40 Best Gifts for 12-Year-Old Girls That Will Earn a "Thank You"
It's a tricky in-between-age, but we found toys, games, books, things for her room, and more that should win her approval.
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When we think back to being 12 years old, we remember it as a confusing age that felt too old for certain toys but too young to leave other toys behind. Tween girls are on the cusp of their teenage years, which makes it especially difficult to find gifts they won't deem "embarrassing" or "too childish" (to use the words one editor may or may not have told her mom way back when).
Experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute spend time testing toys and gifts with actual tweens. We crowdsource, too, surveying parents and preteens themselves about what is currently resonating with 12-year-old girls. So we're pretty confident that our list will, at the very least, spark some on-point ideas for her birthday, Christmas, or any special occasion.
DIY-inclined preteens will love making their own stuffed animals, including a bee, a platypus, and an axolotl. The best part is that it uses a loom, so they don't have to master knitting needles. "[My daughter] also liked that she could make other things with other yarns—existing yarn at home," one parent tester said. Ages 7+
This chair impressed the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute because its fabric was so low-maintenance and easy to clean—a boon for those living with messy tweens. And testers found them comfy and not too squishy, so they'll love sitting in it to read or do homework.
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There's a ticking clock on this mystery story, with a young girl having to follow clues to track down a lost island before two weeks is up. Good Housekeeping Institute readers couldn't put this one down. This was the best book I’ve read in a while,” one reader said. Ages 8+
Yes slime is still a thing, and this kit will have her stretching and twirling jars of fluffy slime before dressing them up with included add-ins. The set comes with seven different colors of slime, plus charms, confetti, and more to mix into them. Shoppers report that the slime wasn't overwhelmingly sticky. Ages 8+
The Wicked: For Good movie will have tweens relating to Elphaba and Glinda and their struggles with friendship, fitting in, and popularity. Funk POP vinyl figures are fun, small collectibles that are easy to display on a desk or shelf, and yes, there's also a Glinda.
A bag with colorful, sequined rhinestone confetti? Yes, please! This can be worn around the waist or across the body, but either way it'll have her looking like a party.
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LEGO never goes out of style, and we've even seen so-sophisticated 12-year-olds leap in to start building the Castle Bed and Breakfast and show it off. The set comes with over 1,300 pieces for the three-story château, great for a weekend project. It also includes four mini-dolls. Ages 12+
Every age loves Squishmallows. But Benito is a hybrid of a blueberry cheesecake and a cow, which is appropriately absurd for a preteen's sensibilities. It was a unanimous hit with our at-home testers, who highlighted how soft and squishy it is. Ages 3+
If her favorite subject at school falls in the STEM category, she'll love this toy robotic arm. One parent tester said their daughter enjoyed assembling the plastic parts and "playing with the robotic claw afterward to try to grab things off the table." The kit will teach her about engineering and how muscles and tendons interact. Ages 10+ with help
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Actual 12-year-olds name this as a present they want, the sweet-smelling hair and body mist with notes of vanilla and caramel. Sol de Janeiro is a trendy brand, and though this is its original fragrance, there are more than ten others, too, including one with jasmine and one with lily of the valley.
When it comes to bracelets, more is more. This set comes with 16 bracelets that they can combine, stack and recombine to make a different look every day.
This two-player game stumped even adult testers. One parent tester said, "I can usually figure out a game. I haven’t cracked the algorithm with Orbito yet, which levels the playing field with my children." The goal is to line up four marbles in a row, but that becomes complicated when the marbles shift every turn. Ages 7+
Labubu aside, kids are looking to hang charms off their backpack for a little customization and bling. Choose from any letter and from colors including pink, blue, or green.
Jellycat, a British line of fun and funny plush that's particularly beloved by tweens and teens, makes this soft, plush 12-inch octopus and plenty of other characters, including celestial bodies like a sunshine and food like a pair of happy marshmallows.
Two-layer necklaces are in, and in this case that means double the opportunities for personalization, with a name on one strand and a birthstone on the other. You can also get this in different plated metals.
Encourage a savings mentality with this coin jar that keeps a running total of what's inside. It can fit 700 or more coins that your 12-year-old finds, earns, or is gifted out of the pockets of grown-ups who don't want to be carrying them around. It requires 2 AAA batteries.
Designed to last 15 minutes, this board game version of the digital Monopoly Go requires players to send their pieces around the board all at the same time. One parent tester said their daughter "keeps wanting to play it over and over again" and added, "I think she likes it more than the classic version." Ages 8+
It can be hard for parents and tweens to find areas of common interest, but this gets them on the same page, literally. Writing prompts and conversation-starters make it easy for them to figure out what they should write to each other, and when they fill it up they'll have a treasured keepsake. Ages 8 to 12
Puberty happens at different ages and looks different for each tween, but if she is starting to complain about oily skin, gift her these oil-blotting sheets. Each pack comes with 100 sheets designed to absorb excess oil. Our gift editors think they would make an affordable stocking stuffer for her come December.
It is all the rage to hangout with your besties and make beaded bracelets, regardless of age. This set comes with over 1,000 charms and beads so she can design multiple friendship bracelets, keychains and more with her friends or on her own. Ages 6+
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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