55 Fun Gift Ideas For 12-Year-Old Boys

A tablet is a great gift for 12-year-old boys, especially if they travel on road trips or planes and need something to do! This Fire HD tablet has 12 hours of battery life so he can read, play games, watch videos, listen to music, and much more!

This Meccanoid kit will help him build a robot with a lot of human characteristics! Meccanoid is almost 4 feet tall, has arms and motorized feet, voice recognition, LED eyes, and can communicate with a smart device. He’s able to be programmed and also has more than 3,000 pre-programmed phrases so he can “talk” with his builder. He’ll dance, move, and record phrases that are said so he can repeat them back.

He’ll love a Nintendo Switch to play games for fun, on trips, or with friends! The Switch has a touch screen, tabletop and handheld modes, and at least 4 ½ hours of battery life. It can also connect with other consoles over WiFi so he can play with friends.

If he hasn’t read Harry Potter yet, this is a great time to introduce him to the books – they’re perfect gift ideas for 12-year-old boys! Although the books start out a little young, they get more mature as the series progresses so it won’t take long for him to get to the books that suit his age. Help him get lost in the world of Hogwarts with this full set of books!

If he’s a Boy Scout or enjoys hiking and camping with his family, these pants make great gift ideas for 12-year-old boys! Junior high boys are always overheating, it seems. He’ll appreciate these pants, which have legs that zip off. When the inevitable happens and he gets hot, he can simply zip off the legs and have shorts to continue on his hike.

He can build these cool robots himself and then code them! The robot will navigate obstacles, pick up objects, and make sound effects. The parts snap together, so he won’t need special tools to assemble the robot. Once it’s built, he can use the free app to code the robot’s movements, making them awesome toys for 12-year-old boys!

He’ll have a blast with this VR headset! He’ll feel like he’s in the middle of his video game, or he can explore places around the globe. He can even visit the International Space Station and see how people live in space!

If he enjoys drawing, painting, and other art forms, he’ll appreciate this gorgeous art set with a wooden carrying case. This set comes with watercolor paints, mixing trays, brushes, oil pastels, colored pencils, and other art supplies. It also comes with painting paper, sketch paper, and other places he can create his art.

He can play air hockey with friends or family on this fun table! It comes with light-up pucks and light-up corners that flash when someone scores a goal. LED lights keep track of the score, and the hockey pushers light up as well.

Lots of kids become interested in learning to play guitar in junior high and high school. Fortunately, there are lots of online videos dedicated to teaching beginners how to play guitar – all he needs is the actual guitar! This set comes with a tuner, guitar strap, extra strings, a string winter, an instructional DVD, and a bag to carry everything in. The Fender is a great beginner guitar so he can get started learning quickly!

This robot uses the vibration and spin from the motor to create artwork. He can simply add pens, adjust the angle and the height of the pens, and set it in motion. The robot will just go, and when he turns it off, he’ll have a new piece of art. He’ll also have the fun of working with this robot and seeing how it works!

If he’s interested in making music, a MIDI is a great way for him to compose! This 25-key keyboard hooks up to a computer. He can program keys to make different sounds and can use the knobs and pads to layer even more sounds. At the end, he can save his creation and share it with friends and family.

Gift cards make great gifts for 12-year-old boys because they enjoy having control over choosing what they want! You can grab him an Amazon gift card for $25 and up, and he can choose from the thousands of books, games, devices, and so much more. It’s a great gift for a boy who has everything!

This mountain bike has 18-speeds and shifts easily between gears. The hardtail frame is sturdy, and the oversized tires work great on pavement, gravel, dirt, and other terrain. He’ll have a great time riding in the neighborhood or on trails and terrain parks.

These quadcopters are fun to watch and fly and make great toys for 12-year-old boys! This round, spinning drone lights up green and blue, so it’s fun to fly in the dark. The propeller guards keep the drone from hurting anyone and protect it if it falls. A remote lets him control the drone while it’s in the air.

If he’s a big gamer, this chair will make an awesome Christmas or birthday present! It has plenty of padding for comfortable seating. It has lumbar support and a headrest. It also sits on rolling casters and can move 360° in any direction. It’s great for sitting in to do homework or for playing video games in his downtime.

At 12, he may still enjoy building with LEGOs, but he needs more of a challenge than he did when he was younger! This ship in a bottle is a great kit. It features a ship with captain’s quarters, a crow’s nest, cannons, and more. It also has a brick cork and wax seal, and sits on a display stand with a nameplate.

Bring all the fun of the fair home with this arcade basketball game! He can challenge family and friends to shoot hoops, and the electronic scoring function will keep track of everyone’s baskets. The game also folds down to store, so it won’t take up as much room. The height of the game can be adjusted as well, so it can be changed depending on the ceiling height and other factors.

Yep, lava lamps are still popular! He’ll love watching the wax as it moves up and down in the lamp, and this is a fun light to use as a night light. This lamp is sturdy and should last for years. He can keep it on his desk or nightstand to add a little bit of light or funky fun to his room!

