As the festive season approaches we may still be wondering what to gift our preteens. Finding that perfect gift can often be challenging, and is likely compounded by our own resistance to collecting more ‘stuff’ in our home, that only gets used once.
At Mothering Girls we believe there is so much value in enriching the pre-teen years with lots of new experiences. Not only is it a wonderful way to keep our girls active and busy but this offer her a chance to try new things and expand her comfort zone; an especially important task in the pre-teen years when we know that girls’ confidence tends to drop around now.
So here are some ideas for experiences that we can gift our girls – whether it be for the festive season or for birthdays and special occasions!
1. Photography Classes for Pre-teens
For girls who love photography or have a special interest e.g. nature or animals, why not buy her a series of classes to learn more about how to take beautiful pics? This can be a wonderful thing to do with your daughter too; a great way to get you both out and about with your cameras. Learning how to craft the perfect photo can also help our girls develop creativity, patience and craft more intentional photos as she heads into the years of social media. Masterclass have some great classes online for photography and many other cool skills!
2. Cooking Classes and Restaurant Experiences
Is your daughter a foodie? Does she love trying new foods or experimenting in the kitchen? If so, why not consider gifting her a cooking class or a trip to a fancy restaurant with some of her best friends? Some fun ideas to do at home are fondue or restaurant ideas are a high tea or Korean BBQ (where they cook at the table).
3. Outdoor Experiences
Depending on where you live, outdoor experiences are great for girls who love being active and enjoy nature OR for encouraging our quieter girls to try to add more adventure into their lives.
Here are some ideas!
* Rock Climbing
* Go Karting or Biking Adventures
* A hiking tour
* Flying Foxes/Ziplines
* Surfing
* Horseback riding
* Glamping/Camping
* Wildlife Park Tours (Find some ethical animal encounters near you e.g. Koala feeding; Camel riding; Penguin or Dolphin tours) or a Farm Stay
*A road trip – does she love road trips? Why not get her to plan your next one – her choice!
If you are in Australia you might like to consider buying special gift certificates for a whole range of cool adventures.
4. Shows & Events
Covid has put a bit of a dampener on a lot of shows and events but as things slowly start to open up again this is a great gift to give her, and one she is likely to receive with great excitement.
Is she into theatre or music? Does she like the cinema? What about sports? Check out some of her favourite groups, teams or productions to see when the next one is on and surprise her with a special night out, with you or friends!
No shows and events on in your area yet? Why not recreate one in your backyard or lounge room with a projector and teepees for a night and invite some of her friends! Such a wonderful way to create unique memories and why not get her to help you organise it!
5. Equipment that can get her off tech and DOING STUFF!
If we do buy our girls ‘things’ why not buy her something that can lead to wonderful experiences in the future!
With a bit of forethought we can find items we know she will want to use. (If you’re really stuck why not write a whole bunch of activities down on a piece of paper and get her to circle things she would love to try!)
Here are some ideas:
* A skateboard & pads
* A musical instrument
* A surfboard or wetsuit – for girls who love the water!
* A ball or sports equipment – hockey stick, football or basketball hoop?
* A camera (digital, polaroid or go-pro)
* Baking equipment for aspiring bakers!
* Crochet needles and yarn for girls who love crafts.
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Wishing you a Happy Holidays and hope you and your daughter enjoy a refreshing break! To hear more ideas and discussions on this and other pre-teen related topics feel free to jump over to our Instagram or join our mailing list.
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