Want gifts for 9-year-old girls that they will love? How about one of these books, art ideas, dolls, or games?
I LOVE this age for gift giving because 9 year old girls are still playing with toys and also doing crafts while also being able to do more complex science experiments, reading harder books, and thinking more abstractly.
Have fun shopping for the girls in your life.
Also read:
Best Books for 9-year Olds
Activity Books for Ages 9 – 12
Craft and STEM Activity Kits for Kids
Gifts for 9 Year Old Girls
Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire, illustrated by David Litchfield
A gentle story of adventure, discovery, family, and grief with lavish illustrations, this is one of the best books of 2022. After the death of her father, Cress and her family move from their cozy burrow into the Broken Arms oak tree ruled by a cranky Owl. Cress helps her mom collect moths to pay rent, leaving her mom time to work and gather ingredients for her sickly brother’s tea. As Cress navigates her new environment, the natural world, and the stories around her, it helps her understand her inner world, especially how grief waxes and wanes like the moon’s cycles.
Minecraft Llama Village
Buy on LEGO.com
Use the 1252 pieces to make a Llama Village for your Minecraft characters, including a llama herder, llama knight, savannah villager, blacksmith villager, pillager, vindicator, llama, baby llama, and a baby sheep.
Gravitrax Starter Set Marble Run
Power marbles with gravity in this hands-on educational and science STEM set with 24 problem-solving building exercises.
Mermaid Potions
Mix up mermaid options with the included supplies and put them in potion bottles or necklaces.
Shifting Stones
We love this fun engaging strategy game that will develop your visual/spatial skills and long-term planning.
LEGO 3 in 1 Sunken Treasure
Buy on LEGO.com
Make three sea creatures — an octopus, a giant lobster and submarine, and a giant manta ray!
Spirograph Mandala Designs
9-year-old girls will love creating beautiful Spirograph mandalas with these easy-to-use wheels and stencil designs.
Educational Insights Circuit Explorer Space Station STEM Toy
Explore electricity & circuits! Build a Deluxe Base Station with towers, a planetarium with color-changing dome light, a communication station with a rotating radar dish, and more. Also includes astronaut and robot figures for pretend play and stickers for customization.
LEGO Pet Poodle
Buy on LEGO.com
Build a pair of adorable pet poodles!
Switch Lite
This handheld version of the Nintendo Switch is the perfect gift when it comes to price and size for any kid looking for an awesome game console!
Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
Fairy tales become very real when Alex and Conner (a brother and sister) find themselves transported to the fairy tale world. To get home, they’ll need to find the ingredients for a Wishing Spell. Finding the items will be dangerous, mysterious, and life-changing. All the books in this series are compelling, magical adventures about characters you will ADORE. My kids and I couldn’t put these down.
Flashy Fish & Silly Swimmers 3D Puzzle Kit
Put together a fish with paper pieces and LED lights.
Barbie Color Reveal
Get a Barbie doll surprise, then submerge the doll in water and watch what happens — long paste-colored streaks will appear in the doll’s hair in a surprise color. Four extra surprises include a rain jacket, vinyl hat or headband, rainboots, and a brush.
Kindle Kids Bundle
Perfect for growing readers, this Kindle Kids Edition offers a black-and-white glare-free display. It includes many popular book series including Harry Potter.
Shashibo Shape Shifting Box
Kids love this tricky magnetic puzzle box for sensory stimulation, relaxation, and imagination.
Rainbow Gummy Candy Lab
Learn about polymers and color mixing in a yummy activity making delicious gummies — unicorn, cloud, and rainbow-shaped in a spectrum of flavors and colors.
My Audio Pet Mini Bluetooth Speaker
How cute is this tiny (2″ high) animal speaker? Connects to any Bluetooth-enabled device! (Pick from lots of animals including unicorn, pug, beaver, and dragon.)
National Geographic 15 Geodes
Discover your crystal treasures when you crack open the geodes wearing the included goggles.
KLUTZ Pet Adoption
Make and bake 15 cute clay animals using the step-by-step instructions in a 32-page book! You’ll find directions for animals like puppies, kitties, birds, and guinea pigs.
