Holiday Gift Guide for Tweens and Teens (Kids Age 9-16)

I rounded up the best gift ideas for kids age 9 to 16 in my ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for tweens and teens.

Shopping for kids in the 9 to 15 age range is kind of hard. The youngest tweens are starting to lose interest in toys. The oldest ones are thinking about cars and college. At this age, the best way to find out what your child or grandchild wants for Christmas is simply to ask.

Of course, when I ask my own kids (age 12 and 15 when this post was originally published) their answers are both “I dunno” so I need to get creative. For middle and high school kids, a lot of the best gifts are things they can do, eat, or wear. And you can’t go wrong with a gift card.

Gift ideas for tweens and teens

Kigurumi onesie

My oldest will do anything for a cozy blanket or pajamas and Kigurumi is the best of both worlds! The one-piece jumpsuit is made of the softest material, perfect for lounging around the house all day, cozy evening attire, or even wearing to Comic-Con.

Kigurumi is a Japanese-style outfit that resembles a stuffed toy that looks like everything from pets and wild animals to Pokémon and other fictional characters. We tried the black cat. Each one is really detailed, with ears and tails and faces on the hood. The front has snaps and two big pockets.

This is the perfect gift for kids in a wide age range because it’s one size fits all (although they do have extra-tall too) and there is plenty of room to grow. Shop Kigurumi on Amazon.

Diamond Art Club

Diamond Art Club is a blend of a puzzle and a craft kit. Each kit comes with a fabric design, bags of tiny rhinestones, and an applicator. The process is simple. The fabric design has tiny numbers that correspond to the rhinestones, like a color-by-number. Use the applicator to dip in the wax and pick up a diamond, then place it on the fabric. Once the kit is complete, you can frame and hang the artwork.

We tried the dreamcatcher wolf design, but there are dozens of different designs that fit every interest. My child worked on it for a few hours here and there for several weeks and hasn’t completed it yet. While it takes a long time to complete, it’s nice to have a project to work on little by little.

Browse all the Diamond Art Club kits; there are new ones added regularly.

3Doodler Create+

As soon as my son tried a 3D pen during the STEM Night as his school, he added it to his wish list. The 3Doodler is a handheld pen that extrudes plastic to essentially 3D print anything you can draw. There are over 70 colors to choose from, plus wood and metal.

We tried the 3Doodler Create+, which is perfect for teens and adults. (There is also a 3Doodler Basic for younger kids, but we haven’t tried it.)

The Create+ works with a wide range of plastic. It heats quickly and the extruded plastic cools just as fast. Although the tip of the pen does get hot, the main section does not, so safety is not a big concern for teens. When turned on, the pen vibrates slightly and makes a humming noise.

While it definitely took some practice before making our 3D snowflakes, this is a fun and challenging tool that my son will enjoy for a long time.

There are tons of different types of material you can use, and kits to create specific items like Pokemon characters, Star Trek ships, jewelry, and engineering projects.

Vex Robotics STEM Kits

My son has several Vex Robotics STEM Kits that he has played with for over a year. The kits are very detailed and combine science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

We have the VEX Robotic Arm, the VEX Robotics SwitchGrip Ball Shooter, and the VEX Robotics Crossfire Airplane Launcher.

Each comes with detailed instructions on how to assemble and use the kits, but are also versatile enough that kids can use the parts to design their own projects too.

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Kits

LEGO is one of my favorite toys for all ages because it’s durable, easy to clean, and all LEGO pieces can work together. The LEGO Creator kits are really perfect for tweens and teens.

Somewhere between the basic kits for younger kids and the really detailed kits for adults, the 3-in-1 kits are fun for building and rebuilding over and over. They include instructions for three different projects to build with a single kit, but also inspire creativity to build original ideas too.

We have the Changing Seasons building kit, the Modular Family Villa building kit, and the LEGO Creator Treehouse.

Rolling Organizer Cart

My oldest loves this rainbow rolling cart for organizing art supplies. It would also be great for LEGO or another hobby/collection.

Sprinkles

My family absolutely loves sprinkles from Sprinkle Pop. We discovered them a few years ago and now they’re our go-to for birthdays and holidays. My oldest does a lot of baking, so I like to put sprinkles in their stockings.

They even have a gingerbread house kit!

Headphones

My kids go through earbuds like water cups. If you’re looking for a good pair of headphones, these iJoy headphones are pretty durable. They will wear out faster if your child often falls asleep wearing them, but the sound quality is good.

They can be used with a cord or via Bluetooth (but not on Bluetooth and WiFi at the same time). There’s also a built-in microphone for gaming and phone calls.

Books

If your child enjoys reading, odds are that they have a pretty big library. If you’re looking for fun books that they might not have read yet, I have an entire post dedicated to middle-grade books.

Perhaps the thing I love best about all of the items in this holiday gift guide for tweens is this: most of these items will grow with your child for many years. You may have felt like for years you were purchasing toys that your child would lose interest in within a year or two. But these gifts for older kids will be enjoyed much longer.

What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:

• Printable Holiday Gift Planner
• Winter Family Bucket List Printable
• Everything You Need to Know About Parenting Teens