Happy Holidays! It’s time once again for us to help you get that holiday shopping done in a way that is empowering for your young SheHeroes, something not always easy in this day and age. We’ve gone through last year’s holiday gift guide and updated it and gave it a whole new twist to help you with your holiday shopping.
For the last few years this gift giving philosophy ahs made the rounds of many parenting websites and blogs, and we wanted to share it with you. A great way to simplify gift giving this holiday season is to purchase one gift from each of the following categories:
So this year’s gift guide is divided into those four categories (though some of our favorite website can easily fall into some or all of these categories. Of course as always there are so many wonderful websites and products out there that we could never possibly add them all. So if there is a website or product out there that you’d like to add, please do so in the comments or on facebook!
Something They Want:
GoldieBlox – Because who doesn’t want awesome toys? From The Website: GoldieBlox, Inc. is a toy company founded in 2012 by Debbie Sterling, a female engineer from Stanford University. Our mission is to create really fun toys that develop spatial skills and teach basic engineering principles. By designing construction toys from the female perspective, we aim to appeal to a broader audience of children and parents who previously considered engineering a “boys club.” By challenging this stereotype, we hope to inspire more girls like Debbie, like Goldie, to become engineers." On Facebook.
Mighty Girl/Toy Section - The crème dela crème of awesome toys for girls is all right here on the most extensive collection for girls anywhere on the internet. SERIOUSLY. From the website: A Mighty Girl is the world’s largest collection of books, toys, movies, and music for parents, teachers, and others dedicated to raising smart, confident, and courageous girls and, of course, for girls themselves! On Facebook.Something They Need:
Pigtail Pals and BallCap Buddies - Yes, Pigtail Pals & Ballcap Buddies could also fall under the “want” and “wear” category, yes. But they’re listed here because of the most awesome School Supplies, Hair Bows, Hats, Bags, Stickers, and Party Invites section. From the website: Pigtail Pals was created by Melissa Wardy, a mom and entrepreneur who was fed up of the limitations and stereotypes found in children's clothing. Melissa wanted role models for her daughter that exemplified courage, intelligence, and imagination. A Pigtail Pal doesn't wish upon a star and wait for her prince to show up. A Pigtail Pal gets into her rocket ship and finds that star all on her own!" On Facebook.
HearthSong - I list this as need (though there are plenty of “wants” in their catalog) Because there is a lot of great bedroom, outdoor outdoor and home décor the kids will love as well as well as many great learning tools and games that you cannot find anywhere else. From the website: HearthSong has been committed to helping parents follow their instincts to provide their children with age-appropriate, wholesome, quality playthings. That's because at HearthSong, we believe childhood is a vital chapter in life-a special time when children can be occupied with the joy of being children." On Facebook.
The Golden Apple Learning Store - The crème dela crème of learning tools and toys to help your child in whatever area they need help in. From the website: "It should be fun, satisfying and mostly free from fads and gimmicks. We strive to offer a wide selection of low tech and no tech learning materials and toys. Our thirty years of experience as educators tells us that learning to read, learning to make sense of the world, learning to think critically, learning to imagine, learning to solve problems are all basic human pursuits." On Facebook.Something to Wear:
A Closet of Her Own - Another great place to search for girl’s clothes that go far beyond sugar and spice. From the website: "My mission: to provide young girls with cute, fun, girly t-shirts with images of things that are usually only found on boys' clothes. To provide parents (and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends) with a place to find t-shirts which showcase the interests that they love and the jobs that they do so that they can inspire a love of these things in their girls as well as boys." On Facebook.
Pretty Brainy - One of the best places to shop for empowering clothes and gifts for girls. From the website: "Socially conscious graphic tees for girls + women. STEM learning for students, especially girls, ages 10 to 18.” On Facebook.
Something to Read
Princess Free Zone - Yes, there is more to PFZ than the Super Tool Lulu Book (I highly recommend the clothes!), but this book has become a favorite in our house, so much so that we gave a copy to my daughter’s first grade teacher last year where is now a staple in her classroom! From the website: “Girls need to know that they can do anything they want—that might include hammering a nail into a wall or fixing a broken faucet. But just saying the words doesn’t make it so.” She believes a girl can wear a tiara if she wants, but she should feel free to take it off as well." On Facebook. 
New Moon Girls - Every tween and teen should have a subscription to new Moon Girls. From the Website: Ad-free New Moon Girls is the supportive global community for girls’ creative self-expression. The highest quality girl-created content by and for ages 8 and up. Explores the world, develops empathy and confidence. Fully-moderated social network + magazine is the place for safe supportive online learning & fun. Parents' Choice and Golden Lamp winner.” On Facebook.
A Mighty Girl/Books - There really are so many great books for girls out there, if you look for them. So here is a HUGE list of great books from our hard working friends at Mighty Girl (once again).It is possible to do some unique empowering uplifting holiday shopping this year and these sites just barely scratch the surface of great gift ideas. We’d love to have you add your favorites to the list! Let us know in the comments or on Facebook what websites you’d add to this list.
We'd like to give a special shout out to A Mighty Girl who has spent a lot of time and effort into creating one of the most comprehensive girl friendly guides on the web today. Amazing!
