The Top 10 Gift Ideas for Girls Aged 10 -13

Since I am a father of five girls, including a pre-teen, I figured I would be as qualified as anyone to write an article on the top 10 gifts fore pre-teen girls. I mean, really, all I had to do was ask my daughter - and my wife of course.
Having said that, here are my top 10 gifts for pre-teen girls.

Clothes
This is undeniably the number one gift for girls of this age group. Girls this age love denim jeans especially cute ones with some sort or design on them. Depending on where you reside, a cute sweat suit is always a hit especially for athletic girls, as is a couple of pretty blouses and sweaters for more feminine ones. There are tons of stores where you can find quality clothing for you pre-teen daughter where you won't go broke, which, as every parent knows, is always a huge plus. I know that one national retailer has an excellent No Boundaries - Juniors Hooded Down Jacket in the $20.00 that is surprisingly high quality for such a low price.

ipod
This gift is also one of the most popular these days with any girl in this age group. Believe me, if you surprise you daughter with this gift, she'll be eternally grateful.

Entertainment product producer, Zen V has some really nice MP3 players out right now that are very affordably priced.

Cell Phone
Personally, I'm not a big believer in getting a girl this age a cell phone, but my wife and daughter both convinced me that every girl in this age group, especially toward the back end of the group (12-13) would love to have their own cell phone. My problem with this is when the first outrageous bill comes in - and you go totally ballistic.

However, as my "girls" explained to me, there are several affordable plans as well as pre-paid phones now that would force the child to use their minutes sparingly.

Another great benefit to getting you daughter in this age group a cell phone is the fact that it helps with the worry and safety factor. As we all know, there are a lot of psychos running around the world today and you can just never be too cautious, so it's always a good idea to be able to reach your child by phone, say, after their school activity while you're on your way to picking them up or while they're over at a friends house.

The $80 Nokia 6015 phone is a phone that may be up the right alley here. Customized and distributed by Single Touch Interactive, it comes with 30 prepaid minutes and three interchangeable faceplates, screen savers and ring-tones that all are based on My Scene characters, designs and music.

Patty Masai, senior manager of interactive games at El Segundo-based Mattel said that this phone was specifically designed for girls in this age range.

"We wanted it to be something girls would aspire to. And we wanted to target this to kids old enough to be responsible with a phone. It's not a toy. Kids want real electronics," she said.

Jewelry
Hey with all the children I have, I'm not talking about really expensive stuff here, but some nice affordable items. As my wife pointed out, a nice pair of gold hoop earrings with the child's name in them is always popular. With girls this age, my wife added, sticking to earrings and a simple chain with a charm is always a good idea because girls this age seem to do a better job holding on to them than they might with either a ring or bracelet.

I know that I saw a wonderful Personalized Earring "Tree" Organizer that costs about $20 that I think any girl this age would like.

CD Player or DVD Player
Music, music and more music, Girls love their music and if your daughter doesn't have a cd player, picking up a moderately priced one will make her think you can walk on water. However, be warned, you may have problems later on with volume control.

The Disney Personal DVD Player, which can be purchased online or at a Disney Outlet, is a good gift that has been described as amazing by some parents who had taken their preteen aged children on long trips. The resolution and picture size are supposedly of very high quality and it also comes with a rechargeable battery and only costs about $140.

Music CD's
Of course, picking up a couple of cd's of your child's favorite singers is always another favorite. But as I just stated, be prepared to tell her to "turn it down" frequently.

For the front end of this age group, my daughter suggested the Cheetah Girls. For the back end of this age group, she suggested Mariah Carrey.

Shoes
As my wife says girls can never have enough shoes, so this is another must on the gift list. Whether they're dress shoes, loafers or a nice pair of sneakers, girls love footwear - guaranteed!

Bratz Dolls or Easy Bake Oven
Girls at the front end of this age group (9-10) are more inclined to play with dolls than the older girls. I know my daughter says that the Bratz dolls are very popular these days and as we all know, Barbie dolls are still a huge hit too.

Another toy that never seems to lose its popularity among young girls is the Easy Bake oven. I know all of my daughters have had one at one time or another and I can unequivocally say that each loved that oven more than me -at least for a few months anyway.

Books/Chicken Soup for the preteen Soul

Being a writer and a parent who takes education very seriously, I always think purchasing something that will further your child's education is important - especially if you have a child who loves to read like my ten-year-old daughter, Tia.

Whether it's youth books and magazines, or something more serious and life-altering, like a Bible, for instance, purchasing some books for your child is a wonderful way to help them learn and have fun as well as grow both mentally and spiritually.
I suggest, Chicken Soup For The Girl's Soul: Real Stories by Real Girls about Real Stuff. It is an excellent book for any girl in this age group and should help immensely with many of the issues that children in this age group go through in today's times.

Movies
Whether you get a couple of your daughter's favorite animated films or PG-13 movies, your daughter will unequivocally be grateful for one or two movies. Besides, parents like a lot of the films they may be purchasing, so that's a plus as well.
You can't go wrong with Ella Enchanted or The Princess Bride

Eric Williams is a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and nationally syndicated freelance writer who can be heard every Wednesday at 3:15 eastern on www.BetUSradio.com. Contact Eric at eklass66@yahoo.com.