Would prefer it to not be “hair” 'makeup" girlish oriented, but rather something challenging for her mind. I am her Uncle, and would like something maybe aimed at DIY outside of Lego if you know what I mean. Budget is small, maybe 39.99? Can move either way if needed

Advice, much needed as a 36 y/o male with no kids

  • FenrirIII@lemmy.world
    2·
    3 days ago

    I bought my kiddo a book about robots that came with a simple, buildable bot. It was well received

  • runner_g@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    8·
    5 days ago

    Spirograph, Crystal growing kit, search for stem toys for 6 year olds, ask her parents what she’s into.

    I’ve been doing stem toys for my niece for a few years and she always loves them. She just turned 9 in August.

  • moakley@lemmy.worldEnglish
    23·
    6 days ago

    I once bought my niece a marble run. I got some shit for it, because I guess some people just don’t get it? But she loved it, and my 6-year-old daughter now loves marble runs too.

    My daughter also collects rocks, so a rock tumbler was a big one for her.

    Another gift for a niece I got shit for was a drum. She loved it. She was so excited that it was a real instrument. My brother always said he’d get me back, but my daughter got a full-ass drum kit for Christmas, and I think it’s great.

    Oh, and make your own slime kits are huge right now. It’s science-y, DIY, and kids love slime.

  • RestlessNotions@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    19·
    6 days ago

    My 6 year old son absolutely loves the Snap Circuits kits. We’ve also started teaching him collectable card games (Pokémon, Yu Gi Oh , etc) which challenge his reading and strategy skills. Plus great quality time activity. There are tons of Stem kits out there for less than $40.

    • Johnmannesca@lemmy.world
      1·
      4 days ago

      Yugioh and snap kits were my faves back then, now over 20y later I’m still playing yugioh and soldering, so I’d say it was a worthy investment of my family and my free time. Problem-solving card text is probably good for understanding programming logic, too.

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.worldOP
      4·
      5 days ago

      Catan Jr, didn’t know that existed I’ll have to look into what games are around. I know her Dad taught our parents how to play Settlers of Catan a number of years ago before she was born, so that’s something that she may have parents/grandparents to play with. She has a brother that is 2 years younger, so maybe they’ll be able to play that together soon enough.

      • RowdyRaider79@lemmy.world
        2·
        5 days ago

        Ticket to Ride: First Journey and Qwirkle are also good choices for that age range. Qwirkle is great because it’s simple but fun for all ages. My kids loved it when they were young and still play it frequently at 16 and 25.

  • Krudler@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    5 days ago

    Modeling clay and good quality paints.

    Artistic, technical, no real “rules”, and a good amount of skill building.

  • ace_garp@lemmy.world
    4·
    6 days ago

    Tobbie 2 - build and program a simple STEM robot.

    Or an offline tablet with GCompris, Scratch(junior programming suite) and a selection of Kiwix libraries suitable for younger kids.

    Or a few HABA boardgames.

  • pixeltree@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    2·
    5 days ago

    Sudoku book, maybe? If the likes making things, origami paper and an insteuction book? OH, I remember as a kid this toy that was short plastic sticks with magnets at the end and ball bearings ao you would make structures and stuff with em, fun to play with and suits the vibe you’re looking for I think.

  • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
    4·
    6 days ago

    Not a parent, but when I was a kid I loved rubik’s cubes. 4x4 or 5x5 ones are even more fun. (probably need a youtube video guide lol) Don’t get the cheap ones, those suck, get those high quality ones. Should fit within the budget.