Best Teen Gifts and stocking stuffers!

It can be SO hard to pick out teen gifts! Whether your teen is trendy, sporty, preppy, emo, or into art, theatre, music, school – or a mix of the above, we’ve got a teen gift guide for you! 

If some of these items seem like a throwback to your middle or high school days, that’s not an accident – it’s a THING. All trends come back around, and we are back in the 90’s right now!

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Check out our Teen Gift List on Amazon for these options and MANY more!

Favorite Teen Gifts: Gift Cards

ALL of the Cards. Gift cards may be what they want the most. They love having the independence to be able to choose how to spend their “free” money.

• Gas cards
• Gift cards: stores, restaurants, fast food
• iTunes gift cards

Tech Gifts for Teens

Tech Gifts tend to be the more expensive options, but chances are your teen or preteen has one to four of these on his or her list. They would likely be happy to receive one of these bigger gifts or a gift card toward one of these, instead of a bunch of little gifts.

Headphones

Need more guidance? Check out this PC Magazine article for the best options at various price points. 

More tech

Instant Cameras and Portable Photo Printers

Even though teens have cellphones and share their lives online, they still love to have pictures of friends to hang in their rooms. Grab them a camera that prints, or a photo printer to use with their phones!

Video games and accessories

If your child is a gamer, they likely want another game system, accessories for their favorite system, or gift cards toward online gaming.

Phone accessories

New phone cases, phone grips, cell phone holders, portable chargers, charging stands, and other cellphone accessories are always a great gift for teens.

Bluetooth speaker

Active fun

Teen gifts for Home

Mini fridge 

Not sure what a teen needs to keep in a mini fridge, but they want them!

Board games and books

They may have access to everything electronic and online these days, but teens still love playing board games! This is good! They will interact face-to-face with others! Buy them ALL the board games!

Record Player and vinyl albums 

They never actually went out of style, and they are back in style with teenagers now! Bluetooth enabled record players offer the best of both – listen to vinyl, or music streaming from your phone!

Water bottles

Move over Hydroflask…. Stanley has become THE water bottle to have. And there are about a billion accessory options to jazz up Stanley. Owala bottles are now popular too!

Shashibo

These cubes are awesome! They also serve as decor in their rooms

Tool Set

It may not be what they “want”, but every young adult needs a toolbox (and needs to know how to use it!). My dad bought this toolbox for me when I moved away from home and it has basically every manual tool I’ve needed in 20 years.

Even though we now have a larger collection of tools at our house, this set is kept under the sink and is the most used. The best part is that since the tools all have pink on them, my husband can’t steal them and claim them as his!

It comes multiple colors, including blue or pink, and red or orange. Ladies, get one for under your sink as well!

Clothing and Accessories for Teen Gifts

Shoes

Nikes are back on top (if they ever left). Dunks, Blazers, Court Borough, Jordans, Daybreaks, runners….there’s a style for everyone. Grab some crew-length socks too, because no-shows are out!

Other popular choices are classics: Chuck Taylors, Crocs, and Uggs

Clothing

You know your kids style – just go with the most recent thing they’ve asked you for or bought themselves. Anything lululemon, Aerie, abercrombie, Madewell, Zara, are likely to be hits. Oversized and/or cropped is in. Big sweatpants…big jeans…just think about the 90’s

Sherpa pull-overs They’ll be cozy in a Sherpa pullover. I love the neckline on this one! College sweatshirts are also a good choice.

College Sweatshirts 

Shop local

Homage is a great place to buy the softest t-shirts, and their designs are nearly unlimited. Order online or stop in at one of the stores. There are so many options, and their t-shirts are so, so soft.  From sports, pop culture, colleges, and city themes (and so much more), you’ll find something for everyone.

Masculine jewelry

Lots of teen boys and girls are wearing masculine chains and bracelets.

Teen Gifts: Personal Care

Gear/gadgets

Scents

SOL DE JANEIRO Hair & Body Fragrance Mist is THE popular scent for teens right now.

