are an instant favorite. The beads come in a huge variety of colors, shapes, sizes and textures, and they interlock to create and recreate all kinds of jewelry. Even the teenage girls at the house were having fun experimenting with them. My younger girls played with them for several hours and cried when they had to leave. These are a definite contender for the top of the wish list this year.
Barbie Grow With Me 1, 2, 3 InLine Skates - Toys that get my kids outside and moving are always exciting for me, and these skates are a great outdoor toy. I love them because they are built for beginners. They won't roll backwards which makes them easier to stay up for someone just starting out, and they fit right over the top of your shoes.
Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden - This amazing kit allows your children to watch live caterpillars grow and change into butterflies. The caterpillars come with their own food supply so they are low maintenance and the process is quick and amazing. In order to give the insects the best chance at survival the caterpillars are shipped during warm seasons. If you aren't sure about this product just check out the reviews.
My Style Studio - For your resident FASHIONISTA. After watching a couple of episodes of project runway my daughter is obsessed with design. She loves drawing outfits and creating new clothing styles, and this kit is one of her favorite things. You mix and match clear plastic clings of tops, pants, skirts dresses, shoes hairstyles and accessories. Then you lay the clear tracing paper over the top to trace out your design. Then add some color and texture with the texture plates. You don't have to be able to draw to use this kit, and because there are so many combinations you can keep designing new looks for years.
Sleeping Beauty Castle Play Set - This adorable princess castle comes with 10 favorite Disney characters so that your princess and her friends can spend out playing out and pretending their favorite fairytales.
Alex Lemonade Stand - It is summer, the official season of the lemonade stand. My girls are dying to host their own lemonade stand in hopes of earning a few dollars for their piggy banks. This stand is easy to assemble and comes with wheels so you can move it around. I also like dry erase top so you can use it for a drawing desk in the off season and the chalkboard front. This is a toy that works all year around.
Ball Bounce & Sport Fun Hopper - This is another great outdoor toy that you could bring inside when the weather turns cold. Its great fun and it will get their heart rate up too. My kids love playing tag on these.
Darice 120-Piece Deluxe Art Set - A fantastic gift for the young artist in your life. This set includes markers, pastels, watercolors and lots of accessories, making it a great way to experiment with a variety of art media.
Pink Princess Dress from Little Adventures - If your girls are anything like mine they have all gone through a serious Princess phase where they love dressing up and pretending all kinds of princess games. Unlike most dress ups these dresses are all machine washable so that if they have to go with you to the store, the library and anywhere else you take your princess. Then you can throw them in the wash and have them fresh and ready to go again the next day.
Rainbow Magic Fairy Books - These are one of my top picks of books for girls that are at a 1st-3rd grade reading level. They are fun, modern and adventurous, and my girls can't get enough of them. You can buy them by the book, but because you will probably have to go back to buy more, you may just want to start out with a set:) Thank you Daisy Meadows for writing these fabulous books. You have helped my girls develop a love for reading. The single books are $4-7 and the sets typically run $20-$30.
Fisher-Price Grow-to-Pro Pogo Stick - Another fabulous outdoor toy to get your kids active and loving it. This pogo stick has a round platform at the bottom to give additional stability to beginning jumpers. Once they get the hang of this they don't want to stop, and they will try to break their record for the most jumps in a row without losing their balance.
V-Tech InnoTab 2 Learning App Tablet - This is a great toy for quiet learning time or for road trips. You can download games, videos, photos, music and stories. My kids favorite are the read aloud stories where they can listen and follow along with the words and pictures to some of their favorite stories. We got ours with wall adapters and car chargers so they could use them for trips to Grandma's house and at home.
Jumbo Fun Ball - This is another toy at the top of my kids summer wish list. Fill it with air and roll around the yard. Why didn't they have these when I was a kid?
Peerless Performer Microphone - I kinda love this one, an adjustable karaoke microphone with sound effects. The microphone detaches from the stand so that they can play up the stage to their heart's content. This would be a huge hit in my playroom.
Kidkraft Pink Retro Kitchen and Refrigerator Play Set - I don't think this one really requires a lot of description. It is too cute and would be good for hours upon hours of playtime fun. The kitchen is made out of sturdy wood, and the sing is removable so it can be easily washed.
The Klutz Book of Balloon Twisting - I found this kind of by accident, but it was one of our top Christmas gifts from last year. I purchased it for a 6-year-old, but the older daughter wanted to play with it as well. It comes with a pump, 40 balloons and a book full of designs and instructions on how to make your own twisted balloon creations. After they finished the designs in the book they started creating their own designs, and we have had to refill their balloon supply several times.
Melissa & Doug Tops and Tights Magnetic Dress-Up - This set comes with two double-sided magnetic dolls for 4 different girls to dress up. Mix and match tights, dresses and accessories to create fun outfits for your doll. This is a great quite time toy, and because there is more than one doll it works for play dates too.
Winfun Step to play Giant Piano Mat - My girls and I found this amazing video on YouTube of two women playing Bach on a floor piano. Ever since watching the video they have been begging for a floor piano. This one allows you to change the instrument sounds, record yourself and playback your masterpiece.
Sassafras Ice Cream Maker - All three of my girls love to cook and they love Ice Cream. This little ice cream maker allows them to cook up two different flavors at a time, and because the containers are a reasonably small size, it doesn't take a lot of the ingredients to mix up a batch.
Webkinz Poofy Poodle - We are now the owners of at least 12 webkinz pets by my last count, and my kids are still loving them. Each pet comes with a unique code that you enter online at Webkinz.com to adopt the pet and set up a room for them. You can then dress them, play games with them, shop for them and more. We have to limit the time that our kids are allowed to spend on the webkinz website or they would hang out there all day.
Wild Planet Hyper Dash Game - This is an amazing indoor/outdoor active game for kids. It is also educational. The game comes with 5 colored cups which you set out around the room, yard or house. The first player holds the wand and when it says go you run and tag the colored cup that it sends you too. It is random so you don't know which way you'll be running next, and you get a lot of exercise and have a fantastic time in the process. It is great for learning colors and numbers, and on the harder levels it includes some simple math as well. This is a must for kids who live in an area where they have to stay inside all winter.
Princess Expressions Make Up Compact - My girls are just discovering make up and it is scary. They love the brightest colors, lots and lots of lip gloss and long, colorful nails. This darling little compact gives them a little bit of everything to try out and experiment with including eye color, lip color and nails.
Labels: gift ideas for girls, party ideas, princess games, princess gifts, things to do with my princess
