20 Gifts for Tweens Under $30
Looking for the best Christmas gifts for tweens this holiday season? We have you covered with this Tweens Gift Guide — which includes gifts for tween girls, gifts for tween boys, and stocking stuffers for tweens that are all under $30 to help you stick to your gift budget!
Silas and Kaitlynn had a blast helping to choose ideas for this gift guide. I hope that their selections of things they and their friends love will give you some great suggestions for gifts that might work well for your tweens, too! -Crystal
Pre-teens can be kind of difficult to buy for! But this list of gifts for tweens will give you lots of fun and budget-friendly ideas to pick from!
Gifts for Tween Girls
These are Kaitlynn’s favorite picks! (But many of these would probably work for boys OR girls!)
1. Bath & Body Works Fragrance Spray — My girls love these. They have so many different scents and Bath & Body Works is often offering fantastic deals — especially if you buy multiples. Sign up for their email list to be notified of when their best sales are.
2. Bath Bombs — You can make your own or purchase a set like this from Amazon. {These would make a great stocking stuffer gift, too, if you have multiple tween girls to buy gifts for. You could put one or two in cute little bags with a ribbon.}
3. Scrunchies — You’ve probably heard that scrunchies are back in style and our girls can’t get enough of them! {Again, these would make fun stocking stuffers or get an entire set for the girl who loves to wear lots of different colors! Psst! It’s pretty easy to sew scrunchies if you have basic sewing skills.}
4. Letterboard — These are such a great way to display a tween girls’ personality and originality. Best of all, Letterboards now come in many different colors and styles.
5. PopSocket — The girls cannot figure out how I manage to have a phone without a PopSocket on it. Just call me old-fashioned! They adore PopSockets and there are so many cute and fun ones to choose from. This one is a favorite of Kaitlynn’s.
6. Craft Kits — Most tween girls love creating, so a craft kit is usually the perfect idea and something they’ll spend hours enjoying. Plus, if it’s something they can display in their room or wear after they make it, they’ll get even more fulfillment from it!
7. Twinkle Lights — You just can’t go wrong with Twinkle Lights — and there are so many fun uses for them. Kaitlynn is often rearranging her room and coming up with some new way to display her twinkle lights!
Gifts for Tween Boys
These are Silas’ favorite picks! (But many of these would probably work for boys OR girls!)
8. Nerf Toys — When I asked Silas to help me put together some gift ideas for tween boys, he literally picked out 7 different Nerf Toys to include on the list! Suffice it to say, these are a big hit with him and his friends. And it seems like you just can never have too many Nerf Toys, according to him!
9. Sports Pillow — Silas has a football pillow he got last year that he uses as room decor — and to sleep with. In fact, he brings it on every trip! There are pillows for just about every team under the sun.
10. LEGO Kits — There are SO many different LEGO kits to choose from and there’s practically something for everyone. This LEGO Movie Kit is a fun twist combining stop motion film plus LEGO design.
11. 3D Maze Game — These are so much fun, not just for boys, but for adults, too! If you have a son who loves to solve puzzles or be challenged, this might be a great gift idea!
12. Catapults & Crossbows — This kit would be perfect for a tween boy who loves science and engineering and nerf guns. It’s kind of like building your own nerf gun!
13. Flag Football Set — Jesse bought the kids a flag football set a few years ago and it has been well-loved and well-used. A great gift for sports lovers and something the whole family can end up using!
14. Mini Basketball Hoop — Any boy who loves basketball will likely get hours of fun from a mini basketball hoop. Mount this on a door for lots of indoor entertainment. By the way, this Hamper Hoop is a unique twist on a mini basketball hoop — and it might actually get your tween to put his laundry in the hamper! 🙂
Stocking Stuffers for Tweens
15. eos Lip Balm — Kaitlynn loves eos lip balm and it’s such a practical and useful, but also cute and appreciated gift. Perfect for stocking stuffers!
16. Fuzzy Socks — What girl wouldn’t love fuzzy socks? I’m 38 and I still love them! Bonus points for tween girls if they have unicorns on them!
