2021 Gift Guide for Texas Teen and Tween Girls That Supports Women-Owned Businesses
Are you shopping for that perfect gift for a Texas teen or tween girl and need some ideas? How about some gift ideas that also support women-owned businesses and organizations at the same time? We got you.
We have curated more than seven great gift ideas below plus two bonus options for parents looking for ways to teach their girl about financial literacy and responsibility.
Deluxe Unstoppable Activist Spark Kit
1. Deluxe Unstoppable Activist Spark Kit
This year, Girls Empowerment Network is offering our Unstoppable Activist Spark Kit for girls in grades 6-12 for individual sale. This fourth in a series all-in-one activity box helps girls identify and live out their values for civic engagement and social justice. Besides igniting girl power, the Spark Kit includes
A colorful journal with 25 activities
All the supplies needed to accomplish the activities
Access to an online girl portal featuring 1:1 time with girl experts
An encouraging handwritten letter penned by a relatable role model
T-shirt
water bottle and
An individually-decorated box with inspirational messages
Each Unstoppable Activist Spark Kit is a labor of love and unique to the girl in your life. Spark Kits are fun and are perfect for downtime on the weekend and during school holidays. Once more it provides each girl with the self-efficacy tools she needs to lead courageously and feel powerful.
Best of all, you can purchase a Spark Kit for a girl in your life or sponsor one that we’ll donate to a girl in need. How’s that for giving back?
Inspiring Books
2. Books to inspire courage and compassion, grow their knowledge of different cultures, and learn about she-roes who resist injustice
The Houston Holocaust Museum has curated a list of children’s books for a variety of ages that share stories from Jewish, Native American, Asian, LGBTQ+, immigrant, Latino/a, African American experiences, and more.
Resist by Veronica Chambers profiles men and women of courage who fought against injustice and stood up to bullies that threatened their communities. Their stories are meant to inspire courage in young people to speak out and rise up against discrimination and inequality. This book is appropriate for children in grades 3-7.
Count Me In In by Varsha Barjaj is a fictional story of a middle-school girl Karina Chopra who is attacked along with her grandfather and friend because she is Indian American. She posts a few photos on her social media channel asking “What does an American look like?” which goes viral. As she learns to use her voice, she also celebrates her community coming together to reject racism.
Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptionis a graphic novel adaption of the original Diary of Anne Frank. The book recounts Anne’s experience as a teenager living in hiding with her family for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. This book is appropriate for children from 8-13.
Bath and body care
3. Bath and Body Care Items For Self-Care
Bath items such as lotions, bath bombs, bubble bath sets, soap, lip balm, shampoo, and fun facial masks are items many tween and teen girls can appreciate. Many girls have struggled with stress in the last year which is why these types of gifts are an investment in self-care, relaxation, and renewal. Taking care of one’s self is a wonderful coping skill to encourage.
Enfusia is a woman-owned company from the Houston area that sells artisan, handmade bath and body products that have natural botanical ingredients and extracts. You can purchase their bath bombs online and find them in many Texas grocery stores, too. Shop online.
Shea Radiance is a woman-owned, clean beauty brand that sources shea butter and African black soap and was originally created to solve their family’s eczema problems. Their beauty products (hair care, soaps, body butter) are inspired by the traditional uses of unrefined shea butter, which is sourced from women-run cooperatives in West Africa.
The Honest Company - owned by Latina celebrity Jessica Alba - is known for its personal care items for mom and baby. Did you know their brand is much bigger than that, offering bath, body, and beauty items, too? They have a gift list for tween girls
Cuddly Blanket
4. A Cuddly Blanket To Curl Up In
After a long day, a blanket to call one’s own is a thoughtful gift. A soft, blanket gives a sense of comfort and warmth, especially on a chilly day. Take it a step further and personalize a blanket for a girl in your life.
Bloom Angel, a woman-owned apparel shop from Los Angeles, has several varieties of personalized blankets from which to choose - including colorful smiley faces and rainbows!
Journals
5. Journals To Write Down Their Thoughts and Capture Their Doodles
Bullet journals, gratitude journals, lined journals, journals with watercolor or sketch paper, and guided journals are excellent choices for girls to put their thoughts to paper. There are mental health benefits to journaling, including reducing stress. Win, win! Add bonus points for the inclusion of fun, colorful pens.
