A good, maybe even inexpensive gift for a girl, based on #24 of
50 Things to do for Girl Formation is a sewing kit. Start a girl out with this and she'll have the tools to master one of the most useful of skills. I got my first around age 8 and it is still handy and serviceable. (There is a nice division of labor implied here: the boy can shine his sister's shoes and she replace the buttons. See
Boot & Shoe Kit.) It doesn't need a lot--just a roomy box / basket perhaps with handle and a lid that can latch. It could also be a roll of sturdy fabric with pockets put into it that can be tied or secured with elastic.
And in it, the following essentials:
- Scissors or seam ripper
- Something to hold buttons and maybe some buttons
- Pins and needles and maybe a pin-cushion
- A few basic colored threads. You could even choose them by some of the colors the young lady in question tends to wear.
- Optional: tape measure, thimbles, embroidery hoop, safety pins.
