35 Christmas Gifts for 12-Year-Old Boys

A curfew of his own is easier to keep with the time right on his wrist.

The Timex Weekender pairs a plain gray dial with a gray and orange cloth strap, and when the streetlights flick on, one look tells him whether to start pedaling home.

Rap verses fly by fast, and the lines he's trying to memorize get drowned out in a busy house.

Beats Studio Pro headphones cancel that noise so the words come through clean, and since they're wireless, they follow him from room to room without a cord to snag.

Link's shield is Zelda gear he'd recognize anywhere, and that's the fun of this metal Hanayama version: knowing the shape gives away nothing about the trick hiding in it.

Working it out can take more than one bus ride home, and a friend or two will want a turn.

Detective shows rarely fool him; he calls the twist before the reveal.

An EXIT game puts those hunches to work, and here they decide whether the family escapes The Sinister Mansion. On Christmas Eve, he plays host, reading each clue aloud and handing his parents the riddles he wants help with.

Akai Professional's MPK Mini Play MK3 gives a budding producer real keys for his beats.

He works out a melody by ear, then builds a beat underneath it. After homework, the keyboard waits on his desk for the next idea he wants to save.

In PC shooters, aim comes down to quick flicks of the wrist, and the Razer Orochi V2 weighs so little that his hand barely notices it.

It's wireless and runs a very long time between battery swaps, handy for marathon Saturdays with his online squad.

Your gift for a boy whose friends sit waiting for a turn on his console could be this pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers.

He would rather have a buddy beside him in the action than an audience behind him on the couch. The extra set waits in a drawer under the TV for whoever comes over next.

Long before his favorite series, there was Atari, and this My Arcade console holds a large library of those classic games.

Its wireless joysticks let whoever's on the couch take player two.

JBL's noise-canceling headphones give a preteen gamer a full-size, over-ear pair instead of a kids' headset.

Switch on noise canceling and the TV downstairs fades while he works through a tough level. Afterward, the same pair handles his music and the shows he streams.

Footage shot from high up fits the kid filming every jump his friends make on their bikes.

His phone only records at eye level, and this DJI drone lets him match the edits he watches online. The finished edit, his whole crew seen from high up, gets sent to everyone in it.

If the boy you're buying for runs the music whenever friends come over, a Bose SoundLink Max puts his playlists out loud.

He trades new tracks with friends all the time now, and a shared sound beats passing earbuds back and forth.

The GiiKER Super Slide hands a puzzle-loving preteen a sliding block challenge to work through solo.

He plans several moves ahead, nudging pieces aside until the key block finally reaches its spot. During long car rides, he keeps sliding pieces until a stubborn layout gives way.

Block-by-block planning is how he builds in Minecraft, and this ThinkFun puzzle asks for the same kind of thinking.

Its challenges make him think a few moves ahead, away from a screen for once. Since it's magnetic, nothing slides loose on the way to practice or during a long wait at the dentist's office.

Ravensburger's Porsche 911 R puzzle lets a car spotter build the coupe he points out in parking lots.

It's a 3D puzzle, so the shape he knows from a distance rises off the table as he works, and the finished car earns a spot on his shelf.

WobbleBall Marble Balance works for a boy who would rather outlast his friends with a still hand than quick reflexes.

He likes games where pressure creeps up slowly, and every careful move raises the stakes for whoever goes next. His running tally of wins, scribbled on a scrap of paper, stays tucked in the box for the next challenge.

Cutthroat rounds of UNO are ideal for a competitor who never lets a rival off easy at the family table.

He knows the regular rules by heart, so this No Mercy edition gives his ruthless streak harsher turns to exploit. The deck stays out for the rematch somebody always demands.

This silly matchup card game is made for a 12-year-old with a talent for winning arguments.

Players stack mod cards onto funny items, then make the case for whose combo wins. It comes out at the table whenever cousins want a quick round.

Monopoly Deal puts a deck of property deals in the hands of a 12-year-old haggler.

He can talk an uncle out of a property, then strike when nobody expects it. Over the Christmas break, the cards come out between visits and big meals.

Hasbro Gaming's Risk gives a patient preteen strategist a classic territory game that takes real planning.

He thinks several turns ahead in every game, and on this board each move depends on that habit. Over winter break, he can set up the board and take on his parents and siblings.

This block puzzle board game gives a pattern-spotting preteen a reason to call relatives to the table.

He works out where each colored block goes, then passes the next challenge to whoever sits nearby. The box can stay out over winter break for another round.

This metal wire puzzle set hands a knot-loving 12-year-old plenty of tangles to pull apart and put back together.

A solving guide comes along for the stubborn ones. He can slip a puzzle in a pocket and keep fiddling between homework and dinner.

Each wire teaser hides its trick in plain sight, a stubborn knot for a solver who never peeks at answers.

After Christmas dinner, the whole set goes around the table, and he hangs on to whichever knot nobody else can crack.

Starlux Games Redux is a glow-in-the-dark base raid for a boy with a crowd of friends.

He loves dividing friends into sides and planning the sneak across, so this version lets the chase run after sundown. Over the holidays, visiting cousins can make up the rival crew.

This Franklin Sports set turns the dining room into a court for a boy hooked on settling every argument head-to-head.

He wants contests won on reflexes, not luck, and each point against a parent or sibling rests on his wrist. The Table Tennis To Go kit clears off after the deciding point, freeing the table for the next meal.

This laser tag set with matching vests lets a 12-year-old split friends into teams and battle in the yard.

Each vest and blaster shows lives, so everyone can see who is still in. Neighborhood games stretch out until dinner.

On the basement floor, a boy who always asks why gadgets behave as they do can piece together a coaster.

He has moved past kits with only one right answer, and here he can find out why a steep hill comes up short. He can leave the track standing overnight and rework its weakest stretch the next morning.

At the kitchen table on a quiet Sunday, a 12-year-old who pries apart old remotes can wire up a circuit himself.

Opening a remote only shows him the pieces; the SC-300 gives him parts to connect and see what each does.

This plasma globe suits a 12-year-old curious about how electricity works.

He rests his fingertips on the glass and watches the light bolts follow his hand. It sits on his desk, ready whenever a friend wants to see it.

Kirby is the draw here, so pick this Otamatone Deluxe only if the pink puffball still gets a grin out of him.

If he'd rather skip the cartoon face, the plain white Otamatone does the same goofy tricks. For a fan, it doubles as a desk mascot that plays a song when homework stalls.

This mini keyboard controller suits a 12-year-old who wants to make beats on a computer.

He can tap drum parts on the pads, then play a melody over them with the keys.

Bone: Out from Boneville gives a twelve-year-old comics reader a series to start at the very beginning.

It is rated for ages 11 and up, so it fits his age well. Over winter break, he can read it in long stretches on the couch.

The Harry Potter Books 1-7 Special Edition Boxed Set makes a Christmas gift for a preteen reader.

He can start on Christmas afternoon and keep reading through the break. Each finished volume slides back into the case beside the rest.