Best Gifts for 13 Year Old Boys (a VERY picky list)

Neve Spicer
Written by Neve Spicer Updated on April 18th, 2023
Gift ideas 13-year-old boy

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Did you cringe when you realized that your little boy had somehow turned thirteen in the blink of an eye and that you are now shopping for a teenager? Don’t worry; the teen years can bring out unease in even the most seasoned of parents, especially when it comes to picking out presents. Afterall, there is no denying that gift giving now feels fraught with uncertainty; will he love it, leave it in a closet, or worse, give it the dreaded eye roll?

Here are We The Parents, we happily do hours of research picking out the best gifts for kids of all ages. So relax, pull up a chair, and check out these ten gifts for 13 year old boys.

Our picks of the best gifts for 13 year old boys

Top pick

Our opinion

The Oculus Rift Virtual Touch Reality System (check price on Amazon) is an immersive tech universe in a box, and comes with six free games. Virtual reality seems to be everywhere these days and has come along way in the last decade. Oculus Rift is considered an industry front-runner.

This is an awesome gift because he can take it anywhere. I don’t know any parent that wouldn’t love to have their son silenced during a long vacation ride. He can jump into his favorite game and immerse himself in a virtual reality movie. This is a purely creative gift for the young man that always seems to live and dream big!

At a glance
  • He can relax and enjoy his own world in seconds

Our second choice

Our opinion

If taking photos on the ground is starting to feel a bit hum-drum for your boy, why not take the show to the sky? This drone’s fisheye lens offers excellent exposure and image quality, even in low light conditions. The Parrot Bebop 2 (check price on Amazonhas a back LED light, so your boy won’t lose track of it in the air, and a homing feature that will ensure its return to your boy when its journey has reached its end.

Additionally, we really appreciate that the propellers automatically shut off in the event of a collision. This drone does require FAA registration, so be sure to do that before takeoff.

What we love
  • With an impressive 25 minutes of flight time, he will get plenty of footage, which he can live stream to his smart device

Our third choice

Our opinion

There is nary a teen who doesn’t love to show off their selfies and photography skills. This Polaroid Snap (check price on Amazon) lets them do just that, with Bluetooth technology allowing them to send pictures to their phones for editing and, most importantly, social sharing. However, this camera doesn’t stop there; as it is a Polaroid camera, photos can be printed out as soon as your boy takes them. But since this is truly a modern twist on a classic, he can edit and select his favorite pics right on the camera’s 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen.

What we love
  • With all the available editing options, as well as printing and sharing abilities, he will have just as much fun with the photos as he did with the memory itself!

Our fourth choice

Our opinion

Who says you have to discourage a teen who likes to have his head in the clouds? The Celestron Powerseeker 80AZS (check price on Amazontelescope is lightweight, super easy to travel with, and its assembly doesn’t require any tools. A fantastic device for those beginner astronomers, it has an 80mm aperture and 400mm focal length, so it can easily suss out the beauty in the stars, planets, and nebulae. The tripod is stable, so there’s no need to worry about it folding in on itself or wiggling around as your teen is exploring the night sky. (Mamas: In a way, this will be a nice gift for your husband too, as he and your son will likely get hours of bonding time gazing into the starry sky.)

What we love
  • Because it is so portable, he can easily take it on camping trips or over to his friends’ houses

Our fifth choice

Our opinion

Pogo sticks ain’t what they used to be. Nope. They are much better! Nowadays, they are highly engineered and allow riders to get serious height.

If you have a boy who loves a physical challenge, look no further than this quality pogo stick. The Super Pogo 1505 (check price on Amazonis built to support weights from 120 to 210 pounds and is perfect for some strenuous bouncing and trick jumps. Its metal construction provides a stable base, and the handles are large and easy to grip. Your boy can stay fit while improving his balance and, perhaps most importantly for a teenage boy, showing off all sorts of slick moves to his pals.

What we love
  • This pogo stick will take your kiddo from beginner to expert in no time, and it gives him a pretty unique skill to brag about in the school cafeteria

Our sixth choice

Our opinion

The Plague Inc. board game (check price on Amazon) is the perfect gift for the family member that loves a zombie apocalypse. It is an innovative and strategic game of infection, evolution, and extinction. Sounds like Resident Evil, but it is based on the video game. You can create different symptoms and try to infect the world. This game teaches science, evolution, and fun! This is definitely a creative game of strategy that will delight teen boys in their search for world destruction and domination.

What we love
  • He will battle against friends to spread plagues and wipe out humanity

Our seventh choice

Our opinion

Your boy may be chomping at the bit to take the family car for a spin around the block, but you have a few more years before you have to think about handing over those keys. So until that day arrives, sate his love of cars with this flashy model. True to LEGO form, the detailing in this Technic Porsche (check price on Amazonis exquisite, from the vivid color right down to the low-profile tires. With 2,704 pieces, it is sure to excite his inner mechanic, maybe even keeping him so busy that he won’t be ticking off the days until his driver’s test.

What we love
  • With dimensions of 6 inches in height, 22 inches in length, and a 9-inch width, this will make an impressive display piece for him to show off to the world

Our eighth choice

Our opinion

There is no denying that teens love their tech, and this tablet will surely keep your kiddo’s interest for years to come. He will never have to worry about running out of space on this tablet; you can purchase a model that has up to 32 GB of internal storage.

