Best Birthday Presents for Little Girls

With the sheer volume of cute clothes available for little girls, it can be tempting to buy the pink tights and mini-dress for a birthday gift. But if you want to buy a toy for a toddler girl, ages 2 to 5, here are the top five picks for a great gift.

Toddlers learn pretty quickly, as anyone who has ever sworn in front of a toddler can tell you. Toys that promote learning are a great choice for gifts. Educational toys include V.Smile or Leapster video game systems as well as jigsaw and peg puzzles and phonics workbooks disguised as coloring books. Major chain department stores and toy stores carry video games as well as play digital cameras, laptops and smart phones from VTech and LeapFrog. These toys can be priced as low as $15.

Learning Express stores, both online at Learningexpress.com or in their physical locations, carry wooden jigsaw puzzles and peg puzzles, which develop hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. You can also find puzzles at craft and hobby stores, or online at Amazon.com.

One place to look for workbooks and flash cards is a teacher's supply store. If you don't have a local teacher's supply store, you can check out the office supply chain stores, which do sometimes have a small selection of educational materials.

By giving a book, you are giving the gift of reading. Several websites, such as the American Library Association, have lists or recommended books by age groups. Two of their picks, Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond are perfect for the birthday girl's parents to read to her before bed.

If the girl in question likes to dress up in tiaras and feather boas, she might like other dress-up outfits such as a chef's apron, a firefighter's hat or a superhero cape. Some chain stores carry occupation-based dress-ups, but you can look through Halloween costume racks for character outfits. Some party stores carry Halloween costumes that can double as dress-ups, or you can shop online at party supply stores like Oriental Trader (www.orientaltrader.com).

Most girls like to color, and the Color Wonder products by Crayola are mess-free markers and paints. These markers and paints will only color on special Color Wonder paper. However, clay, washable paints and other art supplies or craft kits are fun gifts. Just make sure the parents are agreeable to it before you buy. Also check the recommended age range of craft kits, which are available at any craft store chain. If you're not sure the parents want their daughter to have paint, you can always give a craft desk or easel, which are perfect for budding artists to use in creating and displaying current projects.

While most people think to give boys sports equipment, it can be good gift for girls as well. Soccer balls, basketball hoops and bats and gloves are appropriate for toddler girls that might grow up to play any or all of these sports in little leagues, in junior high or in high school. Even soft, non-sport specific balls can encourage girls to play games that promote balance and coordination, and provide active girls a way to burn up energy and get exercise during play time.

American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/professionalresources/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet23.cfm
PBS book finder
http://www.pbs.org/parents/bookfinder