13 Dead End Drive
If you like CLUE, you’ll love 13 Dead End Drive. Channel your inner murderous tendencies, knock off the other players, and inherit good old Aunt Agatha’s fortune.
Quick Knit Loom
Your child gets to make two knit hats using the provided loom and chunky yarn!
All-Natural Spa Lab
Use STEM learning to create spa items! This fun kit uses chemistry and different molds to blend all-natural ingredients into amazing, unique lip balms, body scrubs, bath salts and more!
Phoebe and Her Unicorn: A Heavenly Nostrils Chronicle by Dana Simpson
Sarcastic and hilarious, this is a laugh-out-loud graphic novel about a precocious young girl and her reluctant unicorn “best friend”. 9-year-old girls are going to adore this entire series — it’s laugh-out-loud funny!
Color Your Own Water Bottle
Get creative coloring and decorating this water bottle! This is a great activity that keeps kids hydrated and imaginative!
Reversible Puffer Vest
How cute is this? Silver or pink with a zippered front and side pockets.
LED 6 Color Bluetooth Speaker
Play your music on this super cool light-up speaker.
Museum Seek & Find Glow Puzzle
Put together this 100-piece puzzle then search for the 40 hidden items. Shine the included blacklight on the puzzle to reveal hidden glow-in-the-dark objects.
Ravensburger Strike
Easy to learn, this is a fun dice game for two to five players.
ALEX Toys Scientific Explorer Veterinary Science
Pretend to be a vet with an x-ray and sonograms, gelly ticks, and other included pet-related items.
Master Detective Toolkit Spy Labs
Find and lift fingerprints, write secret messages in disappearing ink, and decipher top-secret codes.
Bananagrams Game
Brainstorm vocabulary and practice spelling while you build a cool crossword grid and try to beat your friends or family. Addictive fun!
Chupacarter by George Lopez and Ryan Calejo
Crayola Paper Flower Science Kit
Make 12 wicking flowers then customize your bouquet with this STEM craft kit.
Sleeping Queens
Help the Sleeping Queens wake up by waking them up with the Kings. The goal is to be the first player with queens that add up to 50 points. Steal queens, put opponents queens back to sleep, and fight dragons. What will be your kids’ favorite queens and kings? This is a family favorite game that we play every week and can’t recommend it enough!
Mellybean and the Giant Monster by Mike White
Run out to buy this series — it’s heartwarming and adventurous and will be a new favorite. Mellybean is a happy dog whose outlook on life is positive and innocent. Outside in her yard, she falls into a hole that leads to another world. There, a greedy king is hunting a large, lovable monster who Melly and her new friends rescue from the king’s knights. She shows the so-called monster that not all humans are mean like the king. And, Melly saves the entire kingdom!! (Guess who will be the new king? Hint: It’s not Melly.)
Thames & Kosmos Glow in the Dark T Rex Excavation Kit
Excavate your own glow-in-the-dark Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton model. This dangerous prehistoric giant comes to life when you excavate its bones with a hammer and chisel and assemble them into a skeleton. The skeleton lets you reenact prehistoric adventures or surprise your friends with its glowing effect when the lights are off. The kit includes 13 skeleton pieces buried in a plaster block, excavation tools, and a descriptive manual.
Plasma Ball
Learn about electricity, matter, and energy!
Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter
A well-done middle-grade graphic novel about a child with allergies! Maggie is devastated that she’s allergic to the puppy she’s finally allowed to get. But, she befriends a new girl next door who becomes a fun, safe solace in her life…until that friend gets a puppy which Maggie interprets this her new friend not wanting to be friends anymore. Meanwhile, the story shows the process of allergy testing and regular allergy shots. Eventually, the two friends work out a solution for hanging out that won’t be a problem for Maggie’s allergies. The story ends with Maggie helping with her new baby sister and feeling like she doesn’t need an animal pet anymore.
Wireless Headphones
These aren’t just highly-rated, they’re really a good price, too! We also love that they have good sound, LED lights, and volume control.
