• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, October 3, 2008

According to a new report from The NPD Group, girls age two to 14 are spending more time this year on entertainment-related activities than they did in 2007, with more than half saying they spend more time using CE devices, and playing PC games and video games.

Pre-schoolers age 2-5 are highly engaged with toys,  including:

• Plush/stuffed toys,
• Dolls, fashion role-play
• Puzzles
• Educational toys

First Readers (age 6-8) are more inclined to play with

• Board games,
• Arts & crafts, and
• Virtual world games

Pre-teen girls age 9-12, despite the natural progression away from traditional toys to games and electronics, are spending more time this year playing with traditional toys compared to last year.

Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group, says: "... even in this digital age over 50 percent of girls ages 2-14 engage with dolls, plush, and arts & crafts in a given week... a testament to the evergreen nature of these types of activities for girls."

Tweens (age 9-12) are migrating to computer and video games, especially virtual world online games.  Socialization is gearing up among the pre-teens, and the advent of interactive gaming hits home with these girls who are looking for friends from the confines of their homes. 

Young Teens (age 13-14) are also gamers, but many girls this age are also now listening to music on portable digital music players and talking/texting on their mobile phones, according to the report.

Frazier notes that  "... the growth in use of social networking and virtual world websites by girls... needs to be recognized by manufacturers who count girls as a primary market for their goods and services."

Fashion Apparel & Accessories, and Books, Music & Videos are the top two categories that maintain a high level of popularity across all age groups, and appear to be insulated from the age-factor.  In terms of favorite gifts, gift cards are the top choice for most girls, with gift cards being purchased 50 percent of the time.

Find out more about "Girl Power: Understanding This Important Consumer Segment" here.