What do you get for the girl who loves to run, jump, and play outside? I’m sure that almost everyone has a girl in their family who defies traditional gender norms and likes to play rough with the boys. It’s hard to be a masculine girl when all of your relatives and family friends insist on giving you cutesy clothes and criticize you for having boyish interests. I should know – I was a girl like that, and I can’t even count the number of barrettes and earrings that I’ve lost or broken over the years.
Image source sportygirljewelry.com
Old-fashioned people might have a hard time understanding their tomboyish nieces, daughters, and granddaughters, let alone getting them gifts that won’t offend their sensibilities. A poofy dress or Barbie doll just won’t cut it for these kinds of girls. So here is a list of birthday and special occasion gifts that the sporty girl in your life will love!
Scooter
Give her the means to zip all over the neighborhood with a little vehicle that’s all her own! She’ll love being able to show off in front of her friends and race them through the streets. On top of that, scooters are really easy to do cool tricks with. All she needs is a cheap plywood board to launch from! Most scooters are foldable, so she can practice her stunts wherever she goes.
Basketball Hoop
When I was a little girl, I idolized Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who dominated the American basketball scene for years. As far as I can tell, basketball is still considered to be pretty impressive among 10-year olds, so a basketball hoop would be a fairly safe gift for today’s sporty girl. She’ll be able to practice her dunks, play HORSE with the neighbor kids, and more with a professional-sized hoop in her driveway.
Science Kit
Since scientific and technological fields are still very male-dominated, it’s especially important to encourage young girls to take science seriously from the get-go. A science kit would do a lot to help the young lady in your life become familiar with scientific thinking and, perhaps, it may eventually encourage her to aspire to becoming a scientist! Depending on her interests, she may react better to a certain kind of kit. You can find kits that are focused on electronics, hydroponics, perfume science, holograms, and more!
Pocketknife
(This gift is for mature girls.) Though it’s a lot of responsibility, a pocketknife could be a fantastic gift for a go-getter girl, especially if she’s been eyeing grandpa’s whittling knife. For many kids, having their own knives feels like a major step into adulthood. A adventurous girl could use it for fishing, camping, crafts, and more! If you want something a little more kid-friendly, a Swiss army knife would be ideally suited for any task that she would want to perform.
Cars, Trucks, and Trains
Transportation toys are the biggest thing to hit kid culture since Play-Doh, and they don’t seem to be going any anytime soon! Whether they’re playing with Hot Wheels, Tonka Trucks, or Thomas the Tank Engine, kids love collecting all of the different models and makes and “driving” them along homemade tracks. Individual toys are cheap, while sets are a little pricier; thus, you can get something related regardless of your budget.
Soleil Ho is an aspiring mom who dreams of starting her own big hippie commune one day. She contributes to her commune fund by writing for Knife Depot and other blogs.