Create with Clay Mythical Creatures
Create a unicorn, dragon and phoenix sculptures with this colorful clay set!
Fitbit
My daughter LOVES her Fitbit! Get one for your kids that will tell time and help you calculate steps, calories, distance, and sleep. It’s a great way to motivate healthy living.
Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi
This popular graphic novel series is about two siblings trying to save their mom who was taken to an underground world of elves, demons, robots, and talking animals. Beautiful artwork with compelling characters and an adventurous plot make this a sure-fire hit with young readers.
Paint Pour Art Set
Create beautiful works of art by pouring the provided different colors of paint into the provided tray.
Bouncing Planets
Make five colorful, rubbery balls resembling planets using the included spherical mold and polymer granules.
Master Detective Toolkit Spy Labs
Find and lift fingerprints, write secret messages in disappearing ink, and decipher top-secret codes.
Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant
A warm-hearted adventure with brave kids, dogs, and a happy ending. The war has made Ben an orphan –again. All that he has left are his dog and his dad’s boat, the Sparrowhawk. So he sets off on the boat for France to find his missing older brother.
KLUTZ Sew Squishy Cubes
Use the 24 page book to follow the directions to make 3 squishy felt creations: a unicorn, a phoenix, and a yeti with felt pieces precut with holes for extra-simple sewing.
Hatchimals Pixies Crystal Flyers
Hatch a flying fairy! Launch her from the base or lift her into the air, then use your hands to guide her – she’ll sense if your hands are high or low!
Gem Diamond Painting Kit
Use eye-catching diamonds to decorate stickers and sun catchers in this sparkly craft that puts a cute spin on painting!
Plasma Ball
Learn about electricity, matter, and energy!
Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen by Niki Lenz
A genuinely sweet story about a girl who goes from a bully to a trying-to-do-better model citizen that will make you laugh and warm your heart. When Bernice’s mom sends Bernice to live with her nun aunt, it’s a chance for this former bully to reform her mean-spirited ways. And Bernice does it — she makes a friend, becomes nicer, and finds an unexpected home with the nuns.
Flipside
Match the colored blocks to the lights using memory and speed! Great for individual play or multiple-player fun!
How to Draw a Bunny and Other Cute Creatures with Simple Shapes in 5 Steps by Lulu Mayo
Do you love Lulu Mayo as much as my kids and me? In this new how-to-draw book, you’ll learn how to draw so many CUTE animals including a guinea pig, bunny, and duckling, plus a sloth on an Easter egg, a llama bunny, and a unicorn. The directions are easy to follow and the book gives you plenty of space for your own drawings next to the directions.
Klutz Mini Bake Shop
Create and decorate your own mini clay cakes, cookies, and pies. Helpful, step-by-step directions in a full-color 48-page book plus all the materials you’ll need.
National Geographic Astrophysicist Barbie and other Barbie Scientists
Barbie photojournalist doll is dressed for the field wearing brown pants, tan boots, and a top detailed with a vest, insignia and pocket for a realistic touch.
Aquabeads Star Bead Studio
Kids can make all different kinds of animals and plants with this unique aquabeads craft – the possibilities are endless!
Punto
Great for visual discrimination and strategic thinking, be the first to get four-in-a-row with these domino looking cards! It’s an easy game to learn and fun for on the go.
The Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong
Rowan wants to be a Monster Hunter instead of the future queen. When tragedy strikes her brother, she gets her chance to switch roles and become the Royal Monster Slayer with her aunt with her brother as king. Unfortunately, she must face and kill a gryphon soon or her scheming uncle will get the throne instead. The story is an exciting adventure filled with surprises, mythical creatures, and new friendships. It’s not a cliff-hanger but it does leave the door open for another book. (I can’t wait!)
The Taking Child (Baby Yoda) with Sounds & Accessories
Kids can squeeze The Child’s soft body to hear adorable vocal sounds from the character featured in the Disney Plus series The Mandalorian!
Pusheen Dinosaur Cat
Anyone else have a Pusheen-obsessed child? Mine loves all things Pusheen. Check out this cute, soft, and huggable pusheenosaurus!
