Ha - you had me laughing at this: "Young men in high school like black stuff, leather stuff, and canvas stuff, depending on their personalities. They also like very stupid socks and strange T-shirts with yetis on them." Great concrete ideas you share! We often use birthdays for buying "extensions" for their hobbies such as electronics replacement parts for RC planes. new pellets for their airsoft, a few more months on the rock climbing pass, whittling tools, watch repair kits, and the ever expensive role-playing game books. My daughter (18) has been especially thankful for Starbucks giftcards, because she likes to go with her friends but loathes spending the extra money.
And of course books and stationary are always a hit too :)
Regarding the yeti T-shirts, guess what 100%, honest to goodness happened right after I sent this piece to the Arena? My husband walked into the kitchen wearing a new T-shirt that he had gotten as a free gift after giving blood to the Red Cross, and it *had a giant Yeti on it.*
I am *not kidding.*
Extension gifts -- that's super smart. I actually almost put pocket knives on there but I worried about people thinking I was endorsing them too young! So I went for the wallet Ninja.
If your teens like role playing game books, they would definitely enjoy the LOTR board game and the Sherlock Holmes game!
Gift cards...YES. Gift cards that give them an experience, like coffee with friends!
Haha - so funny! Coming from Switzerland where pocket knives are given to children in kindergarten (with proper instruction and a reminder to use a bandaid when necessary), pocket knives are a must :) There is actually a LOTR role playing game called "The Ring" that my son was leading last year - many hours of great storytelling fun...
Aged daughter has gotten or already has everything on your list recently, right down to the volleyball set. And lots of sweet smelling lotion. She also loves squish mallows and sleeps with four of them.
Water bottles/ cups are very important right now and they have to be Stanleys. Just yesterday it was hydro flasks and tomorrow it will be something else.
And my high school aged daughter loves chocolate truffles!
Although for my daughter is has to be name brand squishmallows. Knock offs won’t do. 🙄 Fortunately for her the friends who came to her birthday gave her several ….
Also: my 8 yr old little guy loves his circuit set (doesn’t have the clay one though) and recently went through a big paper airplane making phase. He Tried starting up A business selling them to his classmates at school until
The teacher out the kabosh on that!
He also loves building sets like Lego and K’nex and marble runs.
Yes! Construction/creation toys are so amazing. My son has some snap circuits (I think that's what they're called?) that he has enjoyed, but I think that Legos and marble runs and the like have been even more lasting. Everyone plays with them. All the time.
There was a little boy selling Klutz paper airplanes at the parish craft fair this year! They were very popular!
I’m seeing a trend of not opening presents at kids’ parties. The advantage is there’s not the comparison issue. But I think kids like seeing their gift opened and appreciated by the recipient.
I really do think it's part of the fun to have presents and open presents. But it's good to honor whatever that particular family decides to do.
I'm just saddened when people don't want to do gifts because they're worried it seems greedy. I don't want to encourage excess, of course, but I also don't want these little traditions of celebration to dissappear.
Also, it helps children learn how to receive gifts graciously.
I and my friends are huge into board games, so I always like gifting board games to kids. For one, it gets parents away from the dreaded task of playing Snakes and Ladders or Candyland over and over (and over... I got into board games when my kids were little simply because I couldn’t handle the thought of playing Candyland once again lol). My favorite go-tos for younger kiddos have been Dragonwood (collect suites of cards and roll dice to win monster cards and victory points--bonus, it’s math practice!) and Escape From Dinosaur Island (a co-operative game where you have to work together to collect dinosaurs and get them off an island before the island explodes...this one is simple enough that when my kids were 7 & 4, they could play it on their own once they knew the rules.)
Now that my oldest is 10, we’ve been venturing into more complex games that take much longer to play (and set up.) Current running favorites are co-ops King of Monster Island and Pandemic (been sticking to more co-ops lately as my youngest is still learning how to lose gracefully.)
And of course, since I am an avid D&D player and host games twice monthly at my house, both of my kids are champing at the bit to get their own dice and character sheets. That one takes a bit more prep work, but I’m hoping to carve out time to start a game with them soon!
This is a great list, Dixie. Thank you for including that some teen girls will also enjoy the multitool and boys might enjoy the cooking implements. My older LOVES baking/cooking/food prep of any kind. And when I was a teen, I have picked Star Wars over makeup and perfume every time. Still might! People are diverse in their interests. :)
I have a few little boys for whom I buy Christmas presents each year (two are young cousins and one is a good friend's baby), so this list was very helpful! I don't have much experience giving gifts to boys, because I don't have any brothers, so I learned a lot from your article.