If that isn’t enough, you have the option of expanding all the way up to 256 GB of storage with the purchase of a microSD card. The eight-inch display provides a high-def viewing experience and the Fire HD 8 Tablet (check price on Amazonis primed to deliver plenty of entertainment, whether he is using it for homework, social networking, or watching Netflix.

What we love
  • It’s an easy-to-use tablet that can house all his favorite apps, games and media, plus there’s front and rear-facing cameras and hands-free Alexa access

Our ninth choice

Our opinion

If your teen loves getting up close and personal with science, this gift is sure to be a home run. This OMAX Digital Compound Microscope (check price on Amazonmagnifies from 40x all the way up to 2000x and, as the name suggests, has a built-in camera. Although the camera can only provide a maximum 100x zoom on its images, there will still be plenty to see as your teen studies them on his computer.

Although the included software is only compatible with Windows run machines, he will still be able to transfer images to his Mac via USB. The LED light is easy to change, should it ever go out, and your boy can also adjust its brightness to achieve the best image.

What we love
  • No longer will he need to use his free periods to cram in extra time in the science lab; his hobby now has a home in his own room

Our tenth choice

Our opinion

Waterproof and sweatproof, your teen can listen to his music freely in any type of weather doing any type of activity. These Hussar Bluetooth headphones (check price on Amazonare comfortable and have a battery that provides up to nine hours of listening time. A built-in microphone allows your teen to take calls and the included ear tips come in three sizes, ensuring the best fit for your kiddo’s ears.

These #1 best selling headphones can also provide noise reduction, so all your special guy hears is the beat of his tunes. Or the sound of your voice on a phone call, of course. Staying in touch is a must during these adolescent years!

What we love
  • Aside from the quality sound, he will be happy to know that they have a standby time of up to 240 hours if (ok, when; he is a teen after all) he forgets to turn them off

Our eleventh choice

Our opinion

Catan (check price on Amazonis so much fun that it might just be the white knight that saves Family Game Night! A fun mix of luck and strategy, this is an award-winning game that offers a unique experience everytime your teen plays. Each person strives to build the biggest and best settlement, competing just as much against their past scores as they are the other players. It’s a fabulous group activity and, unlike some board games, you never have to worry about a round of Catan causing World War III. We’re looking at you, Monopoly.

What we love
  • With gameplay lasting about sixty minutes, you won’t have to worry about your teen getting restless. There are also plenty of expansion packs to diversify the fun even more!

Our twelfth choice

Our opinion

We love this model so much that we awarded it best beginner keyboard in our dedicated review of entry-level keyboards. The 61-Key RockJam (check price on Amazon) is perfect for a young player who wants to learn the basics of chords and keys before going on to compose his own melodies. If the boy you have in mind likes Ed Sheeran and other YouTube made popular artists, then this could be a great gift.

The RockJam has a decent array of useful functions, good sound quality, great built-in lessons, and comes with all the accessories you need. It provides all of this a competitive price. It’s definitely a solid choice for any family.

What we love
  • This keyboard comes with some awesome interactive learning apps which will make learning the keys fun – even addictive!

Our thirteenth choice

Our opinion

First seen on Shark Tank, Spikeball is one of those rare beasts: a new physical sport and ball game that is actually beginning to take off internationally. There are already semi-professional clubs all across America. It may only be years before we see Spikeball at the Olympics!

But we digress…

Spikeball (check price on Amazon) is a versatile sport which can be played indoors, outdoors, on grass, at the beach – you name it! It can be played leisurely with family, though it really comes into its own when things get competitive. Spikeball is a 2-on-2 game which contains elements of volleyball but with a 360-degree twist.

What we love
  • Spikeball is easy to learn but difficult to master. Once he and his friends get the hang of it, they’ll be hooked, taking their kit to the park, beach, or anywhere they can!

What to expect from your 13 year old boy

If there are nights when you feel dismayed at how hard it can be to parent, don’t ever let yourself feel like you have failed. It is difficult work on the best of days; and now that your boy is an adolescent, there will be plenty of changes in him both physically and mentally.

While every teenager will experience these upcoming years differently, you should certainly keep a look out for some of these milestones:

Body, hand and finger skills

  • Spurts of growth that can happen all at once or sporadically;
  • Lack of coordination that coincides with growth spurts;
  • Enjoyment of physical challenges

Emotional development

  • Need for security and stability;
  • Mood swings;
  • Self-esteem issues

Cognitive development

  • Desire to solve own problems;
  • Able to engage in community activities with increasing ease;
  • Attraction to leadership roles in clubs and/or sports;
  • Forming opinions on morality and justice

Wrapping up

Thirteen can feel like a pretty tricky age, what with your boy being stuck squarely in between maturity and childhood. But we can promise you that for every huffy sigh your boy gives you over the next few years, you will make at least double that number in good memories. Yeah, your math is right; you have thousands of good memories coming your way, so hang in there.

Remember, nothing can draw a teenager out of his shell more than you encouraging his interests in fun ways. Be sure to inspire him to play away, even as he rounds the corner into adulthood.

Neve Spicer
Written by Neve Spicer Updated on April 18th, 2023