It isn’t always easy to think of gifts for 12-year-old boys…they are on the brink of teenager-hood but we don’t always want to saddle them with grown-up gifts they might be asking for.
As a mom to five kids (three of them are boys!) one of the best gift tips I can give you about ALL boys is that no matter their age, they still love to PLAY. I’ve curated a gift guide of 12-year-old boy gifts that will help your son explore new interests, get better at sports he loves, be creative, be active (inside and outside!) and connect with friends.
Read on for 42 Outstanding Gifts for 12-year-old boys.
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Outdoor Ride On Toys to gift 12-year-old boys
There are some really cool ride on toys that can encourage your 12-year-old boy to get outdoors and enjoy some fresh air! Here are some of my boys’ favorite ride-on toys.
Y Flikr Wiggle Scooter This is one of our all time favorite ride ons for all ages! It glides and drifts and moves because you wiggle your body back adn forrth. It is so fun!!
Razor RipStik Caster Board Skateboard: These skateboards are tricky, but doable for a 12-year-old boy. He will love the challenge of balancing and propelling himself forward using a wiggle motion.
Hiboy Electric Scooter: Besides lighting up and looking really cool, this electric scooter will get your boy places fast! It would make a great gift for a 12-year-old boy who is ready to travel more places on his own.
Active Outdoor Toys that make great gifts for 12-year-old Boys
Outdoor toys will get your 12-year-old outside having fun! Here are some of our favorite active outdoor toys.
Capture the Flag Ignited: Big boys LOVE night games. This is a great 12-year-old gift because he can use it to play actively with his buddies outside! This LED Capture the Flag set has everything needed for a rousing and “high tech” game of Capture the Flag.
Light up Frisbee This is a super bright LED Light up frisbee that will be awesome for a 12-year-old to throw around with friends at night.
Slammo Game Set (Spikeball!): My son and his friends loved this game when they were 12 years old and STILL love this game as 18 year olds! It is easy to carry around, simple to set up, and easy to play.
Related Content: 42 Amazing Toys for Active Kids
Toys for indoors for active 12-year-old Boys
It snows here in the winter, so I like to make sure that my kids have toys that help them stay active indoors as well as outdoors. Here are some of our favorite products to keep boys active inside!
Balance Board Trainer: Your 12-year-old boy will love trying to balance on this cool balance board trainer. It is kind of like a mix between skateboard balancing and surfing balancing, and will help with both balance and core strength.
Rechargeable Laser Tag Game: We have this laser tag game and use it all the time! The guns and targets can be plugged in and recharged. You can choose team play or individual play and see how many lives you have left. Kids will love to run around with their friends and family and play laser tag.
PopDarts: This low tech game is like bottle flipping and darts mixed together! It makes a great gift for 12-year-old boys who are constantly throwing things, haha! You suction the orange target dart to a smooth surface (window, counter, refrigerator etc) and then take turns tossing the other darts and trying to get closest to the orange one. Fun!
Tech Gifts for 12-year-old Boys
Show boys that there is more to tech than just video games! Here are some cool tech gadget gifts that boys this age are sure to love.
Action Camera: Your boy will love taking action videos and photos on land and under water!
FitBit Charge 5 Fitness Watch: If you have an athletic kid, a fitness watch is a fun gift that can help him track his steps and activity level.
Drone with WiFi Camera: This is a perfect beginner drone for a 12-year-old boy. Using an app, you can see drone footage. The LED lights make it fun to fly in the day or night! Just make sure he gets plenty of practice with takeoffs and landings before flying it very far!
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Best Reading Gifts for 12-year-old Boys
I’m always giving books for gifts, here are some 12-year-old boy gift options.
Kindle Paperwhite: If your 12-year-old boy is a reader, this is THE BEST GIFT EVER. They can download ebooks FREE from the local library and have their favorite books at their fingerprints. Expensive but WORTH IT.
How to Survive Anything: Boys this age love anything to do with survival!! This is an age appropriate survival book they will LOVE!
Stormlight Book Series by Brandon Sanderson: This is a great (albeit long) read if your son likes fantasy.
Gifts that will help your 12-year-old Connect with Friends
When you hit the tween and teen years, friends become super important. I love to give gifts that my kids AND their friends will love to play! Here are some connection gift ideas for 12-year-old Boys.
Kinetic Chain Reaction Stunt Kit This looks super fun! Using ramps, mini-trampolines and targets, your 12-year-old boy can make some wicked cool stunt courses.
KLASK Magnetic Game: This is kind of like a tabletop air hockey with magnets! Boys will love battling it out with friends and as a bonus it can be stored fairly easily.
Mini Projector: Your 12-year-old can use this projector to project a video game up on a screen or wall or movies or their favorite YouTube videos. This will make for a fun friend activity and great 12-year-old boy gift. You could pair it with an inflatable screen if there is more room in your budget.
STEM Gifts for 12-year-old boys
STEM Gifts can encourage your pre-teen to explore their interests in Science, Technology, Engineering adn Math. I’m always looking for great products that can help in these areas! Here are some of our favorites.
