One of the worst parts of growing up; we all go through a phase where we think we're a little too cool and grown up for the toys we loved just one birthday ago. Around the age of nine or ten, we go around saying "I don't watch Sesame Street anymore, that dumb ol' show is for kids!" Then, of course, fifteen years later we watch an episode with our own kids and laugh our butts off (if you haven't yet, get on Youtube or something and find some Cookie Monster clips, it's even funnier for grownups than it is for kids), but during our teen years, and especially our pre-teen years, we're looking for something more sophisticated, something more "cool".
Unfortunately, it's easier to indulge this phase than it is to talk some sense into a twelve year old. Still, there are some pretty neat toys on the market for the not-quite-adults out there. The trick is giving them the kind of toys where they can convince themselves that they're not toys, they're action figures, or they're R/C cars, but they're not toys.
STAR WARS
The great thing about Star Wars toys and even Lego Star Wars is that when you put them on a shelf, they're not toys anymore, they're collectibles (you don't have to tell anyone that you take them down and re-enact the final scenes of Return of the Jedi when nobody's looking), and you can tell your friends you're just saving them until they're worth a lot of money on eBay, knowing full well that you'd never dream of parting with your Jango Fett.
BUILDING SETS
A lot of kids tend to hide their old Legoes in a dark closet somewhere. The basic Legoes traditionally come with bright and cheery little guys and bricks designed to build quaint houses and flower beds and so on. Once you hit eleven years old, most boys are looking for something a little edgier. And so, Lego has a few lines geared towards older kids, such as the LEGO Agents line, and LEGO City. Both are designed to have that hip, cool edge that older kids are into. And then, of course, there's the Mega Bloks customizable Plasma Dragons, mixing dinosaurs with medieval fantasy to create edgy (sometimes literally) warrior reptiles.
It's interesting to note that there aren't, actually, a whole lot of toys out there being marketed towards teenage girls. It could be as they say, that girls simply mature faster, or perhaps they tend to just be less insecure about getting caught playing with kiddie stuff. It's hard to say, but the fact is that there are a lot more boy-centric than girl-centric toys for young teenagers. However, there are a few good toys on the market for young teen girls.
ROSE ART MEMORIES SCRAPBOOK KIT
This kit is kind of gender neutral, to be honest. Anybody can make a scrapbook. Still, scrapbooking seems to be bigger with girls than with boys. Rose Art really is an excellent company for creative kids. Their products combine practical, useful art tools with a sense of fun and ease. When you first hand an artsy kid a bottle of oil paint, they're not going to know what to do with it. Rose Art kits are a lot more accessible, allowing sharp kids to pick up the basics in one sitting.
How Old is too Old?
You're probably not going to know the crossover point from your kid being, well, a kid, to being a kid who wants to be an adult, until that point hits. Adolescence is awkward. Think back to your own early teens. Puberty, middle school, hormones going crazy, your first armpit hair, dealing with the opposite gender, it's not an easy time. The best thing a pre-teen kid can hope for is an understanding parent.
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