One helpful place that I've found is Kiwi Co. They have different crates covering a variety of interests (arts and crafts, science, baking, etc.) for all different ages. If I'm stumped on what to give a youngster, I usually go to Kiwi's website and see what they have. Just wanted to share it in case anyone else may be interested!
The spinning, the spinning! We've had spinny chairs for the kids' vestibular purposes but the disc is most effective for the little ones. I bet your boys would love it!
I love Willa Cather. She is one of my favorite authors!
Love the book suggestions! I almost always give books (former teacher here) and usually use the booklists for each age level from Read Aloud Revival as a jumping-off point.
Great ideas here! We are big fans of giving books and trying to give ones that they will actually enjoy rather than “should” enjoy. What a great idea to pair it with junk food, too.
Have you read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," Kerri? One of the scenes in it that really sticks for me is the main character, Francie, reading outside on the fire escape while eating peppermint candies and drinking ice water. Now, that's how to read!!
Oh my goodness, Dixie, my 10yo is currently very into both electronics and clay (inspired by Tasha Tudor, he just made clay-and-paper-clip marionettes for a St. George and the Dragon Christmas puppet show) and has a birthday coming up this spring, and now I am all set! Ha, thank you!
Ha - you had me laughing at this: "Young men in high school like black stuff, leather stuff, and canvas stuff, depending on their personalities. They also like very stupid socks and strange T-shirts with yetis on them." Great concrete ideas you share! We often use birthdays for buying "extensions" for their hobbies such as electronics replacement parts for RC planes. new pellets for their airsoft, a few more months on the rock climbing pass, whittling tools, watch repair kits, and the ever expensive role-playing game books. My daughter (18) has been especially thankful for Starbucks giftcards, because she likes to go with her friends but loathes spending the extra money.
And of course books and stationary are always a hit too :)
Thanks for this fun start to the day!
Regarding the yeti T-shirts, guess what 100%, honest to goodness happened right after I sent this piece to the Arena? My husband walked into the kitchen wearing a new T-shirt that he had gotten as a free gift after giving blood to the Red Cross, and it *had a giant Yeti on it.*
I am *not kidding.*
Extension gifts -- that's super smart. I actually almost put pocket knives on there but I worried about people thinking I was endorsing them too young! So I went for the wallet Ninja.
If your teens like role playing game books, they would definitely enjoy the LOTR board game and the Sherlock Holmes game!
Gift cards...YES. Gift cards that give them an experience, like coffee with friends!
Haha - so funny! Coming from Switzerland where pocket knives are given to children in kindergarten (with proper instruction and a reminder to use a bandaid when necessary), pocket knives are a must :) There is actually a LOTR role playing game called "The Ring" that my son was leading last year - many hours of great storytelling fun...
Totally hear you about pocket knives. Better to teach children to use tools than to make them off limits.
A pocket knife is on my personal gift list... for myself. haha
(I was gifted one back in junior high or high school and don't know what happened to it!)
It's actually super handy to have one in your pocket as a mom!!
What a great list! I need to save this! Thanks Dixie
Thanks, Marie! If you see a tween with a volleyball at the park, that's my daughter! ;)
So funny: my middle school
Aged daughter has gotten or already has everything on your list recently, right down to the volleyball set. And lots of sweet smelling lotion. She also loves squish mallows and sleeps with four of them.
Water bottles/ cups are very important right now and they have to be Stanleys. Just yesterday it was hydro flasks and tomorrow it will be something else.
And my high school aged daughter loves chocolate truffles!
Squishmallows! Yes! What is it about these??
And they're so cheap at Costco...
Although for my daughter is has to be name brand squishmallows. Knock offs won’t do. 🙄 Fortunately for her the friends who came to her birthday gave her several ….
The fads are so very particular!!
Also: my 8 yr old little guy loves his circuit set (doesn’t have the clay one though) and recently went through a big paper airplane making phase. He Tried starting up A business selling them to his classmates at school until
The teacher out the kabosh on that!
He also loves building sets like Lego and K’nex and marble runs.
Yes! Construction/creation toys are so amazing. My son has some snap circuits (I think that's what they're called?) that he has enjoyed, but I think that Legos and marble runs and the like have been even more lasting. Everyone plays with them. All the time.
