Best Gifts for Teens

How this list of gifts for teens was built

Every product here has a listing that gives a starting age between 10 and 14. That's the rule. A 10+ or 12+ label usually means longer rules, smaller parts or more steps, which is the right kind of challenge for a teen. Nothing here is labeled for little kids, and nothing is labeled for adults only.

There's one pick per brand, so no single company fills the list. The table up top has all 24 with their age label and the main facts from each listing. A dash means the listing doesn't say.

One pick also lists an upper age. The Trailmaster go kart says 10–14, so it's out for a 15-year-old. I flag it again in the ride-on section, because that number matters more than any other on the page.

I sorted the picks by hobby, the same way the site is sorted:

• Board and card games: 12 picks, from 2-player duels to 20-player party games
• Model kits: 7 picks, cars, planes, a half-track and two sci-fi ships
• Building sets: 2 picks, one mechanical and one display build
• Figures: 1 poseable figure
• Ride-ons: a gas go kart and an electric dirt bike, with the safety rules first

I teach middle-school math, so my weekdays are spent with 12- to 14-year-olds. The job has taught me one thing about shopping for this age: the hobby beats the trend. A teen who builds will build. A teen who argues about rules will argue about rules. Shop for the habit you've already seen.

Board and card games for a teen's table

Games are the biggest group here, and the widest. Some seat two. One seats twenty. So the first question isn't "which game." It's "who's playing."

My one strong opinion on this page: match the player count to the people who will really sit down. Count the chairs, then read the listing. A party game for 4–20 players goes nowhere in a house where game night is two siblings and a dog. A 2-player game goes nowhere at a sleepover.

Two-player games for siblings, friends and parents

The CATAN Rivals for Catan + 7 Wonders Duel bundle is two games in one listing, both for exactly 2 players, per the listing. It suits a teen with a regular opponent: a sibling, a best friend, a parent who's willing to lose. More on each at the Catan and 7 Wonders Duel pages.

Cascadia from AEG lists 1–4 players, 30–45 minutes and a solo mode. Solo mode means one person can play it alone against a score target. That makes it the rare game that still works when friends are busy. It's a calm, puzzle-like pick for the teen who reads in a corner at parties.

Cloud City from Blue Orange Games is a 2–4 player strategy game listed for 10+. The data doesn't give a play time, so check the listing if a school-night length matters.

Small card games that fit in a backpack

Two picks here share a family. Love Letter from Asmodee and Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After from Renegade Game Studios both list 2–6 players and about 20 minutes. They're small games, and a short game is easy to start in a lunch period or a waiting room. If you're choosing between them, it comes down to which edition's theme the teen likes. Don't buy both for the same person. That's not a gift, that's a collection. More card games are on the card games page.

Co-op games for a group that hates arguing

Co-op means cooperative: everyone wins or loses together against the game. That suits a group where somebody always takes losing personally.

• Forbidden Desert from Gamewright: cooperative, 2–5 players, per the listing
• Clue Escape: The Illusionist's Club from Hasbro: a cooperative escape-style game, listed for 10+; the data doesn't list players or play time
• Funkoverse Jurassic Park 101 2-Pack from Funko: 2 playable maps and 2 Funkoverse Pop game figures, from the Jurassic Park line, per the listing

The Clue Escape box is a different kind of game from classic Clue, so read the listing before you assume. The Clue page covers the main game and its editions.

Party games for the sleepover crowd

These are for the teen whose friends show up in a group.

• Herd Mentality from Big Potato: 4–20 players, a prediction and consensus game, where you try to give the same answer as most of the table
• Wits and Wagers Deluxe from North Star Games: a trivia game for 4 or more players, Deluxe edition, per the listing
• 5 Second Rule from PlayMonster: 3 or more players, 288 cards
• Burst Out Laughing Gas from MindWare: a party game listed for 10+; the data lists only the age

Dana's ruling in our house: any game that seats more than twelve gets played at somebody else's house. She works nights in the ER. She has earned the quiet. More picks live on the party games and trivia games pages.

Model kits for a teen who likes a slow project

A model kit is a gift that takes a few weekends, not a few minutes. Scale tells you size: 1/24 means the model is one twenty-fourth the size of the real thing. Smaller numbers after the slash mean bigger models.

Car kits

Three car kits made the list, and all three are honest about what's missing from the box.

• AMT 1/25 1957 Chevy Bel Air: skill level 2, paint and glue required and not included
• Monogram 1:24 Testarossa Convertible: skill level 2, paint and glue required and not included
• Fujimi 1/24 Mazda RX-8: paint and glue required and not included

So plan the extras. A kit with "required, not included" on the listing needs plastic cement (model glue that softens and joins the plastic), paint and a way to cut parts off their frames. Wrap those with the kit, or the gift stalls on day one. The model car kits page covers more.

