40 Best Gifts for 13-Year-Old Girls That Will Speak to Their Interests
Including a bunch of unique, meaningful and sentimental teen-approved birthday ideas.
Tested by Rachel Rothman
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Whether it's birthday gifts, holiday gifts or just-because gifts, finding gifts for teenagers gets a bad rap. Thirteen-year-old girls, especially, have a reputation for being hard to please. In reality, there's so much out there, including fun DIY kits, all kinds of tech and those special, meaningful items, that really, the hardest part of buying gifts for kids this age is figuring out which one to choose out of a bunch of good options.
The Good Housekeeping Institute evaluates products all year, from Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award winners to big-ticket gear. Not only do they check the products in the lab for safety and durability, they actually solicit feedback from real teenagers. We added some bestsellers and editor's picks to their recommendations to come up with the best gifts for 13-year-old girls.
It seems this year, teens are asking for lots of ways to personalize everything, including their outfits, their rooms and their school supplies. Looking for more great gifts? Check out these guides to the best Amazon gifts for teen girls and the best gifts for 13-year-old boys.
She's got a growing collection of jewelry now, so help her keep it safe with this jewelry case that can be customized with her name and birth flower. It comes in several different colors too.
So fuzzy! So soft! So...groovy? If they like collecting plush toys, these are probably some they don't have already, coming in unusual, retro shapes like lava lamps, peace signs and more.
According to the brand, all of the makeup and skincare is "pediatrician-approved" and made specifically with tweens in mind. This set comes with a shimmery lip gloss, four eyeshadows and two blushes.
The titles on the books in the stack represent each one of Taylor Swift's albums. It can be used for the weekends or to hold her school books.
Doubling up on necklaces is in fashion right now, and this one gives you two strands of personalization, including a name and a birthstone-inspired crystal. It comes in other styles too: You can get it in silver or rose gold, get it with a heart charm instead of a gem or get it with two names instead of one.
It doesn't matter if they've never sewn before — this kit gives them enough materials and step-by-step instructions to make adorable food stuffies with cute faces. There's enough supplies and inspiration to make 18 foodie friends. Ages 10+
This is one of those easy-to-learn, quick-to-play games that teens can take out whenever there's a dull moment. The object is to not get the exploding kitten card, and there are plenty of other hilariously illustrated cards (not all feline) that can help players keep from going boom. Ages 7+
PopStyle Bracelet Maker
With this device, they can make their own accessories in a snap. It'll stretch out two layers of elastics on the top, and budding designers just have to snap on whatever beads they want, hit the button to pop it off, and they're off! They'll love swapping out different beads to match different outfits. Ages 8+
100 Years of Disney Animation Icons
LEGO fans and Disney fans will love making this work of wall or desk art. There are instructions to build 72 designs, and kids can pick their favorites to make for the nine-square collage frae or the two separate frames. Ages 6+
They will be way more into keeping up with homework and assignments if they get to personalize every aspect of their planner. This agenda set gives them everything they need to get started planning, keeping a calendar and journaling — plus all the extras that make it fun, including stickers, gel pens, glitter tape, sticky notes and die-cut shapes. Ages 8+
Now they'll be able to keep their hands free — well, one hand free — even when they're toting around their big water tumbler. This pouch has two pockets for a phone, money, IDs or cards. It was specifically designed for teen-beloved Stanley Quencher water bottles (especially in 20 oz, 30 oz and 40 oz sizes), but has an anti-slip belt that might work with any 17 oz – 48 oz tumbler.
These may look odd, but the bubbly design of these slippers is actually meant to give a foot massage with each step. They'll be a conversation piece in addition to a comfy set of footwear.
There's a lot of functionality packed into this tiny bedside lamp. It lights up in different colors and is a Bluetooth speaker for her music. It's portable, too, so they can charge it up and bring it wherever they need it.
DoodleJamz JellyBoards
When you need just a little something, this fidget toy is the perfect pick-me-up. It's filled with colored gel, and kids can either use their hands or the stylus to press pictures into it. It's so mesmerizing, maybe you'll want one for yourself. There's also the DoodleJamz JellyPics, which has beads suspended in the gel.
Let the night rise in her room at night with this LED lamp made to look like the surface of the moon. It can be set to different colors that flash, fade or strobe.
Just Between Us: Mother & Daughter
This journal uses prompts to make it easy for moms and daughters to fill out together. Prompts include questions like, "If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go?"
Trust us, tweens are not too old for squishies! All 10 pieces are slow rising (which, FYI, get major brownie points in the squishy world) and can be decorated with permanent marker (not included) for adorable designs.
If she's artsy, get her an unusual new medium to work in. This pen lets her heat up plastic filament to layer onto art projects like a 3D printer. She can control the temperature and therefore the speed and flow of the filament, and then you can let her imagination run wild!
This set comes with more than 1,000 pieces that'll have them personalizing their walls from floor to ceiling. The pieces include letter cutouts, quote stickers and stickers with prompts like "favorite places to visit" that she can fill out and stick to her wall like a vision board.
Every kid wants to see their name in lights! You can specify the size, the font and the color of these neon signs to match her room décor perfectly.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
Rachel Rothman was the chief technologist and executive technical director of the Good Housekeeping Institute for over 15 years, overseeing testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also managed GH's research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems.
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