Top 20 Gift Ideas for Teenage Boys in 2024

Have you been enjoying a long stretch as the cool auntie, fun uncle, and otherwise boss-level present provider? You CAN maintain that title, even when it comes time to find gifts for a teenage boy. Older kids’ tastes can change SO fast – basically at the speed of their social feeds – so it can be tough to keep up with trends. We think of every birthday and holiday as a challenge and we’re here to help! Fun Easter gifts for teen boys include affordable little goodies like blind-bag surprise toys or a mini dart blaster. For major gift-giving holidays like Hanukkah and Christmas, think about bigger-ticket gifts for teen boys that they’ll use for years to come, like an awesome e-scooter, a comfy gaming chair, or even a turntable. (That way you can give albums for subsequent holidays to help build their vinyl library: win-win!) Like music gifts, books can be especially meaningful gifts for teen boys: sharing an author or a series that you loved at their age can be a wonderful way to bond with your son, nephew, grandson, godson, or family friend. Also, giving nonfiction, graphic novels, or manga based on teen boys’ interests demonstrates how well you know them – and how much you care. The same goes for pop-culture apparel, collectibles, and even building sets: find out what sports, TV shows, movies, or video games they’re super into and use that for inspiration! Check out 20 of our best teen boy gift ideas…

 

 

1. MEGA Pikachu Pokémon

That sweet spot between kids’ youthful fandoms and their more mature interests is where this set lives, making it a unique gift for a teenage boy. Longtime Poké-fans with a growing interest in STEM toys (that’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) will love this construction challenge. It’s a fully mechanized model that “runs” when kids turn the crank, animating Pikachu’s front paws, back paws, and tail. Even the rocky pathway under his feet moves to add to the effect! On the front, it’s super-detailed, authentic, and colourful. On the reverse, kids can see the mechanism they’ve built and learn from the fascinating interplay of the gears and other pieces as they turn the crank. The build itself is intricate and complex, involving more than 1,000 pieces. But the process is also mindful – it will teach kids a great deal and result is super-satisfying. Teens will display and demonstrate their model with pride.

 

 

2. Scientist Plush by Rainbow Friends Roblox Game

Do you really need to know who this guy is, or any deep details of the Roblox/Rainbow Friends game universes? No. That lore is probably not for you. And few things ruin a game or other pop culture property for teens faster than a) being asked about it by a grownup, and b) trying to make their explanation sound remotely coherent to a non-player. Suffice it to say that among fans, this ranks among the more surprising yet cool Christmas gifts for a teenage boy. The best part: they can enjoy it ironically, or sincerely, or both and they never have to explain which it is or why! You, the gift-giver, are saying, “I know you are invested in this game because I care about you and your interests, BUT I do not need or want you to explain it because some things are For You and Not For Me and that’s okay.”

 

 

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin

When it comes to finding gifts for teen boys, there’s a tension between the things you know they loved as kids and the level of cool they are striving for in this moment. This hyper-detailed, seven-inch collectible threads that needle in style. Sure, it’s a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figure, with all the youthful nostalgia that elicits. But on the other end of the spectrum from the “cowabunga, dudes” cartoon version, this TMNT action figure is based on the 2020 noir comic book series THE LAST RONIN. It’s a gritty future version of the familiar turtle tale set in an alternate universe, in which a damaged warrior seeks vengeance on the Foot Clan rulers of New York City. The authentic accessories include nunchucks, throwing knives, a ninja star, tonfa, and broken swords, as well as an interchangeable head and hands to create a variety of fighting postures.

 

 

4. Spider-Man’s Mask by LEGO® Marvel

Is there a more teen-friendly superhero than Spider-Man? The Peter Parker of it all is especially relatable to adolescents, and the web-slinging, wall-crawling powers are absolutely enviable. So, as teenage boy gifts go, this replica mask set is a winner: it’s got the fandom angle covered without being too extra, and it’s a worthy challenge for experienced builders. In fact, clocking at with a respectable yet not bananas 487 pieces, the LEGO Marvel Spider-Man’s Mask stands as a kind of gateway to other expert-level building sets. As a solo project, it’s a mindfulness activity that’s impressive and rewarding. And as a project to share with a sibling or relative (especially a younger one), it’s an exercise in cooperation and collaboration with a satisfying result. Whether this mask stands alone on display or joins a series of superhero collectibles, you can feel confident wrapping this gift up for a teen boy.

