7 birthday gift ideas for teenage boys

As a parent I have found the teenage boy stage the hardest to buy for. The have very distinct preferences, have quite firm opinions on things and share less about what interests them most.

Here are some birthday gift ideas that have worked well for us. While I have written this post with the teenage boy in mind, there of course is no reason why these ideas wouldn’t make great gifts for teenager girls too! The first few are fitness related, then a few clothing related and them a few random ideas!

(I haven’t included vouchers in the list for a couple of reasons – I think everyone is aware of vouchers and I also think the standard iTunes voucher or cinema vouchers don’t really work as well for teenagers 15+. )

1. Weights

bench press

Our study area, which is actually a formal living area contains quite a large bench press! I never imagined that I would have a bench press in the house like this, but it works. If it were outside the older boys would use it much less. Positioned where it is they will be studying take a break, do some sets go back to study or social media 🙂 .

The bench press wasn’t the first piece of weight lifting equipment for the teenagers though. We started with kettle bells and dumbbells and once we saw they used these regularly, we were happy to invest in a benchpress.

  • Benchpress – prices vary, but you do get what you pay for. You can see one online here which is currently on sale for $419.
  • Dumb bells – come in varying weights we have 5kg and 7kg sets. You can see some online here starting from $17.50 per dumb bell.
  • Kettle bells – we have 12kg and 20kg. You can see some online here starting from $52.95.

2.  Punching bag

punching bag

We have a punching bag hanging outside which as well as keeping the kids fit, also allows them to work off a little steam which is definitely needed from time to time at our house! Glove do not always come with the bag, so make sure you buy gloves as well if it doesn’t – it can really hurt your hand punching the bag without gloves!

  • Punching bag – prices and how heavy the bag is varies. You can see one online here which is currently on sale for $149.95.
  • Boxing gloves – they come in a huge range of shapes, weight and prices. You can see some online here starting from $48.95.

3. Pull up / Chin up bar

chin up bar

We have one installed outside from the roof of our house and it saddens me to admit that while the two older boys can do multiple chin ups, on a good day I can do only 1! I am working on this though.

You don’t have to have a fully fledged out door one pull up bar though. There are indoor cheaper options which are great for testing out whether your son/s will actually use them.

You can find a few different types of door / wall chin up bars online here.

4. Skate board

skate board

Skate boarding is having a resurgence in popularity amongst teenager boys at the moment. I can personally recommend the Twelve Board Store in Richmond. They were fantastic at helping me choose the right board and you get a full service in the first 12 months you have the board.

It is a great store which, also stocks shoes and clothes teenagers will like and it even has an indoor mini ramp which kids of all ages can use for a small donation of $3 (you do need to sign a waiver). Twelve Boards then gives this donation to Jeremy Jone’s charity Protect Our Winter’s, which fight’s climate change.

Skateboards start from $99 and you can find them online also here.

5. Clothes

Buying clothes for a teenager can be risky, but if you observe what they are currently wearing and what their mates are wearing, you get a pretty good idea of what might go down well. My tip is to always purchase where you can easily return the clothes in case they don’t fit or they or it isn’t their style. Some popular cloth items for our teenagers at the moment:

Hoodies – the warmer the better now it is winter. The one below is from an Australian brand called Yuki. Our 18 year old has one of their hoodies which he loves. I loved the ethics of the company:

We’ve discovered the larger responsibility of Yuki Threads and are committed to being a positive change within our industry, starting by intensively examining our supply chain, manufacturing processes and overall impact as a business.

For Winter 2017 we’ve made some seriously epic changes including:

  • Fairtrade certified
  • 100% Organic Cotton (GOTS certified) for our apparel
  • 1% for the Planet partner

1% for the Planet is a self imposed tax on all sales not on profits, sales that are donated to environmental NGOs of our choice around the world, to help minimise the impact of our company on the environment.

yuki hoodie

So as well as looking good and keeping them warm, they have less environmental impact than many other brands. You can see them online here starting from $139.99.

Long sleeve t-shirts – these seem to be part of the teenager uniform. They are also a great item for teenagers in Melbourne as they can wear them almost all year round.

Patagonia have a solid range of long sleeve t-shirts that should meet the approval of most teenage boys and they also have an excellent business philosophy:

Our values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted. The approach we take towards product design demonstrates a bias for simplicity and utility. Our mission is to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

patagonia long sleeve t-shirt580

You can see the long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts here online here starting from $59.99.

6. Minimalist wallet

wallet
Now my teenagers would laugh at the term minimalist wallet, but they both have one in different styles, they just aren’t aware that they are called a minimalist wallet. Essentially they like having a wallet, but are not up for the traditional bulkier version of a wallet that their dad might use.

You can see some great leather handmade minimalist wallets online at Etsy here starting from $30.

7. Books

Walkind Dead Book_2 580

Again like clothes you do need to know the teenager in question pretty well to know what their interests are, but I do think there is always a book for every age! Some ideas are:

  • The Walking Dead Graphic Novels – they may have already watched the TV series, but there are plenty of books in this series and prices start from $27.99.
  • The Official Arsenal Book of Records – the equivalent for your teenagers favourite football, rugby, cricket team. $34.99.
  • Elon Musk – or a biography of someone else your teenager finds interesting or is in a career that they might like to aspire to.

What else would you add to this list of teenage boy gift ideas?

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