Twelve-year-olds might be on the brink of their cool teenage years, but they can still be little kids at heart. That tender in-between age can make tweens a challenge to shop for—and that’s before you even try to account for gifts that keep up with the latest trends. To help, we curated a list of the best gifts for 12-year-olds by going straight to the source: tweens and their parents. We interviewed 12-year-olds and surveyed nearly 900 parents to learn about the toys and gifts tweens want for birthdays, holidays, and celebrations in between.
Our list of top picks features a wide variety of gift options for tweens, from the latest electronics, games, and toys, to new clothes, shoes, and books—yes, real, paperback books. The best part about these gifts is that there’s something for tweens with any hobbies or interests and for all budgets. Here are the gift picks we found to impress the tween crowd (unlike our attempts at keeping up with the latest Gen Alpha slang).
Our Favorite Gifts for 12-Year-Olds
Toys for 12-Year-Olds
Twelve-year-olds are definitely not too old to play with toys—just make sure it’s a toy that they can still find engaging, like a Marvel-themed mini superhero, a mini spa set collectible kit, or a Skibidi toilet toy (trust us, that’s a thing kids are into these days).
STEM Gifts for 12-Year-Olds
One could argue that if you try hard enough, any toy could be a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) activity, but these gifts take the STEM level up a notch with an emphasis on coding, electronics exploration, and lots of Lego building. Plus, as a gift-giver, there’s just something about giving a STEM gift that makes you feel like you’re doing something helpful with an educational present.
Puzzles and Board Games for 12-Year-Olds
Family board games or games that tweens can play with their friends are an ideal way to get the 12-year-old crowd off screens and into the real world. Whether you’re getting some backyard fun in with a giant Jenga game, risking it all to play Monopoly (warning: game night just got competitive), or bringing a little magic into the mix, a game or puzzle is a safe bet for a tween.
Arts and Crafts for 12-Year-Olds
You’re never too old for arts and crafts, and kids of all ages can get the benefits that creative time provides. Whether that’s open-ended art supplies that let tweens create to their hearts’ content or a more structured craft set (even if it happens to be a catapult), screen-free creative time is a gift that keeps on giving.
Electronics and Tech for 12-Year-Olds
Now we get to the good stuff—electronics. Like moths to a flame, tweens are drawn to tech, and we’ve curated a gift selection that includes everything from helpful headphones to interactive games and electronics that get tweens up and moving.
Sports and Outdoor Toys for 12-Year-Olds
An active lifestyle is important at any age. You can encourage a love of movement through a time of changing bodies and minds with gifts like a new skateboard, spikeball kit, or for the more adventurous, a slackline set.
Books for 12-Year-Olds
Any gift that gets kids reading is a win in our book, and we love these picks that will get tweens excited about the written word (although, to be fair, listening to audiobooks totally counts too!) Introduce a classic read or new characters in a boxed set that doubles as room decor.
Room Decor for 12-Year-Olds
Remember when one of the most exciting parts of childhood was “rearranging” your room and then calling your parents or siblings in to come see the fruits of your labor? You can invite tweens to feel that rush today with new room decor, like a remote-controlled 3D moon lamp or a helpful phone holder.
Music Gifts for 12-Year-Olds
Music can be an important part of a tween’s life and you can foster that love with gifts like a waterproof portable Bluetooth speaker (great for using outdoors too), an electronic drum kit, or a super cool retro record player with modern Bluetooth streaming capabilities.
Clothes and More for 12-Year-Olds
Once upon a time, the worst gift you could ever receive as a kid was clothes. But that tide slowly starts to turn somewhere around the tween mark, so feel free to gift away one of these trendy selections, like the viral comfy quarter-zip sweatshirt or a classic set of slip-on Vans. Another helpful gift for everyone? A bar of “cool” Minecraft soap that has diamonds ground in for exfoliation—it’s the gift that will keep on giving through puberty.
Our Review Process
To choose the best gifts for 12-year-olds, we interviewed kids in this age group to get their input on gifts they would enjoy. We also surveyed 875 parents and caregivers about their tweens’ preferred products. In addition, we tested many of these gifts and toys at home with our kids.
To create our final list, we studied hundreds of toys and gifts for tweens, researched the latest trends, and studied their design and features. Finally, we evaluated each toy considering its safety, durability, age recommendations, ease of set-up and use, entertainment value, and overall value.
How to Choose the Best Gifts for 12-Year-Olds
- Hobbies and Interests: To guide your gift-giving, look for inspiration from tweens’ passions, whether they’re into sports, video games, anime, clothing, music, TikTok, travel, or movies. For example, basketball fans might appreciate a new ball, a jersey from their favorite team, or even an indoor hope to keep their game up. Or if gaming is their thing, a pair of headphones or a new video game will likely be very well-received.
- Trends: Tweens tend to be particularly interested in keeping up with current fads and peer approval. It might be helpful to brush up on social media trends and popular school fads before picking up a gift for a 12-year-old. (And we know, this is easier said than done!)
- Practicality: Some people may appreciate a gift that’s both enjoyable and versatile. For instance, a tablet for tweens can be used for learning and entertainment, a FitBit can track steps and keep time, or a board game can be used with friends or as a family bonding activity.
Who We Are
Deanna McCormack is a writer at Parents who focuses on family, kids, and household items. She’s her family’s top gift-giver and has two kids to keep her in the loop on what’s trending. She won’t buy anything without reading almost every review on the internet.
Additional reporting:
Phoebe Sklansky is an editor at Parents. She is an avid online shopper and particularly recommends gifts that can be used over and over, like headphones or a game.
Casey Clark is a Parents writer from NYC who specializes in shoppable content. She reviews and tests products for a living and she has a solid understanding of the types of gifts tweens want (and will actually use).