25 Christmas gift ideas for teen boys they’ll really love (2023 edition)

Okay, so these 2023 gift ideas for teen boys are in addition to the gift ideas for teen girls list from earlier in the week. I say this because I really don’t believe there are such things as ‘boys things’ and ‘girls things’. There are just teen things. But I split the lists into gift ideas for boys and girls because… well, that’s what the punters want.

Now I’ve got that out of the way, here’s my top gift ideas for teen boys (or girls, or non-binary).

All the lists are here:

25 Christmas gift ideas for teen boys

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1. Slam dunk – $180

Sure, they’re exxy as all, but Nike Dunks have been the shoe for even longer than Nike Air Force were the shoe. This particular version is “coming soon”, so if you pre-order your pup will have the latest and greatest before anyone else. Though of course you could check with your teen to see what his preferred colourway is…

Get them at Nike.

2. Slack gift – $113.49

Slacklining is amazing for core stability, balance and agility. Plus it’s heaps of fun. A basic 50 feet slackline kit will get your kid started. Have a go yourself! We may even get actual abs out of this…

Get it at Dick Smith.

3. Bucket list journal – $17

Let’s face it, many teens need structure and what could be a better thing to support them with than a bucket list? This journal is packed with ‘to dos’ that bring fun and adventure into life – before you get too ‘old and boring’, apparently. Hmmm… I feel the need to purchase one of these for me, just because.

Get it at Gifts Australia.

4. Good old data – from $160

Give them what they really want! You can gift 300GB of data that last for 365 days or spread it out with 25GB every 30 days – so they have all year to use it and there are no lock-in plans or any of that nonsense to worry about. This is a great gift for any teen, especially if you have an old mobile phone you can add to the present!

Get it at Kogan ($160 Black Friday special on right now!)

5. They do like to hover – $40

These light ’em up flying orbs are big right now. The ball floats from your hand and then comes back to you like a boomerang. Anything that gets them off their games doing something, am I right?

Get it at Gifts Australia.

6. More cryptic than a teen boy – $24.50

I am absolutely hopeless at explaining how to play board games, so I’ll leave it up to the manufacturer: “Players compete in two teams in Decrypto, with each trying to correctly interpret the coded messages presented to them by their teammates while cracking the codes they intercept from the opposing team.” Sounds fun, right? Well, we are not teenage boys, so there’s that…

Get it at Booktopia.

7. Party in a box – $39.99

This little speaker brings the music and the lights. We have a similar one at home and, let me tell you, when it’s on, it’s ON.

Get it at Dick Smith.

8. Classic Vans – $99

Shoe trends come and shoe trends go (very fast), but the classic chequerboard Van seems to always be acceptable. The same can be said for Converse All Stars, too.

Get ’em at Platypus Shoes.

9. Codenames – $35

We love playing this game at our place, and I’m keen to spread the word. It’s simple, but somehow it never gets old.

Get it at Gifts Australia.

10. Droning on – $65

An entry level drone, so you won’t feel so bad when it crashes somewhere and you can’t find it. (I speak from sad experience.) I don’t get the whole drone thing either, but make a boy happy, huh?

Get it at Dick Smith.

11. Big numbers – $21.95

I went to uni with Adam Spencer and we did a debating marathon together that lasted for days and days. I tell everyone that because he’s still one of my top 100 favourite people. (Disclaimer: it is likely that Adam Spencer no longer even knows who I am.) Adam Spencer’s Top 100 is funny and smart and should be required reading for every teen.

Get it at Booktopia.

Other good books for teen boys:

• The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyle
• The Fire Star by A L Tait
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks
• The Deep Enders by Dave Reardon

12. Bed sorted – $24.99

Settle them into bed even further with a handy pocket to keep their iPad, books, phone and all the other electronic paraphernalia that seems to go along with bed these days… that’s NOT what I meant, ya dirty bird!!

Get it at Gifts Australia.

 13. Stupid mug – $20

This is just the kind of thing that teen boys laugh at for hours. It’s why the world is going to hell in a hand-basket. They may even invite actual friends to their house, just so they can make them a hot Milo in this mug then laugh with them for hours. Who are we to judge? It’s been a tough year.

Get it at Gifts Australia.

14. Any book by Karen M McManus – $18.25

These are among my kids’ favourite books and McManus consistently delivers.

Choose from:

• One Of Us Is Lying
• One Of Us Is Next
• One of Us Is Back (latest)
• The Cousins
• Nothing More To Tell
• You’ll Be The Death Of Me
• Two Can Keep A Secret

Get them at Booktopia.

15. Slides that should die but haven’t – $50

 

I wish these ugly AF shower shoes (worn with socks, gag) would die. Until then, they’re a pretty cheap way to make a kid super happy.

Get them at Platypus Shoes.

16. Finsk this is good – $75

 

We love this game. So much so we practically nursed Finska on our laps all the way from Sydney to Queensland, because it wouldn’t fit anywhere else and apparently we desperately needed it for camping. Played it once in the whole week – you know how it goes.

Get it at Planet Finska.

17. Nat’s what we reckon too – $37.50

Could Nat be the most relatable cook ever to bypass a microwave? I reckon your teen boy will think so. Take it from a mother whose son moved out of home this year and is living off bags of rocket and red tomato pasta: they need to learn to cook.

Get it at Booktopia.

18. The gift of compounding interest – from $10

Sign him up for a Raiz membership and let those little coins turn into something useful in the next 10, 20, etc years. Start off his account with a lump sum investment (you can put as little as $10 in). NOTE: THIS IS NOT SPONSORED. I just really like the idea of kids getting into investing early and without hassle. You can also try Stockspot or Spaceship.

Get it from Raiz.

19. Necessary discovery – $59

L’Occitane calls this their “discovery collection” and (a) it smells delicious and (b) is a low-key way to introduce your lad to all things manly hygiene. Which is a gift for us all, really.

Get it from L’Occitane.

20. Branded duffle – from $49.99

Sure, we could say that Tommy Hilfiger had its moment in 2015. Or we could just acknowledge that it still brings the kind of cool you shouldn’t be able to buy so easily.

Get it at Platypus Shoes (currently on a huge Black Friday special for $49.99 down from $149.99).

21. Power up – $29.99

A neat power bank that slots nicely into the school bag. Charges an iPhone up to SEVEN TIMES. No more excuses that he can’t contact his mother… It’s also on a massive special at Dick Smith right now – $90 down to $30!

Get it at Dick Smith.

22. Backpacker card game – $24.99

One to inspire older teen boys. It will make your kid itch to fill up a backpack and hit the world. Let’s hope the world is ready for them!

Get it at Yellow Octopus

23. Bruh tee – from $31.91

F’ing bruh.

Get it at Etsy.

24. Marvel-lous – $20

A trivia game about genuine trivia. This is a must for any Marvel buff and especially good if you have a long road trip planned this summer.

Get it at Gifts Australia.

25. Oh, who are we kidding – $Yourleftkidney

All these gifts are really nice, thanks Mum, but this is what I really want. K, thanks, buy.

Get it at Australia Post.

Who’s on your gift list?