Planes and a half-track at 1/72

The Revell 1:72 F4U-4 Corsair Gift Set 63955 and the Academy 1/72 M3 Half Track/Amphibian are both 1/72 kits listed for 10+. At 1/72, models come out small enough for a desk shelf. The data doesn't list piece counts or what the Revell gift set includes, so read each listing before you buy.

Two ships from licensed lines

The MPC Star Wars: A New Hope X-Wing Fighter (Snap) 1:63 has Snap in its title. Snap-fit means parts press together without glue, which makes it the easiest start on this list.

The Polar Lights Star Trek Strange New Worlds U.S.S. Enterprise 1:1000 lists 82 pieces with decals included. Decals are the printed markings you slide onto the model with water.

Marisol's rule about clear parts

Marisol runs the workbench in Bay Two, and she has a story for anyone buying a first glue-and-paint kit. Her first airplane kit was in 1989. She glued the clear cockpit canopy with the same glue as everything else, and the fumes fogged it. These days her glue for clear parts lives on its own labeled shelf. She wants teens to know clear parts often need their own glue, so check the kit's instructions first.

Glue and paint: Work with good ventilation and follow the paint or cement maker's label for masks and gloves. The EPA lists hobby glues, adhesives and paints as sources of fumes indoors and says to follow label instructions carefully. Hobby knives: Cut away from your body on a cutting mat.

Building sets with a lot of steps

Two building sets made the cut, and they point in different directions.

The LEGO Technic 42158 NASA Mars Rover Perseverance is listed for 10+ and carries the NASA license on the listing. Technic is LEGO's line built around gears, axles and moving parts. It suits a teen who wants to see how a machine fits together. The data doesn't give a piece count. More at LEGO.

The MEGA Motion Pikachu lists 1,095 pieces and starts at 12+. It's from the Pokémon line, and the listing says it combines with all MEGA Pokémon building sets. A set this size wants a clear table and a tray for parts. The MEGA page has the rest of the lineup, and there are more on the Pokémon building sets page.

Big builds take over tables. Our Bay One folding table is officially for game emergencies. It has hosted two brick builds and a birthday cake, and I have not filed the paperwork.

A figure for the shelf

One figure fits the age window. The Boss Fight Studio Fraggle Rock Sprocket 1:12 lists 12+, 14 points of articulation, a food bowl and alternate paws. Articulation means the places the figure can move. At 1:12 it's about one-twelfth life size. It's for a collector who poses and displays, not a kid who plays rough. Small accessories mean it stays out of reach of toddlers: toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3. The figures section has more scales and lines.

Ride-ons: check the fit before anything else

Two ride-ons made the list. Both are serious machines, so the rules come first.

Riders need a properly fitted helmet made for motorized riding, plus gloves, boots, eye protection and long sleeves and pants. Follow the maker's age, height and weight limits, and keep an adult watching every ride. The CPSC says supervision and proper safety gear, helmets included, are key on riding toys, and that helmets should be sized to fit.

Trailmaster Mid XRS go kart

The Trailmaster Mid XRS listing gives ages 10–14. It lists a 4-stroke engine with a pull starter, disc brakes, a rear swingarm with mono shocks, and 16x6-8 front and 145x70-6 rear wheels. The data here doesn't list a weight limit, so read the full listing and match it to the rider. If your teen is 15 or older, this one is outside the listed range.

Fuel and exhaust: Refuel outdoors with the engine off and cool, and store fuel in an approved container away from the house. Never run an engine in a garage or any closed space.

X-PRO E-Hawk electric dirt bike

The X-PRO E-Hawk lists 13+, a 287 lb maximum rider weight, a 3500 W motor, a 48 V 23.5 Ah lithium-ion battery, disc brakes, and a 14-inch front and 12-inch rear wheel. It also lists a 42 mph top speed. That number is the reason the gear and the supervision aren't optional.

Charging: Charge with the charger that came with it, on a hard surface, and follow the maker's charging instructions.

Rules for riding mini bikes, pit bikes, dirt bikes and go karts vary by state and town. Check yours, and ride only where it's allowed. More on both kinds at go karts and kids' dirt bikes.

Who should skip this list

Skip it if the person you're shopping for is under 10. Every pick here starts at 10 or older, and a few start at 12 or 13. The gifts for 8 year olds and gifts for kids pages fit younger kids better.

Skip the model kits if nobody in the house wants paint fumes or tiny parts on the dining table. Skip the ride-ons if the helmet, the gear and a legal place to ride aren't sorted yet. And skip the party games if your teen's social life is mostly one good friend. That's a 2-player house. Shop the 2-player section.

Christmas gift ideas for teens

Holiday break brings cousins, neighbors and friends who drop by for an hour and stay for four. That's the week a party game earns its shelf space. Herd Mentality lists up to 20 players. For a teen who'd rather disappear into a project over winter break, a model kit or the Technic rover fills the quiet days. The stocking stuffers page has small things for the same morning.

One last thing from a teacher who grades a lot of homework: tape the gift receipt inside the box lid. Nobody has to bring it up.