Spotting a 12-year-old boy from a crowd is easy peasy, or is it not? They are most likely wearing a hoodie, with the hood on, irrespective of the weather! They will try to keep conversation with mamas in the open on the down-low, too, and try to stay as calm and composed as possible. They always fail miserably at this – and to be honest, it is always funny.
At 12, your boy or one you know is a bit tricky to handle, and gifting them is getting tougher. You have to constantly maneuver through their maturity, tastes, and interests to ensure you are gifting them something appropriate—be it toys, games, or more practical items.
Let’s find the most gracious gifts that will appeal to and be appreciated by your hard-to-please 12-year-old boy.
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Best gifts for a 12-year-old-boy
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NFL Football Helmet
Is your tween boy a football fan? Then these pocket-size NFL football helmets for all 16 teams in the NFC conference will be an incredible present for your almost teenage boy.
Thanks to the two backing boards that it comes with, he can use the 32-set NFL replica team helmet to track each team’s standings and playoffs.
Beginners Acoustic Guitar
This guitar is the perfect present for a boy who wants to start getting his rock on. With this beginner electric guitar, your tween will learn to make his music with his passion.
This Fender Squier Debut Series is a sturdy piece that comes with comes with a free subscription to Fender Play and a 2-year warranty.
Kindle Paperwhite
A Kindle is an excellent way to get your tween boy reading in a fun way. And with the waterproof Kindle paper, they can carry their reading to the beach or bathroom.
Moreover, your tween can opt to listen to the story instead of reading it with audiobook options. How cool! It is a fantastic birthday gift for a 12-year-old into their books.
Gamesir T4 Wireless Game Controller
This excellent, handy, lightweight controller is a superb gift idea for your 12-year-old boy gamer. It is a wireless game controller that supports Android phones and tablets, Windows XP/7/8/10, Apple Arcade, macOS, MFi games, and Switch games. It has a semi-transparent cover and a stunning colorful LED backlight.
Harry Potter Special Edition Boxed Set
Whether your tween boy is a fan of Harry Potter or not, this iconic collectible new boxed set will surely keep them glued to the pages season in and out.
This keepsake box set will be a perfect present for a 12-year-old boy who takes pride in his book collection.
Bose Soundlink Speaker
This Bose Soundlink speaker is a good steal for your tween boy as they explore the variety of music genres available. It has a speaker that connects to any Bluetooth device with a built-in device for speakerphone and an 8-hour playtime. It will be a perfect 12-year-old boy’s birthday present as they can carry it wherever.
KLUTZ Lego Make Your Own Movie Activity Kit
Is your tween a fan of stop-motion videos? This enclosed guide will enhance your tween’s creative thinking as it walks him through bringing these Lego figures to life in stop-motion animation.
Thanks to its free app, available for tablets and phones, your tween can make short, amusing clips of 10 mini-movies in as little as an hour. The book, which is 80 pages long, will help your boy learn more about lighting, camera angles, and sound effects.
Lightning Reaction Reloaded
This shocking game will surely bring an electrifying good time for your tween boy, his squad, and his family. This game requires you to have your opponent’s quickest draw and best timing or get the electric shock. It is an unusual stocking stuffer gift for a 12-year-old for them to add some zap to their next party.
Adidas Sackpack
Whether he’s running to practice or a friend’s house, this handy drawstring sackpack is just the right size to ensure your sporty boy carries his essentials.
Laser Tag Sets
This laser tag set without any extra protective clothing or clear-up afterwards will be a great deal for your 12-year-old boy. This 12-year-old boy’s gift is a gift for his whole squad that they will have a blast playing.
It includes a vest with four gun types: pistol, shotgun, machine gun, and missile, each of which reduces your life value when it hits. It features natural vibrations and has a striking distance of approximately 130 feet.
The only downside is that it requires 28 AA batteries, which you should purchase separately.
LED Strip Lights
Anything LED is sure to pique your tween’s interest, and these strip lights are no exception. They boast a strong adhesive and thus stick well. With a downloadable app and a remote control, these lights can sync with your phone to change the beat of the music and ambient sound, which is a fantastic feature – they don’t work half bad as a ‘grown up’ night light, too 😉
Hover 1 Hoverboard Electric Scooter
This electric scooter is an over-the-top hoverboard. It has a nine-mph, nine-mile range, a weight of 264 pounds, and a charging time of 2.4 hours for a full charge and protection against overcharge or discharge.
It is water-resistant with built-in speakers, a customized LED headlight, and a battery indicator. How pimped can a hoverboard be? It ticks all the checkboxes and is one of the best 12-year-old boy gift ideas.
Schwinn Mountain Bike
It is probably not the first bike you are getting your tween, but an upgrade is inevitable if this boy looks like he is heading for the sky (they look like there is a power that pulls them upwards overnight).
The Schwinn is always a solid choice for a preteen boy who wants to fit in with his buddies. It is lightweight, has 21 gears and has incredible braking abilities, making it a perfect gift for a nearly teenage boy.
Microsoft Xbox One X
This gaming console will be a surefire hit for your tween and his friends when they come over. Games play better on this console, which has 40% more power than the others.
As a gift for a 12-year-old boy, this Xbox One X console will allow him to experience immersive true 4K gaming. It will also allow him to stream 4K videos on Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube, among others, and listen to music with Spotify—the perfect addition to a cool tween bedroom.
You can find all the best video games for your tween over here.
