Gift Guide by Age
The Best Gifts for 12 Year Olds
Twelve is about doing things properly. Real art supplies rather than kids’ versions, headphones with a brand they’ve picked out, builds that end in something worth displaying. They’d rather have one good thing than three fine ones.
What to look for at this age
Each category links through to the same Amazon list, so you can browse by what you’re after rather than scrolling all of it.
Audio & Headphones
Almost always the top of the list at twelve. Brand matters more than you’d like it to.
Cameras & Instant Print
Photos they can stick on a wall. The printer is the sleeper hit here, because it works with the phone they already use.
Gaming
The big-ticket item. Worth agreeing on before it’s wrapped.
Art Supplies That Feel Grown-Up
A proper marker set is a genuinely great twelve-year-old gift, and it lasts for years.
Big LEGO Builds
A serious multi-evening build with a display model at the end.
Everyday Carry
The unglamorous gifts that get used every day of the school year.
From the 7 Days of Play shop
The things we make ourselves, picked for this age.
Shopping for another age?
Every age from newborn to eighteen has its own guide and its own Amazon list.
A note on links: 7 Days of Play is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something — at no extra cost to you. I only list things I’d put in my own house.