I think that children aged 9, 10, 11 and 12 are particularly hard to buy for. Tweens tend to have specific interests and if you aren't sure what those are it is even harder to choose a good present. They have that internal battle between wanting freedom, but not quite letting go of their childhood. They also often love to spend time staring at a screen whether it's gaming or YouTube. This guide has some great suggestions of presents to buy for Tweens though. Good gifts for this age group are: ones that are fun, ones that encourage time with family and gifts that show that you recognise they are becoming more independent. If you are looking to buy presents for a child between 9 and 12 years old check these ideas out.

I also have a post with tips on how to find out what sort of present children might like. 

What to buy for children aged 9, 10, 11 and 12

***AD Disclosure: this post contains a combination of items I have bought, items which were gifted and it contains some affiliate links. They have all been included because I think they are fab.***

Gifts Ideas for Tween Girls and Boys

Gifts for Tweens To Encourage Togetherness

P for Pizza

P for Pizza from Big Potato Games is suitable for 2 to 4 players age 8 and upwards. It has triangular cards with 3 letters on one side and 3 categories on the other. The aim is to create a 9 card pizza slice shape before anyone else. To get the pieces to build it you need to be first to shout out a word to connect the corresponding letter to the category on the top of the card deck. As the game progresses it gets harder to pick up cards because you have to work through the easy, medium and hard categories to complete each layer of your pyramid. Confused? Check out this YouTube video which will make it all make sense. 

There are plenty of cards in the box (and some fun stickers too), but it is worth noting Big Potato Games offer free replacement parts if you lose any.

P for Pizza is a fun word game for 2 to 4 players

Alias

The Original Alias game  is suitable for 4 or more players aged 10 and upwards, but there are several other versions of the game, including one for younger children. To play you need to get into pairs and everyone takes it in turns to get their partner to guess as many words as possible before the timer runs out, the catch is you can’t say the word on the card and instead you need to use explanations, synonyms and opposites. The number of correct answers guessed before the timer runs out is how many spaces you get to move forwards. The first team to reach the end wins. This is a great game to encourage family time at an age children are spending more time hiding in their rooms and you can pick one up from The Range while getting your Christmas decorations.

The Original Alias game is suitable for age 10 and upwards

Top Trumps

Top Trumps are a classic game which I’m sure you know about, but in case you don’t they are a pack of cards and on each one there is a different image, in this case characters from DC Comics' Justice League. Each card has a rating on a number of scales: intelligence, agility, powers, weapons & tech, combat skills (scored out of 100)  and a Top Trump score (scored out of 10). They also have a bit of information about the character. Top Trumps have a huge range so there will always be a set to appeal to everyone's interests. The cards can be educational thanks to the description and they are fun to play with. Playing Top Trumps with older children helps to develop tactical decision making as they need to work out which option they are most likely to win with. The compact boxes are great for travel or as a stocking filler and the really handy thing is they come in so many themes you are bound to find one of interest.

DC Comics' Justice League Top Trumps

Know Nine?

Recommended for age 12 and upwards Know Nine? from Ginger Fox (affiliate link) is described as “the Fast Thinking Word Linking Game”. Players get 1 minute to link 3 randomly drawn things with each of 3 random descriptions. Points are awarded for anyone who has a unique answer, as long as the majority of other players accept it, but if they are wavering over the nonsense you have written then you have a chance to persuade them before it is put to the vote. The game can be adapted for younger players by playing in teams, increasing the time or using 2 of each cards instead of 3. Know Nine? is a great game to get people thinking and there are bound to be some laughs as random word associations happen.

Know Nine from Ginger Fox?

Sweets

Kids and Grown ups love them so… what other reason do you need? It doesn't have to be Haribo of course, but a packet of sweets is popular with most children and it has the added bonus that it's not going to sit on a shelf gathering dust.

There is only one question if you give a Tween a box of Haribo, will they share with you?

Gifts for Tweens To Inspire Curiosity

Books

A (Green) Science Kit 

A science kit is fun for Tweens and as an increasingly eco-conscious generation the Greenscience set (affiliate link) is a good choice.  Greenscience from Science4You is special because it is plastic free and environmentally friendly. Suitable for age 6 plus the box contains over 15 experiments like making a rocket or a solar oven, along with a booklet to explain it all. You do need a few extra parts to complete some of the activities, but they are easy to find and you might have them around the house (or garden)  already.

A science kit for the eco-conscious Tween

Gifts for Tweens To Promote Calm

Create Your Own Calm

This book by Becky Goddard-Hill is full of activities and ideas to help Tweens take control when they are feeling stressed, angry or anxious. The pages of Create Your Own Calm (affiliate link) are all in colour and easy to read. Across 7 themed sections there are 50 different topics. Each one has an explanations of the issues which are easy to understand without being patronising and practical tips they can try as well as an activity. It’s a great present to help Tweens navigate the challenging times ahead. 