This is a great first drone with a camera for older kids or adults! The auto-return means the drone will memorize a home point and automatically return there if it loses the signal or loses power. He can set a customer flight path to fly the drone or just have it follow him automatically. The drone also comes with a carrying bag. The 1080P HD camera records images and voice and he can share it all on social media through the app.

He can bring these games on road trips, to sleepovers, or to any event where he’s hanging out with friends! They also make fun family game night options. They may be classic games, but they can get rowdy and raucous just the same! UNO is a great all-ages game, while Phase 10 has enough different, well, phases, that it’s good for older kids with longer attention spans.

This kit lets him build a motorized Ferris wheel that actually moves. The 744 K’NEX pieces can be used to build 3 different amusement park rides – the Ferris wheel, a swing ride, and a boom ride. It also has a battery-powered motor to power each of the rides.

A knit beanie will make his mom happy that he’s actually putting on cold-weather clothing. It will make him happy because beanies are popular right now, so he’ll look cool wearing it! The hat is stretchy and just slouchy enough to look trendy while still keeping him warm. It comes in several styles and colors so you can pick one he’ll like!

If he loves music and is learning to play the guitar (or already knows how!), he may love this pick punch. It works like a hole punch but punches guitar picks out of thin plastic that he can use to play. The kit comes with several strips of patterned plastic, or he can use old credit cards, loyalty cards, hotel key cards, or other pieces of thin plastic to create his picks.

He’ll create 3 LEGO Star Wars droids, which have sensors, a motor, and a Bluetooth Move hub so they can be coded to perform tasks. The LEGO BOOST Star Wars app lets him code the droids so they can solve missions and head on space adventures. He’ll use STEM skills both to build the droids and then as he’s coding, and he’ll use problem-solving skills and other advanced reasoning all along the way.

Listen up, kids – long ago, kids took pictures like selfies on cameras that automatically printed those pictures out for them! He can recapture the fun of Polaroids from the 1980s with this Instax camera. The Instax also prints out selfies as they’re taken, but it comes with colorful stickers as well. He’ll have a blast making faces with his friends, printing out the pictures immediately, and laughing over them together.

Does he love puzzles and brain benders? This book includes 300 brain teaser puzzles and riddles to help him think outside the box. The riddles test logic, memory, and other brain skills. The book gets more difficult as he progresses. He can solve them on his own or pose them at dinnertime to the whole family to see if people can find the solution.

This cool night light creates a hologram-like image of Batman that lights up at night. The light has 7 color settings and 2 different modes so he can change it up when he wants. It has touch controls and is USB powered. He’ll have an awesome night light he can use just before bed or keep things a little bit lit in his room so he can see if he needs to get up at night.

Beanbag chairs make great gifts for 12-year-old boys because they’re fun to sit in and easy to move around. He can keep his chair in his room for lounging, reading, or playing video games. Since it’s lightweight, he can also bring it downstairs for movie nights or outside to read in the yard. The chair is stain- and water-resistant, so it will stand up to almost anything!

If he collects Pokemon cards, he’ll appreciate this deck! He’ll get an assortment of regular and energy cards. Each lot contains random cards from every series, so they will all be a surprise and he won’t know what he has until he opens the pack.

He’ll appreciate this mess kit on his next Boy Scout outing or camping trip with his family! It’s made of much sturdier aluminum than the standard mess kits kids get, and it conducts heat quickly. The kit contains a pot and cover, a nonstick pan, 2 bowls, a spork and soup spoon, a wooden spoon, a cleaning sponge, and a nylon travel bag for storing everything.

He’ll have the fun of building his own racecar, and then he’ll have the fun of actually racing it! The kit makes 2 different toy cars – a racecar and an off-road truck. The vehicles can run indoors and out, and they easily drive, turn, and rotate on a smooth, flat surface. The car drives forward, backward, left, or right, and he can direct it all with the accompanying remote.

These headphones are great for listening to music and audiobooks, using while gaming with friends, or whatever else he might need them for! He won’t get tangled up in wires or have to worry about a headphone jack, and the headphones deliver a wonderful bass sound. The headphones work for 40 hours before they need to be recharged.

These LED lights attach to bike wheels, so his bike can be lit up at night. It looks really cool and makes it easier for cars to see him if he rides at night. The lights have 16 color-changing modes, and they will flash or stay lit steadily. They’re great for family bike rides or for campgrounds where he may bring his bike to ride around.

“You sank my battleship!” If he’s never played this classic game, he’ll love trying to target his opponent’s ships and sink them. The game includes 2 portable battle cases, with ships and red and white pegs to indicate hits and misses. The game also has advanced play with a Salvo feature that lets players launch multiple attacks at once.

If he has tech devices, chances are he’s found himself with a dead battery! This portable charger can go in his backpack, airplane carry-on or overnight bag, so he can charge his phone or tablet without needing an outlet. The charger even has built-in cables, so he doesn’t even need to bring his charging cord.

This game has been popular for several generations now, and it doesn’t show any signs of stopping! New features in Madden NFL 22 include the ability to manage staff, an enhanced seasons engine, and weekly strategy. He can also adjust Superstar X-Factors at halftime and continue the game.

