40 Gifts for 13-Year-Old Boys So Cool, They'll Want to Show Their Friends
Trendy gifts that teens actually want this year.
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He’s officially a teenager, but he’s still the same curious, goofy kid. The trick is finding a gift that fits his hobbies and interests—and feels cool enough for his new teenage status. For the tech-loving kid, there are cool projects that involve building his own Bluetooth speaker or designing his own video game. For the sporty teen, we recommend laser tag equipment he can use in the backyard or a hacky sack, since they’ve recently gone viral on TikTok. And if all he wants is cash, we’ve got a creative way to gift that too—hint: it involves a bar of soap.
Our top picks:
- Best value: The Original Hacky Sack Footbag
- Gift under $20: LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Retro Gaming Console
- Unique gift: DIY Bluetooth Speaker Kit
- For the boy who has everything: Inflatable Lounger
To find the best gifts for 13-year-old boys, we talked to teens to find out what’s cool, scoured all of Amazon’s best sellers, and included toys that have been put to the test at the Good Housekeeping Institute (including current and former Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award winners).
Best Deal
Hacky sacks are suddenly everywhere again, and he can play solo or get friends involved. During toy testing, one parent reported it brought the neighborhood kids together to play. “Good classic fun!” she called it.
With this affordable set, boys can build three different gaming toys: a handheld console, a desktop mini computer, or an arcade machine. There are moving pieces, so he can pretend to play.
Several teens mentioned having headphones on their wish list. The noise-canceling feature blocks 90% of noise, so he can focus while doing homework, gaming, or talking to friends. They have a 40-hour battery life, then recharge in minutes, per the brand.
Here’s a fast-paced game that’ll keep him from scrolling. A series of colored squares lights up, and players have to speedily push buttons to make three in a row. “My son liked that it had multiple game modes and different difficulty levels so the game stayed interesting as it got harder and faster,” said one parent of a 12-year-old.
RELATED: Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards
He’s officially a teenager, so why not give him his first cologne? This fragrance has notes of pink pepper and patchouli that are subtle, so he can spray a lot—which teens are known to do. “I've found I can pretty much soak my whole body in this without the scent becoming offensively strong due to its restrained scent profile,” says Nikolas Greenwald, GH’s manager of data and product operations.
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With this educational building kit, he’ll learn the science of electronics. At the end (it shouldn’t take him longer than an hour), he’ll have a functional Bluetooth speaker to stream his favorite music.
Teach him healthy skincare habits from a young age. Infused with aloe vera, these gentle cleansing pads help refresh skin and remove excess oil after a long day. The formula is designed for tween and teen skin.
Our readers are obsessed with this fast-paced game that involves bouncing a ball on different sides of the cube. He’ll pick cards and be challenged to complete the sequence—it sounds easy, but it’s tricky. He can play solo or turn it into a head-to-head competition with friends.
If he’s known to wear jewelry, this stainless steel Cuban link chain is right on trend. It comes in silver or gold, and five different widths.
He can explore his love for music with this electric drum set that includes all the sounds of real drums. Added bonus? He can connect the audio to headphones, so the house stays quiet.
Teens are embracing their waves and curls. This simple sea salt spray is an easy way to boost volume and enhance hair texture. All they have to do is spray it onto damp hair and give it a little scrunch.
Boys can turn their backyard into a laser tag arena. He can challenge friends or siblings to an immersive game, with weapons that shoot up to 150 feet and vests that vibrate when they’ve been hit.
Now he can relax basically anywhere. This comfy, air-filled couch doesn't require a pump to be inflated—all a teen has to do is wave it around in the air to fill it up. When it's deflated, it can be stored away in a pouch, so it's super easy to transport to the beach, park or backyard.
With guidance from YouTube superstar animator Alan Becker, your creative kid will watch as the drawings he makes with just markers and paper (and the Pixicade Special Animation Edition app) come to life with full animation and turn into playable video games. There's also the Standard Edition, sans Becker, which won a Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award this year. Ages 6+
If he's into pranks, he'll love this RC creature, which can actually climb the walls without falling. Good Housekeeping Institute testers were also impressed with how lifelike its movements were in its rubbery limbs. Ages 4+; two AAA batteries required
Give him a place to charge all of his devices at once. This charging hub lets him plug in his iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, so he never has to worry about leaving the house with a low battery. All he needs to do is insert charging cables through the designated slots.
Let him turn whatever he can imagine into real, 3D sculptures! The pen heats up at different temperatures, which changes the flow of the materials, allowing for more control. Good Housekeeping Institute testers appreciated that it came with a book of stencils and a QR code to scan for instructions. It also comes with a separate USB cord and a wall adapter.
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There are two things we can be relatively sure of when it comes to 13-year-old boys: They need a shower and they always say they need more money. This bar of soap has real money inside, anything from a $1 bill to a Benjamin Franklin. (That's a $100 bill, in case they’re not sure.) The motivation to get clean and get cash will never be stronger!
Our kid testers really took to this puzzle, which gave their brains a workout. Players are challenged to complete a pattern without repeating the same color in a row or column. “I liked that you could work on the puzzles with someone else,” one tester said. Ages 7+
When we were young, we rode our bikes past nightfall, until our parents called out for us to come home. Today’s 13-year-olds will love to get outside after sunset, too, to play their awesome glow-in-the-dark version of the eternally popular capture the flag game with his friends. Ages 8+; lithium batteries included
Alyssa Gautieri (she/her) leads Good Housekeeping’s gift guide strategy. She writes and edits commerce content, where she analyzes lifestyle trends, shopping data, and works closely with the Good Housekeeping Institute to recommend top-tested products. Previously, she was the associate lifestyle editor for GH and wrote for publications including ELLE Decor, BobVila.com, and Unique Homes Magazine. When she’s not tracking down buzzy products, you can find her walking her dog, Skye, around Jersey City.
Jeff is the author of the travel book, Street Cats and Where to Find Them. He's a dad of two daughters, an avid traveler, an award-winning photographer, and a freelance writer who lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and their cats. In addition to Good Housekeeping, he's written for the BBC, the Washington Post, Parents, Fodor's, Wine Enthusiast, Real Simple, and Reader’s Digest, among other print and online publications. Jeff is the publisher of the quarterly literary magazine and small book press, Stanchion.
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