The Create Your Own Calm book helps Tweens with activities to overcome worries, anxiety and anger

Daisy Doodles Journaling Club Membership

Journaling can bring lots of benefits to Tweens including: mindfulness and creativity. Daisy Doodles is a small business which hopes to inspire more young people to start journaling with their Daisy Doodles Club. You can buy Tweens a: My First Journal Kit and club membership for 6 or 12 months and they will have something to open at Christmas as well as a project pack sent to them once a quarter to inspire them with new ideas.

The My First Journal Kit contains: a B5 size journal, a pencil, stencils, how to guides, washi tape and lots of stickers. The Project Packs have: more stencils, a project worksheet and fun journaling accessories like washing tape and stickers. Find out more about the Daisy Doodle Journaling Club for Children and their sets for adults too.

A Journaling club for children

A Jigsaw

Jigsaws are a great activity to encourage in Tweens because it gives them a chance to relax and destress. If they are a bit reluctant I think the key is to find a picture of something that interests them and with the right number of pieces to be a challenge, but not too hard. Around 500 pieces is a good number for Tweens, or more if they do a lot of jigsaws. This Rebel Girls jigsaw isn't currently available, but Amazon has a good selection of puzzles for this age range. 

A Jigsaw Puzzle is a great way for Tweens to destress

Eugy 3D Cardboard model kit

Eugy are a crafty activity that will keep Tweens attention for a good 10 to 20 minutes, but it doesn’t require any skill. They need to push out the cardboard pieces and stick them together (with the included glue) in number order using the place holder to line them up easily, not forgetting to place the eye in at the right time so it’s sandwiched between layers. At the end they get a 3D animal model like this Zebra (affiliate link) to carefully play with or collect. There are lots of animals to choose from (affiliate link) and they are all pretty cute. Suitable for age 6 plus. 

Keep Tweens entertained with this easy to do craft zebra from Eugy

Gifts for Tweens Who Can't Wait To Grow Up

A Mobile Phone

Ok this wont exactly get them off a screen, but Tweens often start walking to school on their own and go round to friend's houses making having a mobile phone really useful. For most people buying a top of the range phone for their child isn’t an option, especially given the chance of it getting lost or damaged, but not all smart phones come with a huge price tag. IMO specialise in affordable smart phones. The Q4 Pro is their most advanced phone yet and costs just £60 (Pay as You Go) from Tesco Mobile. This android phone has facial unlocking, dual 8mp rear camera and 5”45 wide display screen and 16gb memory (expandable to 64gb with a MicroSD card). It is a decent first phone at a low price, which can run all the popular apps making it a great choice for Tweens (Read my review here).

IMO Q4 Pro Affordable Smartphone

Wireless Headphones

These Edifier WH500 Wireless headphones come in a range of cool colours including Black with yellow, white with gold and baby blue with while. They have great sound quality and well placed controls on the ear piece so you can pause, change tracks or volume really easily. They connect via Bluetooth and can play music for up to 40 hours on a full 2 hour charge or 6 hours playback on a super fast 10 minutes charge. 

Other features include the ear pieces fold in for more compact travel and they also have built in microphone so you can use it for hands-free calls (or gaming). The padding on the top and ears make them super comfortable for long wear. They adjust for larger heads, but the smallest size fits me so will be too big for younger children. There is an app you can download which allows you to adjust the EQ levels and a few other settings. You can buy them here.

Let them listen to music in comfort without you having to hear

Smiggle Stationery

When people ask what presents they should get for their Tween (especially girls) I hear Smiggle products suggested time and time again. They are fun, colourful and practical too so a win all round. It might be a good idea to get a gift card so they can go in store themselves and choose (you can order them online) or you can have fun doing the shopping yourself. The scented marker and gel pens are both very popular and there are a huge range of bags, pencil cases, notepads and other gifts to choose from. You might even find something you want for you! The only downside is they can be very expensive for what they are, but they regularly have sales and discounts on the website so a bit of savvy shopping will make your money go further.

Smiggle gift suggestions: Unicorn Universe scented markers and eraser, Unicorn Fluffy Sand, Scented gel pens, mermaid notepad and a pencil case with reversible sequins on

Make Up

While you won't want them to wear it every day, lots of Tween girls will show an interest in make up. Nail varnish is a good choice and you can even get them practicing their artist skills with nail art. Personally I haven't seen much Tween targeted face make up that I rate so I buy from the cheaper adult ranges: clear mascara, a shimmery eye shadow, lip gloss plus brushes and cleanser make a great present.

These nail polishes are brilliant for nail art with a brush and a pen in each colour