Christmas is almost upon us, and, as any parent, my thoughts have turned to gifts. And while my education is firmly rooted in science, I’m not opposed to a bit of magic. After all, scientific exploration and discovery requires a healthy dose of wonder and curiosity, both qualities that magic-themed books and make-belief games develop.

So it’s without hesitation that I plan to indulge my 7-year-old daughter’s current fascination with magic and witches. This is my holiday gift list of toys, games, activities, and chapter books that I plan to get her for Christmas. It’s a mix of items that, I hope, will engage her curiosity and spark her imagination.

1. My Magic Journal – love the cute little witch illustrations on the cover of this series of activity books. This is a diary to write little secrets in. How cute.
2. My First Spell Book – this is another one in the series. Looks like a fun activity where my daughter can invent and write her own magic spells, and draw pictures to go with them. Perfect for developing her imagination.
3. A magical unicorn jewelry box – what little girl doesn’t dream of a musical jewelry box. Perfect for collecting all the little trinkets that are special to her.
4. A magic school doll uniform for her 18″ doll – twinning squad goals! My daughter loves dressing up her dolls and she’ll be so excited about this Hogwarts-like school uniform for her American Girl doll. I can just picture all the magic school games she will be playing.
5. A wooden magic wand – my daughter has a plastic wand that breaks in a different place every second week. We have repaired it several times, but it’s time for a well-made wooden wand. I love the gentle pastel colors of these.
6. A whimsical pencil case with magical symbols – little girls love pencil cases, zippered pouches, and little bags to put things in. This is just one of the many wonderful witch- and magic-themed pencil cases on Redbubble.
7. Harry Potter Labyrinth game – we love family game night and are always looking for new games. My daughter loves Harry Potter, and Labyrinth is a great strategy game, so this seems like a winning combination.
8. Dragonwood game – we own several Gamewright games and love them (Rat-a-tat-cat and Sleeping Queens, among others). This one has a magical enchanted forest theme and comes highly rated.
9. Lego Harry Potter Advent Calendar – what can be better than combining the magic of Christmas with the magic of Harry Potter? I’m secretly excited to be opening these with my daughter. What a great way to lead up to Christmas and to get her excited for the holiday.
10. Lego Harry Potter Clock Tower – my daughter loves building with Lego. And I like it when she plays with Lego because it develops so many useful skills – following directions, spatial perception, problem solving, and, when she starts inventing her own buildings – creativity and imagination.
11. The Worst Witch – reading about magical worlds is a fantastic way to develop kids’ imagination. Since we have all of the Harry Potter books, I’ve added 3 girl-witch books to the Christmas list. This one is a classic.
12. No Such Thing as a Witch – this book I discovered in my search for witch books and comes highly rated. I can’t wait to read it with my daughter.
13. Witch Wars – a brand new series, this looks like a lot of fun. And has a fun twist to the concept of witches.

Perfect – 13 gifts for a little witch! Hope you find this list helpful for your own budding young witch.