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Kanoodle challenges players to solve 200 2D and 3D puzzles.
Amazon
Twelve-year-olds are at a big transition point in their lives — they're starting to feel more grown up, but they're not quite out of childhood yet. When it comes to gift-giving, this means they won't want gifts that seem immature or childish.
We spoke to Madeleine Buckley, senior editor at The Toy Insider to help us find some of the best gifts for 12-year-old boys. "By 12, kids are nearing their teen years and might be starting to move away from toys. However, it is still important to encourage tweens to stay active and keep learning through play, which is why outdoor/active toys and more complex activities make great gifts for this age group," she said.
Buckley recommended games, crafts, pop culture gifts, fidgets, and video games for tweens. Before buying a gift, find out what brands, franchises, and video games the 12-year-old on your list is into. This will help you narrow down which gifts will be a hit and which might fall flat. Don't be afraid of buying outside of typical gender stereotypes, either. Not all boys like sports, and some might be happier with an arts and crafts kit than a football.
Here are 17 of the best gifts for 12-year-old boys
Lego Brick sets are great for the awkward tween years when "toys" are starting to feel less cool. Part puzzle, project, and — yes — toy, there are plenty of sets that offer a complex building challenge for preteens, featuring favorite franchises like Star Wars, Fortnite, and Marvel. Plus, once built, it makes a great piece of room decor.
Preteen years are a great time to start an instrument they can play for life. Fender's Debut Collection is relatively inexpensive, lightweight, and shaped with beginners in mind. It also comes with a free subscription to Fender Play, which will teach them guitar basics. While your 12-year-old will need an amp to get the full effect of the guitar, electric guitars can also be configured to work with headphones so you can minimize the noise impact in your home.
They'll be able to change the atmosphere of their room in an instant with these LED lights they can control with an app, Alexa, or Google Home. They can change the colors manually or even sync them to music.
A game that's a cross between foursquare and volleyball
Spikeball is an active outdoor game the whole family will love. It's a cross between volleyball and foursquare, and the gameplay is easy to learn. The game comes in a convenient carrying case, so the family can bring it along to parties or on family vacations.
This kit allows future chefs or tweens who simply love hot sauce to make six bottles of their own. Other than some kitchen utensils and a blender or food processor, it includes everything they'll need to make sauce. They'll also get to name their sauces and design labels for them.
Marvel remains hot, and this strategy game is just right for 12-year-olds. Breaking away from the usual hero archetype, players will get to take on the role of their favorite Marvel villain. According to Buckley, games are a great gift for tweens, particularly those with more complex rules.
A book they won't be able to put down
Amazon
"Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline, available at Amazon and Target
"Ready Player One" features a teenage protagonist who embarks on the ultimate virtual reality video game quest. The book also inspired a movie adaptation that tweens will be eager to watch after finishing the book.
We all know that tween who likes to spend more time in their room than anywhere else. Give them a gift to make their room even more enjoyable: a mini beverage fridge. It can hold up to six soda cans.
If you can't get them away from their video games, you might as well get them a gift that will make their games even more enjoyable. These high-quality gaming headphones include a microphone so they can talk to their friends while playing.
This game challenges tweens to solve 200 2D and 3D puzzles. If you're looking for an educational gift, this one recruits their spatial reasoning and critical thinking skills. They can play by themselves or set up a timer and challenge others to beat their solve time.
Another game the whole family can enjoy together, Beat That challenges players to complete wacky challenges. Can you guess what song your partner is trying to sing while gargling? How about stacking four dice on top of each other using chopsticks? Find out when you play this game!
Pixicade is one of the coolest gifts for tweens who love video games. It allows them to turn their drawings into games they can play on a phone or tablet. The best part is that they can create over and over again, making up to 1,600 games.
Building kits can still be fun for 12-year-olds. This K'nex kit includes pieces to build three classic amusement park rides. It includes a battery-powered motor to set the rides in motion.
Raddish global cooking kits teach kids valuable cooking skills while introducing them to dishes from around the world. Each kit includes three illustrated recipe guides, three culinary skill cards, a creative kitchen project, a culinary tool, and a patch to add to an apron.
A hat they make themselves
Michael's
Creativity for Kids Hat Not Hate Quick Knit Loom Kit, available at Amazon and Michaels
"Craft kits are a great gift for creative tweens because they can make some really awesome (and often usable) stuff," Buckley said. In this kit, they'll have everything they need to make two knit hats. Hat Not Hate is an anti-bullying campaign that encourages people to wear blue hats to raise awareness of bullying.
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