13-15 – Fads, Fashion and Friends
Interests and development vary from adolescent to adolescent – shopping, reading, sport, dance, music, art and more. They will have to choose subjects at school which may dictate the direction of their adult lives. Communication might be starting to be difficult. They may not want to come and visit you with the Parents as they start to want (and have) a life outside home and immediate family. Soon they will be eligible to work outside school hours. They can be moody, messy and idealistic and starting to want privacy. TV and movies could include, I am number 4, Dr Who, Scrubs, Gossip Girl, Top Gear, sports. Sizes will vary from children’s to adult so consultation with the Parents might be required. Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr and other social media might now play a significant part in their lives.
Music
They might not know who the Monkees are but tastes an be quite varied from One Direction, Justin Bieber, Gipsy Kings, Taylor Swift , Chameleon Circuit or even The Beatles (fancy that!).
Gift Ideas
Best bet – gift cards from music stores or iTunes (watch out for discounts on iTunes cards).
AND
Surprise them – click to research stuff they don’t think their grandmothers would know, such as
- Top 40 music charts -know who they top bands and artists are –
- http://www.ariacharts.com.au/ Australia
- http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=27 – music charts from around the world
- Understand the types of music they might be listening too
- check out the different music genres at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_styles
Electronics
- Laptop
- Ipad
- Console games for Wii, Xbox or DS e.g. Sims 2. Local games stores are great for telling you the latest games for various age groups.
- Smiley face speakers (dick smith)
Special gifts from grandma
- Sport or activity (equipment, fees, uniforms)
- Magazine subscription for favourite mag (or international version for something different)
- Pandora bracelet for girls or Charm Club
- Tickets to the latest concert (with you or for them to take a friend or Parent)
- A double pass to the local water or theme park (so they can take a friend)
- Clothing store voucher or on-line store voucher
