When it was time for the my 10 year old Miss Freckle to go to a birthday party we had some serious shopping to do. Obviously, when choosing a gift, budget is a consideration. With 5 children and many, many weekends spent going to children's birthday parties (they seem to proliferate in the Prep year but wind down a little by 10!) we need to set a budget. I like to get the kids thinking about their friend and things that they like or don't like to give me some clues. Then working within our budget (usually under $15) we try to come up with some ideas before I go to the shops.
Things I am looking for are usually
1. something to do with the child's interests and
2. something that the parents won't hate me for giving their child
So, here are some ideas that Miss Freckle and I came up with for her friend's 10th birthday.
Lyrics:
This particular friend loves Katy Perry. Went to the concert, sings the songs constantly, wears Katy Perry t-shirts etc etc. So my Miss Freckle came up with the idea of putting some lyrics in a frame. I did some photoshop magic so it looked a little like glitter and voila, Katy Perry in a frame.
Glitter:
Glitter is big at the moment in the pre-teen world. Generally not pink glitter as I have only met one tweenager in the last few years who actually (admits that they) like pink. But really, anything that glitters. We found a cute notepad at Target that shimmies and sparkles away but when researching this post I found all the glitter craft that you can do on Pinterest and I even got a little sparkle-eyed at the possibilities... From one tween to another - I know my daughter would love that!
found on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/pin/155796468334283118/
Mugs:
My daughter was given a fancy mug for Christmas and it is seriously one of her most treasured possessions at the moment. Most tweens don't have any of their own crockery to use exclusively so this is a cool gift, especially if you can get them something that captures their creativity. My daughter loved this one for $5 from Target...
Cooking:
If the pre-teen in question is in to cooking there is a veritable plethora of options.
One little friend of Miss Freckle loved to cook, and was quite accomplished at it, so we bought her an Adriano Zumbo Packet mix and a few cookie cutters and she had a ball (her mother loved me too! She said they were delicious).
I also saw this little beauty at good old Target:
Guaranteed winner this one! Who doesn't like frozen deserts and mum is happy because it is fruit. And only $15.
In the same vain as this there are cupcake makers, donut makers, snow cone makers etc etc. All a bit of fun.
Craft:
Can be a bit tricky at this age. It is important not to go too young. Look for something a little edgy, old school or cool they can make. Or even something practical! We gave this DIY drink bottle kit to a friend who is a boarder at our kids school, so definitely didn't have a lot of space for impractical things, not really edgy or cool but very practical and gave her a bit of fun too.
I have also seen some really cool, retro embroidery for pre-teens in the craft section at Big-W.
Nail Polish/Lip Gloss:
Big hit here too! I don't go past these items in terms of cosmetics as each family is different but a clear sparkly lip gloss or a pack of pastel nail polishes goes down a treat. Hint: Always buy nail polish remover to go with it!
Daiso:
I love this shop! Take your tweenager, pick up a basket and collect a load of things to stick in the present box that they can then pick from when a party comes up. All sorts of cute, Asian bits and bobs like these... all $2.50 each! Hooray!
 |
| Slippers, Houndstooth - two of my favourite words, together, as they should be! |
 |
| Book end or iPad holder - or both! |
 |
| fluffy pigs... who doesn't love them? |
 |
| and why not? Get two or three different colours for a mix and match! |
 |
| Der bloop anyone? |
 |
| ipad case |
Things to avoid:
- Clothes: sizing is awkward, styles are so individual and quality is a family thing.
- Make-up
- Anything that says 6+
- pink
- DVD's: they have so many and once again, what may be OK in your family may be a big no-no in another
- Vouchers: they are still young, a present is nice
- Anything that will make a big mess or need parental help
Hope this helps with your shopping adventures!
Felicity xx
No comments:
Post a Comment