Shopping for 11-year-olds is fun! At the tween age, they’re not little kids anymore but not yet ready for teenage gifts.
So what do you do? Have a great time shopping for cool things that go along with their interests. You can even find unique items to spark new interests. Here’s our list of great gifts for 11-year-olds.
While you’re less likely to be exclusively buying toys for 11 year olds, there is still plenty of fun to be had when shopping for your tween. We have 27 gift ideas that are winners in this awkward stage between childhood and their teenage years.
The Best Gift Ideas for 11-Year-Olds for 2023
1. Squishy Gummy Bear Light
What 11 year old doesn’t love gummy bears? Squeeze the tummy of one of these adorable gummy lamps, and the room fills up with matching soft, LED color. The Squishy Gummy Bear Light is sure to put a smile on any tween’s face.
2. Rock Tumbler
Rock Tumblers have been thrilling kids of all ages for decades. This one is noise-reducing, so parents won’t go insane.
The kit comes with a pound of nine gemstones from around the world to get your kid started. However, your kid no doubt has plenty of candidates for their rock tumbler already adorning their bookshelves, or they can find some outside in no time.
It also includes jewelry fastenings so that the end results are more than just a pretty rock.
3. Lego Creator Medieval Castle
Let your kid’s imagination soar with the Lego Creator Medieval Castle. This 1,426-piece set is sure to provide hours of building fun.
They can build the set in three different ways, and it includes a two-floor castle tower with hinged doors and a working catapult. In addition, there are three mini-figures, a water mill, a king’s room, and a prison.
4. Glow Battle
Bring out your tween’s inner ninja with Glow Battle, a ninja game with glow-in-the-dark foam swords. Kids can get friends and family together for organized battles with ten ways to play or dream up their own versions.
The foam swords are suitable for dimly lit indoor spaces or outdoors, too. They’re fun for youth groups, sleepovers, parties, or just anytime.
5. Super Mario 7 Days of Socks
This list would not be complete unless we included something for the 11-year-old gamer. They’ll love wearing their Super Mario Socks every day of the week when they fire up their games.
Featuring adorable art from Nintendo’s Super Mario world, these kooky socks are warm and cute. Your tween will love wearing them to school or just hanging out around the house in them.
6. Arcade Ball Table
Bring the classic nine-throw Skee-Ball arcade game to your home! This foldable Skee-Ball Frame Game features automatic scoring and sound to keep things feeling authentic. Your kids can play alone or compete with others. It’s fun for kids and adults alike.
7. Cheeky Corgi PopSockets Cell Phone Grip & Stand
This adorable winking corgi will make your tween happy! The Cheeky Corgi PopSocket lets your tween prop up their phone to take hands-free awesome selfies, text with ease, or simply scroll through their favorite sites. It folds flat when finished and has a pop-top for design swap ability.
8. That’s Gross – Science Lab
There’s no time for kids to get bored with this fun Gross Science Lab kit with 26 experiments like Electric Sludge and Popping Poo. It includes a motorized toilet bowl mixer so kids can blend common kitchen ingredients to make gooey concoctions.
This perfect gift for an 11-year-old includes a 24-page book with simple chemistry facts and directions for the experiments. We like it because it combines fun with learning!
9. Table Top Robot
We love this easy-to-assemble KidzRobotix Table Top Robot mechanical crab because it’s enjoyable to build and introduces kids to STEM engineering concepts. When complete, the crab scuttles across the table but won’t fall over the edge. It includes everything except a small crosshead screwdriver and one AA battery.
10. 3D Galaxy Moon Lamp
Let your kid’s imagination take them into space with this realistic-looking 3D Galaxy Moon Lamp. The remote control allows your tween to choose between 3-7 colors depending on the mode: flash, strobe, fade, or smooth.
11. Survival Knife
Your Cub Scout, Girl Scout, or general outdoor lover will appreciate having their own survival knife. Whether camping, hiking, or just going for a jaunt down to the neighborhood creek, your tween will feel in control of any situation with this survival knife in their pack.
The inside compartment contains a compass, matches, fishing line and hook, and a bandage and room for their own survival equipment. It comes in its own safety sheath for safety.
12. Bugs in the Kitchen Board Game
Tweens love silly games. Bugs in the Kitchen fits the bill. This popular board game is easy to play. Just build a path, roll the die, and trap the bug. Playing time is 15 minutes for two to four players.
The game comes with one board, 18 pegs, four traps, one special edition Hexbug nano, tokens, trapdoors, and instructions. Not only is it fun, but it also keeps your 11-year-old thinking.
13. Fondue Pot
Tweens are becoming ever more adventurous in the kitchen, and when they discover the existence of fondue, they’ll have fun trying to think up new things to dip in sauces.
Gummy bears and potato chips in chocolate, lunch meat and apples in cheese, toast and cookie dough in warm jam… Their imagination is the limit, especially when your kid invites over their friends for food weirdness.
This fondue pot comes with eight color-coded forks for up to eight friends or family members to enjoy.
14. Microwavable Stuffed Animals
What could be cozier than snuggling up to a warm stuffed animal? These cute Fully-Microwavable Stuffed Animals provide comfort at any time. They are lightly scented with French Lavender to produce a calming effect. They can also use them as a cold pack.