 

 

5. Risk Strike Game

Strategy games are among our top gifts for teenage boys, but many of the best, like Dungeons & Dragons and Stratego, take time to set up and HOURS to play. Risk Strike is a terrific variation: all the world-domination intensity and fleeting alliances of the classic board game Risk, with the speed and satisfaction of a card game – teens can play a round in about 20 minutes. Two to five players strategize to declare the object of attack, deploy troops, and then roll the dice to join the battle! The goal is to win the complete set of continent cards to claim a domination coin. The first player to amass two coins is the winner! Gift-givers can feel good about sharing this screen-free yet social strategy game to exercise kids’ grey matter. Plus, it’s compact and portable: perfect for dorm rooms, camping trips, regular game nights or spur-of-the-moment gaming sessions.

 

 

6. Wordle: The Party Game

Shopping for a teen with a competitive streak? The super-popular online New York Times Wordle game is now an IRL game for multiple players. Although teens might already be challenging friends and family to see who got the day’s Wordle in the fewest tries, this analogue party game version dials up the social factor. Two to four players take turns being the Host and coming up with the five-letter mystery word for the other players to guess. Change things up by playing in fast mode, timed mode, or teams mode to find the game-play that suits the group! A perfect pick for word nerds, Wordle: The Party Game might just be among the most surprising – and surprisingly popular – gifts for 13 to 16 year old teenage boys. (Pro tip: for an added challenge, choose a theme that the Hosts must stick to in choosing their mystery words.)

 

 

7. Razor Electric Scooter

This 2 wheel scooter by Razor makes a WOW-level present for a young teen’s middle-school grad, Christmas, Hanukkah, or other major gift-giving occasion. It’s expensive but worth it as an option for the school commute or just getting from A to B – at speed and in style. The brilliant, multi-colour LEDs on the deck and stem provide greater visibility for enhanced safety. This ride is easy to operate, with a thumb throttle, and a rear-fender foot brake – it tops out at and impressive but not crazy 10 miles per hour (that’s 16 kilometres per hour). The 12V battery-operated scooter delivers 40 minutes of continuous run-time on a single charge. The rear-wheel drive design offers better traction and stability, and that rear tire is airless, so it can’t go flat! It’s terrific starter e-scooter to teach good driving habits – and remember to get the helmet, too, because we each only get the one brain.

 

 

8. NBA Over the Door Hoop

Obviously, this a no-brainer gift pick for a hard-core NBA fan. (It does come with 30 official team logo stickers to customize the backboard.) But even if your teen is only meh on pro ball, this mini basketball hoop will provide HOURS of entertainment. It fits just about any size door thanks to adjustable hooks, which – bonus – are padded to prevent slam-dunk-related damage. The 9.5-inch spring-loaded steel rim and shatterproof backboard also add to the durability and realism. The included 5-inch mini basketball (and air pump) will get lots of play, but frankly, just about anything ball-shaped will be in play: socks, stuffies, scrapped essays, and whatnot. Perfect for rec rooms, classrooms, bedrooms, dorm rooms and anywhere kids need to blow off steam, take study breaks, and otherwise change the mental channel, this is among the very best gifts for teenage boys. Truly: a practically goof-proof present.

 

 

9. Funko POP! Lewis Hamilton Figure 

Maybe the teen boy in your life has been a Formula One racing fan for years. Or maybe he came to the sport more recently via the Netflix smash hit show “Drive to Survive.” Either way, this and other racing themed Funko POP! vinyl sports figures make good gifts for a teenager: they’re a low-key way to declare their fandom – for the sport, the driver, the team, or all three. This cool collectible features Hamilton’s clean, classy white Mercedes AMG Petronas suit and helmet, complete with authentic logos, as well as his pre- and post-race logo cap. After all, Hamilton is a legit style icon in his own right – of course he’s going to look slick. In addition to the cool design and modest size, it’s priced right at less than $20. It makes an excellent gift-swap item, stocking stuffer or watch-party present for F1 fans.

 

 

10. Turntable with Speakers by Crosley T160

Vinyl is enjoying a sustained resurgence in popularity. This terrific teen boy Christmas gift is an excellent turntable to test the waters for would-be vinyl-philes. It’s priced as an entry-level piece of kit, with sleek, modern styling that fits any décor, so it can go from bedroom to dorm room to a first apartment. Bluetooth enabled speakers offer great sound and versatility of placement as teens design their space. Setup is super easy right out of the box and the aluminum platter is full-sized, with an automatic belt drive to play 33 ½ and 45 rpm records. The real genius of this pick is that you’re opening up a whole new category of gifts to give: new releases from teens’ favourite artists AND classic albums to discover from previous generations and so many genres. It’s a blend of old and new you’ll be delighted to share.

