The 33 Best Gifts for 12-Year-Old Boys of 2024

National Geographic Magic Chemistry Set

$17 At Amazon $25 At Michaels

If the 12-year-old boy in your life loves science, this kit from National Geographic will make a great gift. It uses science experiments to create "magic," like making snow magically appear or making a coin float. They'll love showing off their newfound abilities to family and friends.

Skillmatics Rapid Rumble

$18 At Amazon

Category games make for a fun and silly family game night, and Rapid Rumble is no exception. To play, you roll the dice, set a timer, and shout out answers that fit the category. It can be played by up to five players and includes 120 category cards.

The Boys' Book Of Survival

$17 At Amazon

For the reader or the adventurer in your life, all pre-teens will love this survival guide. Boys will learn how to get themselves out of any imaginable inconvenience, from sinking into quicksand to confronting a tiger to getting lost in a desert. He will love sharing all the new tips and tricks he has learned with friends and family. Available as a hardcover or e-book, The Boys' Book of Survival is a great way to get any 12-year-old back into reading or learning, despite how outlandish the scenarios are.

Saiji Gooseneck Bed Phone Holder

$14 At Amazon

For an affordable gift option that your pre-teen is guaranteed to get tons of use out of, look to this phone stand that attaches to their bed. The flexible material makes it easy to adjust where their precious smartphone will lay as they binge their favorite shows. Luckily, this can transfer to any couch or desk for hands-off watching, gaming, or reading. Take this on-the-go for entertaining them on long road trips or plane rides as just another way for your 12-year-old to enjoy their favorite gadgets.

Uncommon Goods Sound-Activated Light Blocks

$115 At Uncommon Goods

These are not your typical construction blocks. Kids will love these light-up blocks that they can use to make their own fun creations. There's a sound-activated mode, and it is compatible with other construction blocks. Pick this up in either 50 or 240 block sets, depending on your budget.

pindaloo Skill Game

$32 At Amazon $29 At Walmart View On Pindaloo.com

Pindaloo is a fun and popular game that helps teach kids hand-eye coordination—and helps to get them out of the house. The goal of the game is to get the ball from one end of the cylinder to the other, and can even be turned into a competition with friends and family.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

$65 At Amazon $75 At Walmart

For budding photographers (or kids who just like to take photos with their friends and family), the Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera is hard to beat. It comes in four cute colors you can choose from based on their personalities and prints out high-quality photos in just five seconds.

Sky Viper Vector Stunt Plane

$72 At Amazon

This drone and plane combination will quickly become your recipient's favorite gift of the summer. Perform stunts with the press of a button and see impressive views with the included camera. If the plane flies out of range, the Vector automatically lands softly and beeps so you can easily find it. Everyone from beginners and drone experts will love exploring this small plane's numerous capabilities.

Etsy Custom Bi Fold Wallet

$30 At Etsy

Thanks to independent creator MyPersonalMemories on Etsy, tweens can have a wallet completely customized for them. Choose from seven different colors to find the one that best matches his taste and style. Then, pick the perfect font and add their name for a personalized touch. Your pre-teen will love storing their money in a piece designed just for them, and you can feel good about the purchase supporting small businesses.

Pro Spin Ping Pong Paddles Set

$40 At Amazon $40 At Walmart View On Prospin.net

Whether they want to practice their tennis serve indoors during the colder months or simply love to play table tennis, this set is the perfect gift. It's also affordable and portable, so they can take it with them on the go. It comes with two ping-pong paddles, three balls, a portable net, and a carrying case.

Kan Jam Original Disc Toss Game

$40 At Amazon $40 At Walmart $40 At Target

Get your tween outside and moving with this fun frisbee game, perfect for playing together. Invite their friends over for collaborative play or challenge the whole family with this fun four-player backyard staple. The goal of this fast-paced game is to get your frisbee in the other person's "kan" by tapping, hitting, or slamming the disc inside.

Eat2Explore Subscription Box

$35 At Amazon View On Eat2explore.com

Foster your pre-teen's love of cooking or introduce them to international cuisines with this global adventure cooking kit subscription. Every month highlights a new cuisine with non-perishable ingredients, three recipe cards, a shopping list, cooking tools, and tons of information about the country and culture. This is an amazing activity for the whole family that's educational and fun.

Tecti Kinetic Building System

View On Amazon

Tecti's innovative building cubes have unique hinges, so tweens can spend hours building and destroying structures of all sizes. Once you build your cubes with the included flats and hingers, the recyclable pieces can connect to each other in six places. Buy a few sets to combine them together for impressive structures with endless opportunities for STEM-based fun.

