Our 10 Year Old Girl Birthday Gifts

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Our oldest daughter K just turned 10!! So fun and also so hard to believe. We loved celebrating her, including through a few gifts. We’re really trying to limit physical gifts this year, but it was fun to choose just a couple small things in addition to some fun experiences.

10 Year Old Birthday Activities

K lucked out that her actual birthday fell on a Saturday this year. She loved going ice skating during the day as a family and then having a backyard pizza and movie party to watch The Princess Bride with friends.

10 Year Old Trip

We decided a few years ago that when our kids turn 10, they’d get to take a special trip of their choosing with one parent. Our oldest turned 10 at the height of the pandemic, so he’s finally getting to take his trip this fall. K is really excited to choose her spot and go on her trip, as well! We’ve generally said the 10 year old trip is an international one up to about a week long. So excited for her!!

Experience Gift – Ropes Course & Zipline Course

In addition to the main trip experience gift, we decided to do one other smaller experience. We took our oldest to this ropes course for his birthday last year and we had a blast. It was challenging and so fun. The minimum age is 10, so we though it would be a perfect 10 year old girl experience gift!

Books for a 10 Year Old Birthday

When I asked if there was anything she specifically wanted for her birthday, the one thing my little bookworm daughter requested was a book. She loves fiction, especially fantasy, so I knew I wanted to get her at least one really fun and engrossing new read in that genre. I specifically was hoping for one written by an author from a marginalized community and/or a BIPOC main character. When I asked on Instagram, tons of people recommended Amari and the Night Brothers and it seemed like a perfect fit! I’m really excited for her to read this one and can’t wait to hear what she thinks.

Purchase Amari and the Night Brothers: Amazon, Bookshop, Walmart

I also figured I’d add in couple other books that would help open some other perspectives and windows, especially since this was her main physical present. Amal Unbound has been on my list for a long time and it seemed she would be a great age to read it.

Purchase Amal Unbound: Amazon, Bookshop, Target, Walmart

Finally, we had read aloud the young readers’ edition of I Am Malala a few years ago but K didn’t really remember it at all. K decided that for her birthday party, she’d ask any friends who chose to give a gift to instead consider donating to a charitable organization, and after briefly discussing Malala’s story, K chose her fund to support. So I figured it would be great for her to learn a bit more about Malala’s story!

Purchase I Am Malala: Young Readers’ Edition: Amazon, Bookshop, Target, Walmart

Slushie Cup

K is VERY very into frozen drinks and treats. She’s constantly freezing random drinks in cups and making slushies and such. So I thought this slushie cup would be the perfect thing for her!

Basically, you stick the cup in the freezer for several hours. Then when you want a slushie, take it out and pour any liquid in it. Squeeze it together for a couple minutes and watch it magically turn into a slushie. Wash and repeat. It’s so fun; she’s already used it several times and it’s been a giant hit.

Nail Polish

I’m not a big nail polish person but we have a few bottles in basic red and pink colors. K has never been much of a pink fan so has been wanting to try out some nail polish in colors she prefers. Yellow has been her favorite color since she was tiny, so I got her this darling bright shade and she immediately put it on after getting it. We both loved how sunshiney and rich the color is!

I got her a few other colors, as well – this sapphire (she’d specifically been wanting to try blue), sprinkle (perfect for a birthday), Iridescent Sea, and Celes-teal. I liked that these were fairly inexpensive and all dry really quickly. It got a bit goopy at first before she realized how fast they dried, so we tried again by putting on 3 thin coats instead of one thick one and it worked perfectly. They’re really vibrant and are staying on really well. And the quick dry is perfect with kids (including a certain 2 year old sister who asked to join in but can only sit still for about 4 seconds).

Finally, her siblings all made her cards and Dan added in some pickles and mints from the grocery store, which she was delighted by. Such a great day celebrating our 10 year old girl. If you have kids of this age, I’d love to hear your 10 year old birthday gift suggestions, especially with winter holidays coming up!