10 Best Birthday Gifts for 11 Year Old Girls in 2018 and How to Buy Gifts a Tween Girl Will Love

At 11 years your little girl is not so little anymore and it’s finally time to phase out the kiddy toys, though she may still have a few cuddly friends she doesn’t want to part with just yet. Shopping for girls this age is a bit of a conundrum as they are past the child phase yet not quite taken up by teenage interests. They are in between stages of growth and gifts for them must reflect that. She is likely in the 6th or 7th standard, so she is definitely not going to appreciate a 'small child's toys'.

If you ask her, or any other 11 year old for that matter, you will get as many answers as there are girls; each one has a different idea of what a cool and nice gift is. But what they all do seem to agree on is that they are ‘not kids anymore’, and while she may not really be interested in what teenagers fancy, she’s not going to tell you that, certainly not when she is demanding makeup!

Cool electronics and fun gadgets make just about anyone happy these days, and 11 year old girls are no different. The great part is there are so many new and interesting gadgets you can buy her that will also help her with school work, learn new things, and keep her gainfully occupied. If she doesn’t already have a cell phone perhaps now you can consider a basic smartphone that will keep her happy and help you stay connected with her. You can also look at tablets, gaming consoles, a smartwatch, MP3 player, an instant camera or even a karaoke machine. Whatever you buy, ensure it is suitable for her age.

She may have lost the baby talk and would like to keep reminding you how big she now is, a good game or puzzle will still leave her squealing with delight. It’s good that she still enjoys them as there are some fantastic games and puzzles available that can tweak her little grey cells into developing further and teach her a whole bunch of skills. Look for board games, card games, brain teasers that pose a challenge, anything that will grab her attention and hold it. As she becomes more social and enjoys spending time with her friends, a stack of fun games will keep the whole gang busy and out of your hair.

There is immense pleasure to be derived from making things yourself so let her make the most of her crafting interests by bringing her craft kits, DIY and hobby kits based on things she likes to do. Girls this age have very diverse interests and are at a stage where they like to devote a lot of their energy and time into hobbies. So whether she likes to build science projects, paint, knit, sew or play sport, find craft and hobby kits related to her interest that will not only help develop the skills she already has, but create a healthy habit of pursuing an useful hobby.

All little girls like to occasionally browse through mommy’s dresser and vanity case; the world of makeup is a fascinating one and watching their mom’s transform into ethereally beautiful creatures in front of that mirror mesmerises them. As long as they are watching it is alright, but around this age they are no longer content with playing with mom’s makeup under supervision, they want their own makeup! At 11 the answer is an obvious no, but you can indulge her with tinted lip balms and perhaps a few products and accessories that are suitable for children, with instructions to be used on special occasions only.

Help her build her mathematical thinking abilities along with logic, fine motor skills and even some patience with these origami brainteasers. There are 10 puzzles in the box (the solutions are included) that will make her fold, unfold, twist and turn the pieces looking for the solutions.

The challenges comprise of 10 puzzle sheets which can be folded to create colour windows, lotus of the heart, tricky triangles and flexi twist amongst others. The sheets are coated with a sturdy laminate that can withstand repeated folding and unfolding. The solutions themselves are beautiful geometric designs that will make the struggle worthwhile. The box says it is suitable for ages 8 years and above but the puzzles will leave even adults confounded. Made by Fat Brain Toys, Fold: Origami Brainteaser is available for Rs.2,372 on Amazon.

Having sleepovers with her girlfriends is probably one of her favourite things to do. Girls will find a way to amuse themselves even if they don’t have anything specific to do, but what separates a great sleepover from a somewhat nice one is the fun games and activities planned for it. Buy her games, activity sets and puzzles that she can play with her friends when they are over.

We suggest the sleepover version of the current hot favourite word game, Mad Libs. If you haven’t heard of this before and are not sure how it’s played, we will break it down for you. Mad Libs is essentially a book containing a phrasal template word game where one player asks the other players to fill in the blanks for a story before reading it out aloud. The results are mostly nonsensical and funny and leaves everyone in splits. The Sleepover Party Mad Libs is a 48 page potential rib tickler suitable for ages 8 to 12 years. Buy it for Rs.650 on Amazon and make her next sleepover a smashing success.

A set of deliciously flavoured, tinted or glittery lip balms and lip glosses that she can use as ‘makeup’ when dressing up will make you her favourite person for a brief span of time, possibly every time one of her friends compliments her on it.

The Townley Girl Dreamworks Trolls Sparkly Lip Balm For Girls is a set of 5 luscious lip glosses that shimmer and shine as well as provide deep hydration. Each glittery stick is decorated with a different Trolls character and will be a great conversation starter for her group of friends. They are also deliciously flavoured with bubble gum, cherry, strawberry, grape and cotton candy. It is suitable for ages 3 years and above and will keep her delicate skin protected and moisturised while allowing her to preen. The glosses come in a cute tin box, making it perfect for a birthday gift. But it for Rs.1,639 on Amazon.

Children are naturally curious about the world around them and you can often find them peering at and studying small objects, insects and plants under a magnifying glass. Girls with a scientific bent of mind or a curiosity about the smaller things in life will be thrilled with their own microscope. It can serve as an introduction to microbiology.

