Gift Guide for Kids in College & Middle School, Suggested by My Daughters

tattly tattoos

One of the great joys of life is giving people gifts that they want and need—and a big happiness stumbling block is not having any good ideas for what such a gift might be.

I decided to ask my daughters what they’d suggest, for people wanting to buy gifts for children their age.

My older daughter Eliza is a sophomore in college. She suggests:

  • temporary tattoos (such as these)
  • fun flip-flops for the shower
  • Command hooks of various kinds
  • twinkle lights
  • nice pens
  • a smart speaker
  • soft blanket
  • fun keychain
  • bean bag or inflatable chair (I have to admit, I had no idea what an “inflatable chair” was, but Eliza explained that it’s something like this.)
  • a fun collapsible umbrella
  • gift card to Starbucks or food places


My younger daughter Eleanor is in middle school. She made the point that this is a tough age for gift-giving, because kids are too old for toys but too young for many items that adults would enjoy.

She suggests:


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What are your suggestions for good gifts for these ages?

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