Skincare and beauty

Makeup

Hobby gifts

Whatever they are into will always make a great gift. Art, music, sports, video games, cosplay, books – go with what they know, and what you know they love.

Experiences!

Movie Tickets: Pick a theatre nearby for them to enjoy a movie or two.  Don’t forget about great local theaters such as Studio 35, Drexel, and Grandview Theatre. Theatre rental has become a popular option for small groups of family/friends – and it’s fairly affordable!

Concert Tickets: Music lovers would be thrilled with tickets to see a great concert. While concerts may not be in person for the next year, there are virtual concert tickets and drive-in concerts that you can gift.

Sports tickets: There are plenty of sporting events around the city, including Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Clippers (very affordable), Columbus Crew, Ohio Roller Derby, and all Ohio State sports. Attending sporting events are going to be determined on a season by season basis for the next year, so we’d stick to some favorite team sports gear and a promise for when it’s safe to attend.

ZipZone Tours: This adventure destination features hands free, guided zip line tour in the treetops at Camp Mary Orton in North Columbus.  There are a variety of adventure options to choose from, including ziplines and climbing, and they even offer a kid-friendly tour for ages 4-7. They will be offering holiday specials on gift cards for a limited time.

Painting classes: Studios include Wine & Canvas, The Party Studio, Studio 614, Color Me Mine and more. 

Escape Rooms in Columbus: The Chamber Escape Room, Trapped Columbus, Room Escape Columbus, Lockology Columbus Escape Room, and more – if you have any to recommend, I’d love to add them to the list! 

Trampoline and Bounce Parks: Get Air Columbus, Sky Zone, Rockin Jump, and more.

Games and Fun: Arcade and game entertainment bars are IN right now in Columbus! Grab a gift card for 16-Bit Bar & Arcade or Pins Mechanical, and give them the gift of fun! Both have locations in Columbus and Dublin, and offer select times that 21 and under can also play (varies for each location), so it’s a gift that’s good for all ages!

Classes and Lessons: Whatever your recipients’ interests are, there’s a class for that around Columbus.  Fitness, painting, sports, glass blowing, photography, writing, cooking, sewing and crafts, cake decorating, home improvement, self defense…the options are nearly limitless and impossible for me to list. 

Do an internet search for the “desired activity + local area”, or check local community centers, and you’re sure to find a few choices.  Great options for kids are gymnastics, piano, acting, cooking, swimming, and whatever else their little hearts will enjoy.

Local season pass gift ideas

Many attractions offer season pass deals during the holiday season. Buy pool passes now (often at a discount) for your teen to use in the summer.

Zoombezi Bay: Any water park lover will be thrilled with a season pass to Zoombezi Bay.  Passes include admission to The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and other benefits.

COSI:  There’s never enough time to enjoy all of COSI in a day, so a membership is a perfect way for loved ones to enjoy all of the traveling exhibits, Giant Screen Movies, Planetarium, and all of the regular COSI fun.  While COSI is more geared towards families and kids of all ages, there’s fun to be had for any science lover.

Local outdoor swimming pool: While these memberships are only valid for several months of the year, they pay off big time during the hot summer days.  Many local pools offer early bird discounts on memberships, so Christmas is the perfect time to buy.

Community Center membership: Community centers offer so many benefits for individuals or families. From fitness, hobby classes, sports, events, and even indoor swimming pools, its a membership that can be used all year. 

Mad River Mountain Ski Resort: If your recipient loves skiing pr snowboarding, Mad River Mountain is just a short drive away and is great for when they only have a few hours to ski and for practice before big ski trips.

Kings Island Season Pass or Tickets: Just over an hour away, they can get lots of use for it during the operating season, and they can even use the pass for Kings Island Winterfest through the holidays!

Check out our Teen Gift List on Amazon for these options and MANY more!

Give us more ideas!

What else is on your teen’s Christmas list? Leave a comment!

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Last update on 2025-05-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API