Welcome to Metropolitan Mama’s Christmas Gift Guide for Girls (ages 9-12). Below you will find clothes, shoes, toys, gear, games, and accessories that girls are bound to love for Christmas 2023.
Because we currently have an 11-year-old girl in the house (along with two teen girls!), I have an excellent “pulse” on what girls in this age range are most excited about. The below gift ideas are all items that I know my daughter would be thrilled to find under the tree!
Topping our 11-year-old daughter's wish list is a bento box for school! She loves coming up with creative, healthy ways to pack her lunch - and a bento box is the ideal way her for her to do that. With a bento box, she can pack healthy portion sizes and a variety of nutrients. Plus, bento boxes help cut back on (or eliminate the use of) ziploc bags, which saves you both time and money. Be sure to also check out LunchBots' accompanying lunch idea book - The Simple Lunchbox!
Pictured (left to right): medium duo, 2.5 oz dips, large build-a-bento, large cinco.
Girls who have pen pals will be instantly drawn to this adorable miniature stationery set by Ooly. The box comes with 6 notecards, 6 envelopes, and 6 sticker sheets - all pawfectly themed for puppy lovers!
Your girl might be growing up fast, but don't be too quick to move on to adult brands. Carter's and OshKosh offer on-trend clothing in sizes up to 14 and we love finding sweaters, tops, skirts, dresses, and school uniform pieces there for our 11-year-old.
Pictured (left to right): Eyelet Crinkle Jersey Top, Suede Mini Backpack (better for ages 3-7), and Plaid Button-Front Sweater Knit Cardigan.
Our 11-year-old is is constantly asking me to put "things to do" books on hold at the library. She loves to fill her afternoons, evenings, and weekends with activities, crafts, and creative projects. The Highlights Book of Things to Write and The Highlights Book of Things to Draw offer engaging prompts, drawing spaces, mazes, challenges, and word puzzles to entertain kids for hours.
Be sure to also consider The Highlights Book of Things to Do, which is the ultimate "things to do" book (the best one we have found, in fact!). It's filled to the brim with engaging, age-appropriate, boredom-busting activities!
For a musical girl, a ukulele is the perfect gift choice. Ukuleles are adorable and easy to learn to play! She'll be strumming and singing in no time with the Mandy Harvey Learn to Play Starter Kit, which includes: a Tenor Ukulele, Padded Ukulele Gig Bag with Custom Artwork, Free Online Lessons taught by Mandy Harvey, Quick Start Guide, and the Kala Klipz Chromatic Clip-On Tuner.
When it comes to children's cookbooks, American Girl puts out some of the very best! Featuring vibrant, full-color photographs and glossy pages, these hardcover books are keepsakes that girls will love browsing (and using!). For the holidays, we particularly recommend Holiday Baking and Tea Parties!
As a mom of two teenage girls and a tween girl, other moms often ask me for books, resources, conversation starters, and products related to puberty. When they do, I almost always introduce them to period underwear. Most women have never heard of them so I enjoy sharing the inside scoop on this revolutionary way for teens to not worry about getting their period at school. Here is a short summary: period panties will allow your girl to go to school, play sports, go swimming, and hang out with friends - without wearing pads or tampons! No more having to discreetly carry a purse or bag into the bathroom! Depending on her flow, it is very likely that she will be able to go the whole school day without worries! When she gets home, she can rinse them, throw them in the washing machine in cold water, and then hang to dry for the next use. Easy peasy!
Pictured (left to right): Teen Period Swim Sport One-Piece and Teen Period Swim Twist High Rise Bikini Bottom.
Our 11-year-old daughter adores receiving thematic charms based on her current activities & favorite things!
If this is your first time gifting charms, start with a bracelet or necklace base and then put a few fun charms in her stocking. One wonderful aspect of this gift is the memory-making potential. You can add a new charm each birthday or holiday based on her ever-evolving interests!
Pictured: Gold Glitter Volleyball Charm, Gold Glitter Basketball Charm, Gold Glitter Soccer Ball Charm, Gold Tennis Racquet Charm, Gold Glitter French Fries Charm, Glitter Pizza Charm, Swivel Pig Charm, Moon Locket Charm.
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...super clean teeth, thanks to SuperMouth!
SuperMouth is a brand new company, created by pediatric dentists, which is on a mission to help kids build healthy habits for life by adding fun to the tooth care process. I am 100% confident that my kids will be as enthused as I am about these gifts. For tweens that have braces, the Ortho System is a particularly smart pick because it includes: a toothbrush that is designed to fit around brackets and wires, expanding floss that is easy to navigate around hardware, prebiotic mouth spray, and more!
Pictured (left to right): Ortho System Plus and Double Scoop Ice Cream Tongue Scrapers.
For fun pieces in sizes 8-20, take a look at H&M. These California-inspired casual clothes are sure to be worn again and again by any girl in this age range.
Pictured (left to right): Sweater, Relaxed Fit High Denim Shorts, Flared Leg Low Jeans.
Our girls love stickers so I'm always trying to add to our sticker collection throughout the year! Although they are used for many purposes, our girls most consistently use stickers as decorations for letters and envelopes for their long lists of pen pals. If this scenario sounds familiar in your home, check out the thematic Eyelike Sticker books by Workman. Each book has over 400 lifelike stickers!
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Some of the products in the list below were sent to us to try. Other products are ones that we purchased ourselves or were given by family members and friends. Know that I will always provide both the pros and cons of each featured product. You are welcome to send any follow-up questions to me via twitter (I’m @stephsheaffer).