Birthday Presents

When my girls were younger it seemed that selecting a birthday gift to bring along to a party for a friend was not that difficult.  It is becoming more difficult as the girls get older.  I have been shopping recently for birthday gifts for a tween girl, and am tired and cranky after the whole experience.

Below are some ideas in case you, too, are needing to find a gift for that "hard to please" birthday girl (or the hard to please friend who just can't decide on a gift).

Smash Books would have been my dream gift when I was a tween.  Sort of like a scrapbooking journal with added stickers, notes, pockets, and other embellishments. We have given this as a gift a few times, and the Easter Bunny brought this to our house one year.

I loved seeing this little tattoo book when shopping for my niece's birthday gift.  These little books of tattoos (there are a wide variety) come from Dover Publishing (although you can purchase them through Amazon) and are a great little addition to the top of a gift.  

And aren't my nieces just adorable with their moustaches?

I like the original Spirograph which is a blast from the past in my childhood, but I was intrigued with the Spirograph string art kit when I saw it recently.  For my girls and all their friends that like those little art projects, this looks like a lot of fun.

Extreme Dot to Dot books from Mindware have totally engaged my children.  They can sit for hours and working on one dot to dot.  My seven year old enjoys them as do my ten and twelve year olds. I have a few of these on hand "just in case" to use in a pinch for a gift. 

These very cute pillows aren't something my older girls would give their friends, but Little Sister LOVES these kits.  She received one from her grandparents for Christmas a year ago when she was six years old.  Now, as she nears her eighth birthday, she is still totally in love with these kits, and managed to get one done from start to finish in an hour.

These have all been popular gifts to give and receive around my house.  I like them because they seem a step above giving a toy that is never looked at again and can provide hours of entertainment.  

What are your "go to" gifts for kids' birthdays? I'm always open for ideas!