Aquarellum Dolphins Magic Canvas
These unique picture cards create beautiful illustrations as they are being painted with help from areas of embossing that repel paint, making it easy for children to have fun painting these magic canvas!
Hi Lo Flip
Easy to learn and fun to play with the entire family– this is a numbers card game with visual discrimination and probability elements.
Space Scratch Art Paper for Kids
Use a bamboo stick to make fun drawings that reveal amazing space patterns and colors underneath!
Dragon Slippers trilogy by Jessica Day George
We can’t recommend these books enough. Young and brave Creel wants nothing more than to own her own seamstress shop. In her pursuit of this dream, she encounters and befriends a special dragon who will change the course of her life along with the magical dragon slippers that can help her speak or control her most esteemed dragon friend.
Quick Knit Loom Kit
This beginner’s knitting loom provides easy instructions and vibrant yarn for kids to work with to complete their very own loom projects!
Sherlock Express
Sherlock Express is great for both thinking and visual discrimination because kids use the alibi clue cards to eliminate suspects and find the culprit. THINKING. So much thinking. For example, if your kids turn over an alibi card picture of the library, it means that any of the suspects with a library background are eliminated as the culprit.
Fairy Fashions
Love magical fairies? Now you can design your own skirts, tops, flower crowns, and fairy wings for your fairy dolls!
Paint by Sticker Kids: Zoo Animals by Workman Publishing
Isn’t this a clever idea? Find the right stickers and use them to create a zoo animal.
Animal BFFs by Sophie Corrigan
I’ve poured over this book because the writing is engaging and the information about unusual animals who live together is interesting. I particularly love the funny dialogue bubbles of conversation between animal duos that you haven’t ever heard about — like warthogs and banded mongooses or ruby-throated hummingbirds and spiders– and why they’re paired up.
Mini Sketchbook
I love this small sketchbook to encourage your kids to create art.
Elements of Genius: Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray by Jess Keating
Inventor Nikki Tesla joins a new school called the Genius Academy where she’s not the only genius and she’s supposed to start working well with others. (That will be hard!) When Nikki’s death ray is stolen from a locked safe, she and her classmates must collaborate to find it and hopefully, save the world. They follow clues around the world, thwart plots to divide their group, and capture the bad guy before he can use the death ray. Not only does this engrossing story feature smart kids who love STEM but the action and themes of friendship and growing up resonated and entertained me.
Magnetic Mini Tile Art
Create works of art, attach to tiles, and apply magnets to make fridge or locker decor.
The Monster Missions by Laura Martin
If you like adventure, fast-paced action, cool world-building, and heroic kids, then read this book next! In a post-apocalyptic world covered by water, all the humans live on ships. Berkley lives with her family on a boat where she works as a scavenger. But when she and her friend Garth uncover a blood-red, dangerous hydra, it attacks their ship and only their quick thinking saves their lives and those on the ship. Unfortunately, because sea monsters are a secret from most humans, the friends are sent to a prison ship. Luckily, a mysterious submarine arrives just before the kids are sent off and offers them an alternative — live on the submarine and hunt sea monsters. They accept quickly. Their new life means a different kind of work including learning about monsters, escaping when they get swallowed by one, and protecting ships from monsters. Berkley loves everything about her new life–until pirates hijack them. Hiding out with her friends in a storage area, she figures that the only way to defeat so many armed adults is to use the creatures in the aquarium tanks. In particular, the brilliant and mischievous– an octopus named Elmer. Everything hinges on the plan because their old ship is under attack from the hydra and the ship and all its occupants will be destroyed without any help.
Tear Up This Book! by Keri Smith
Your 9 year old girl will be thrilled to get this very popular American Girl gift book for fun, creativity, and crafts. My kids highly recommend this book.
Trash Pandas
We’re big fans of Gamewright games like Rat-a-Tat-Cat and Sleeping Queens so I was thrilled to see this newest card game with charming raccoon characters tipping over trash cans and racing to amass the most points.
National Geographic Rock Tumbler
Get your kids into geology! Start polishing your own gems with the included half lbs of gemstones, rock information, and jewelry fastenings.
