The 42 Best Holiday Gifts for Tweens

A few of our picks for best gifts for tweens, including ice cream pints, a pineapple neon sign and a pair of sunglasses.

Between the ages of 9 and 12, children start to outgrow their little-kid personas and move on to increasingly grown-up interests. Tweens are often developing first crushes (awww), taking an interest in their appearance, following online personalities, and growing more independent.

But they also still harbor a fondness for things that are silly and fun. Tweens “present like they’re mature, but they still like kid stuff,” says Catherine Pearlman, a parenting adviser and author, and a mother of two teenagers. “They’re a mix of wanting to be grown up and thinking they can handle everything, but also still learning.”

To compile this list of great gifts for tweens, I enlisted my own three kids to experiment with room accessories, taste-test ice cream, and pamper themselves with beauty masks (that also made them look like llamas and mermaids). My daughter, her friends, and one patient teacher gamely compared five kinds of hair chalk — because what better way to style your hair than like Rumi, Mira, Zoey, and the Saja Boys from KPop Demon Hunters?

I also gathered ideas from child-development experts, as well half a dozen other parents and experts from Wirecutter’s staff.

If your tween already has a good idea of what they like, some of our other guides may help with your gift search this holiday season. For gaming enthusiasts, check out our gaming guides to find the best Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite accessories and the best gaming headsets. We also have gift suggestions for 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, teens, and kids of all ages.



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