Holiday shopping for Gen Zs and Alphas can be quite the adventure!
Teens and tweens are perpetually ahead of the curve with their ever-evolving tastes and interests, which makes finding the perfect present a tricky task for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, family friends, and more.
To hit the mark, though, you’ll do well to consider anything that’s Taylor Swift-coded, tech gadgets that keep them connected, trendy fashion or beauty items that let them express their unique style and personality, or complex craft kits and subscription boxes that can help fuel their imagination and awaken their creative spirits.
As a mom of three very young Gen Alphas, I’m always trying to figure out exactly which games, toys, and trinkets will win them over, but the tween and teen set (Gen Z’s youngest are 12 years old right now) is even more impossible to please.
Best Gifts for Tweens and Teens
So, we’ve done some of the heavy lifting to bring you a list of 20 gifts guaranteed to have all the 10-somethings in your life flooding you with MAJOR aura points (i.e. your coolness is essentially off the charts).
Bic BODYMARK Temporary Tattoo Markers
Price: $20, instead of $35
Okay, so we’re not saying that your teens should be inking up with reckless abandon, but if they want to flex some rebellion in their not-quite-an-adult-yet years, then these skin-safe markers might do the trick (I mean, remember how obsessed we all were with Milky Pen scribbles all over our arms and hands back in the early aughts?). With a variety of vibrant colors and tip types, teens 13 years old+ can draw freestyle or use the enclosed BODYMARK stencils to create eye-catching designs that showcase their unique sense of self, what they love, and what they stand for.
BONNYCO Pink Cinema Light Box with 400 Letters & Emojis & 2 Markers
Price: $28, instead of $40
Any gift that gives your tweenager a voice will have them heart-eyesing for days — quite literally, too, when emojis are involved. Prep it with a very special message and then put it under the tree, and come Christmas, they’ll be lit up with excitement.
FlashCatch Light Up Football
Price: $28, instead of $35
Even though it gets dark at like 5 p.m. these days, your little baller can still keep their game in play with this glow-in-the-dark, professional-level football. They’ll need to pump it up before it’s ready to go (pump isn’t included), but the box come with a spare set of batteries and over 30 hours of run-time, so no one needs to retire too early.
Stanley x Barbie Icon 30-Ounce Quencher
Price: $50
If you’re shopping for a mini Barbie with a certifiable water bottle obsession, then you have to add to their growing collection with this best-selling hot pink Stanley Quencher. With a high-gloss “Barbie” signature in brush script and the doll’s unmistakable high-pony silhouette near the handle, this easy-to-hold sipper will be in hand everywhere they’re going.
HASAKEE Q9 Drone
Price: $40, instead of $50
This drone isn’t just about flying; it’s about creating a neon light show in the sky with its vibrant green and blue LEDs. It’s super easy to use, even for beginners, and it’s built to withstand all those inevitable crashes (bound to happen if you have a boy in between the ages of 8 and 12). Trust me, this drone will keep your young adventurer entertained for hours with its cool tricks and double flight time.
CrunchLabs Subscription Box
Price: starting from $25 per box (if paying annually for 12 months)
You really can’t get a more “fire” gift than a subscription box straight from the mind of a real-life former NASA engineer. With a CrunchLabs Build Box subscription, your budding builder will get a cool new STEM project (like a disc launcher, coin spinner, or trip wire) that they can create, play with and learn from — via Mark Rober’s fun video guide. Plus, every box comes with a chance to win a Platinum Ticket to go to CrunchLabs and meet Rober himself. #Totalfankid approved.
TOSY Flying Disc
Price: $28, instead of $36
Some kids just cannot stay inside, and this TOSY light-up frisbee (basically) was made exclusively for them. The disc glows with bright, built-in LED lights, and it packs up to 90 minutes of air time. Your ultimate “W” in the gift-giving department might even convince your kiddo to commission a Christmas or New Year’s Eve throw challenge for the whole family... That’s the goal, right?!
Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant Camera
Price: $79
What Polaroid had on lock in the 90s and 2000s is now being finessed for a new generation in Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 12 Instant Camera. This shutterbug-satisfying snapster — available in five pretty pastel colorways — prints out high-quality, 2-inch x 3-inch INSTAX mini instant photos in approximately five seconds. But, let’s be honest, it’s the built-in “selfie” mirror on the lens that’s just the total cherry on top.
Bose New SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Price: $119, instead of $149
Looking for a no-brainer gift idea for any music-loving 10 to 19-year-old? We got you! With up to 20 hours of battery life, they can jam out all day long without missing a beat. Its portable, waterproof, and dust-proof design means they can take their tunes anywhere — whether they’re having a sleepover party with friends or chilling at the beach or the park with their crew (when it’s finally nice outside again). And before you ask, YES, they can even charge their phone from the speaker, so they’ll never have to worry about their favorite Spotlfy playlist cutting out.
UGG Ultra Mini Platform
Price: $130
UGG boots are as much on the radar of our mini-mes as they are for us, so if you really want to earn yourself a “best gift giver of ALL time” superlative this season, going with a trendy pair of sheepskin slip-ons will help you do it. Featuring a unique asymmetrical design and super-cushy midsole, the fur-lined platforms — available in best-selling UGG colorways — are all they need to slay the day. Sorry, we just had...
Even more gifts that hit different with this discerning crowd
- e.l.f. Glow Reviver Lip Oil for $8
- SUSSED The Wacky ‘What Would You Do?’ Card Game for $13, instead of $15
- Flipslide Game — Electronic Handheld Game for $15, instead of $18
- MAREE Star Pimple Patches for Face for $16
- Pretty Me Wall Collage Kit for $20, instead of $25
- SCRIB3D P1 3D Printing Pen with Display for $37
- BAGGU Medium Nylon Crescent Bag for $52
- Beats Solo 3 — Wireless Bluetooth On-Ear Headphones for $95, instead of $200
- LoveShackFancy Oran Weekender for $295
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition (Slim) for $374, instead of $450
The Best Gift Guides of 2024
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Danielle Halibey can be reached at dhalibey@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.
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