The Shopaholic kids Microscope Refined Scientific Instruments Kit lets her examine creepy crawlies, study a leaf or a drop of water. Though made for kids, it functions as a proper compound microscope and has three objective lenses, allowing her to magnify objects to 00X, 400X and 1200X. The eyepiece is comfortable to use and can be adjusted to the perfect focus position. It comes with other aids like specimens of glass, plastic containers, blank labels, 2 collection bottles and forceps. Buy it for Rs.699 on Amazon.

This activity is a nice way to teach your 11-year-old a favourite pastime for girls - painting their nails! The KLUTZ-Nail Style Studio Book Kit comes in the form of an activity book with step-by-step instructions on how to create 25 stunning nail art designs. The kit includes a sixty page book of designs, six bottles of non-toxic, peel-off practice polish in different colours, a two-sided custom dotting tool and over 250 stick-on stencils. The nail paint peels off easily and she can practice till she has mastered her favourite designs to look like the work of a professional manicurist. Buy it for Rs.2,149 on Flipkart.

The artistically inclined girl will be thrilled with a comprehensive art kit like the 86 piece Conda and Kiddy Color Portable Set-Kid's Wood Art Case. It comes in a beautiful glossy wooden box with leather handle and good quality metal hinges and latches that will appeal to her grown-up side. The elegant box will even make a grown up envious.

Looks aside the contents have been selected to provide a full range of tools for the artistic mind. The inside is lined with a molded plastic shell so each piece sits in its own space, making organising a breeze. The set includes 24 coloured pencils, 12 watercolor cakes, 24 oil pastels, 2 paint brushes, 6 pencils, eraser, 12 crayons, sandpaper, sharpener and 2 glitter glues - everything she needs to create her own masterpieces. Buy it for Rs.2,732 on Amazon.

The Dork Diaries series by Russell Russell is the current bestseller amongst books for tweens where the protagonist Nikki Maxwell navigates the adventures and pitfalls of middle school including the highs and lows of a first crush, encounters with mean girls and drama with the BFFs. It’s popularity among girls aged 9 to 14 years is owing to the relatable experiences that Nikki goes through and her fabulous life serves as mirror image of many of the challenges they face themselves.

If that doesn’t convince you perhaps the sale of millions of copies globally, the series landing on the New York Times bestseller list and the awards it has won will. Buy this boxed set of the first three books in the series in hardcover for Rs.2,083 on Flipkart. The set includes the titles Tales From a Not-So-Fabulous Life Dork Diaries, Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl Dork Diaries, and Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star.

Making bracelets and friendship bands for themselves and their best friends is still a popular pastime for 11 year old girls. Bracelets are some of their favourite jewellery. Combine that with their love for crafting things, and you have a winner - bracelet making kits that let her customise her own designs.

Style Me Up Sweet Links Bracelets Maker has provisions to make up to 7 bracelets. The kit contains a bracelet maker, 230 link beads, cotton thread in seven colours, 7 clasp beads, 14 round beads, a needle, a link bead pen and a set of instructions with colour pictures to guide her. The mini barbell beads can be turned into stunning jewellery for her and her friends. But the set for Rs.884 on Amazon.

Have you noticed how unicorns seem to be springing up everywhere? These fabled mythical creatures have seen a revival in recent times and have made their way into popular culture and gifts. If you have an 11 year old daughter, niece, friend, granddaughter or neighbour, chances are she too is a fan of all things featuring unicorns, if you aren’t sure just check her room or the videos she watches on YouTube.

For the ultimate unicorn fan we suggest an entire goodie bag filled with cute merchandise featuring these horned horses with rainbow tails. The Unicorn Edition Gift Box by Sugarbox is filled with everything she needs to embark on a magical journey. It contains a unicorn marque light, unicorn plush slippers, unicorn earphones, unicorn hair clip, handmade rainbow soap, ‘Unicorn Off duty ' glitter utility pouch with tassel, a unicorn pom pom bag charm, and candy cone rainbow seeds. That’s a lot of unicorns and rainbows, sparkle and glitter and is sure to make a little girl very happy. Order it for Rs.1,899 on Sugarbox.

Music lovers will be delighted with a set of new headphones. Although you must monitor her use and ensure she doesn’t use them with the volume turned up very high as this will result in serious damage to her hearing, buy her a nice set depending on her personality. Over the ear headphones are good for girls who mostly listen to music at home but can be big and bulky to carry around, so if she has a lot of places to go to in a day, such as for classes and tuition or plays a lot of sport, a more compact set of ear plugs will be more suitable.

A fashionista who likes her music but can’t bear to be seen with a plain earplugs or a big bulky headset over her ears may enjoy the Acid Eye Bluetooth Necklace Headset with a woven white pearl and tassel necklace. The wireless headphones have a built-in microphone, are easily foldable, have a microphone mute button, comes with noise cancellation and noise isolation feature, is rechargeable and sweat proof. The best feature though, it is built into a chain necklace and discreetly sits behind the neck, looping into the ears from behind.

Made of shell pearls, the colour is long lasting provided it is protected from getting scratched and not exposed to perfumes or other chemicals. The earphones can be paired with any Bluetooth device from up to 10 meters away, and she can stream music and answer calls from two devices. It goes for 7 hours on a single charge and is available for Rs.2,199 on Amazon.