40 Best Gifts for 11-Year-Olds 2024, Tested & Reviewed by Experts

Cell phone cameras get the job done, but it’s way more fun to take pictures with an instant camera — especially when there’s film involved. They’ll especially appreciate the small mirror that makes taking selfies so much easier. The camera comes in several colors, and you can buy additional film with fun borders. (And get an album to put the pictures in and a matching case, too!) Ages 8+

They can take their art projects to the next dimension with this pen which gives them the basics for 3D printing. “The kit came with stencil paper and a QR code to figure out how to use it, which was nice,” our tester said. The speed-control button slides to give you a range from slow to fast, which allows control. Amazon sells replacement filament for less than $10. No age recommendation given.

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Who wouldn’t want to cozy up and read, play video games or text and chat in a chair like this? This chair impressed Good Housekeeping Institute testers with its firm fill, but really won over Lab experts with how easy it was to clean the fabric. It comes in several colors and prints and has a handle so you can drag it around. No age recommendation given.

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This handheld device will keep your kid entertained for hours. Wave it around and watch as string billows from it making various shapes as it moves. Better yet, the string glows in the dark and has a cool cosmic design. Giving this a 2024 Good Housekeeping Toy Award was an easy decision. Ages 8+

Those summer camp days feel like they’re here forever with this friendship bracelet kit. Not only does it come with 20 pre-cut threads (in their own storage drawer, no less), it has a board that holds the bracelet and strands in place while the creation is in progress. (The board even comes in several colors!) You can also use its app to find friendship bracelet patterns and instructions. Ages 8+

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Big, expensive and fancy karaoke systems can be a blast for a night out or a big party, but for hanging out with friends or on the go all you need is this small machine. It works with Bluetooth so that they can stream all their favorite songs, and it comes with two microphones. You can also get it in other colors. Ages 4+

They’ll love personalizing their rooms with these lights, which feature 50 clear clips to hang photos from on 17ft of lights. Their walls will be one-of-a-kind. No age recommendation given.

Good Housekeeping Institute testers got a little STEM learning while following along with this book, which gives instructions for building things like a drop tower, a labyrinth and a fortune teller . LEGO pieces are also included. Ages 8–12

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They can easily express themselves through a lightbox by making it show their favorite quotes or song lyrics at any given time. This particular one comes with 100 tiles, and it can be powered through the included USB cord (batteries work too, but they aren’t included). There’s even built-in storage for extra letters on the back of the lightbox. No age recommendation given.

A mix of art and science, this device lets kids use an app and a mobile-based system to code pixel art onto the charm using Python, which they can display as a keychain or a bag charm. It’s a fun way to get some experience coding. Ages 8+

This glowing flying orb is definitely trendy among tweens — it has more than 2,000 5-star ratings on Amazon! The whole thing is controlled by hand, not remote, and kids will appreciate the under-30-minute charging time. Ages 6+

This is a LEGO set for kids who are serious about cars, and if they are, they’ll love building the articulated V8 engine, the realistic door design (a dihedral synchro-helix door system, if you know wha that means) and the steering system. It’ll give car enthusiasts a closer look at how things work under the hood. Ages 10+

Kids love Nee Doh in all shapes in sizes, from the very small to the very large to groovy shapes like gummy bears or cats. The Nice Cube is still fun to squeeze and squish like all the other shapes of Nee Doh, but, no matter how much you smush it, when you put it down it will always return to its cube form. Ages 3+

Kids can hold this colorful device in one hand and remix music by adding sound effects, layering tracks and making loops, all by using different hand motions. “My child absolutely loves this,“ one parent tester said. “He’s spent hours playing with it. I love how this toy really lets kids express their creativity.” Ages 8+

If they like to get creative in the kitchen, they’ll get a kick out of this kit, which gives them everything they need to make four batches of eight mochi pieces each. The set includes both tools (molds, a dough cutter) and ingredients (shelf-stable flour, cocoa powder). You just need to add your favorite ice cream and sugar. No age recommendation given.

They’ll have to keep their minds sharp and their observational skills on point to solve the 20 mysteries in this book. Each of them has a science-themed bent, too, so they might pick up facts about how a baker can know if an egg is raw or hard-boiled, or how an animal expert might know if an elephant stampede is coming. If they like it, they can get the other books in the Sleuth & Solve series. Ages 8 – 12

At this age, if it glows in the dark, they’ll love it. And this means the fun never has to stop because they can see the ball even if they’re playing hoops after dark, thanks to LED lights inside the ball. Ages 8+

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Tweens, Swifties and non-Swifties alike, are learning the joys of layering bracelets all the way up their wrists. This set gives them 16 new bracelets to work with, in a few different colors with different charms. Kids can mix and match them depending on how the mood strikes. No age recommendation given.

Notes to friends, reminders and doodles are way more fun when they’re done on small squares of scratch-art paper. This comes with 125 square sheets of scratch-art paper plus a wooden stylus to use. It’s a cute gift to put in a small gift basket or party favor. Ages 4+

This game takes their marble runs to the next level: The STEM-themed brain-teasing game challenges players to make different kinds of marble runs using limited pieces. Good Housekeeping Institute testers say that, since there are challenges of varying difficulty included in the same box, older and younger siblings were able to play together. Ages 8+