By definition, Tween girls are stuck somewhere between kids and teens. The old adage “to old for toys, too young for boys” definitely has a lot of truth in my house. Right now my daughters are 10 and 12. Sometimes I feel like they are 4, and sometimes I feel like they are 24!
I’ve had a hard time finding the perfect magazines for them. They’ve outgrown Disney and Sparkle and Highlights but I don’t really love them reading my People and US Weekly. Surely there has to be something in the middle that they enjoy and that I think is appropriate for them?
I was lucky enough to finally found a few magazines that I think are perfect for my tween girls. And they are very age specific. Although my girls are only two years apart, one of my girls loves one and the other loves the other mag! They will each read each others’, but I find the ages on them to be very appropriate.
GL (Girls’ Life Magazine) (Ages 10 and Up)
I can’t remember where I first saw Girls’ Life Magazine (GL), but I knew as soon as I saw it that it would appeal to my 12-year-old daughter. When I gave it to her, she confused it with the Discovery Girls magazine made a face that implied “I don’t want some stupid kid magazine.” I told her just to give it a shot and see what she thought. All of a sudden, she is quoting from it, trying out the hairstyles it features, and asking when the next issue is coming.
Each issue contains a little bit of pop culture (this month is Pretty Little Liar), beauty tips (like Get Clear Skin and Shiny Hair), friendship advice, and a really cool “Dear Carol” section that allows tweens to ask questions and have them answered. They range from boy problems to what to do when people chew with their mouth open. Be prepared, though, that there are quite a few advertisements for makeup and fashion. However, most of the items are reasonably priced and age appropriate.
You can find Girls’ Life at Magazines.com or on Amazon.
J-14 Magazines (Ages 11-19)
This one is a little bit more for the teens than the tweens, but depending on your teenager it may be more what they are into. J-14 bills itself as being both for teens and pre-teens and contains celebrity news, fashion, gossip, interviews, etc. It also includes information about relationships, self-esteem, family issues, etc.
The covers generally spotlight celebrities and pop culture, and there is a fair amount of talk in the magazine about dating but not sex. If you are looking for something heavier on pop culture than Girls’ Life, check out J-14 on Amazon.
Girls’ World Magazine (Ages 7-12)
Another magazine great for the younger tweens is Girls’ World. While it does contain fashion and celebrity news, that is not the main focus of the magazine. You won’t see as much celebrity news on the cover but rather focused content such as recipes, crafts, quizzes, and games. “Celebrities” featured tend to be Disney Channel-type stars.
One of the things that I like about this magazine is that it is heavy on inspiration for girls to make things themselves, work on their relationships, and be themselves.
Girls’ World Magazine is available at both Amazon and Magazines.com.
Discovery Girls (Ages 8 and up) (Not currently in print)
I came across Discovery Girls at my orthodontist’s office and knew it would be perfect for my 10-year-old. It’s a nice step between “kid” magazines and teen magazines. There are not many advertisements at all and the ones that are tend to be about books and not very “commercial.” Yet the magazine has a little bit older “feel” to it than a Disney or Nickelodeon magazine with fewer cartoons and more text.
Each magazine has a quiz of some kind that my daughter loves to do herself and tries to make everyone else in the house take as well. It also has an “Embarrassing Moments” section that includes several stories from readers and rates them on how embarrassing they actually are. I think that’s actually my daughter’s favorite part of the magazine and it’s good for kids that age to see that they are not the only ones who go through embarrassing times.
What magazines would you recommend for girls 10-15?
How about Seventeen? My daughter loves that.