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While you may think the tween years all blend together, those who spend a lot of time with adolescents say that is not exactly the case. “In the library, we say that 12 is ‘young adult’: When you’re this age, you’re straddling that children’s and teen section in life,” explains Lisa Goldstein, a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. Not only do kids mature at different rates, but as they get deeper into puberty, they’re negotiating their freedom more. “Adolescence is all about the dialectic of freedom versus supervision,” says Matt Lundquist, a psychotherapist in private practice in Manhattan.
So when it comes to choosing gifts for these not-yet-teenagers, your best bet is to let their interests be your guide. For instance, while some 12-year-olds still enjoy playing with dolls and board games, it’s possible that a toy perceived as babyish could offend your giftee, according to psychotherapist Alyson Cohen. And although they have grown up digital natives, most 12-year-olds still crave hands-on activities, whether they like painting or making jewelry or constructing elaborate Lego builds. We asked Goldstein, Lundquist, Cohen, Lynch, and many more experts (including actual 12-year-olds and parents of 12-year-olds) to recommend the best gifts for 12-year-olds. Then we organized the list by price, so if you have a specific budget in mind, you can use the table of contents to jump ahead — or keep scrolling to see all of their picks.
And if you’re buying gifts for kids of different ages, don’t miss our other age-specific gift guides for 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, and 11-year-olds as well as teens — plus the meticulously curated Strategist Toy Store, which is filled with all of our greatest hits.
Update on December 6, 2024: Added new products; updated prices and checked stock for all products.
Under $25
Nearly every parent, teacher, and toy-store owner we’ve talked to over the years has recommended Lego. And while the open-ended, free-build version of the toy is preferred by many child-development experts, the creator series sets make excellent gifts for older kids. This set comes recommended by now-13-year-old Benny, who likes that you get three builds in one, all of which “would look really cool displayed on a desk,” she says.
When I asked Benny and her mom about the best gifts for tweens and 12-year-olds specifically, she pointed me to this Good Luck, Babe! seven-inch vinyl record. “I love Chappell Roan’s music, and to me there’s something so special about listening on vinyl versus Spotify,” Benny says, adding that the album cover looks cool, so the record can double as room décor.
Speaking of room décor, string and fairy lights remain popular among tweens, teens, and even college students as an easy way to customize their spaces. This 3-D lantern kit in the shape of a dog, recommended by Toy Insider editor-in-chief Marissa Silva, takes that idea one step further. Once all of the shimmery pieces are assembled, simply insert the included LED string lights and you’ve got a twinkly lamp.
Benny also recommended bag charms as a way of decorating or adding cute vibes to a room or a backpack. Her picks are Calico Critters or Jellycat (which I included in our guide to gifts for 11-year-olds). In addition to the below cat in a tartan kilt, I suggest giving bag charms that are actually bags themselves and can store tiny items like jewelry, a lip balm, or a Sonny Angel doll. Baggu’s key-chain versions of its actual bags are an excellent choice, as is this clear plastic pod that got a mention in our print holiday gift guide this year.
Anime is hugely popular with tweens, with series like Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Dragon Ball Z topping the list of kid-friendly picks. There is a ton of merch to choose from, but collectible action figures are a great place to start since they are affordable and don’t take up much space. Funko Pop figures are a classic that avoids any babyish connotations. There is also a fantastic collection of Playmobil Naruto toys that includes nearly every character and a buildable ramen shop. I was also impressed by this articulated Naruto action figure when I saw it at the New York Toy Fair.
James Zahn, senior editor at the Toy Insider, noted that escape rooms have been really popular and highlighted this version of Clue, which puts a new twist on the famous board game. In addition to navigating the expected elements like figuring out who killed the victim with what weapon, players also have to work together to figure out how to get out of the mansion first.
The Game of Life moves faster than Monopoly but uses many of the same core concepts, like counting money and decision-making. It’s a great game for increasingly independent tweens who will delight in “trying out” a variety of different career and life paths, from buying a waterfront beach house to becoming a video-game designer or a secret agent.
Gus, who had just turned 12 when we talked to him, told us that it is the age when kids really start getting into this ever-popular card game. If you think your giftee would prefer a strategy-based game that’s a little more complex and consuming than Clue or Life, Gus recommended a core set or any starter set, like this one, to provide an introduction to the game.
Under $50
As we noted in our gift guide for 11-year-olds (and our gift guide for 10-year-olds, and our gift guide for 8-year-olds, and our gift guide for 7-year-olds), Squishmallows remain popular with kids of all ages, including tweens who aren’t as interested in stuffed animals as they used to be. According to Lynch, the seemingly endless options mean “kids can use them to customize their space,” and their “collectibility” makes them a hot gift item year-round. They come in hundreds of styles and range in size, from small enough to dangle from a backpack to two-foot-tall giants. This 20-inch bright red dragon with spiky black horns and little red wings will appeal to 12-year-olds with a touch of goth or fantasy flair.
When we asked her about her favorite art supplies for kids, writer and mom Alexandra Lange suggested this Paint by Numbers kit she recently gave to her tween son. “I got the ranch house, and he got the succulent array from the same company. I have his painting on my bureau because he did what the kit said and then gave it something extra,” she says.
For tweens who’ve never heard of Tamagotchis, the original version that features the same gameplay as when it launched in 1997 is a fun time capsule that still holds up. But there are also a host of newer models, like this Harry Potter–themed Nano and the wearable Uni, that offer more games, ways to connect with friends’ Tamagotchi, and the option to play with dozens of different pets.
