Any cool ideas for a 12 yr old girl...

[5lilfish]

My 12 yr old daughter is so hard to buy for. She has never been a toy kid. She likes sports and music. She likes monkeys. Other than that, she does not have any deep interests. She is active and adventurous (but she has 4 siblings so giving her 'event' type gifts is tough). I just cannot come up with a "wow" gift for her.

Any ideas?
Jess

 

[PatsMom]

If she likes music, does she have an iPod? Does it need upgrading? Got my daughter the Nano with the huge memory for her birthday and it was an enormous hit. It was expensive but it wa her only gift. And twelve is old enough to understand one expensive gift vs lots of smaller stuff.

Maybe a week at an outward bound type Adventure Camp? My daughter would have loved it.

 

[mamacatnv]

We got DD a KitchenAide mixer for her 12th B-day. She likes to bake and we didn't have a mixer. She loves the thing, we are going to get the pasta attachment for her for Christmas

 

[NHdisneylover]

Music ideas: Guitar with lessons, karaoke machine with several CDs, tickets (maybe for her and a friend if you cannot stay with her) to the symphony or a musical.

Sports ideas: Rock climbing lessons and a harness, horseback riding lessons, basketball camp, ice skate, roller blades, etc.

Other random things to get you thinking:
DD13 is getting a decent sewing machine and fabric store gift card for Christmas

Last year she got "real" calligraphy pens (the kin you actually have to dip in ink), ink, wax seals and sealing wax as well as some really nice, old fashioned stationary. She loved it and is getting another seal and more wax in her stocking this year.

 

[PatsMom]

The rock climbing lessons sounds awesome. Wish I had thought of them when my daughter was that age!

If you live near ski or snowboard country that might be another idea - skis or a board and a few lessons. Junior tickets are fairly cheap.

 

[kirstenb1]

Our 12 yr old is getting a North Face jacket, probably some Hollister and Aero, and some eyeshadow palettes. Maybe some Nintendo games, and whatever else I can come up with. She's very clothing-oriented right now, so it's a little boring shopping for her. Thank goodness I can still buy fun toys for her little sister.

 

[LuvLDM]

I second the Ipod suggestion! My 11yr. old Dd has one & loves it!

 

[PatsMom]

I second the Ipod suggestion! My 11yr. old Dd has one & loves it!

And once they have it, an iTunes gift card makes a great small present. $10 in the Easter basket, $10 for a good report card, etc.

 

[5lilfish]

I appreciate all the ideas...keep them coming! my oldest 2 girls (the 12 yr old and 10 yr old) do want to learn to ski. The only problem is, I would need to buy for both of them. That's fine but it doesn't help catch the 12 yr old up in terms of gifts.

I like the lesson ideas, but I definitely need a couple of things that she can open and "play' with on Christmas day. I also like the beginner make-up idea. I don't want to push the idea but she certainly is old enough for some basic subtle make-up.

I'm considering the North Face jacket too. She is not into fashion though...and clothes don't exactly excite her...but I know she would like the jacket.

Jess

 

[kimmar067]

...is this for a birthday, Christmas, or some other occasion?

 

[5lilfish]

...is this for a birthday, Christmas, or some other occasion?

Sorry...Christmas.

We have 5 children. So, I try to keep things even. My kids are 13, 12, 10, 3 and 3. I have plenty of ideas for the other 4 kids. I am lost on what to get my 12 yr old. I want to get her something she will love. I also want to make sure she has something she can 'play' with and enjoy on Christmas day (when her siblings are enjoying their gifts). The thing is, she isn't a high needs/wants type of kid. Even she can't really come up with something that she really wants.

Jess

 

[AwaitingMagic]

We got my daughter a cricut last year - she has played with it almost every single day. It was well worth the $100. She has used it to make cards, gifts, school projects - they are a lot of fun!

 

[mamacatnv]

What about a couple of magazine subscriptions. There is a Dis discussion regarding tween magazines. J-14, TigerBeat and Teen Vogue all seem to be hits amongst this age group

 

[wdwiala]

My 12 year old adores her IPOD touch. Ditto on that. She also loves my Kindle. (of course, if she has an IPOD, she wont need a Kindle, just the app.) I think that this year's "wow" gift will be a FlipVideo camera.

We did the makeup thing for her 12th birthday. I bought a small makeup bag and filled it with subtle makeup, nothing too dramatic. I drew the line at mascara. It's funny because my friend drew the line at eye shadow but only bought her daughter eye liner and mascara. Everyone has a different standard of what they think is "hoochie" .....

 

[wdwiala]

We got my daughter a cricut last year - she has played with it almost every single day. It was well worth the $100. She has used it to make cards, gifts, school projects - they are a lot of fun!

My DD9 would LOVE this!

 

[Grand Duke]

This might be a little bit out there, but I suggest getting her a longboard. It's like a skateboard only you can't do tricks on it; you just ride it from place to place. They're all the rage amongst kids of both genders and all ages these days.

Just as suggestion.

 

[golfgal]

Can you scale back a gift for the 10 year old and get both the girls ski lessons? They will have more fun if they have someone to go with.

My DS15 is like your DD, he rarely asks for anything. One year he wanted a Nerf basketball hoop for his birthday-that's it. We splurged and got him 2 so they could play full court .

 

[PatsMom]

Just thought of something else for under the tree. You could look for a manicure kit. Like the make up kits, they are all over the stores this time of year.

 

[AristocatFan]

Is she a reader? My 12yr old DD is getting a Kindle, she is a bookworm and that's the only thing she wants.

 

[Disneyland Princess]

If she's artistic she might like a bamboo tablet. My sister just got one for her birthday and loves it.
Here's the one my sister got:
http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTH461-...WC42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289607604&sr=8-1