Lego Boost Creative Toolbox. This is a less pricey version of Lego Mindstorm that ncludes 847 LEGO pieces that kids can build and rebuild into 5 cool multifunctional models. Using a tablet or smart phone they can use coding to make their inventions move and do things!
Telescope: Everyone loves outer space and your 12-year-old boy might love a tool that will help him explore. This is a quality beginner telescope. I would pair it with this book 112 Things to See with A Telescope.
Bill Nye Virtual Reality Science Kit
This kit includes 30 step-by-step experiments in everything from physics to chemistry with the added bonus of an 80 page book that comes to life by using the included VR headset and a smart phone (placed inside the headset). As kids look through the book, Virtual Reality videos will play with Bill Nye guiding them through the science. Super cool gift idea for a 12-year-old boy!
12-year-old Boy Hobby Gifts
Introduce some fun new hobbies by gifting your 12-year-old boy these cool products!
Remote Control Airplane If you want to introduce hobby airplanes to your son this is a great starter plane. It has three modes from beginner to advanced so it can grow with your son. We have two of these planes at our house and my boys love to fly them!
Complete Cookbook for Teen Chefs: We all know that tween and teen boys can eat and EAT! Why not encourage some independence through letting them develop their cooking skills? This cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen has everything from french fries to fancy foods from other countries.
Wood Whittling Book and Supplies: Your 12-year-old might enjoy learning how to whittle cool things! Pair this book with a pocket knife and some wood for whittling.
Video Gaming Gifts for 12-year-old Boys
Like it or not, gaming is here to stay! If you want to find a cool gift for a 12-year-old boy who loves gaming,
Nintendo Switch Lite also add an Switch accessory kit. This is the portable version of the Nintendo Switch.. A 12 year old gamer will totally enjoy this gift!
Video Gaming Swivel Chair This chair will keep your 12-year-old comfy while he games!
Gaming Headseat with Microphone The new playdate is video gaming with your friends with headsets! This gaming headset will help your 12-year-old be able to hear and talk to his buddies.
Art Gifts for 12-year-old Boys
Even if your son isn’t necessarily into art…encouraging creativity is an important skill that will help kids in school and future careers. Here are some fun art gift ideas.
Graffiti Pen: This cordless electric pen will give your 12-year-old boy a way to explore graffiti art without the spray paint.
How to Draw Anime Book: If your 12-year-old boy loves anime, this book will help him learn how to draw his favorite characters.
Star Wars Coloring Book Art with Edge: This is a more grown-up coloring book option and would be an amazing gift for a Star Wars loving 12-year-old.
Sports Gifts for 12-year-old Boys
Crossnet Volleyball Game This is a smaller version of “9 square in the air” or a volleyball version of four square! A super fun game that 12-year-old boys will enjoy (and will get them off of screens!).
Doorway Pull-up Bar: This can help yoru boy build up his upper body strength every time he leaves his room! No installation required, this pull up bar just rests on the door frame and can be easily put up or taken down.
Agility Ladder and Cones: 12-year-old boys who are involved in any sport that requires agility (=most sports!) will enjoy this agility ladder set. They can work on their speed and agility indoors or outdoors.
Check out my other sports’ posts: 37 Fantastic Football Gift Ideas for Players
36 of the Best Basketball Gifts for Teen Boys
20 of the Best Gift Ideas for Kid Athletes: Soccer Edition
Room Decor for 12-year-old Boy Gifts
Memory Foam Beanbag We have this beanbag and it is GIANT and so comfy. It would be a great addition to a 12-year-old boy’s bedroom for reading, relaxing or playing on his phone.
Basketball Laundry Hamper: PARENTS! Buy this for your 12-year-old boy and maybe, just MAYBE their laundry will end up on the hamper instead of on the floor. 😉 We have this laundry hamper and it is giant and makes picking up the laundry a little more enjoyable.
Mini Fridge for Snacks: Make snacks accessible and icy cold with this tiny fridge for your son’s room.
The Best Board Games for 12-year-old Boys
Grab some board games that your 12-year-old can play with family or friends!
Throw Throw Burrito Card Game + Dodgeball= the perfect game for 12-year-old boys to play!
Codenames: is a really fun game that will have your 12-year-old thinking strategically with their vocab and descriptions. It can be played with 2 players or a whole party of players!
Catan: This game has enough strategy to keep your 12-year-old boy invested for hours. Players try to earn points by building roads adn towns while “harvesting” every time the dice is rolled.
Classic Toy Gift Ideas for 12-year-old Boys
These toys are classics for a reason! Show your 12-year-old that there are toys that don’t need screens to be fun!
Fancy Yo-Yo: My boys love their Yo-Yos and carry them around with them. Your son can learn fancy tricks.
Kendama: Boys LOVE the challenge of a Kendama. It’s hard to believe that this simple toy can be entertaining, but with four different places you can “catch” the ball, your 12-year-old can be easily entertained with the challenge.
Juggling Balls: Get him some high quality juggling balls that he can practice and perfect his jugglilng skills with! If he already knows how to juggle, you could gift him juggling clubs.
I hope this list of 12-year-old boy gifts has inspired you to come up with the perfect gift(s) for your boy! Thank you for letting me help!