Lori Jepsen, who reviews and blogs about toys for Toysenberry, recommends this light box that would fit in alongside the Prismic 3-D dog lamp above. “It has so many options for kids to express their creativity,” she says, including “colored letters, emojis, and a background light that changes color with a remote.” The fact that it doubles as bedroom décor will make it an even bigger hit.
Benny’s mom, Regan, says she’s noticed tweens “turning back to lo-fi, Luddite ways to keep track of tests, homework, and appointments.” Benny is requesting this weekly planner from Papier because “it’s aesthetic,” but she’s currently using one from Muji.
For kids with an interest in travel, Toy Insider senior editor Jackie Cucco recommends the K’NEX Architecture series, which she says will let them experience world views without leaving home and features buildable versions of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the London Eye, and the Empire State Building.
While your preteen may initially shrug at Pindaloo, “once they get off the couch and try it, they’ll be addicted,” promises Jepsen. She says it’s always fun to pull out after a taxing study session, because the game “actually helps hone their focus, coordination, and balance skills.” Plus, it can be a great confidence booster. “They’ll love the sense of accomplishment they get once they master getting the ball to do a continuous loop through the tube.”
Under $100
If they don’t already have a record player, this one, which Benny received as a gift when she was 10 years old, is a good option. It’s relatively affordable but not cheap, and the sound quality is good.
According to Cucco, “This is a great STEM item for children who like to build stuff.” Kids can use the kit to create a 3-D house or tower and brush up on their science skills in the process, because it includes “real circuits to learn about how electricity works,” she explains.
For thrill-seeking 12-year-olds, Silva recommends this lightweight remote-control stunt jet that can fly up to 35 miles per hour. She says it’s remarkably easy to fly and can do loops and barrel rolls at the touch of a button. It also has removable landing gear and can be flown up to 600 feet away.
According to her mom, Benny and her friends love baking and elaborately decorating cakes for special events — like their own birthdays, or Taylor Swift’s birthday. She recommends gifting a decorating set from professional baking brand Wilton; this one comes with 16 piping tips, piping bags, angled spatulas, and a multilevel storage caddy.
Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon suggests the Tiny Pod for kids who already have an Apple Watch: You just slide the watch into the flexible window to transform it from a wearable device into a tiny phone with a physical scroll wheel like the one on the original iPod. The wheel will let your recipient scroll through apps, music, and more, and if their Apple Watch has cellular (or is connected to Wi-Fi,) they can use the Tiny Pod to take calls and respond to texts.
Zelda, Echoes of Wisdom for Nintendo Switch is the newest game in the Zelda franchise. According to Polygon, fans have been begging for the chance to play as Princess Zelda, rather than Link, for years — and now they can. Instead of a sword, Zelda uses a magic wand with echo powers that let you copy and paste objects like chairs and tables to climb over walls, solve puzzles, and fight bad guys.
Though it’s not as new, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is innovative because of its lack of a time limit for each level, so kids can practice moves and explore the colorful worlds within the game rather than rushing through to fight the big boss.
$100 and up
According to McMahon, this mobile game controller is a fantastic and affordable gift for 12-year-olds who already have an iPhone. It’s compact and easily snaps onto a phone, letting you play a host of downloadable games through the App Store and Apple Arcade — from basic solitaire to more in-depth titles like Sonic the Hedgehog, Minecraft, and The Last of Us.
Similar to the standard Kindle Paperwhite, the kids’ version can hold all of your young reader’s favorite titles. It features a parental dashboard that lets you check in on your kid’s progress and manage age filters. It also comes with a free one-year Amazon Kids+ subscription, which provides access to age-appropriate games, books, and educational content (games and apps can be viewed on other Fire devices and Fire TV). Extra avid readers will like the press-to-define feature, so they can just click a word to show the definition, and the ability to access their books on the go.
Chris Byrne, who also goes by the Toy Guy, says remote-control cars and other vehicles are “always good ideas for this age group.” Of the hundreds of options available, this extra-large all-terrain model is my top pick for 12-year-olds. I got to test one out at the Toy Fair, driving it over the body of a public-relations person and eventually crashing it into a nearby wall. It’s incredibly rugged and fun to drive, with a tight turning radius and massive grippy wheels. It even comes with working LED headlights.
Part of the freedom 12-year-olds seek of course includes the ability to tune people out (especially parents), and one of the most popular ways to do that — AirPods — comes suggested by kids themselves. Twelve-year-old Sasha told us, “I think they’re nicer than over-ears because they’re not as bulky, so I can just put them in my pocket.” There are a few models to choose from: The most basic, the AirPods 4, are the most affordable but don’t have active noise cancellation. If you want to splurge, you can go for the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation (according to many online reviews, it’s is a total game changer) or the latest AirPods Pro, which also have noise cancellation as well as customizable silicone tips that improve fit and sound quality.
Sasha likes that this GoPro is waterproof and comes with a protective case so you can use it anywhere without being too precious. “I taped it to the RC car once and did jumps with it,” he says. It also comes with a bunch of attachments including one for your helmet, which makes him and his friends feel like the main character in a video game.
They may not officially be teenagers yet, but 12-year-olds need a cozy place to lounge, read, play video games, and occasionally sulk just as much as any high-schooler does. This beanbag chair from Yogibo took one of the top spots on our list of the very best beanbag chairs; in addition to being satisfyingly squishy, it comes in over a dozen colors and has a convenient handle so kids can easily drag it around.
Additional reporting by Latifah Miles, Lauren Ro, and Dominique Pariso.
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