Whatever your little one is into, whether aspiring engineer, budding chef, outdoor enthusiast or all-round super awesome genius, there’s sure to be something to suit in our roundup of the best gifts for girls. From amazing STEM sets and new-fangled child-appropriate tech to classic bikes, dolls houses and dress-up sets, it’s all here – and hey, if you happen to find something for the boys while you’re at it, so much the better.
- Get them on the road to international superstardom with one of our best electric guitars for beginners
- Shop our best children’s books for your favourite bookworm, or for older girls, how about their very own Kindle?
- Whether they love cute critters, quirky accessories, or Star Wars, stationery is always a good shout when it comes to gifting
If we had to choose, our best gift for girls aged four to seven is the , a 16-inch bike that strikes just the right balance between sturdy, comfortable, and light – because who doesn’t want a cool new bike for their birthday? If you, or your budget, are not thinking quite that big, there’s still plenty to choose from. is an amazing educational toy that grows as they learn and comes in at under £30 RRP, while for just under £40 RRP, you can pick up a brilliant, buildable featuring Disney heroine Moana.
Coming in a choice of Pepto-Bismol pink or duck egg blue, this is one cool-looking bike. Parents were impressed by the sturdy build and found the brakes to be a cut above those on competing kids’ bikes, but also loved that it was lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, allowing kids to build their confidence out on the trail. Ridgeback recommend the Melody for girls aged four to seven, or roughly between 110 and 120 centimetres tall, and the adjustable handlebars and elegant look allow it to grow with them.
Rather than a toy tablet, this Amazon Fire Kids Edition is a bona fide mobile device optimised and safeguarded for use by smalls. With a proper 7” IPS display, 16 GB internal storage and up to eight hours of battery life, it feels properly grown up and fully functional, but it’s what comes extra that makes it great: a Kid-Proof case, 2-year no questions asked guarantee of replacement if it breaks, a full year of Fire For Kids Unlimited giving them oodles of content to digest, and really flexible parental controls, letting you set the bar for usage, access, and even educational goals.
Arguably the ultimate dollhouse, this huge structure offers kids loads of room for play, and masses of variety. It stands four-and-a-half feet tall, has eight rooms, and comes with 34 accessories and pieces of furniture, giving tons and tons of options for scenarios and room setups. What also gives it the edge on a more traditional dollhouse is the moving parts, including opening and closing garage doors and even a working lift. That huge footprint does, of course, mean you’ll need quite a bit of space to give it a good home, but when it’s spacious enough for two or more to play together, we can’t fault it.
Decorated with awards from both the National Parenting Center and the amazingly named Dr. Toy, it’s safe to say Snap Circuits Jr. have the official seal of approval, and reviewers say their kids are all over them too. Girls who love to tinker and problem-solve will be kept busy by the 101 exciting projects detailed in the illustrated manual, which shows them how to build everything from burglar alarms to doorbells with real working circuits. The fact that you can buy additional upgrade kits to add to their knowledge and test their skills as they learn gives this toy real longevity.
What better way to work off those birthday e-numbers than with an awesome outdoor play area? This Plum Lookout Tower is made of strong stuff – solid FSC-certified wood, to be precise – and arrives flat-packed and pre-drilled with an anchor kit for quick and simple assembly, which is good news for you. For them, it’s an enormously versatile base for outdoor play, with swings, wave slide, ladder, rock wall, sand pit and chalk board (for planning manoeuvres, duh). The wave slide can even be converted into a water slide for those hot, hazy summer holidays: just add a hose.
If your child has already taken to flitting about the house singing Let it Go and trying in vain to turn everything into ice (hey, we’ve all been there) make sure they do it in the best possible style with this premium Elsa costume from Rubies. They can play at being everyone’s favourite snow queen in this beautiful, highly detailed Elsa dress, complete with delicate gauzy cloak, cute snowflake pattern and just a bit of bling, but undoubtedly the best bit is the hidden button, which makes the dress light up and play music from the film. Magic!
Every kid needs a den, and this Great Little Trading Co Teepee makes a top-notch hideout if you’re really looking to treat them. The contrasting retro patterns, a combo of pink and white pyjama stripe and delicate ditsy floral, give off quaint handmade vibes without any of the swearing when the bobbin flies off or you accidentally sew the entrance shut, and the bundle of sticks-style tent poles are both robust and authentic-looking. With a removable, washable base and flap window, this makes a pretty and practical place for reading, sleepovers, or simply chilling either indoors or out.
Part smartwatch, part activity tracker, part handheld console, this versatile wearable makes a great gift for older girls. There’s a camera for taking photos and recording video, a motion sensor to track their steps, a calendar, a calculator, a stopwatch, eight games, a voice recorder, and...what else? Oh yeah, a clock. All in all, it’s an enormously useful accessory, but if they do end up looking for a little more out of it, they can always download more apps and games. Reviewers were impressed with the sturdy build, too.
Move over Monica (Galetti or Gellar, depending on what you’ve been teaching them) – the play kitchen is a favourite classic toy for all genders, and a great way to spark an interest in cooking, even if they’re still firmly in the Play-Doh patties stage of their career. Its solid wood construction and free personalisation up to 20 characters make it a real keepsake item, and with two pots, utensils, oven mitt, and working dials and doors, it’s got everything they need to whip up hours of imaginative play. After something a little less pink? This wooden mini kitchen, also from John Lewis, comes highly rated.
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