The 10 Best 7 Year Old Girl Gifts

Seven is the youngest age LEGO puts on its Creator 3-in-1 sets, and the LEGO Creator Magical Unicorn makes a gentle first one. The bricks build a rearing unicorn with a rainbow mane, then come apart to become a seahorse or a peacock, so one box holds three projects. The picture steps are short enough for a single sitting. The catch is pace: a practiced builder will finish it in well under an hour and ask for more.

Kids who like to color but want a new trick get a lot out of the Crayola Marker Airbrush. A washable marker clicks into a battery-powered sprayer, and a press of the button mists ink over a stencil for soft, fuzzy-edged pictures. Crayola says some of its other markers fit too. It needs four AA batteries that aren't in the box, it sprays only when pointed down, and the mist drifts onto tables and sleeves.

For a child ready to handle a real needle, the Alex My First Sewing Kit teaches the basics with felt shapes, embroidery floss, buttons and stuffing. Projects include small plush faces, a zip pouch and a hair scrunchie, and everything packs back into a handled case. The current box says it suits kids from age 7. The needles, pins and scissors are real and sharp, so plan on an adult nearby at first and some threading frustration.

Many kids this age are moving from picture books to their first chapter books, and the Junie B. Jones Boxed Set makes that step funny. Barbara Park's kindergartner is loud, stubborn and honest, and her mix-ups on the school bus and in class get real laughs from early readers. Chapters are short, with drawings every few pages. Some parents dislike her bad grammar and sass, which is on purpose, and strong readers can outgrow the books within months.

A small, cheap way to grow something, the Creativity for Kids Mermaid Terrarium turns a clear plastic egg into a sea-themed garden. Kids layer colored sand and soil, decorate with a mermaid tail, a clam shell and gem stickers, then plant chia seeds that start sprouting within days. A water dropper makes watering gentle. Chia sprouts don't live long, so the garden fades after a few weeks unless you plant fresh seeds or a tiny succulent.

Painting rocks is messy, social and cheap, which makes the Dan&Darci Glow Rock Painting Kit a good choice for a sleepover or a rainy afternoon. The box holds ten smooth river rocks, regular and glow-in-the-dark paints, glitter glue, googly eyes and stickers. After time under a lamp, the glow paint shines in a dark room for a while. Cover the table and clothes first, since paint and glitter glue go everywhere, and the glow is soft and fades.

Bouncing takes practice, and the Flybar Maverick Foam Pogo Stick gives a kid something physical to master outside. Foam wraps the frame and the spring, which spares shins and knees from bumps, and the wide pegs have a grippy surface for small sneakers. Its rider weight range fits most second graders with room to grow. Expect plenty of falls in the first week, so add a helmet and stick to flat pavement.

Kids who mother every plush in the house get a whole story with the Little Live Pets Mama Surprise. You feed the mama cat, settle her into her basket, and after some care three tiny kittens turn up inside it. She purrs and reacts when petted, and the kittens can go back for another round of the surprise. Moose Toys aims it at preschoolers too, so a child who is outgrowing pretend play may lose interest within weeks.

Spin Master's Bitzee Magicals suits a kid who wants a screen toy that isn't a tablet. A glowing pet seems to float inside a small case, and it reacts when kids swipe, tilt or tap it. They feed it, play short games and watch it grow from a baby into a magical creature, with 20 to collect. Batteries come in the box. It is still screen time, and many kids drop digital pets once the collection is done.

Decorating something a child will carry to school every day is the idea behind the Purple Ladybug Gem Water Bottle kit. Kids cover a metal bottle with gem stickers and printed decals, then clip on charms and a fluffy pom-pom. The bottle has a flip-top lid with a seal, and the seller lists it as leak-proof. Wash it by hand to keep the decorations on, and expect gems on a well-used bottle to peel at the edges.