17. puravida bracelets — These bracelets are waterproof, handmade,and come in many different colors. They are so fun to mix and match!
18. Thinking Putty — This stuff is always a hit and it comes in so many different colors! (I personally think the Liquid Glass one is the coolest!)
19. Baseball Cards — You can never go wrong with baseball cards if you have a baseball lover at your house!
20. Cool Socks — Socks are such practical and useful Christmas gifts for tweens… and if they are cool-looking that makes them even better!
More Holiday Gift Guides
Looking for other budget-friendly holiday gift guides? Don’t miss these:
- Baby Gift Guide
- Board Games Gift Guide
- Beauty Gift Guide
- LEGO Gift Guide
- Outdoor Gift Guide
- Gluten-Free Gift Guide
- Little Boys Gift Guide
- Expectant Mothers Gift Guide
- Eco-Friendly Gift Guide
Psst! Be sure to sign up for our hot deals newsletter to make sure you don’t miss any of the hottest deals each day this holiday season!
Do you have any other fun ideas for Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers for tweens? Let us know in the comments!
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41 Comments
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Kristy A Tomashewski says:
First off, I second the Nerf guns – both my 11 and 8-year old love them! (And, yes, apparently you need like 20 different guns.) I would also look at the kiwico.com site for science and engineering kits. You can buy just one crate, and sometimes they have gift codes for the holidays. Also, I am thinking of getting my pre-teen boy (who is somewhat of a “maker”) a small 3-D printing pen. There are definitely some under $30. Finally, I feel like you can’t ever go wrong with books! My pre-teen is reading through the 39 Clues series right now.
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Jordan Wilson-Dalzell says:
Some great ideas! I wish they weren’t gendered tho. I know folks if all genders who’d love all of those. I got a nerf gun as a present one year and it was so much fun! And I have guy friends who love to craft or take baths (who doesn’t)
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Meg says:
So true! Thanks for that feedback! I know a lot of people asked us to divide them up by boys/girls categories — just to make it more helpful to come up with ideas. Glad you found these ideas helpful! 🙂 -Meg, MSM Team
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I totally agree with you that so many of these items would work well for either! We only gendered them because my kids picked out them out and I thought that might make it easier for relatives who would really have no ideas what they should give to their tweens on their list and maybe don’t know the tweens really well.
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Ginger says:
Thank you Kristy! Kiwico crates are half off and free shipping. I ordered one for my kid and one for the nephew;)
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Jen says:
Sorry. The list is really more like stuff my 15 yr old daughter wants. Pop sockets…No. My 9 yr old doesn’t have a phone and won’t for a long time. The only things she would like are the thinking putty and fuzzy socks.
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The tweens age range is typically defined as ages 10-13, so maybe this list is just for a slightly bit of an older age range than your daughter? I’m so glad you were able to find a few things that work for you, though! -Meg, MSM Team
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Kaitlynn is 12 and she’s fairly mature for her age… maybe because she has a sister who is almost 15 and hangs out with her and her friends a lot?? Anyway, like I said, she picked out the gifts and based upon the other 11, 12, and 13-year-olds I know and hang out with, they all love these things, too! But I know not every girl that age is into twinkle lights, bath bombs, and scrunchies, but the majority of the ones I know are so I loved the list she put together! I’m sorry it wasn’t helpful… I’m sure there are other lists out there that would be for younger girls that would be great for your daughter!
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Kris says:
Did you copy my Christmas list?!?! Just kidding, great minds think alike, I have scrunches, body spray, EOS lip balm, new jammies, lego books and the dork diary books on my 10 year old girl list, she’s also getting a Barbie that she asked for, I still have the Little girl for a bit longer 😊
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Sarah says:
I have never seen the 3D maze before. Really like that. I know some teens and adults that would be a good gift for. Thanks for the idea.
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I’m so glad this was helpful! That is a gift that I’ve seen teens and adults really love, too!
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Lindsay says:
As a 5th grade teacher, I can confirm that these gifts are perfect. My students are 10/11 years old and talk about many of these items. I feel like I could be an expert on VSCO girls.
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Teresa says:
Your kids both did such a great job making this list. Kudos to them! The thing I love about all these gifts is that they are quality–not just fluff/junk gifts. Excellent work!
