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Tweens are a tricky lot to gift. They are not small kids who need constant attention and pampering however they are not old enough to manage things on their own. Add to it the feeling of independence, subtle changes in behavior, rebellious to a certain degree and a distinct clarity of choices makes gifting a complicated matter. I had the firsthand experience of this when we were birthday shopping for my tween. That’s when I decided that gifting ideas for Tweens is going to be my next blog topic!

Who is a Tween?

Tween are children in the age group of 8-12. It is those ‘between years’ where they have outgrown the ‘kids’ category but are not yet in the ‘teen’ category. They are experiencing subtle changes physically and emotionally and the same is also reflected in their behavior, choices and overall attitude.

Gifting Ideas for Tween

We need to put some thought into the kind of gifts that we would give them. Usually I prefer gifting a book or an educational toy, but when it was time for my tweens birthday, we decided to ask her. I know she isn’t much into reading and I didn’t want to gift clothes. So, we visited Hamley’s and that was like opening a genie from a bottle! Kids went from clear to confused in 10 seconds flat!
The pre-decided list was chucked and a new list was in the making. As we walked past shelves of interesting and amazingly beautiful toys, I made a quick mental note of toys that got her and other children in her age-group excited.

1. Telescope

This is the first thing that caught our attention. The telescope has some really good optic lenses and hence they are perfect for star gazing, bird watching or even for observing cityscapes from high altitudes. The one that we saw had 90 x zoom that is decent to watch the night sky! I think I was more excited, seeing it than my kid! This is a superb gifting idea for kids interested in astronomy.

2. DIY kits – Science kits

There were a lot of DIY science kits that provided practical use and fun experiments to create scientific models. The models that we saw were ‘Make a volcano’, ‘make a motor boat, telegram, bell’ etc. These were really fun ideas and I remembered the science fairs when we were expected to create such working models. I am not sure if they were a single use or a multi- use kits, however considering the amount, I assume it to be single use products. Nevertheless, they created quite a stir among our young audience and there was a lot of discussion as every box was picked.

3. Drone

There is some inexplicable fun in seeing a flying object! And if you can control it then it is also a matter of amusement. Such was the look on the face of our tweens when they saw a drone zoom in and fly low over their heads! It was something that the hubster was super excited about, but sadly it failed to impress the birthday girl and we had to leave it at that. But by the time we left the store, atleast two parents were carrying the toy home!

4. Remote controlled helicopter

There were a lot of remote controlled toys rights from cars, trains to helicopters. This added to the whole magic land feeling with toys zooming past us and some over us! Again the remote controlled cars and trains was something that got my younger one interested however as his birthday wasn’t anywhere in sight, we decided to give it a miss!

5. Hamley’s magic pens

These are some fun sketchpens! Available in 4 packs, each with a distinct ability, these pens make a great collection for kids interested in coloring, calligraphy or even understand color blending. The pens come in packs like color stacker, double magic, wipe colors and magic pens. Some pens change color after being written on them, while some have two colors in them. Some more can wipe the colors after being written. There are a few ‘how to’ videos available on YouTube and the sales people do a good job of stimulating the creativity of the children.

6. Shifu – Augmented Reality Space Educational Game

Shifu’s Augmented Reality Games are really fun! There are cards totaling 20 to 60 in number and with an app that can be downloaded on the phone or tablet, the planets come alive with this game. Placing the cards in front of the camera, using the shifu app will make the card alive and you can see the planet revolving in front of you with some extra reading available on the side. The 60 card game has a lot of information. It showcases rockets, planets, solar system, stars and a lot more. It is extremely informative and fun.

7. Smartivity

Smartivity is another DIY kind of toys which have a some fun science and practical workable models of things like a periscope, Kaleidoscope etc. This is again a very hands on toy and if you enjoy creating models with your children then this should interest you.
Apart from these I saw a step on it Piano, Robot making toolkit and even some battery operated ball! I even saw a battery operated child companion which could provide answers to the child, play music and even teach a few things!

The possibilities are endless, and these are the few toys that I found stimulating and entertaining at the same time. Have you come across some interesting toys which can be gifted to tweens ? Which are your favorites?