Gifts for 12-Year Old Girls

Tweens are the hardest age to buy for — so what gifts for 12-year old girls will they like best? Here’s a list of books, games, crafts, and other gift ideas that your kids will enjoy for a  birthday, Christmas, or any occasion.

You Might Also Like:
Gifts for 13-Year-Old Girls
Cool Gifts for Teen Girls

Gifts for 12-Year Old Girls

NYX Butter Lip Gloss Creme Brulee

Apple AirPods
These will be a hit with any tween! If your 12-year-old girl is like mine, they LOVE listening to music 24/7.

Sofa Chair / Gaming Lounger
What tween wouldn’t love this soft chair that provides great support for reading, meditating, watching TV, or playing games?

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

One by Wacom Digital Drawing Tablet
The original Wacom tablets cost $500+ so this is a more affordable option at $60 for kids who want to get started with digital art. Plug into your computer and start drawing!

Instax Mini 9 Camera Bundle
Tweens love this cool camera PLUS in this set, they’ll also get a carrying case, filters, albums, a selfie lens & MORE. Such a fun thing to do with friends.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
In this Wizard of Oz remix, Dorothy is evil and Amy Gunn. That’s when another girl from Kansas is recruited to help the freedom fighters free all of Oz from the evil Dorothy. Great writing plus an unexpected plot make this series hard to put down!

Pom-Pom Keychain

iPad Pro + Apple Pencil
Both the Pro and the Apple Pencil have been much-used, favorite gifts for both my girls. They’re loving the pencil for drawing apps and think that the functionality of the Pro rocks.

Boolean Box
This amazing build-it-yourself computer kit will teach kids how to create games and animations, teach them engineering concepts, and help them learn new coding using Scratch and Python! This box, created with children who know very little about coding in mind, is the perfect gift for any child looking to learn STEM and have a lot of fun at the same time!

Easy-To-Do Crochet Kit
This great beginner’s gift teaches any child the basics of crocheting and allows them to create awesome things like handbags, placemats, belts, etc.!

MacBook Air
With online learning, these are a must for almost everyone.

littleBits Avengers Hero Inventor Kit
Marvel fans, make your own gauntlet! Snap together the electronics to build circuits the customize your gauntlet. Videos for over 18 in-app activities, wearable Tech sensors, in-app block coding, customizable LED Matrix light design, and authentic Marvel Avengers sound effects.

EOS Lip Balm
My daughter got these for all her friends last year — and they were a big hit!

Pink Donut PopSocket

Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker
My kids LOVE their portable mini-speakers and so will yours. Something about kids — they need their music, right? This Bose provides amazingly high-quality sound in a waterproof, silicone exterior. Charge up to give yourself 8 hours of play time on the go. (It’s compatible with Google Now and Siri.)

Nintendo Switch 
This cool gaming system can be taken on the go for tabletop mode or connect it to your TV. You’ll get two Joy-Con controllers for multiple players. If you have kids who like gaming, this is a top gift choice.

DIY Floating LED Cloud Light
Kids will be in awe when they make this incredible floating LED cloud light, which will also educate them on how a circuit functions and different types of clouds!

Pure Vida Bracelet

Stitch & Style Pouches Sewing & Craft Kit
Learn the basics of sewing with this adorable craft kit that allows kids to make 7 small pouches with colorful felt!

The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling

Written in verse, this is a heart-wrenching, heart-stopping, suspenseful adventure with lyrical, figurative language about an intense journey of physical hardship and emotional healing. Shifting perspectives between before and after her mom was shot, Nora and her dad climb into a Sonoran Desert canyon for the first time in the year since her mom died. Just as Nora tells her father she hates him, a flash flood careens through the canyon, carrying her father and their supplies away. Alone and terrified, Nora forces herself to find shelter and keep searching for her father, even with the venom from a scorpion bite slowing her down. As she faces her fears and continues on, she overcomes a metaphorical war with the “beast” who has been giving her nightmares for the past year.

Good Vibes Coloring Book
30 activities help kids learn patterning, shading, and coloring while coloring inspirational words of wisdom.

SPRK+ Robot from Sphero
Your kids can do so much with Sphero’s new app-enabled robot that inspires not just coding but also learning STEM / STEAM topics in creative ways. SPRK+ from Sphero caught my kids attention from the get-go and held it as they began to explore the various learning possibilities with it. Read my full review here.

Fleece Knit Christmas Slipper Socks

Lokai Bracelet
Infused with elements from the highest and lowest points on Earth. The white bead carries water from Mt. Everest, and the black bead contains mud from the Dead Sea. Very popular!

Scratch Art Rainbow Notes
Draw or write on these rainbow note squares.

Knitted Touchscreen Texting Gloves

Twinkle Star LED Window curtain String Lights 
These make a grown-up tween bedroom beautiful and cozy. They look amazing!

Squishmallows (Cat)
Trust me when I say Squishmallows are THE SOFTEST, CUDDLIEST plush toys we’ve ever owned. And we own like a million. My kids LOVE these and want all of them. 🙂 I’m highly, highly, highly recommending these amazing toys. There are different animals, too — a llama, a frog, a unicorn, a cow, … My girls love these!

Foldable Hi-Fi Wireless Headphones
These aren’t just highly-rated, they’re really a good price, too! We also love that they fold up and come in 7 colors! Other features: stereo sound, ear cushion, wireless mode or wired, and a built-in mic.

Cozmo
Code your own personality-filled robot, play games, and explore Cozmo’s world. This high-quality learning toy remains a hot gift for any gift-giving season. I bet this will become a favorite toy for your young STEM learners.