They’re available in adorable versions, including a marshmallow bear, hamster, unicorn, and dinosaur.
15. Frigidaire 6-Can Mini Retro Beverage Fridge
Kids can keep their drinks and goodies cold in their own rooms with this cute Frigidaire 6-Can Mini Retro Beverage Fridge. It’s great for use inside family rooms and kids’ playrooms. Just plug it in, and it cools to 32°F.
Kids will feel grown up with their own mini-fridge. It’s perfect for stashing the things they love, and the see-through window lets them easily see what’s inside.
16. Cobblestone Magazine Subscription
Cobblestone Magazine is a history magazine for kids ages 9-14. First published in 1980, it’s been educating kids in a fun way for four decades.
Whether your kids are reading about the Civil War, the Gold Rush, or the Korean War, their imaginations will rocket to the sky by this outstanding publication that mails nine times per year.
17. Foldable Scooter
Scooters are all the rage for every age group. This one is rated for tweens through adults, so it has a few extra features that set it apart.
Brakes save on shoe damage. A kickstand keeps it upright when they join a neighborhood game of street basketball. The scooter is also foldable and has a carrying strap. So, they can store it in their locker at school or take it inside the local convenience store for snacks.
18. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mini Backpack
What tween doesn’t love Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? This fun Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Mini Backpack for school and other adventures will let your tween represent one of the “hottest” brands on the market.
The backpack has 11-inch adjustable straps, one large zipper pocket, one front pocket, and two side pockets, making it easy to bring along their favorite things wherever they go. They’ll love it because it’s on-trend. We love it because it’s cute and functional!
19. DIY Slime Factory
This gooey So Slime DIY Slime Factory Kit has everything your slime fan needs for hours of fun. It contains ten slime power packs, including metallics, neons, and pastels, as well as confetti and glitter.
Kids can make custom slime using the shaker, mixer, mini-funnel, sticker sheets, and four surprise figurines.
20. Basketball Arcade Game
Whether you have a sports lover or not, your kiddo will have hours of fun alone or with a friend or family member with a home basketball arcade game. A little friendly competition can keep spirits up year-round.
It has eight different game variations and three different audio options from which to choose. The game also comes with four mini basketballs to keep the game moving.
21. Rainbow Swirl Tie Dye Hoodie
Tweens and tie-dye go hand-in-hand like cake and ice cream. This stylish and colorful Rainbow Swirl Tie Dye Hoodie will keep your favorite kid warm and cozy on chilly days.
They made the inside out of cozy brushed fleece, and the outside features a kangaroo pocket on the outside. We love it because it’s made of cotton/poly blend, has rib-knit cuffs, a bottom hem, and reinforced shoulders.
22. Harry Potter Books 1-7 Special Edition Boxed Set
Whether your 11 year old already loves Harry Potter or is yet to be introduced to his magical world, this box set is sure to be a hit. The Harry Potter Books 1-7 Special Edition Boxed Set celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter book.
These books are sure to bring hours of enjoyment to any tween. And they look lovely on any bookshelf.
23. Deluxe Acrylic Paint Set
This 60-piece Deluxe Acrylic Paint Set is the perfect gift for 11-year-olds who want to up their painting game. It contains acrylic paints, brushes, canvases, a painting pad, palette knives, and a portable tabletop easel.
Allow your tween to create beautiful art with this art set containing everything they need.
24. Furry Claw Slippers
Bigfoot is real, and it’s padding through the house with enormous furry claw slippers. Tween comfort and fashion meet spectacularly with these bedroom shoes.
For even more silly fun, buy one for everyone in the house for a whole family of Bigfoots.
25. Boost Box Snack Box
Surprise your 11-year-old with this 60-pack Boost Box Snack Box. It has a variety of old and new favorites that any tween would love, including chocolate chip cookies, Goldfish snack crackers, Cheez-Its, and Skittles.
Perfect for sharing at a get-together with friends or just stashing in their rooms, this pack of goodies is sure to put a smile on your 11-year-old’s face.
26. Roller Blades
From bikes to scooters, everything is about wheels when you’re 11. And it’s the perfect age to own a pair of inline skates. These adjust from adult sizes 8-11 to accommodate a tween’s ever-growing feet.
Whether they’re circling the garage or driveway, rumbling down the sidewalks, or speeding around the roller rink, owning their own pair of skates promises hours of fun.
27. Wreck This Journal
This isn’t your kid-style diary with a lock; it’s a journal meant to inhabit and destroy in the best possible ways.
Prompts encourage your tween to color it, drop it, stain it, chew it, cut it, fold it, crinkle it, and even use their own hair to color it. The end result is a ragged, beautiful, piece of one-of-a-kind tween art.
FAQs
Here are the answers to a few questions you might have about getting gifts for 11-year-olds.
Why Do 11 Year Olds Like Silly Gifts?
Tweens like both serious and silly gifts. According to the Child Mind Institute, they’re trying out a lot of different trends. So, you can shop among a wide variety of gifts for them.
Is It Okay to Pick Educational Gifts for 11 Year Olds?
Absolutely. You can find many gifts that are both educational and fun.
What Gifts for 11 Year Olds Will Be Treasured Most?
That will depend on the individual child. However, we selected the gifts on this list to appeal to a wide range of unisex interests.