Christmas at 10 is a mix of big-kid cool and leftover magic, and a gift that respects both lands well.
Research on gifting finds that experiences, like a class or a day out, strengthen relationships more than things do. Pair a small present with a shared plan, then look through the ideas below.
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Building setsAges 10+
Danish brand
A Santa minifigure comes with LEGO's Festive Gingerbread House, ready to greet guests once the build is done.
It is holiday decor more than a year-round toy, so it may go back in its box come January.
Dolls and figures
Borsa's spotted coat sets this Squishmallows highland cow apart from the rest of her plush shelf.
At ten she may be past cuddly toys, so it fits best if she still keeps a plush lineup.
Electronics
This Stitch speaker talks back when a girl calls out a question from her desk during a homework break.
She likes having things of her own, and a cartoon favorite answering her questions turns her desk into her spot.
Science and discovery
Makey Makey hands a 10-year-old inventor a way to make homemade controls for her favorite computer games.
It needs a computer to plug into, such as a laptop or Chromebook the family already owns. Over the break, she can rig a cardboard keypad and see whether it works.
Arts and crafts
The 4M tile art kit suits a 10-year-old who likes making small pieces of art.
She paints her designs on tiles, then turns them into magnets. Her favorites can go up on a locker door.
Arts and crafts
The Rainbow Loom MEGA Combo gives a 10-year-old bracelet trader her own loom.
She can loop a matching band for each friend, choosing colors to fit every personality. During a sleepover, she can teach a friend the basic loop on her loom.
Science and discovery
Mark Rober's CrunchLabs is behind The Crunchinator, a STEM toy built for squashing everyday objects and watching the mechanics at work.
She chooses what goes in next, a cracker, a crayon or a piece of dry pasta, then ranks them from toughest to softest.
Games and puzzles
German brand
Paris tops her travel wish list?
This Ravensburger 3D puzzle builds into a freestanding Eiffel Tower made for ages ten and up, and its photoluminescent finish glows after lights out. It makes a souvenir from a trip she has not taken yet.
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The opening bell rings once she finishes building these Thames & Kosmos boxing bots.
Thames & Kosmos rates it for ages 10 and up, so plan on an afternoon of careful assembly.
This National Geographic microscope turns a 10-year-old's shell and rock collection into something to examine.
She can sort her pebbles by what their surfaces show, then label each jar. Over the Christmas break, the kitchen table turns into her lab.
This 4M planet kit gives a 10-year-old space fan a glowing solar system to paint and assemble herself.
Planets, stencils and a glow paint pen come in the box. She can follow the instructions at her own pace and hang the model in her room.
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A GAN speed cube gives a 10-year-old puzzle fan a serious cube of her own.
She already knows the beginner method and wants a cube built for faster turning. During the Christmas break, she can show a younger cousin how the bottom layer goes together.
German brand
If ocean animals are her thing, she can hunt for sea turtles, coral and other sea life among the pieces of this Ravensburger puzzle.
The bold colors make each patch easy to sort, and the picture can stay out on her desk between homework sessions, filling in a little more each afternoon.
Ages 9+
German brand
This Ravensburger animal puzzle gives a pet-loving girl a cheerful scene of puppies, kittens and rabbits to piece together.
The maker marks it for ages 9 and up, so she can work alone. She can leave it on her desk and add pieces after school.
German brand
This Mischief Makers jigsaw puzzle gives a 10-year-old puzzle fan a picture to build, and the maker rates it for ages 9 and up.
She can leave it out on the table over winter break and add pieces whenever she passes by.
French brand
Ticket to Ride Rails & Sails is a route-building board game for a girl who likes planning ahead and beating the family at strategy.
She collects train and ship cards, then claims routes across land and sea. It comes out for game night over winter break.
Belgian brand
Cats & Boxes from SmartGames turns a quiet stretch before bed into a solo puzzle session.
Harder challenges can stall her, so leave a tricky one set up for the morning.
Named on a list by New York Magazine Strategist (nymag.com)
Fast Friends from Exploding Kittens rewards knowing exactly how her cousins think.
It needs a group to play, so save it for a full table rather than a quiet night alone.
Clue's Harry Potter edition sets a whodunit in the wizarding world, letting a devoted reader of the books play detective.
She knows that world in detail, and here her sharp guesses go up against the whole family at the table.
Five Crowns from PlayMonster is a rummy card game with a fifth suit of stars, and it suits a 10-year-old who likes to run the table.
She can deal each round and keep score for her family. It comes out after Christmas dinner.
Pressman's pick-up sticks spill across the kitchen floor, giving a girl a contest where calm fingers beat bigger cousins.
She likes running the game herself, and the rules stay simple enough for her to call every wobble. Her pile of claimed pieces gets counted at the end to crown the winner.
Card and coin tricks from Marvin's Magic let her fool cousins across the dinner table.
Each trick needs practice before it looks smooth, so give her a few days before showtime.
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This glowing rock painting kit gives an artsy girl plain stones to turn into nighttime art.