Electronic Drum Sets
Your tween probably desires to have this drum set as it is on every boy’s top list of musical instruments they dream of having.
This portable and professional drum set has an earphone jack that will allow your tween to play anytime, even at night! It includes one snare, three toms, one crash, one ride, one HI-HAT, and two-foot pedals.
Kan Jam Ultimate Disc Game
While frisbees might have been the most incredible gift a decade ago, your tween boy needs a more mature take on his outdoor favorite. The Kan Jam is a great tween gift idea that he can play solo or with friends.
Your tween boy plays by throwing and deflecting the disk to get it in the can. It is lightweight and easy to assemble, meaning your tween can carry his groove to the beach.
Brain Quest Grade 7
The questions and answers in this brain quest game are curriculum-based and fast-paced. It makes the things your tween is supposed to learn in the 7th grade entertaining and engaging, as it is a smart way of learning.
It is an ideal gift idea for 12-year-old boys as it racks their brains, and I’m sure it will fill you all with incredible facts – whether you like it or not!
LED Caps
This LED cap is the latest hyped item and will be a superb present for 12-year-old boys. With it in his closet, he can express himself best, as it has LED lights that can be customized with graffiti function.
It has a three-step process for connecting the device with the cap. The battery life is up to 10 hours when fully charged.
DIY Building Robot Kit
This educational STEM kit would be a perfect Christmas gift for a 12-year-old boy. It exercises your kid’s ability of spatial perception and structure of imagination by classifying and assembling and enhancing your kid’s brain development, hand-eye coordination, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Once built, it is a remote-controlled toy that he can play with in combat against other robot creations. It connects using an app and charges using a USB connection.
162 Deluxe Mega Wood Box Art
This Deluxe Mega set is sure to be a hit for your budding artist. It is an all-exclusive deluxe drawing kit for the beginner. It is an ideal gift for 12-year-old boys as it will give them an outlet to focus and explore all the benefits of creating beautiful art pieces.
It includes 24 colored pencils, 24 oil pastels, 24 watercolor cakes, 60 wax crayons, and more to ensure your Picasso has come to birth.
Star Wars Folded Flyers Activity Kit
Whoever said paper planes are damn should meet these star wars folded flyers that fly with force. These Star Wars-themed toys will speed through the living room as well as they do in outer space.
There are 40 sheets of custom-designed paper, plus tape and six display stands. It also includes an easy-to-follow instructional book. It is an excellent game for a 12-year-old.
PlayStation Virtual Reality
Got a tween boy really into the latest tech? If your tween already has a PlayStation 4, then this virtual reality would be a great gift as an add-on.
This VR set plugs into their current system to help them experience gaming in a new way. Its 3D audio technology allows your tween to distinguish sounds around him.
4M Table Top Robot
This robotic kit gives kids a real hands-on opportunity to build their moving robots. The creepy crawlies will fascinate your boy as he watches them scuttle around, do acrobatics, and change direction when an obstacle gets in their way. It introduces STEM, mechanical, and robotic engineering concepts through an entertaining and accessible science kit.
While it includes components, accessories, and easy-to-follow instructions, you must purchase a screwdriver and 1 AA battery separately.
GiiKER Super Slide Puzzle Games
If your tween loves a good brain-teasing puzzle, then they’re going to love the Giiker Super Slide Puzzle. With over 500 challenges, it gets difficult fast! Lightweight and portable, this makes for an awesome tween travel toy.
Star Wars Bluetooth Speaker
Are you searching for the perfect gift for your Star Wars-fan boy? This Bluetooth speaker will be an ideal one.
This stereo speaker allows you to connect most devices and listen to your favorite music, podcasts, and much more. It is super cool, as it also lights up when in use.
SKIBIDI Toilet Mystery Figure Collector Series
If you’re done with practical gifts and simply want a gag gift for your preteen to elicit a laugh, then you’re totally with the times with this Skibidi Toilet collectible. No, you’re not supposed to understand it, just go with the flow and they’ll think you’re totally dope.
USB Charger Backpack
This is no ordinary backpack. This one is on another level as it comes with a built-in charging station offering your tween a way to charge his phone while on the go.
It has lots of storage space and compartments, so he can even comfortably carry his laptop. It also features waterproof fabric.
Baseball Blanket
A suitable addition to a sporty boys’ bedroom, these super soft microfiber blankets come in three different sizes and various sporting motifs for their favorite sport, p[perfect for recovery time when they just want to flop at home!
Sphero Mini App-Enabled Robot Ball
This fun robot will surely introduce your kid to the world of coding. Your tween can control it with a slingshot, facial recognition, or a joystick through the Sphero mini-app. There are three ways your boy can learn how to code: block, code, and Javascript.
This robot, the size of a ping-pong, includes three traffic cones and six bowling pins. It is a perfect gift for your tween for playing on the go or with limited space.
Gaming Headset
Why not complete the gaming set? With this headset, your tween will be the gamer to beat. And it supports PlayStation 4, new Xbox, PC, Nintendo 3DS, Laptop, and more.
You can find our complete selection of ideal gamer gifts for your 12-year-old over here.
Experience Gifts

If you’ve still not found quite the right idea for your 12-year-old boy, why not look to gift an experience rather than a physical item?
Your imagination is the only limit when it comes to experience gifts for tweens; are they into outdoor adventures and pushing physical limits, or is there a new skill they want to learn?
Got a vacation coming up, you could add a special day out or see their favorite sports team or visit a theme park.
We share over here some fun and inventive ways to gift an experience.
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