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If your 11 year old is no longer into toys but isn't quite excited by the same things teens are, this guide of gift ideas will help to make shopping for their next present much easier.
Eleven can be a tricky age; they are in between adolescence and their teenage years. Shopping for a child at this age can certainly seem like a daunting task as you want to respect their desire to not be treated like a little kid yet embrace the fact that they are growing and changing.
What to Consider When Purchasing Gifts for 11 Year Olds
Activities
Consider the activities that your favorite 11 year old tween enjoys. Does she think science gadgets or music or writing is the coolest? Is she a DIY or hands on kind of kid? Favorite activities will point you in the right direction.
Who is your 11 year old spending time with?
Consider if your favorite tween would love something for family game night or if he would rather be taking selfies with friends? Would she like something that helps her feel more independent or would she still prefer to curl up and read a Harry Potter book with family?
Is your 11 year old keeping tabs on the best toys and games out there or does he have unique interests?
Whether STEM toys, crafting or brainteasers are his favorite way to pass the time, consider whether something more off the beaten path might be appreciated by this growing and changing almost teen.
How We Chose Our Favorites
We consulted with kids and parents to get the lowdown on what you need to know to choose the best gifts for 11 year old boys and girls. We also tapped into these experts' advice to find out which brands were best and easily available on Amazon.
The Best Gifts for 11 Year Old Girls
Artie 3000
Product Price
$42.99
The Best Gift for Techie Girls
Artie is a coding robot using multiple programs and is a super fun combination of art and coding. This gift is great for the girls who enjoy art and also a challenge.
“All 4 of my children have loved having this as an addition to our educational toys, and I’m an artist so I love having the combination of coding with creativity. It was amazing to see how much my older daughters already knew from their schools' STEM and Maker Space activities, and how quickly my younger children adapted to the coding principles. We absolutely LOVE this little guy, he’s a welcomed addition to our family computer and homework area, ready to go whenever we are ready to experiment.”
BONTIME Non-Toxic Nail Polish
Product Price
$14.98
The Best Gift for Girls Who Love to Stand Out
This nail polish set of six different colors is completely eco-friendly, organic, and water based so your 11 year old can have fun in a completely safe way. The best part is these nail polishes are for all kids, promoting creativity, individuality, and fun without the stereotypes. Your tween can have mermaid nails, unicorn nails or anything in between.
“This was my first time ever using peel-off polish and these might be some of the most pigmented polishes I’ve ever used. They are one coaters!!!! The set comes with these 5 gorgeous colors and a base/top coat duo. I think the base/top coat is what makes these peelable. The instructions recommend peeling them after a shower and it peeled off fairly well!”
Smartlab Toys Tiny Baking Set
Product Price
$19.99
The Best Gift for Girls Who Love to Have Fun with Science
Bake real pies, cakes, and pizza using teeny tiny tools. It comes with 17 tools and a recipe book. This is so adorable and what is not better in a mini version? Kids will have such a fun time using practical science to bake their own treats and snacks in mini versions.
“Absolutely superb cooking kit. My daughter has made brownies, cakes, and cupcakes. The recipes are easy to follow and the outcomes-insanely delicious! I was surprised. We will use this little kit very often; it’s so much fun.”
Singing Machine Carpool Karaoke
Product Price
$49.48
The Best Gift for Girls Who Love Music
The whole family will have a blast recreating favorite James Cordon carpool videos. It comes with wireless connection, built-in streaming, and built-in long-lasting batteries.
“My girls and I had loads of fun singing along to our favorite songs. This was very easy to use. It connects the Bluetooth system in your car to your phone so the music and the microphone run through the sound system in your car. The sound quality was great. Road trips are going to be so fun with this to entertain us.”
Invisible Think
Product Price
$26.95
The Best Party Board Game for 11 Year Old Girls
This is a hilarious tabletop party game that requires invisible drawing. Spin the spinner to see who has to wear the glasses, the drawer draws the card, then the players have to race to guess the invisible drawing before the timer goes off.
“This game is so incredibly fun! We played this on a rainy day for over 2 hours, it is great for all ages and very family friendly. Would highly recommend this game be added to your game night.”
