It is always an exciting time in a little girls life when they turn eight. They’re just starting to mature a little bit and are beginning to like some of the older girls’ things. They do still love some of the regular little girl toys though. I have a daughter that is eight, and she helped me make this list. She is a girly girl, but she also loves to play with the boys. When she’s not climbing trees, she’s inside making cupcakes and trying on lip gloss. So, if you have a little girl in your life that is anything like my daughter, you might consider buying her one of the things on our list. They are in no particular order.
1. BRATZ DOLLS AND BARBIES
Barbie has been a favorite for little girls for many, many years. She pretty much looks the same as always, but her clothes have gotten much hipper. While hip though, they are still pretty tasteful. Bratz dolls have not been around for near as long as Barbie but are becoming just as big of a hit. Bratz are about the same size as Barbies in the body, but their heads are somewhat bigger. Their facial features are exaggerated too, especially their lips. Their clothes are a little bit more revealing than Barbie’s, but seem to follow todays top trends. You can buy accessories for both dolls.
2. CLOTHES
My daughter loves clothes! She always gets a kick out of receiving them as gifts. Make sure when you buy the clothes, you buy with the little girls taste in mind. There are a variety of different styles of clothes out there to choose from. Just try to notice what she usually wears and go along those lines. My daughter used to only wear dresses. She loves jeans and t-shirts now. She really likes Bobby Jack. Bobby Jack is a cartoon monkey on certain clothes found at JC Penney and Kohls. They are usually humorous.
3. JEWELRY
If she has pierced ears, earrings would be great. My daughter loves little hoops right now. If she can’t wear earrings, there are many other types of jewelry you could get her. Charm bracelets are a great way for the girl to show off miniatures of her favorite things. Necklaces are great too. Try getting her a personalized necklace with her name. Look on ebay or other personalization stores for these necklaces at reasonable prices. Rings are ok, but I wouldn’t spend too much money on one. They will probably lose it if they’re anything like my daughter.
4. DOLLS
Girls this age are still very interested in dolls. They tend to pick one as a favorite and play with it constantly. My daughter got Baby Annabelle for Christmas last year and has not put her down since. This baby doll laughs when you talk and sing to her, cries real tears when she’s hungry or woken up from a nap, and drinks from her bottle. She comes with many accessories. You can buy her clothes, diaper bags, and toys, along with many other things. While this doll is my daughters’ favorite, any doll will do.
5. VIDEO GAMES
There really aren’t a ton of VIDEO GAMES out right now for girls. They do have quite a few that the girls like though. There are Bratz and Barbie games, so these should be great. My daughter also loves Sims and racing games. If she has a Leapster or V-Smile, look in these sections at your local department store for age appropriate games. They are very clearly marked by age level. These games are usually fun and very educational.
6. BOOKS
My daughter could not have enough books. This age is really into chapter books. Junie B. Jones is a great series of books that most girl around this age love. My daughter owns almost all of these books. Another favorite of hers is Geronimo Stilton. I don’t know much about these books, but I know my daughter really likes them. There are quite a few books in this series too. She also loves Guiness World Records books and Ripley’s Believe it or Not books. One book she has always read and still loves to read, is the bible.
7. CHALKBOARD AND CHALK
This is a great way for the girl to express themselves. They can pretend to be teachers, which is one of my daughters favorite things to do. They can also just draw or pactice math and other subjects. The great thing about it is that they can start with a clean slate every time they want to play with it. Make sure to get plenty of regular white chalk as well as some colored chalk too. You could even get the chalk holders to keep their little hands clean. Don’t forget an eraser too!
8. MOVIES
No boy movies! She wanted me to make sure and put that. She has no interest in Power Rangers or Pokemon, even though her brother thought it would be funny to put those on this list. She still likes Disney movies. Girls this age are also beginning to like older movies. Non-cartoon movies. Cheerleading movies are really great at this age. They seem to like to watch any kind of dancing.
9. COMPUTER GAMES
If I would let my daughter, she would be on the computer for a long time every day. She loves all sorts of computer games, ranging from thinking games to character games. She even likes to play solitaire, pinball, and pool. She also has a Bratz computer game that she really likes. If you hadn’t notices yet, those Bratz keep popping into quite a few of these ideas! I told you they were popular!
10. SEA MONKEYS
I didn’t know exactly what SEA MONKEYS were when my daughter first got them, and I still don’t know. From what I gathered, they are not sea monkeys at all, but almost like a briney shrimp. Without being shrimp. I know, it’s confusing. Whatever the little critters are, all the kids love them. You can buy them in a kit that comes with everything you need to hatch and raise the little things. We bought ours at Target for less than $10. You can buy extra food, medicine, and even toys for them online. They are a great pet because you only have to feed them once a week. There is virutally no maintenance for sea monkeys.
Well, I hope this list has given you a few ideas for the eight year old little girl in your life. My daughter loves all of these things and like I said earlier, if the girl you know is anything like her, you can’t go wrong with these ideas. Have fun shopping!