 

 

11. Nerf Flag Football Set

As kids get older, the opportunities for active play often become fewer and further between. If the teen boy in your life isn’t much of a gym bro, this genius set is a great way to stay active and have fun with friends. It includes 10 adjustable belts – five orange and five black – with coloured flags on either side. These belts tear away easily to keep tackling out of the equation and make play safer, especially when there are different skill levels involved! The set also includes an 8.5-inch mini foam football for less-chaotic indoor play, but of course teens can opt to use the belts with a standard size ball outdoors. As an unexpected addition to an Easter gift basket, Christmas stocking, or just because, the Nerf Flag Football Set can help teens blow off steam during exams or maybe even start an intramural league among friends!

 

 

12. Air POP Earbuds by JLab Audio

Even if you share your teenager’s taste in music – which is NOT guaranteed, by a long shot – a set of reliable earbuds is essential gear for moving out in the world today. (Fellow bus riders or café patrons don’t need to the hear the audio of whatever video they’re watching.) These earbuds are scaled 15% smaller than most models, making them perfect for a young teenager – because technology that fits well is less likely to go missing! GO Air POP Earbuds are also lightweight, with a case charge that lasts 32+ hours – they’re always ready to go. Touch controls allow teens to select their sound mode and manage their track selections on the go. Bonus: a built-in microphone in each earbud makes for crystal clear audio on calls. For school commuting, streaming, studying, and just walking around, GO Air POP Earbuds are a gift kids will use on the daily.

 

 

13. Stumble Guys Collectible Figures: Blind Box

Sometimes you just need a stash of cheap and cheerful ways to say “I’m thinking of you” without totally embarrassing your teen. Each of these mystery boxes includes one officially licensed figure of a character from the mega-selling, massively multiplayer battle royale game of obstacles and eliminations! There are 24 characters to collect – including ultra-rare figures Golden Banana, Amethyst NYX, Captain Goldheart, Dynamitron, Frozen Valkyrie, and Candie Bear! Does it matter that you have no idea who any of these characters are? No. It does not. You’re just showing your teen that you’re paying attention to the things he likes. Happily, these surprise packs are priced right to sock away as stocking stuffers, party favours, door prizes or gift-swap goodies. Bonus: each box can be deconstructed to form a Stumble Guys mini-map that can be combined with other maps to create an interactive game world!

 

 

14. Hogwarts™ Castle

This is a gift with a major “WOW” factor. Sure, it’s an expensive option for a birthday or holiday present, but the reaction you’ll get from your teen will be worth it. This intricate and impressive building set of more than 1,700 pieces has loads of authentic movie details and fun features. There’s an ingenious secret entrance, a trio of slide-out dungeon rooms, a surprise selection of five wizarding portraits, floating candles in the Great Hall, and more. Potter-heads can play out their own adventures or recreate the action scenes of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone with 10 cool minifigures AND a fully-grown mountain troll figure! The Great Hall can be a component to incorporate with other LEGO Harry Potter™ Hogwarts™ Castle building sets, or a standalone play-and-display set. Either way, it’ll spark kids’ imaginations, fuel their fandom, and provide a challenging mindfulness activity.

 

 

15. Zuru X-Shot Excel Hawk Eye Blaster

Sure, it might seem stereotypically “dude.” But there’s just something about the experience of ambushing an unsuspecting friend – or a TV screen or just a poster on a wall – that speaks to the core of the teenage boy. This is the gift of blasting off steam: cathartic and fun and harmless. The 12 foam darts included with this high-precision single-shot blaster boast an award-winning design for their impressive range: up to 27m (that’s 90 feet for the non-metric crowd)! The detachable targeting scope and tactical grip handle help with firing accuracy. The breech-loading and pump-action priming add drama to dart battles and allow for staging some sweet action scenes. There’s even a simulated recoil from the stock for added role-play realness. The set comes with five stackable plastic targets, but let’s be real: this is about blasting your imagined enemies: parents, siblings, roommates, cartoon villains, inanimate objects.

 

 

16. LEGO® Koenigsegg Hypercar

This one is a great gift for teen boys who love cars – total gearheads (a term we use with love). The sleek lines and authentic details will thrill automotive nerds: it’s a model of one of the world’s fastest streel-legal cars, designed by Swedish megacar company Koenigsegg. It’s also a test of their builder bona fides: an 801-piece set that involves intricate components like a moving V8 engine and differential and working steering with a detachable knob. But the real differentiator is the dihedral synchro-helix door system: a mouthful that basically means the doors can open 90 degrees and move outwards. It’s a next-level facet of authenticity that LEGO Technic™ sets do so well. Teens can also use the LEGO® Builder app to zoom in on and rotate the set as they build for an enhanced building experience. They’ll be rightfully proud of this cool display piece!