Prograce Waterproof Video Camera
Product Price
$38.97
The Best Gift for Future Youtube Stars
This kids action camera has built-in 40 photo frames, seven colorful video modes, four times digital zoom, burst shooting, times laps, face recognition and much more. Kids will love making videos solo or with their friends.
“Got this camera for my daughter and she loves it. Super easy to use and navigate the buttons. Perfect for an 11 year olds hands. Totally, worth the money as my daughter can get the video she wants and does not have to hassle with trying to set up her old phone. Great video, great pictures, great quality, amazing buy for the price.”
I am 11 & llamazing Journal
Product Price
$8.99
The Best Gift for 11 Year Old Dreamers
Every girl needs a journal for all her thoughts, aspirations, and goals. This gift is perfect for your future writer and any girl who wants to share her dreams
“Good gift for an eleven year old. Perfect for a pre teen. Bought it for my granddaughter, whom is going through the pre-teen years.”
Selieve Walkie Talkies
Product Price
$21.99
The Best Gift for Girls Who Love Outdoor Adventures
These walkie talkies provide long range communication within three miles and 22 channels. This gift is totally ageless, and any kid will have a blast. A must have for all sleepovers and hang out sessions
“Love this walkie talkie! This is a great Walkie Talkie and has surprisingly good range - we gave it a try in between 6 floors and it worked very well. This is fun to play around with even for adults.”
101 Things Every Girl Should Know
Product Price
$12.24
The Best Gift for the 11 Year Old Who Needs Help Navigating Middle School
Editors of Faithgirlz have created a collection of advice for preteen and teen girls to take charge and be confident. Kids are more apt to take advice from peers than they are from their parents, so this is a great gift as it is written by their peers to help them along in their adventures.
“A fabulous book girls can relate to and learn from...Fantastic book for 11 year old girls!! My daughter loves it!!”
50 Best Mad Libs
Product Price
$5.12
The Perfect Gift for 11 Year Olds Who Love to Laugh
Mad Libs never get old. This is one of those timeless activities that can be enjoyed throughout multiple generations, ages, and friendships. Fill out over 125 of the funniest Mad Libs and have a blast while doing it.
“Perfect for games with friends! It is absolutely PACKED with Mad Libs that never get old. My friends were laughing so hard that we've decided to make this a weekly ritual. Any age group would have fun with this. It's hard not to! Playing with children, your parents, your friends, anyone. It is a great ice breaker with new people.”
The Best Gifts for 11 Year Old Boys
Eleno Teach Tech Tobbie
Product Price
$55.38
The Best Gift for Boys Who Love Problem-Solving
This robot is programmable with kids being able to build it themselves and it has 12 programs to start off with to download so the fun can begin right away. For advanced coders, this can be coded using JavaScript and Python. A great choice for kids who have fun with a smartphone and STEM toys
“It's a Cool Programmable Robot and every tech-inclined child's dream come true! Makes a great present for that special kid with a brain on your list!”
Velocity Pro Pogo
Product Price
$89.99
The Best Gift for Boys Who Love a Fun Way to Get Outside
Featuring batwing handlebars and rubber grips, this pogo stick has just what is needed to perform advanced tricks. This is the perfect toy to get your 11-year-old out of the house and breathing the fresh air.
“Great pogo stick if your tween/teen is serious. My son received it for Christmas and already was using it. Very sturdy and well made! He is very good on a pogo stick and this was a great choice for him now that he is 10. Sure he will be doing tricks with it in no time. Realize it is heavier than a kid one but needed if a kid becomes a teen and will support them growing.”
PicWits! Board Game
Product Price
$25.95
The Best Gift for Kids Who Love Card Games
This is a hilarious card game where you take turns being the judge and comparing comical pictures. Players have to try to match their picture cards with the judge’s captions and the judge picks the best match. Great for those days and nights when your tween has friends over.
“This game is the best, and good for so many ages, from elementary through (cracking up) grandparents! Seriously. We now give it as a gift to a lot of people. It’s clever. It also taps into personalities & psychology. Just pure fun. It moves fast which is nice. Some games take forever & drag on, this one you can stop anytime.”
Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Instant Camera with Case
Product Price
$115.99
The Best Gift for Kids Who Have a Creative Eye
This is a high-quality camera for kids who appreciate instant fun yet have an artistic eye. Whether they are using it for selfies with friends or to capture vacation memories, your favorite tween ranging from a 10 year old to a 12 year old will love this great gift
“A fun little camera set! Worked great and was an excellent birthday gift! All accessories were included with nothing missing or broken! A great deal with 40 pictures!”
Capture the Flag
Product Price
$49.90
The Best Gift for Kids Who Appreciate Light Up Fun
This is a unique, glow in the dark gift and an excellent color-changing party game. With 25 light up pieces included, it will take playing outside with friends to a whole new level
“The product is AMAZING! was the reaction of my computer game obsessed teen and his younger sister was equally enthusiastic. We have spent weeks playing various versions including a whole week on holiday where the internet didn't feature once and we were all engaged, active and outside- bliss. The game modes are great and enable a play and go facility but we loved pondering them and making our own- plan by day and play by night!”
The Manual to Middle School
Product Price
$9.49
The Best Gift for Boys Getting Ready for Middle School
This is the “Do this, not that” survival guide for boys starting middle school. With changing bodies and a flux of hormones, there are bound to be difficult learning situations. The comic style makes the advice feel light and relatable
“My son will be starting middle school next year so I bought this book for him. He’s a big reader and his name is Reed, like one of the sons, so he enjoyed relating to that. He absolutely LOVES this book! He’s read it at least 5 or 6 times and will continue to do so. He says he’s getting some good advice from it. It’s pretty cool to see a book written like this by a dad and his sons. Especially at this awkward age of transitioning between elementary and high school. Those are the years where it can be difficult to find yourself bc so many changes happen then—so we appreciate this book.”
Gaming Headphones
Product Price
$19.99
The Best Gift for the Boy Who Loves Video Games
Noise-canceling headphones with a speaker piece that works on all major consoles will help any gamer feel like they are making the most of the experience
“This headset works great. My son is very happy with the mic sound and the comfort of the headset. It’s a great buy for your gamer.”
For Boys Only, The Biggest, Baddest Book Ever
Product Price
$10.29
The Perfect Gift for Kids Who Love Adventure
This book is filled with interesting facts from how to wrestle off an alligator to how to land an airplane in an emergency to how to escape from being tied up. This book is perfect for the adventurous kid who loves to learn about the facts of life.
“Purchased for my 11 year old grandson - his mother said that he started reading the book immediately upon receipt, and the thank you note he sent me later included some 'facts' that he learned from the book. He enjoyed it quite a bit, and it was nice to know that he was reading!”
Activ Life 2-Tire Pack LED Bike Wheel
Product Price
$24.99
The Best Gift for Kids Who Love to Bike
This is one of the hottest new items and seen on many news channels. Not only does it increase safety with visibility from all directions, it also looks super cool and especially awesome while moving. Choose from eight different bright colors! It fits toddler to adult bikes, and it is easy to install and requires no tools.
“Great lights! I use these on my commuter with 700cc wheels. They fit perfect and were very easy to install. The lights make you much more visible at night especially from the side. I feel more comfortable entering an intersection knowing that I am being seen from all angles. I received comments from car drivers in awe one minute after turning them on for the first time. Not only do they look cool but increase being noticed which is critical for urban riding.”
Albott Pro Scooter Complete Trick Scooter
Product Price
$65.99
The Perfect Gift For Kids Who Love Action
This scooter is made for tweens and teens who want to take their action skills to the next level with tricks. It has an excellent safety rating so parents can feel good about their 11 year old trying out some new moves at the skate park.
“Bought this as a gift for an 11 year old boy. He is super happy with it. He says it was easy to put together. It’s a smooth ride, lightweight and durable. He mostly wanted it for tricks and took it out to the skate park several times already and loves it. His mom feels safe as there’s a non skid strip on the deck and the whole thing is solidly built.”