Shopping for a 9 Year Old Girl? Choose From These 12 Ideas for the Perfect Gift

As adorable as she may look at 9 years, she isn’t a little girl anymore (she thinks) and would hate to be treated as a child. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to be cuddled like a child, but only when she is in the mood for it. Be prepared for her different moods for she is very moody – so she may love you one moment for getting her a gift she likes, hate a similar present a short while later, and be back to adoring you by day end.

She is on the verge of reaching adolescence and feels fairly independent, so toys or presents she considers fit for ‘little girls’ are a complete no-no. She is smart, she is funny, she is becoming more social and likes to hang out with her friends, has interests that involve her deeply, but at the same time peer pressure is starting to creep in and she is very conscious of her body image. Keep these things in mind and play to her interests and you won’t go wrong.

Socializing and spending time with friends is what makes her happiest. She wants to share her play time and her play things with her girlfriends. Toys and games that fit the bill will score you plenty of brownie points not only with her but her social group as well.

Spending time with her girlfriends is high on her list of priorities, and among those, sleepovers are a favourite. Make her sleepovers a blast by giving her games and toys she can play with her friends when they are over.

The Sleepover Party Game is a hit with girls this age. It has about 200 different games such as making comic sounds, making up new lyrics to a favourite song about your breakfast pancakes and pretending to be a human mirror. It needs at least 3 players and all you need to do is get the spinner going, pick a card and enact what is says to earn points. There are acting challenges, working and party quests to be completed here. Girls this age love indulging in silly things and having a laugh and she will enjoy this game with her friends. It is designed for ages 8 years and above but older kids and even parents can join in too. Buy it on Amazon for Rs.2,810.

You can even make up your own game for her. Truth or dare is something everyone has played at some point and it is always fun. There is a free printable game for tweens available at momof6.com that has 100 questions, evenly split between truth and dare. Fill up the questions in two jars, label them and tie ribbons around them to make them pretty and watch your girl have a great time on her slumber party.

Cootie catchers are a hoot for little girls, and not just 9 year olds. Wondering what that is? Those carefully folded paper playthings that open and close. Pick a colour and a number. It has flaps which contain questions and usually some silly corresponding answers that players have to pick. Doesn’t that ring a bell? Every girl has played with it at some point in her life. The one created by Klutz takes it to the next level of fun with 22 pre-printed cootie catchers that she will have to simply fold. They have glow-in-the-dark detailing, bits of glitter and even stickers. It comes as a 68 page book complete with instructions, and loads of fun questions like: were you born to wear a tiara, what sport will make you famous, will you be an evil scientist, win an award for the most amazing hairdo or be a professional candy tester? The book is available for Rs.1,764.

If your little girl enjoys singing along to her favourite songs she will love to have her own karaoke machine. And what with all the talents shows out there, who knows she may go on to become the next singing sensation a few years down the line! Even if she doesn’t have starry ambitions, she will have hours of fun singing at the top of her voice or create a bigger racket with her friends joining in as well. Look for a machine that is appropriate for her age; keep in mind whether she likes to sing solo or if she will enjoy using it with her friends. Bluetooth will be an added bonus and, with parental controls, can give her endless choices.

We suggest the Singing Machine Disco Light Karaoke System because, hello, disco lights! It has multiple microphone inputs, each with its own volume control to manage lead and background singers. Equipped with Bluetooth, it can also connect to YouTube and even play CDs that you have. Did we mention the machine also doubles up as its own disco ball for a fantastic evening of fun? It has rave reviews on Amazon where you can buy it for Rs.7,550.

She is a smart kid and she knows it. Gone are the days of fumbling with chubby crayon sticks and wondering how things work. At 9 she is deft with her hands and enjoys making things, craft, jewellery, toys, anything she can put together herself.

