2014 Holiday Shopping Guide for Teen Boys

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Do you know who is harder to shop for than teen girls? You guessed it…teen boys. Or maybe it’s just that I can relate more to what a girl would want than what a boy would want? In any case, with the help of my two teen boys and their friends, I put together a 2014 Holiday Shopping Guide for Teen Boys.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems like the majority of teen boys are largely into all things electronics. So buying things like that is pretty easy…if it’s the newest & the latest, they want it.  But what else do they like? Sometimes it can be a mystery, but the list below can help with some non-electronic gift ideas.

 

2014 Holiday Shopping Guide for Teen Boys

Toys

Have you heard of Kendama or a Diabolo? These old world toys are the new trending toy for the tween age group and if you haven’t heard of them, let me get you up to speed.

• The Kendama is a wooden toy from Japan. It consists for the “ken” or  sword, which is the main body of the toy and the “tama” or ball portion that sits on a spike. To play, one needs to try to juggle the ball between cups, land the ball on the spike, or use the ball and flip the ken portion around to balance it on the ball. This game started really getting popular outside of Japan in 2006 when KendamaUSA and the British Kendama Association were formed. Now, there are worldwide tournaments for this game.
• The Diabolo is another old world toy that evolved from the Chinese yo-yo. For this toy, you have string that is attached to two hand sticks and a disc. To play, you balance the disc on the string and move it back and forth to generate speed. When enough speed is generated, you can perform multiple tossing, balancing, and multi disc tricks. I will say that because this toy’s disc is being flipped around in the air, the potential for getting hit or hurt with it is higher than with the Kendama 🙂

I am surprised that actual toys made it on this list. I mean, any non-electronic toy that gets the attention of my boys is a good thing in my book.  These toys are also very reasonably priced and you can find them for around $16 – $25 or you can spend more for pro/special edition ones. If you want to learn more about these toys, check out these videos from Youtube.

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Sporting Goods

Some other non-electronic gifts are sports gear items. Both my boys would love anything do with soccer, especially shoes and new balls. So if you have a teen that is into a particular sport, try getting them some new sports gear. My boys said new shoes are always a great gift or items with their favorite team logos on them.

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Apparel & Accessories

Apparel is another great gift for teen boys. I know it can be hard to pick out clothing for teens since they are so picky, but here are a few ideas. Both of my boys wear the typical tee, shorts, or jeans to school on a daily basis. My high schooler is more into his “look” than my middle school son, so most of these picks are his suggestions.

My oldest son likes button down shirts, hoodies, tees, shorts, and slim straight jeans. My younger son likes similar things, but minus the button down shirts because he is more concerned with comfort than looks.  Of course, they both like soft hoodie jackets and live in pajama bottoms at home, so those items would definitely be great gifts and will probably get a lot of use too.

Accessories  and shoes can be nice gifts or stocking stuffers too -backpacks, belts, sunglasses, watches, shoes, and hats were items suggested by the boys and their friends. The first two backpacks were chosen by my oldest son and the last one was from my younger son. You can see they have totally different tastes. My oldest son prefers clean lines and a sleeker look, while my youngest likes a sporty look.

Shoes are no different. The top two choices are something my oldest son would wear and the last is something my youngest son would wear. Can you tell that my youngest son still loves to run around and play?

Honestly, my youngest son could care less about the accessories and these were picked out by my oldest son and his friends, who are all seniors in high school. I think they’re more into dressing up and impressing the girls than my younger son 🙂

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Gaming Items

If you’re not planning to buy a new game system, how about some gift cards? You can purchase gift cards to use on their current gaming systems to buy extra game packs, games, and more. You can even buy gift cards for online games they play too (my sons love League of Legends). If all else fails, a good ole’ gift card can be used to purchase whatever item they desire. Many of these gift cards can be purchased online and in most stores that sell video games.

I hope you found this list helpful and it helps with some gift giving ideas for teen boys. What’s on your teen boy’s wishlist?