Gift ideas for 11 year old boy
I am looking for ideas for a gift for 11 year old. We decided not to plan a party for him this year with friends because the pandemic will likely still be going on during his birthday month (early 2021), and even though we will do a zoom playdate with friends for his birthday it won't be the same. We will be doing a small dinner with family members who are already part of our household and/or who we are seeing now since they are our childcare (thanks grandparents), but decided not to expand the circle of people we are seeing in person for this event to protect the grandparents. So we are trying to make the birthday special with gifts. He is finally going to get the video console and related games he has been begging for for years now, but we need more ideas for the grandparents and for us to try to make it special for him. Except for the video game console and games for it, he is not really asking for anything else so trying to come up with other ideas ourselves.
Parent Replies
My kids are right in this sweet spot and I just had a small gathering my 12 year old, and now trying to figure out what to do for my child turning 10 in a couple weeks. In my observation, as much as the tweens love us, their families, they NEED time with friends. To me, it was worth the risk and laying extra low a week before and after to have a handful of friends come over in person in the backyard for an hour or two to help celebrate my 12 year old's birthday. I would suggest you rethink prioritizing the grandparents over friends and instead plan two small gatherings, two weeks apart. Our kid was buoyed by an hour of Nerfing with friends in a way his family cannot provide.
In terms of gifts, I know video games will be a hit. Maybe a gift card to Pegasus to counterbalance that.
What about some experience presents like gift cards for mini golf, laser tag or racecar driving (think Scandia or Boomers) with friends? Or some pandemic proof activities for the backyard (pogo stick, ninja line, dart board). Happy birthday to him!
You could offer to host him and a friend for mini-golf or an afternoon at an indoor rock climbing gym. Outdoor gifts: basketball, archery set, juggling balls, horseshoes, skateboard, snake board, stilts, roller skates. Family games: Set, Spot It, Catan, chinese checkers, battleship, zombie dice. Legos? Art supplies? Good luck & enjoy ! !
I’d ask him! Have him make a wish list for birthday/holidays, and let his wishes guide you.
How about a big/fun sports purchase? A new bike or snowboard? What does he like to do outdoors? A basketball hoop in the driveway? A sweet pair of Nikes? They can run up to $100 for an 11 y/o. Don’t forget new headphones to go with the game console, or maybe is he old enough for wireless earbuds? I heard Costco had Apple ear buds for cheap ($100ish). My 7 y/o will have to wait, but one day he’ll be psyched for a drone! Is he a reader? A whole box set of the next cool book series is a great gift. How about Legos? Too old for those? The sky is the limit for Legos, with many of the big sets running into the hundreds of dollars - Legos are not just for little kids!