There was a little boy selling Klutz paper airplanes at the parish craft fair this year! They were very popular!
Also, did you enjoy your cameo in this post?
Yes! I was wondering if that was me!
I’m seeing a trend of not opening presents at kids’ parties. The advantage is there’s not the comparison issue. But I think kids like seeing their gift opened and appreciated by the recipient.
I really do think it's part of the fun to have presents and open presents. But it's good to honor whatever that particular family decides to do.
I'm just saddened when people don't want to do gifts because they're worried it seems greedy. I don't want to encourage excess, of course, but I also don't want these little traditions of celebration to dissappear.
Also, it helps children learn how to receive gifts graciously.
I and my friends are huge into board games, so I always like gifting board games to kids. For one, it gets parents away from the dreaded task of playing Snakes and Ladders or Candyland over and over (and over... I got into board games when my kids were little simply because I couldn’t handle the thought of playing Candyland once again lol). My favorite go-tos for younger kiddos have been Dragonwood (collect suites of cards and roll dice to win monster cards and victory points--bonus, it’s math practice!) and Escape From Dinosaur Island (a co-operative game where you have to work together to collect dinosaurs and get them off an island before the island explodes...this one is simple enough that when my kids were 7 & 4, they could play it on their own once they knew the rules.)
Now that my oldest is 10, we’ve been venturing into more complex games that take much longer to play (and set up.) Current running favorites are co-ops King of Monster Island and Pandemic (been sticking to more co-ops lately as my youngest is still learning how to lose gracefully.)
And of course, since I am an avid D&D player and host games twice monthly at my house, both of my kids are champing at the bit to get their own dice and character sheets. That one takes a bit more prep work, but I’m hoping to carve out time to start a game with them soon!
Those games sound fun! Escape From Dinosaur Island sounds kind of like Forbidden Island, which is a co-operative game that my kids enjoy.
From what I understand, it’s quite similar! Forbidden Island is one I have on my list of games to buy.
This is a great list, Dixie. Thank you for including that some teen girls will also enjoy the multitool and boys might enjoy the cooking implements. My older LOVES baking/cooking/food prep of any kind. And when I was a teen, I have picked Star Wars over makeup and perfume every time. Still might! People are diverse in their interests. :)
Indeed! And everyone should have the ability to open a bottle or tighten a screw or bake some biscuits. These are basic life skills!
I have a few little boys for whom I buy Christmas presents each year (two are young cousins and one is a good friend's baby), so this list was very helpful! I don't have much experience giving gifts to boys, because I don't have any brothers, so I learned a lot from your article.
One helpful place that I've found is Kiwi Co. They have different crates covering a variety of interests (arts and crafts, science, baking, etc.) for all different ages. If I'm stumped on what to give a youngster, I usually go to Kiwi's website and see what they have. Just wanted to share it in case anyone else may be interested!
I've heard of "crate" subscriptions like Kiwi Co.! They sounds really fun.
That balance disc!! Gonna put that one the list for our boys.
Also, I discovered Willa Cather in the last few years.... love that you put her novels on this list.
The spinning, the spinning! We've had spinny chairs for the kids' vestibular purposes but the disc is most effective for the little ones. I bet your boys would love it!
I love Willa Cather. She is one of my favorite authors!
Love the book suggestions! I almost always give books (former teacher here) and usually use the booklists for each age level from Read Aloud Revival as a jumping-off point.
I love giving books, too! You've got to know your audience, though...sometimes they need a book AND the Oreos.
I love their book lists! So helpful!
Great ideas here! We are big fans of giving books and trying to give ones that they will actually enjoy rather than “should” enjoy. What a great idea to pair it with junk food, too.
Snacks always help!
Have you read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," Kerri? One of the scenes in it that really sticks for me is the main character, Francie, reading outside on the fire escape while eating peppermint candies and drinking ice water. Now, that's how to read!!
You mentioned it recently and guess what arrived in the mail today? :) I’m looking forward to reading it, maybe even with some treats before Lent!
Oh, Kerri, I would love to hear your thoughts on it when you finish it. It's a unique coming of age story. Let's follow up via e-mail!
Sounds great!
Oh my goodness, Dixie, my 10yo is currently very into both electronics and clay (inspired by Tasha Tudor, he just made clay-and-paper-clip marionettes for a St. George and the Dragon Christmas puppet show) and has a birthday coming up this spring, and now I am all set! Ha, thank you!
Oh, hurray! I hope he loves his presents!!