Here are three options to start your search for the perfect journal:
Day by Day Guided Journal for Teens - This planner and journal combo is handmade in Texas by Noelle. It prioritizes emotional well-being by helping young people become more aware of how they are feeling.
Handmade Inspirational Journal for Girls is handmade to order by Memorylane Journals and ships from Frisco, Texas by Neha Mehta. The journal is filled with color and inspirational phrases with different types of pages and pockets which invites creativity and self-reflection.
The Joy of Missing Out Journal was created by Kate Pocrass, an artist and illustrator from the San Francisco area. The illustrated journal is packed with inspirational quotes and activities to help girls find happiness in being present, rebalance priorities and reconnect with themselves.
Clothes For girls growing bodies
6. Clothes Made For Girls Growing Bodies
Finding appropriate and fun clothes for girls’ growing bodies that defy gender stereotypes and encourage body positivity can be in short supply. These two woman-owned brands have sprung up to offer girls clothing that helps girls feel confident and express their own unique identities.
Girls Will Be is an apparel brand launched by two Austin moms in 2012 in response to their daughters wanting clothing options that weren’t frilly and pink. They sell comfortable shirts, hoodies, and shorts with pockets in a variety of colors and non-traditional themes, such as science, sports, and inspiring slogans. They have also expanded into adult sizes as well.
Yellowberry was founded by Megan Grassell who was frustrated with the options available when shopping for a bra for her younger sister. When she couldn’t find bras that were cute, appropriate, and comfortable, she made her own. She celebrated a million bras sold in 2018!
Expressing Themselves
7. Try New Ways To Express Themselves
As girls grow up, they try out new ways of expressing themselves. This developmental milestone is part of adolescence as they learn more about what makes them unique and feel happy and whole. There is a wide range of gifts that fit in this category, including fun, playful stickers, hair accessories, jewelry, and even socks!
No Nasties brand of all-natural kids plays makeup, face paint, hair chalk, and water-based nail polish was founded in Australia by a mom who was experiencing allergies. You can pick up a colorful, wash-out hair chalk kit from Uncommon Goods.
Solemate Sox is a black-owned business from Austin that sells vibrant socks with magnets to keep sock pairs from getting lost in the laundry. Socks are designed for youth (and adults) and are vibrantly fun. Check out the sock monster collection, too.
Made by Akkiis a black-owned artist that makes art and goods with fun and love. She has a line of cute earrings, stickers, and home goods that older girls may enjoy! Make sure you check out her free color sheets, too.
Two Bonus Ideas for Parents to Teach Girls Responsibility
Encourage the adoption of a growth mindset by empowering the girl in your life to become more responsible and confident as she works toward her goals, no matter what they are. These two brands can help parents do just that
Chores and Responsibility
BigHer Impact is a mama-owned Austin brand with a chore-centered children’s collection focused on gender equity and empowerment through responsibility. Their Chore Chat Family Conversation Cards ($12.95) was created in collaboration with Girls Empowerment Network and Ripple Reads and each purchase includes a 10% give-back benefit.
With 52 questions the whole family can enjoy, these conversation starters are about learning to listen and are designed to encourage creativity, curiosity, and connection via “sideways listening.”
Financial Literacy
Greenlights Debit Card is a money app for families to help youth and teens learn about responsibility and financial literacy. Parents can help girls learn about the benefits of saving, investing, and giving while they are young. Features are built-in to assign chores and fund allowances, too. Note: While this is the only company on our list not founded by a woman, their mission to improve financial literacy for every child can increase women’s financial confidence and create more gender equity.
Support Girls Empowerment Network
If you would like to support Girls Empowerment Network, a 501c3 nonprofit, with a gift to further our mission to ignite the power in girls, please donate online. You may also purchase a Spark Kit to build a girl’s belief in their own abilities through our Six Cs, confidence, coping skills, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity.
Only proceeds from Spark Kits and BigHer Impact’s Chore Chat Family Conversation Cards benefit Girls Empowerment Network. We do not receive income from any other links.
Interested in seeing Gift Guides from previous years? Here’s last year’s Gift Guide for Teen and Tween Girls.
As a mom of a teen girl and small business owner, Amy Carr has been a long-time supporter of Girls Empowerment Network. Her hope is that more girls in Texas and beyond can benefit from the self-efficacy programming they provide because every girl, young and not-so-young, deserves to feel unstoppable