LEGO Architecture New York City

$47 At Amazon $66 At Walmart $47 At Target

Lego sets are a perfect gift for any age. You just have to find the right difficulty for your recipient. Twelve-year-old boys will love this challenging architectural set that creates the New York City skyline. With 598 pieces, this kit (like all Lego kits) promotes STEM concepts in an exciting way that results in a beautiful build to display or take apart and start again. Due to the level of difficulty, this might be a great opportunity for tweens to bond with any adults in their lives for those particularly challenging pieces. But, the included instructions are clear and easy to follow for the impressive outcome.

MYNT3D Super 3D Pen

$40 At Amazon View On Mynt3d.com

Who wants to use a pen and a piece of paper when you have the option of bringing drawings to life with a 3D pen? This affordable option is great for kids, who can let their imaginations run wild as they turn their ideas into works of art.

Meta Quest 2

$200 At Amazon $199 At Walmart View On Oculus

If he has grown tired of losing the Battle Royale in “Fortnite” or completed every campaign in “Call of Duty,” the Meta Quest 2 will give them a unique gaming experience. They can experience the action firsthand with 3D graphics, a wide-view field of vision, and unparalleled audio effects. It's lightweight, comfortable, and one of the easiest Meta products to use, which is a bonus for pre-teens. Once the video games are finished, kids can also watch their favorite movies on the Quest’s 180” screen or choose from over 1,000 VR experiences, like puzzles, board games, and brain teasers.

Lightning Reaction Shocktato Party Game

$35 At Amazon

If you want to get your 12-year-old boy a super unique gift, this Shocktato party game will fit the bill. It's a game for two or more players and is essentially a high-tech version of Hot Potato. It makes a great game for family gatherings or birthday parties and will have your kids in tears of laughter.

Avalon Hill Dungeons & Dragons: The Yawning Portal Game

$24 At Amazon

This strategy board game is fun for kids whether they're already into Dungeons & Dragons or not. It's designed for one to four players, so they can entertain themselves or play with friends and family, and includes 68 new characters designed for this game alone.

LEGO LEGO Fast & Furious Dom's Dodge Charger

View On Walmart View On Kohls.com

If your kid is a fan of the "Fast & Furious" movie franchise, they'll love this Lego set of Dom's Dodge Charger. They'll have fun putting it together, and it's full of realistic details. It has over 1,000 pieces so it's sure to keep them busy.

flybold Slackline Kit

$53 At Amazon $74 At Walmart

The objective is simple—walk across a suspended rope, one end to the other—but slacklining is a never-ending test of strength, concentration, and balance. This comprehensive kit from flybold is especially great for pre-teens and beginners because it includes two training lines and several arm trainers that help with technique and balance. With this kit, you’ll also get a 49-foot main slackline, tree protectors, ratchet protectors, and a convenient carrying case—everything your 12-year-old needs for hours of fun.

Vans Old Skool Core Classics

$56 At Amazon $70 At Walmart $70 At Nordstrom

An iconic sneaker design that can stick a landing, Vans’ skateboarding shoes are so universally loved that your first purchase likely won’t be your last. The brand’s Old Skool Core Classics are a versatile pair of kicks, perfect for the picky tween—and no wheels required. Whether he wears them on or off the ramp, Vans are a safe but stellar pick for someone who wants a simple sneaker style that matches everything while also showcasing his personal style. Plus, they're easy to keep clean!

Huawind Soprano Ukulele for Beginners

$40 At Amazon

The dulcet tones of a ukulele are beloved from beach campfires to drizzly Sundays at home. The instrument is not just a gift for the music-loving pre-teen in your life, but a gift for whoever hears the strings being plucked and played. Designed for beginners, this option from Huawind and measures 21 inches long. We love that it comes in eight colors so he can pick his favorite and even add some stickers for further personalization.

Gskyer Telescope

$97 At Amazon

Gskyer crafts this telescope specifically for beginners. It’s affordable, easy to set up, easy to use, and, even though it doesn’t have the strength and sophistication of a telescope worth thousands of dollars, it can magnify up to an astounding 40x so that you and he can explore the wondrous night sky in stunning detail. One of this product’s most unique features is its Bluetooth Control: With a smartphone in hand, you can see exactly what the kid-friendly telescope sees and snap Insta-worthy pictures.

