22 Meaningful Gifts for Preteen Boys
Your tween is ready for more sophisticated toys, fact-packed books and unusual games that take a little more skill.
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Your preteen boy — a young guy anywhere from about fourth to seventh grade — is ready for bigger LEGO sets and a faster scooter. There are plenty of toys, books and games with age-gradings of 8+, 10+ or 12+ that have been waiting for him to be old enough to appreciate them, so shopping for tweens can be easier than you might fear. He might even be psyched for clothes, but no promises there!
At the Good Housekeeping Institute we test toys and gifts for kids all year. We also have plenty of staff parents who weigh in on gift guides (including myself). We've got our pulse on what presents are currently popular for kids of all ages.
The LEGO Technic line features more intricate builds for bigger kids. This 6.5-inch buggy has big wheels and can roll fast and far. Elements like steering and suspension add an intro to engineering. Ages 8+
Klutz Lego Gravity Drop Activity Kit
Tweens get instructions and pieces to rearrange into any of 20 different gravity-powered LEGO games and contraptions, like a labyrinth and a marble maze. "The visuals in the book were accurate, and it was easy to determine where each piece went,” one parent tester told us. Ages 8–12
My son learned so much from Snap Circuits, a safe way to explore electrical engineering. This set is part science kit, part building set and lots of fun. Kids learn to launch a helicopter, build a doorbell and light up a lightbulb — there are 100 projects in all. Ages 8+
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I'll admit that I don't know from Mario, but we've got fans on staff who love this 26-inch long train with six Super Mario figures. Tweens are ready to tackle the build, which requires more than 1,000 pieces, and can alternate between playing with it and displaying it. Ages 9+
Good Housekeeping readers are loving this ball that lights up during play, making it possible for a preteen to have active outdoor time even during dusk.
Educational Insights Kanoodle Ultimate Champion
This variation of the popular puzzle game includes a timer. "I liked that you could time yourself,” a 10-year-old tester told us. So your kid can try and get faster, or they can concentrate on moving up to increasingly tougher puzzles. Ages 7+
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New Kid 3-Book Box Set
The New Kid is the only graphic novel ever to win the Newbery Medal for children's literature. It explores what it’s like to be a Black 12-year-old at a mostly white school. This boxed set includes two companion books, Class Act and School Trip, following the main characters from seventh to eighth grade. Ages 8–12
A tween who loves their Nintendo Switch would appreciate this tech gift, a wired headset made especially for the gaming platform. Per the brand, the set is lightweight, noise-cancelling and has a mic for playing with friends — and it's super affordable.
The preteen years are the best for pouring through and absorbing facts, and this encyclopedia has plenty. Kids can learn history through illustrations, timelines, statistics and of course "wow" facts, staring with early human history. Ages 9 to 12
From little kids to college grads, everyone is loving Jellycat plush, especially the unusual, smiling plush food like this taco. Let the 6.5-inch buddy cheer him up from his desk or nightstand.
Is he into art? These 24 colored pencils can be blended and shaded for more sophisticated drawings. Ages 9+
Boys heading into middle school just want to blend in — maybe that's why hoodies are the uniform of choice for seemingly all of them. Your preteen might also be newly brand-aware, and right now the heritage brand Carhartt is hot with preteens and teens.
We've tested this beginner digital camera with tweens, who enjoyed having a real camera. A 9-year-old tester said, "It’s easy to see your photos after you take them. I can get a clear shot even when I’m walking. Some cameras you have to push a lot of buttons to get to something on the screen but with this one I just have to push one button.”
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These funny socks are a nod to a kid with a gaming habit. They fit sizes 6 to 12 and come in different iterations of sayings that include "Best Brother Ever" or "Best Son Ever."
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Razor makes this lightweight, aluminum two-wheeled scooter to let a big kid move along quickly with just a kick of their back foot. Weight capacity: up to 143 lbs
Marvel Encyclopedia New Edition
Marvel fans can geek out learning the lore and stories of more than 1,200 iconic Super Heroes and villains. Unsurprisingly, the illustrations are also amazing!
This highly rated and fairly affordable beanbag chair gives him his own hangout spot to move around the house. It's made of durable polyester, isn't overstuffed (so it's a little mushy) and is a comfy 30.5-inch width.
Do you remember pouring through the crazy world records when you were a kid? Today's kids can pour through modern records organized by subject, with sections like sports, Pokemon, animals, science and more.
My preteen son loved using blasters with friends. They had some of their biggest laughs trying to outdo each other with surprise strikes and bullseye aim. This Amazon-exclusive Nerf model can rapidly fire six bullets at a time, and the under-$10 price is hard to beat.
I tested 3D pens with young adults and we agreed that this is the best value model. "The kit came with stencil paper and a QR code to figure out how to use it, which was nice," one tester said. The speed-control button slides to give you a range from slow to fast, which allowed more control when making plastic creations.
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Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.
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