Cozmo has facial expressions and reactive body language that make it hard to remember he’s a robot and not a human sometimes! He was made to be durable and stand up to the rigors of being played with by kids. He’s a great beginner robot for kids just learning to code, and your 12-year-old will have a great time figuring out how to program him to do different things!

If he loves comics, let him create his own with this blank comic book! It comes with more than 100 pages of blank comic panels that he can fill with his stories. He could write one continuing story or try out many different comics in the pages of this journal. He’ll also have this as a fun memento to look back on when he’s older.

This is about the age that many boys get into skateboarding. If he’s never tried or doesn’t have a skateboard of his own, this is a great beginner skateboard for him! It comes fully assembled and has a sturdy plastic deck and thick aluminum trucks. It will hold up to the wear and tear that 12-year-old boys put on just about everything!

This hoodie feels so soft inside, thanks to the sherpa lining, that he may actually stop fighting with his parents over having to wear a jacket when it’s cold out! The hoodie has 2 pockets, lined sleeves, and ribbing at the wrists to keep the heat in. The hoodie comes in a variety of patterns and colors, so you can pick one he’s sure to love.

These hover soccer balls are a lot of fun and are much less likely to destroy the house than an actual soccer ball! They use air to hover a few inches above the ground, and the foam bumpers keep the balls from marking up the furniture. The balls also light up, so they’re fun to play with in the dark as well!

Nerf guns always top the list of fun toys for older kids! This blaster holds up to 25 darts so he won’t have to stop and reload mid-battle with his friends. It has slam-fire action so he can shoot darts rapidly. It also shoots darts up to 90 feet. The blaster comes with 25 darts, so he can get started battling his friends right away.

If he’s always asking questions or sharing random facts, he’ll love this book that’s chock full of facts about pretty much everything. He can learn about sloths, bioluminescence, aliens, and a whole lot of other random things. The book is interspersed with color photos, graphics, fun text, and other things that make it interesting to read.

This set is great for anyone interested in space! He’ll assemble 3 models in 1 and make a Space Shuttle, a rocket toy, and a lunar lander. The set includes an astronaut mini-figure, complete with his helmet and tool for fixing space things. Although he may be a little old for pretend play with this set, he can proudly display it when he’s done, especially if he has other space collections in his room.

A magnetic dartboard is a fun game he can play in his room or in the basement. The board can hang on the back of his door or elsewhere in his room. Then, he can challenge his friends to a game of darts, or he can fire off a quick round when he needs a break from homework. Since the darts are magnetic, they won’t damage the wall, door, or other people.

He can hang out in his room and listen to his favorite music or bring this speaker along to the pool, the beach, or on camping trips. The speaker has deep bass and great quality. It also plays for up to 20+ hours before it needs to be recharged. LED lights on the speaker pulse in time with the beat of the music.

He’ll have fun breaking open these seemingly normal-looking rocks to reveal the beautiful crystals inside them! These National Geographic geodes come with a variety of colors and styles of crystals inside – he won’t know what they are until he smashes them open to reveal the sparkling rocks within. The kit comes with a display stand, goggles, and a small magnifying glass to get an even closer look.

He can build more than 12 different robots with this kit, all of them powered by the sun. He can make robots that crawl, roll, and float. He can also create a robot of his own, rather than one of the ones shown in the instruction booklet. These robots are great to play with just for fun or to use as part of a science project.

A basketball hoop and backboard is a gift that he’ll use for years to come! It’s also a great gift that can draw other neighborhood kids over to play sports at his house. This set has an acrylic board with arena-style padding. It can be raised to a height of 7.5-10 feet so it can grow with him.

These lights are a fun addition to any room! He can change the lighting with the accompanying remote – making them bright to wake up in the morning and dimming them when it’s time for bed. He can also change between different colors and light modes. The lights can also sync to a smartphone so he can make them pulse in time to his music. He can set a timer to turn the lights off when he’s at school or when it’s bedtime.

This wee little robot is the size of a ping pong ball and has a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and bright LED lights. With the free Sphero app, he can make games and code the Sphero Mini. He can choose between drag-and-drop coding blocks or writing JavaScript, so this robot is great for a variety of levels of coders.

These wall stickers will make people do a double-take! The 3D stickers look as though the balls were kicked or hit hard enough to get embedded right in the wall. The stickers are made of vinyl and peel and stick easily to smooth surfaces. He’ll get 8 balls with this set, so he can spread them around his room, add one to his door, or even put one in his locker at school.

He can listen to music or audiobooks on walks through the neighborhood or while walking home from school with these earbuds! They produce deep bass and clear treble, so they’re great for listening to his favorite tunes. These earbuds will play for up to 8 hours before they need to be charged again.

Spikeball is a fun game to play with siblings or friends! It involves bouncing a ball off a net for others to catch or hit back. It’s easy to bring along to the beach, or to a local park, or to play in the backyard. It also folds up afterward so it’s easy to store when he’s not playing it.