2K NBA 2K19

View On Gamestop.com

Available for both PlayStation and Xbox, 2k has butter-smooth gameplay, unparalleled graphics, and a myriad of game options. Your 12-year-old can spend 20 minutes playing head-to-head against his friends or create a player who likes exactly like him—well, maybe slightly taller—and play from the rookie season to the Hall of Fame. Over the past few years, 2k has also made classic NBA players like Jordan, Magic, and Shaq available, and they have added intricate game options like The Neighborhood, which allows users to connect online in an open universe—i.e. “The Neighborhood.”

Hyodream 3D Moon Lamp

$23 At Amazon

When your tween was younger, he had glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling and always had a night light. Now, a few years older, he can trade the stars for Hyodream’s moon lamp—a fantastic gift for science lovers, tech lovers, and pre-teens who want their bedrooms to be more mature. With mind-blowing detail, this lamp perfectly resembles the shades and textures of the moon, and the simple touch of a remote control allows users to change the lamp to their desired color, from white to yellow to a reddish blood moon.

Thames & Kosmos Exit: The Game

$15 At Amazon $15 At Walmart View On Christianbook.com

Bring escape rooms to your own living room with this party game perfect for pre-teens. Players must solve riddles and puzzles to escape the sinister abandoned cabin while time runs out. This thrilling game is perfect for a family game night or for 12-year-old boys to work together to escape. While this game can only be played once, Thames & Kosmos has multiple different versions of Exit: The Game featuring creepy locations that players will want to race to escape from including a cursed labyrinth, haunted rollercoaster, and more.

Gemmy Inflatable Movie Screen

$160 At Amazon

Plan the perfect movie night with this inflatable movie screen perfect for the living room or the backyard. Pre-teens can watch movies with the family, play video games with friends, or watch the game on Sundays in a fun and innovative way, sure to spice up any gathering. Your pre-teen may need help setting up this outdoor movie screen, but easy-to-follow instructions are included along with a storage bang for bringing it to friend's houses or on vacation. All you need is a projector, a speaker, and popcorn for the best movie theater experience at home.

Marky Sparky Magnetic Dart Board

$30 At Amazon

Spruce up your pre-teen's bedroom or any game room with this magnetic dartboard from Sparky Marky. No need to worry about sharp darts damaging walls, furniture, and even family members because all of the darts included are magnetic. Twelve-year-olds can hang this dartboard themselves, providing hours of fun as they practice their aim and master their skills to play against siblings or friends. This functional room decor is perfect to keep tweens entertained without screens.

Marvin's Magic Card Tricks Set

$20 At Amazon

Help your pre-teen learn a new hobby with this easy magic set. This budget-friendly set will teach 12-year-old boys 50 card tricks, guaranteeing hours of learning, practice, and showing off to friends and family. Keep them occupied in the house or on the go with a convenient case including everything tweens need to master a new skill (or 50). This set is perfect for beginners or those interested in magic and looking to learn more about card tricks specifically.

US Art Supply Store Art Set

$50 At Amazon

We have covered various interests on this list that may appeal to 12-year-old boys, but what about the artists? this 162-piece art set has everything young artists could need, whether avid painters or those just starting. Tweens can explore new mediums including watercolors, oil pastels, crayons, and more. The great thing about this set is it all packs up in a sturdy wood box perfect for bringing to school, friends' houses, or in the car.

Beats Studio Buds

$80 At Amazon $150 At Walmart $80 At Target

Whether they're into audiobooks, music, or podcasts, these Beats earbuds will deliver the sound quality they want, as well as a bit of noise cancellation—making them great for road trips or plane journeys. They're super easy to use, and although they're on the expensive side, the quality means they're likely to last for years.

The Comfy The Original Oversized Microfiber & Sherpa Wearable Blanket for Kids

$43 At Amazon

No more fighting over the throw blankets on family movie night—this wearable microfiber and faux-shearling blanket is sure to keep them cozy, without having to share. It's affordable, comes in a range of different patterns and colors, and is machine washable for easy care. This blanket also makes a great pick for watching an outdoor game on a chilly evening or traveling.

ROCAM Alarm Clock with Night Light, Bluetooth Alarm Clock

$15 At Amazon

As your 12-year-old inches closer to becoming a teenager, set them up for success with this Bluetooth alarm clock that also doubles as a radio, speaker, and phone charging station. It has several brightness settings so they can adjust to their preferences for a makeshift night light for bedtime.