Gift guide
Gifts for your daughter, by age
The hard part is not finding something pink. It is finding something she still plays with in March. These are gifts that earn their keep across the ages, picked for the things that build a skill, spark a game or get the two of you doing something together rather than watching a screen.
Chosen on merit, never paid for. Some links are affiliate links, so we may earn a little if you buy, at no cost to you.
A first proper balance bike
92Dad ScoreThe single best thing you can buy a two to four year old. No pedals, no stabilisers, just balance, and one Saturday she suddenly rides off and your heart does a thing.
Wooden building blocks set
85Dad ScoreOpen-ended, screen-free and good for years. She builds a tower, you knock it down, repeat. The kind of toy that survives a sibling and ends up in the loft for the grandkids.
A starter art and craft caddy
83Dad ScoreWashable pens, paper, glue and the rest in one box you can grab for a rainy hour. Stocks the table so the answer to “can we do something” is always yes.
A proper first camera
87Dad ScoreA tough, simple kids’ camera so she sees the day out the way she sees it. The photos are gloriously wonky and you will keep every one of them.
A beginner coding robot
84Dad ScoreShe programmes it to scoot round the kitchen and learns the logic without a screen. A brilliant joint project for a dad who wants to do more than press play.
A two-person tent for the garden
88Dad ScorePitch it on the lawn for a first campout, torches and all. Costs less than a day out and buys you a memory she talks about for the rest of the summer.
A bedtime book about brave girls
86Dad ScoreShort, true stories of women who did big things, one a night. Reads as well to a five year old as a nine year old, and you will both look forward to it.
Questions, answered
What do you get a girl dad’s daughter that is not pink plastic?
Things that build a skill or a habit: a balance bike, a real camera, a coding robot, a garden tent. They get played with for years and they tend to mean an hour of dad time, not another box in the corner.
What is the best gift for a toddler?
A balance bike, every time. For a two to four year old it does more for confidence and for the two of you than anything else on the list, and she will be riding properly within a season.