She is at the age where she wants to dress up, wear jewellery and maybe even try make-up. Since she enjoys making things herself, a DIY kit will get her very excited. Style Me Up! Precious Bracelets lets her make friendship bracelets for all her friends but with cool new additions like rhinestones and metal chains. Girls enjoy making friendship bands for their friends and this kit lets her make them with 6 colour cotton threads, rhinestones, metal chains, and pretty nailhead studs and stones. The kit comes with a hooked suction cup that makes it easy to make the bracelets. Buy the kit for Rs.1,239.

Since friendship bands are very popular amongst girls this age, you could also get her something like the Stick 'N Style Blinglets which will also be a big hit at her next sleepover with her friends. This one is for those who aren’t great at making friendship bands as it involves sticking on the pieces to create a bracelet. Even those with skilled fingers will enjoy trying out something different from the thread bands. It comes with 12 ready to decorate Blinglets and over 700 sparkling jewel stickers that can be stuck on the bracelet to create brilliant new designs. This one is priced at Rs.2,000.

Children this age love craft. The thought of cutting, glueing, pasting, stapling and folding gets them so excited that sometimes even with the best intentions and well-designed craft kits, the whole exercise often results in a massive mess that the parent then has to clean. Don’t let this stop you from reaching out for a craft kit you know your little girl will enjoy. To help you along we suggest the Aquabeads Frozen Playset, where she can create her favourite characters from Frozen, and you will not be covered in glue.

The kit comes with a design table, 900 classic and jewel beads in 14 colors in a bead case, a spray for water, a bead pen, 4 design templates and instructions. Using the layout she can create beautiful snowflakes, and the characters Elsa, Anna and Olaf. The pen makes it easy to place the small beads in the right place. Then all it takes is a light spray of water for the beads to stick together. Let it dry and the beautiful creation is complete! This set is available for Rs.1,600.

If you know anything about young girls then you know they absolutely adore their collection of lip balms in multiple colours and sweet scents. It’s a pretty decent obsession too as the balm keeps her lips from drying and getting cracked especially in the cold months. Boost her collection of lip balms with a kit where she can make her own lip balms. When selecting a suitable kit look for one which has natural and safe ingredients, and flavours that will appeal to her.

We like the DIY Lip Balm Kit which contains ingredients to make 24 lip balms! The kit has good quality shea butter and sweet almond oil to provide intense moisturising that will keep her lips soft, and beeswax beads which is known to keep bacteria at bay and will help keep the balms long lasting. It comes with the flavours peppermint, pina colada, black cherry and strawberry-kiwi which she can even mix to create something unique. There are stir sticks to mix the balm, 12 empty tubes, and 12 container jars to store the prepared balm. Labels in the kit can be used to personalise the collection even more and with so many lip balms at hand, she would even like to share them with friends. The kit retails for Rs.8,876.

She feels grown up and would like to be treated so, even though she is still a child. So although she may like to try on make-up and other things she sees adults do, you need to tread with care - find her safe play sets that indulge her curiosity and interests yet are suitable for a child.

At age 9 your little girl feels all grown up and wants to try out all the things she sees her mom do, such as paint her nails. A nail art set is a great way to introduce her to nail paint and it is something she can either use on her own or together with her friends. The Pinkleaf Nail Art Set For Girls is recommended for ages 6 years and has been designed to help girls learn how to paint their nails. There are four pots of nail paint in this kit – a pink, another in purple colour, and two pots of glitter. These can form the basics but the really cool things here are the press on nails and nail art stickers. The press on nails let her get accustomed to the feeling of wearing fake nails and she can use the nail art decals to make her own designs. Accessories like a mini nail file, a nail brush and 2 child-sized toe separators allow her to get the full pedicure experience. Buy the set for Rs.2,330.