Klutz Make Your Own Soap
Learn soap making basics (chemistry) from melting to molding, adding fragrance and glitter, in designs like a cat, a fish, a cupcake, a star, and more.
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.
LEGO Disney Princess Elsa’s Magical Ice Palace
Just in time for the 2nd movie! Frozen fans can build Elsa’s ice palace with a revolving staircase and sliding bridge. This kit comes with Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Marshmallow, and 4 Swogie minifigures.
KLUTZ LEGO Make Your Own Movie Kit
This 80 page book will help you learn stop motion animation and regular movies. Set the stage with any of the six included background settings and thirty-six LEGO elements including a pizza, banana, baseball cap, six mini-figure heads, and more!
Roller Coaster Challenge Logic & Building Game
We LOVE this cool STEM skills game that makes you think while creating something awesome — a roller coaster. Full review here.
Kid Made Modern Studio in a Box
We regularly buy the Kid Made Modern art supplies just like you’ll find in this incredible kit that is filled with paints, brushes, pencils, markers, four canvas boards, and two quality paper pads. I love that this kit gives kids supplies to allow them open-ended imaginative creation, don’t you?
Squishies
Squeeze and watch as the toys slowly go from squished to full size. Kids love the tactile fun of these.
Blank Comic Book for Kids
With over 100 pages and lots of templates, use this to write and draw your own stories.
Color Me Powerful
LOVE this!! Inspiring prompts, coloring pages, list starters, phrases, and patterns—all featuring DC’s female superheroes—jump-start the imagination. Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Bumblebee, Katana and other beloved characters appear throughout colorful pages that encourage girls to doodle their own superhero name, design a motto, create a costume, and other creative pursuits befitting a superheroine.
Just Joking Jumbo by National Geographic Kids
Holy Smokes! Your kids will loved this book. It’s packed full of awesome jokes and photographs; it’s hefty and impossible not to love. Fun facts added throughout make it extra interesting.
Klutz Mini Sushi Bar
Create 16 different sushi trays out of clay in this super cute craft!
Mixed By Me – Thinking Putty Kit
Make your own putty! Each kit includes five tins of clear putty, three concentrated color putties, three special effect putties, and an instructional mat.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, headlamps beat book lamps for reading hands down. Because they’re hands-free AND have much better light! (All over the page light, not just in one spot.) Plus, how cool are you when you sit in bed with a headlamp?! These really motivate young readers.
Doodle Games Activity Book by Joe Rhatigan, illustrations by Anthony Owsley
We’ve loved this book, particularly because it facilitates a fun parent-child time. JJ and dad so far love The Mutant Game (players give each other weird mutant animal combos to draw), Doodle Dare Circles (draw as many things as you can using only circles), and Squiggle Masterpieces (squiggles that become something wonderful).
DIY Erasers
My daughter makes erasers from this kit like crazy — little monsters, animals, you name it. It’s not just creative, it’s useful!
Sphero BOLT Robot
This is the latest Sphero app-enabled robot. Isn’t it the coolest looking one yet? 9 year old girls will learn to code through hands-on activities to program infrared, compass, light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, and motor encoders. Drive BOLT and play games. 2+ hours of battery.
Pass the Pigs
This is my husband’s favorite game to play with the kids. This Pass the Pigs classic party game consists of 2 pigs you use as dice, pad, 2 pencils and carrying case. Roll them as many times as you dare on your turn to score points. Just don’t role a “pig out” or an “oinker”. The first person to 100 points wins.
Flyer Foam Master Pogo Stick by Flybar
Want more awesome gift ideas?
Best Monthly Subscription Boxes for Kids
Holiday Gifts for Kids: Gift Guide for All Ages
Gift Guides by Age
Best Gifts for 4 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 4 Year Old Girls
Best Gifts for 5 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 5 Year Old Girls
Best Gifts for 6 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 6 Year Old Girls
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 12 Year Old Boys
Best Gifts for 12 Year Old Girls
Best Gifts for 13 Year Old Girls
Best Gifts for 13 Year Old Boys