She plans each design by daylight, picking which parts should glow later. Over winter break, she can paint a stone for each cousin to take home.
Swift Clicks suits a crafty 10-year-old who trades bracelets with friends and wants to make several in one sitting.
She can pick colors for each person and clear a spot on the kitchen table after school.
Make It Real's pottery kit gives a girl who loves hands-on crafts a small studio for shaping clay pots.
She can shape each piece herself, then let it dry. After Christmas dinner, she can set it up and start on a tiny bowl.
Klutz Mini Clay World puts a sweet shop on her desk, built treat by treat.
The pieces are fiddly, so she will want steady hands, good light and a little patience.
This origami flower kit is made for a paper-folding fan at age 10.
She follows the illustrated booklet and gathers each bloom into a bouquet. After Christmas dinner, the table becomes her folding spot.
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Ages 9+
Cartwheels and jump-rope contests fill the free minutes of a restless girl, and this Flybar pogo stick hands her a new challenge.
Flybar rates it for ages 9 and up, squarely her range for the active play she seeks out. The routine she works out by spring becomes a show for the neighbors on the front walk.
Living room forts turn into battle lines once the Nerf Elite Disrupter Blaster comes out.
Set ground rules about where to aim before any match, so the lamp in the family room stays safe.
Backyard catch after Christmas dinner gets a Nerf Vortex Aero Howler to send across the lawn.
It is a sporty pick, so skip it if she would rather stay indoors with a craft.
The Micro Kickboard Cruiser LED is a kick scooter for an outdoorsy 10-year-old eager to roll around the neighborhood.
She pushes off down the sidewalk to meet friends, rather than waiting for someone to drive her. Since being outside and moving is what she enjoys, a scooter suits her better than another indoor gadget.
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This Christmas word game book puts a ten-year-old with a quick wit in charge of the holiday fun.
The publisher rates it for ages 8 to 12, and it makes a natural stocking stuffer. After dinner, she can ask everyone for words and keep the pencil herself.
Smile by Raina Telgemeier makes a Christmas gift for a girl into graphic novels about school life.
She can read it on Christmas afternoon curled up on the couch. Afterward, it is easy to lend to a friend.
Who Is Taylor Swift? gives a ten-year-old Swiftie the true story behind the songs she sings along to.
The publisher rates it for ages 8 to 12, so it reads easily at her age. On Christmas afternoon, she can curl up with it while her favorite songs play.
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Building setsAges 9+
Danish brand
Car-loving kids get a famous Ford Mustang in brick form with this LEGO Speed Champions set of Ken Block's Hoonicorn.
She follows the steps from loose bricks to a finished display car on her own. Pulling up a photo of the real car afterward lets her check which details the bricks capture.
Building sets
A patient, arty 10-year-old gets to recreate Starry Night in bricks with this pixel art kit.
She fits each brick into place over quiet afternoons of winter break, since slow, careful making is what she enjoys. The finished picture then sits on her shelf as something she made herself.
Electronics
Skullcandy Push Play Active earbuds keep her playlist going through soccer practice and the walk home.
They pair with a phone, so check that she has one of her own before wrapping them.
Electronics
Snapshots from her Christmas morning come out of this Polaroid Now as prints she can hold; it takes Polaroid instant film.
Each shot uses up film, so she may start saving them for moments that matter.
Dolls and figures
German brand
Horse show day in her bedroom starts when this Schleich Horse Club truck backs up to the stable.
It takes up real floor space, so plan where it can stay parked between games.
Clothing and accessories
UGG Tasman II slippers give a style-aware girl the look older girls wear, from the breakfast table to the sofa.
She gets to wear the label she has been spotting in the school hallway. On weekend mornings, she shuffles down to breakfast in them.
Music
The Carpool Karaoke mic gives a 10-year-old who hums along to every playlist a microphone of her own.
It streams songs from a phone and has voice-changing effects. On a rainy afternoon, she can pick a chorus and perform it for the family.
Music
Once homework is done, a girl humming a pop chorus can sit down and work out its tune by ear.
The songs she shares with friends matter now, and her own keyboard lets her chase each hook note by note. The keys wait in her room for whatever chorus catches her ear next.
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Yes. The Thames & Kosmos robot kit is rated for ages 10 and up, and the build takes an afternoon of careful assembly before the finished robots square off against each other. The pixel art brick kit asks for patience instead, as she pieces bricks into a picture square by square over quiet afternoons, then keeps the finished artwork on her shelf.
The Skullcandy Push Play earbuds pair with a phone to carry her playlist through soccer practice and the walk home, so make sure she has a phone of her own first. The Polaroid Now camera prints a photo soon after each shot, and every shot uses up film, which is worth knowing when you wrap it.
On a Micro Kickboard scooter she pushes off down the sidewalk to meet friends or roll to school, while the Flybar pogo stick keeps her on the driveway, hopping in place and stringing together longer runs of jumps until the routine turns into a show for the neighbors on the front walk.
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Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
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