Does your little girl like to help out in the kitchen, frost a cake or even attempt to make her own edible creations? Then a cookbook designed especially for children will make the perfect gift for her. However, a kitchen may not be the ideal place for children and you are rightly fearful of letting her near sharp knives and hot ovens. Which is why the Kids Only Cookbook by Sue Quinn is such a good cookbook to start with. It is designed to be used by children more or less independently with little help from adults, an example being pages such as How to Not Chop Off Your Finger which is detailed, useful, and even funny. The book contains 50 recipes with different difficulty ratings, each recipe teaches a certain cooking technique, either baking, whipping, beating or piping. The recipes themselves are fun and interesting too - bacon and egg sandwich in a paper bag cooked on a barbecue, chocolate and banana French toast, kick and roll tin ice cream recipe to create vanilla ice cream. Buy this book for Rs.1,027.

Girls of all ages value their trinkets and would be thrilled to receive a pretty jewellery box to stores their little treasures in. The Enchantmints Ballerina Musical Jewelry Box is decorated with enchanting ballerinas that will appeal to her even if she isn’t a ballet girl. The musical box plays Swan Lake even as the ballerina on top twirls in response. Apart from the very pretty visual appeal, the case is equipped with a large drawer at the bottom and two smaller drawers on the side in addition to the main compartment on top. There is even a mirror on the inside of the lid. It is perfect for keeping all her bracelets, charms, earrings and little treasures. She can continue to use it as she grows older and updates her jewellery collection. The musical jewellery box retails for Rs.3,146.

If you are still not convinced she will like any of the above then here are a few more suggestions that may trigger off an idea for the perfect gift.

Every child must learn to ride a bicycle at some point in their young lives, starting with toy versions with starter wheels to help them acclimatised to being on a mobile object, then moving on to slightly bigger bikes with perhaps a few more bells and whistles. At 9 your little girl may already have a kiddy bike on which she is learning and may be ready to move on to a bigger bicycle, however, if she is starting to learn, then a bicycle with assistance is probably the best bet.

Regardless of the age recommendations by manufacturers, when buying a bicycle you need to keep a few things in mind. Her weight and size factor in more than age as the bike should not be too heavy or light, the seat should be at a comfortable level for her with scope to adjust as she grows bigger. The bike should be well designed to give her stability as she rides with safe and easy to use brakes. Also, look for bikes where the pedals are closer together as a wide gap between them makes for uncomfortable riding. Factor in things like her cycling abilities and your budget. If she is well on her way to learning to ride, a slightly more expensive bicycle with perhaps a pretty basket in front will be highly appreciated.

The Hero Cycles Girlz Zone Miss India Gold bicycle is a popular junior bike for girls with a comfortable saddle, extra raise handle and soft grips made of synthetic resin. Buy it for Rs.6,100.

Children cannot have enough stationery and girls are especially drawn to pretty pencils, coloured and glitter pens and craft books that they can use even outside of school. Stationery and art supplies make for very practical gifts if you are so inclined. To make things more interesting look for unusual stationery. You could pick up a pre-made gift set in a theme she likes, or create your own gift bag with multiple items.

We liked Melissa and Doug mini scratch art notes in rainbow colours. The box contains a wooden stylus and 125 rainbow mini notes on which she can doodle, draw, keep notes or create art pieces. The notes have a matte coating which covers a rainbow of colours beneath; all you have to do is scratch the surface with the stylus. She can have a riot with these pretty notes. Buy a box of 125 notes for Rs.899.

Think of this one as a long term gift she can use over several years. Now that she has a better grasp on reading and enjoys reading a book on her own, the complete collection of Harry Potter books is a gift that will last a very long time. The fantasy novels based on the life and adventures of Harry Potter, a young wizard, have caught the imagination old and young across the globe. She may already have read the first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, or more likely, seen the movies. There are movies, merchandise and theme parks that provide tangible proof of the immense popularity of British author J. K. Rowling’s fictitious magical world. The books are far more fun than all the rest of it put together and will make a great gift. A set of all seven books in paperback will cost you Rs.2,245 while a hardbound set retails at Rs.5,799.

You can also select from some of the other popular book series for children that age. Geronimo Stilton and Diaries of the Wimpy Kid are other favourites.