 

 

17. Beyblade Burst QuadDrive Interstellar Drop Battle Set

This is an awesome starter set for young teens who love a little head-to-head competition! Beyblade is the unquestioned champion in the battle-top universe: where players mix and match components to create a contender top. They then choose a left or right launcher to send their top into battle in a Beystadium (which is included) in which the opposing tops spin and collide again and again. Ultimately one will stop spinning, be knocked out, or suffer, as SpaceX would say, a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” These competitions can be one-off or round-robin and they’re surprisingly exciting, so this gift has a screen-free appeal for parents (though, of course, there is an app) and a fun social appeal for kids. This game has a sneaky-ish science aspect, with lots of lore about top components and strategy, but basically, the whole point is, as the tagline says, to “Let it rip!”

 

 

18. Discovery Hydraulic Arm Building Set

Shopping for a teen with an interest in STEM (that’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)? This fascinating DIY kit makes a smart gift for even a casual student of mechanical engineering! Powered by the trusted folks at Discover Education, this set includes 176 pieces and clear, engaging instructions for constructing a robotic arm with a gripper claw that uses only pressurized liquid – no batteries. (Note that teens will need some basic household tools and materials to complete the project.) Kids assemble the base, arm, and claw, and then attach tubes to a six-lever control panel that allows them to grip and move objects. Between building the tool and honing their skills in operating it, teens will spend hours on this smart, screen-free project. Can they use it to give the dog a treat? Build a tower of blocks? Exploring its capabilities is part of the fun….

 

 

19. KAI: The Artificial Intelligence Robot

Those two little letters – AI – encompass a whole new world that today’s young people will explore and employ in greater depth than today’s adults ever anticipated. Even teens who never thought about pursuing computer science in a formal way will find their curiosity piqued by this ingenious kit. The first step is to build and program the robot – KAI looks like a cute insect-ish guy with arms and an array of red LEDs that can serve as an expressive face, or a scrolling billboard. Running an app on a tablet or smartphone, teens then record a series of sounds, and physical gestures that they assign to KAI’s five functions: walk backwards, walk forwards, turn right, turn left, and stop. Using machine learning, KAI analyzes patterns in the data to follow directions and make predictions. Kids can also control KAI using the app as a remote, or by using their smart device’s gyroscope!

 

 

20. LEGO® Star Wars™ The Dark Falcon

Even if they’ve has never seen the animated LEGO® Star Wars™ Rebuild the Galaxy special on Disney+ (though they should, it’s four (so far) quick, energetic episodes of “opposite day” gags), this alternate-timeline Millennium Falcon set makes an amazing birthday gift for your Star Wars fan! The build is intricate and challenging, with more than 1,500 pieces, and the result has loads of awesome features. The top panels flip up to see and play around inside the detailed interior, there are two spring-loaded blasters, and the cockpit opens to fit two minifigures. Okay, we need to talk about the minifigures: THESE are half the fun of this topsy-turvy galaxy. Darth Rey, Jedi Vader, C-P30, Beach Luke, and of course, Darth Jar-Jar are 100% destined to become collector’s items. (Maybe the optimal use of this set is to troll or just confuse SW purists? We don’t judge.)

 

 

That’s just a little taste of some of our favourite gifts for teen boys! We hope they spark your gift-giving imagination and send you down a rabbit hole to find the perfect present for your unique teen and occasion. That’s the kind of thing we live for, but we understand that it can be challenging to find great gifts for kids, especially when they’re not your own. So here are some of our best gift shopping tips! The best and most appreciated gifts for babies are the ones that help their parents: travel gear like strollers and carriers; home gear like bouncers and play gyms; and feeding gear like bottle sets. Also always welcome: engaging baby toys that promote their development and learning. In the toddler, preschooler and school-age categories, inspired gifts for girls and gifts for boys are broadly similar: role-play toys; cuddly plush and dolls to nurture; construction toys; outdoor gear; and action figures and play sets for world-building – especially ones that feature favourite characters from kids’ favourite shows and movies. Do ask the parents: both for suggestions AND what’s on their family “no thank you” list. It’s important to give presents that align with their values. And as for older kids, as we’ve said above: the best gifts for a teenage girls – are ones that challenge them, speak to their current fandoms and interests and even introduce new ones! Think music, books, maker activities, and pop culture collectibles – the greatest gifts for teens are ones that show you know them.

 

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