XBox One S
Get the latest in disc-free gaming with digital games. This newly-released bundle includes your Xbox One S plus Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Fortnight. If you don’t have one already, this is a top gift for 12 year old gamers.

Bloom by Kenneth Oppel

Get ready for a wild ride of suspense, action, adventure, science fiction, and coolness!! Bloom tells the story of three kids who are not affected by the strange-looking plants that appear out of nowhere and take over land all over the world, covering houses and streets, swallowing animals and people but doing nothing to these kids. Scientists figure out that the plants are an alien invasion…and think these kids may be the only chance they have to stop them. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just tell you that it’s an AWESOME story…and ends on a crazy cliff hanger.

 
Tinkering Labs Electric Motors Catalyst
This is quite the cool educational Maker kit! It’s filled with parts and challenge cards so that kids can explore, experiment, and learn.

Body Shop Strawberry Body Lotion

Soft Sherpa Blanket
Soft and cozy, this throw blanket will be a cozy vacation necessity.

Make Things Happen Journal

That’s What Friends are Thor nail polish
Island nail polish collection in many cool colors.

Chunky Soft Stretch Cable Knit Beanie 

Lockwood & Co The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
In historical London, dangerous ghosts and spirits aren’t just stories — they’re real and murderous. But, only kids can see and fight these ghosts. We follow the perilous adventures Anthony Lockwood who owns his own agency (with no adults in sight) to combat the supernatural with his teen team of Lucy and George. Creepy and exciting!

UGG Bow Boots 

Qwixx – A Fast Family Dice Game
Qwixx is a simple but fun strategy dice game where the more numbers you cross off, the more points you score. With no downtime between turns, you’ll have a chance to gain from each and every roll.

Wise Words to Color: Inspiration to Live and Color By by Zoe Ingram
My daughter started this beautiful coloring book of quotes and mandalas when sick. And I’ve been enjoying coloring it myself. The quotes are lovely and inspiring. (Great for travel, too!)

Pure Vida Bracelet

Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry, illustrated by Lindsay Moore

Fitness Tracker
My daughter LOVES her Fitness tracker! It helps kids tell time and calculate steps, calories, distance, and sleep. It’s a great way to motivate healthy living.

Yummy Scented Glitter Gel Pens 
My kids LOVE to write with these yummy smelling and sparkly colorful set of 12 pens. These last forever, too!

Charging Station
This will be so popular — 11 outlets plus 3 USB chargers!! Add in a few extra long charger cords, too!

Blue Murano Glass Beads Silver Charm Bracelet 
DIY charms bracelet with 14 beads and barrel clasp.

Origami Chic: A Guide to Foldable Fashion by Sok Song
We think this is the best origami book ever — the directions are very clear, the designs are amazing, and the oversized papers are gorgeous!

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
REALISTIC
LIFE-CHANGING! Seriously. This incredible story grips the coward in us all as we relate to Leo who shares how he loves and fails to stand up for Stargirl, the most unique, ukulele-playing girl that Mica High has ever seen. Her strangeness at first is delightful to other students including Leo, but when she cheers for both basketball teams, even the opposition!!, her classmates shun her. Even Leo. Leo regrets his behavior when Stargirl disappears. This is one of my favorite stories for this age group because it deals with kindness, peer pressure, acceptance, and individuality.

Snap Circuits 203 Electronics Discovery Kit
Over 200 projects will teach kids about electronics and develop analytical skills with snap-together electrical circuits.

Live for Today Coloring Book 
Positive sayings with affirming and empowering art activities of patterning, shading, and coloring. Great for rainy days and sick days.

365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Book of Precepts by R. J. Palacio
If you’re like us and love quotes, this is the book for you. Even if you haven’t read the book Wonder, you will still find the quotes chosen in here (precepts) meaningful and thought-provoking.

Slackers Slackline
The slackline stretches between two trees like a tightrope but is stretchy and bouncy. You can ratchet the line so it fits the distance. It’s great for core strength and balance!

Perfume Science Kit  
This kit is a complete perfumer’s laboratory, including eight perfume oils, finishing solution, decorative flacons and important tools of the trade. The perfume oils are the same as those used in high-quality designer perfumes. The 32-page, full-color book blossoms with information about the biology of smell, the chemistry of scents, the fine fragrance industry, and the history of perfumes.

Codenames
This is an exciting word game (think Password) for 2 – 8 players, even better with 4 – 8 players.  The gist: two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames. Teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first.

iPhone 11

Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation adapted by Ari Folman, illustrated by David Polonsky
The diary bits and dialogue are well-balanced into a cohesive graphic novel story that feels seamless, well-written, and insightful. Anne’s personality really shines through as she sets the historical context and describes her daily life in hiding which isn’t always very exciting but does result in a romance with the boy her age who lives there, too.

Awesome Achievers in Technology by Alan Katz, illustrated by Chris Judge
Kids will zip through this excellent middle-grade biography because the author makes the information relevant and relatable.   The writing is conversational, the author is totally hilarious (especially when he talks about his own ridiculous inventions or the questions he asks Siri) and there are illustrations, quizzes, fast facts, and activities plus a wealth of fascinating information about each inventor’s life. You’ll read about the inventors of video games, the television remote control, the cell phone, windshield wipers, the first web browser, and the microwave oven.

Gift Guides by Age

Best Gifts for 7 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 7 Year Old Girls

Best Gifts for 8 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 8 Year Old Girls

Best Gifts for 9 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 9 Year Old Girls

Best Gifts for 10 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 10 Year Old Girls

Best Gifts for 11 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 11 Year Old Girls

Best Gifts for 13 Year Old Girls

Best Gifts for Teen Boys
Best Gifts for Teen Girls