Gifts for Tweens

Generally between the ages of 9-12, tweens are the pre-teen set of yesteryear who straddle the line of being too old to be called young kids but aren't quite old enough to be teens yet. Here are my picks for cool gifts that will challenge those that fall within this age group but won't be snubbed for being too babyish.

Green Science Solar Science Experiment Kit ($14.95)— make an oven out of foil or cook an egg from the heat of the sun as your child explores the power of solar science.  Green Science also has a Weather Station, Windmill Station, and Clean Water Science Kits affordably priced at $14.95 each to allow your family to engage in hands on science at home.

Zing Z-Curve Bow ($26.99) — A favorite of mine from the spring’s Time to Play Showcase, the Z Curve Bow features foam or suction cup tipped arrows for this crossbow make it relatively safe for misfires at windows, a sibling, or a family dog.  It’s easy to operate thanks to two rubberized loops that the Zing darts hook into that even smaller hands can operate it with ease. With a range of over 100 feet, playing with the Z-Curve Bow can tire kids out as they run around the yard or playground fetching darts. Fans of camouflage may prefer the Air Hunterz version that features camouflage darts, also $26.99.  Regardless of which version you get, an extra set of darts is a welcome addition to this gift.

Angry Birds Card Game ($10.99)— Fans of the ever popular app will enjoy the card game version made by the makers of Uno where players roll the die and hope for the right bird to topple the structure and knock out the pigs.  Game play is designed for 2-5 players and best for ages 7-11.

Tetris Link— Technosource revamped the Tetris from my college days into a 4 person freestanding table top game called Tetris Link. Each player gets a set of colored Tetris tiles (in the same shapes as the computerized version) and has to drop them into slots to score points. This multiplayer game relies on visual, spatial, and reasoning skills and is something the whole family can play. Retails for $19.99.

Robotic Arm ($47.99)— Introduce your tween to robotics and reinforce a love of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts as you assemble and program this robotic arm to open and close its gripper, twist at the wrist, rotate on its base or extend at the elbow to retrieve objects. The robotic arm can radial wrist motion of 120°, an extensive elbow range of motion of 300°, base rotation of 270°, base motion of 180°, vertical reach of 15 inches, horizontal reach of 12.6 inches and lifting capacity of 100g. It also has features such as a light on the gripper and an audible safety gear indicator that helps prevent injury and serves as a warning to the user that the command they are performing could cause it to break.

Camilla Toiletry Bag ($29.50)— Give her a pretty place to keep all of her toiletries with this monogrammed toiletry bag from Pottery Barn Teen. The cheery bright print is made of water resistant polyester and features beautiful silver tone hardware that will grow with your growing tween.  Whether heading to a friend’s house for a sleepover, going on a camping trip, or traveling with the family, this bag is the perfect size to contain her essentials.

Griffin SmartShare Headphone Splitter with Individual Volume Control ($14.99)— Rather than each grabbing an earbud, you and your BFF can plug your own headphones into this splitter so you can listen to the hottest songs or share a movie. While there are many headphone splitters on the market, Griffin SmartShare Headphone Splitter is my pick because of the individual volume control feature just in case your BFF wants to crank it and you want it a little quieter.

SpyNet Stealth Video Glasses ($39.99)— Sport this beefed up pair of glasses and record up to 20 minutes of video and capture over 2,000 photos on a single mission with the touch of a button.  Press the button once to snap a photo and hold it down to begin recording video with the built in video camera located right above the bridge.  Then connect the glasses to your Mac or PC to upload photos and video.  The hardest part of using these glasses is remembering to charge them between each mission.

Sephora by OPI GLEE 6 piece Mini Polish Kit ($24)— Gleeks can get Glee inspired nails and toes with this darling mini set of polishes that include colors called Miss Bossy Pants, Slushied, Celibacy Club, Gleek Out, Sue vs. Shue, and Express Yourself to Yourself. The colors are so fabulous that you might just break out in song due to happiness.

With a busy after school schedule and a social life that is picking up, it’s important to keep them reading with magazine subscriptions like Discovery Girls, Boy’s Life, and Lego Club Magazine (free) or books like the Harry Potter box set ($52.15 from Amazon) and Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi.

  

Just Dance 3 for Wii, Kinect, and Playstation 3 ($39.99)— The newest version of Just Dance is as fun as previous ones but features more than 40 tracks that span a wide range of musical genres.  Favorite pop, hip-hop, rock, R&B, country, disco, funk, and more are included on Just Dance 3 which introduces a number of new game features that take advantage of the unique mechanics of each gaming system. To get the party started, Just Dance 3 includes some of today’s hottest hits as well as classic dance tracks that everyone loves such as current hits like  LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem, Pump It by the Black Eyed Peas, and Cee Lo’s Forget You to tunes that will provide an 80’s flashback (Venus by Bananarama, Ah Ha’s Take On Me, and I’m So Excited by The Pointer Sisters).  Regardless of what gaming system you have, Just Dance 3 is pure dance fun on any of them. Rated “E10” for lyrics.  For more information about Just Dance 3, read Common Sense Media’s review.

Wii Play Motion ($49.99)— This fall when I was asked to host a Wii Play Motion party, I never knew the game would be such a huge hit.  With 12 different games, each containing their own various modes to increase the challenge, Wii Play Motion has endless possibilities for game play.  Our favorites were Veggie Guardin’ a Whack-a-Mole type game where you use the controller to bop annoying pests after the vegetables in your garden and Cone Zone, which requires that the controller be held vertically as you balance the growing load of scoops placed on the top.  Amazon currently has a bundle of the game and a black controller for $47.86. Rated “E10” for cartoon violence. For more information about Wii Play Motion, read Common Sense Media’s review.

Disclosure: Product samples were received to facilitate the above reviews.  Relationships with clients have been disclosed above and do not influence my opinion of the product.  Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post. All images courtesy of the companies.