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Christal says:
This list was super helpful. Many thanks to your kids for helping us out with gift ideas!
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Laura says:
We have four kids within this general age range and this list is right on the mark! Great job!! Our 10 year old son also really likes building with VEX kits. They are definitely more challenging than Legos (which he enjoys, as well). Our 12 year old daughter loves craft kids and has really enjoyed this type of sewing kit, in particular–Klutz sew mini kits.
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Dawn says:
Thank you for this list. My children are grown, but our church sponsors a toy store for the community and they always need gifts for the older children. This list gives me some ideas of the cool gifts for these ages.
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Jordan says:
You’re so welcome! They church toy store sounds like a great way to give back to the community! -Jordan, MSM Team
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Sheila says:
This list is on the mark for my teen and some items for my 11 yr old unfortunately they already have the items they like from it so still searching for ideas here.
Gotta be honest I don’t get bath bombs my kids loathe baths and I rarely hear of any that like or take them!
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These are great ideas, even some my 16yo would like and my 5yo dd. Thank you because honestly the tween teen years are tough to buy for. I think some of my kids other favorites were a trip to the salon for a mani/pedi date, movie tix and a few gift cards in their stockings experience gifts are still pretty good as they grow I just had to get creative. As always a great list and I love that you included the kids.
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Great ideas! Thank you for sharing! And I’m glad you found these ideas helpful!
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bdaiss says:
Definitely spot on ideas but I’d really like to see less gender stereotypes in these lists. Some boys like crafts, some girls like sports, some kids like both. (And my son is just as lost without a pop socket on his ipod as my daughter. :D)
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As I mentioned above, the only reason we chose to have them be by gender is because our kids chose them and I thought that would make it easiest for people who are buying gifts for a child they don’t know well at all (such as a distant relative, etc.) But absolutely, there is a LOT of overlap and many of these gifts would be GREAT for both boys and girls!
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Valerie says:
Crystal, I appreciate this list. I have a soon to be 17 yo daughter but I know there are somethings she would enjoy. (She doesn’t have a phone just an ipod) She is getting one in 2 wks only she doesn’t know it 😉
I think this would be great to have your children occasionally do. It will keep the list fresh I enjoy choosing gifts and these are some that would make great gifts for other ppl we exchange with. I also see things that we would get for the Salvation Army Angel Tree.
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Nancy says:
My son looooved his SKILZ basketball hoop. For years, he couldn’t walk by it without dunking on it. Hours and hours of fun, and the hoop stood up to heavy use. We’ve had a few other SKILZ products too, all good, and the company had great customer service the one time we had an issue. You may want to put a towel over the door to dampen the sound, but now that my son has outgrown it, I miss hearing that repetitive thunk!
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It’s so amazing the little things we look back on and miss! Thanks for sharing your experience! -Jordan, MSM Team
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April says:
Several ideas I added to my Amazon list for my 12yo(she’ll love the 3d puzzle and the thinking putty). These are definitely spot on for tweens!
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Pixie508 says:
I’d like to add Kanoodle (there are several versions now, original, genius, extreme, and one that just came out). All are under $15. My almost 9yo who loves puzzles atartedt with them at age 7, but since they travel well, we take them with us sometimes and my tween and teen cousins, as well as college aged and my aunts/uncles, and even my grandma have enjoyed it! So honestly they’re great ideas for anyone who loves a puzzle!
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Laurra says:
It has always been a challenge to think of things my younger teen children want for Christmas I did however have a few things that they had on their list that differs. Son wants headphones for gaming, led lights for his TV, sports attire, hats, cologne. My daughter led curtains, portable speaker, Samsung watch bands, face masks,special lange curling iron, vanity mirror, body pillow, and candles to set on her candle warmer. I know that some of these items were on here but some were not to help another parent with ideas.
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Nicole says:
These are some great ideas. I purchased Pop Sockets as stocking stuffers for both of my kids. They have a door deal on their website today.
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So glad you found some great ideas here! And thanks for the heads up on that sale. -Meg, MSM Team
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Christa 
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