50 Amazingly Awesome Birthday Ideas for Teens

Jill Holtz

January 19, 2022

teenage birthday gift ideas lead

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If you have a teen birthday coming up and are in need of some present inspiration, this article should help.

Teens can be a notoriously tough bunch to buy for, but fear not, you’ll be the coolest “present-giver” ever with these 50 Amazingly Awesome Birthday Ideas for Teens:

Birthday Ideas for Teens

NB if you buy through our links we get a small commission.

#1. A Bit of Pampering

Treat your teen to a bit of pampering, eg a mani/pedi followed by lunch. (Lots of salons now do male treatments too!)

“My friend took her 14 yo on a pamper session. They got hair done, manicures and pedicures. They had a right giggle!” Sara L

#2. Meal Out

Book a table at a nice restaurant and take your teen out for a meal. They’ll enjoy dressing up a bit and doing some people watching.

#3. Hoodie

teen hoodie

The uniquitous teen wear, we know, but a hoodie always goes down well. Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch are popular, or check out the range of hoodies and sweatshirts available on Notonthehighstreet.com for something a bit different.

#4. Cinema Vouchers

“One of my teen daughter’s favourite things to do is go to the movies with her friends, so this is definitely on my present list for her next birthday” Siobhan

#5. A New Bag

A new handbag, tote or messenger bag is a cool and useful gift.

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#6. Music Voucher

Does your teen use a streaming music service? How about a gift voucher to Spotify or Pandora?

#7. SodaStream

Bring some bubbles into their lives with a SodaStream Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker Starter Kit. Transform ordinary tap water into fresh great-tasting soda or sparkling water in less than 30 seconds. You can choose from over 60 regular, diet and all-natural soda mix varieties with no high-fructose corn syrup and no aspartame.

#8. Adventure Experience

Got an adventurous teen? How about booking them on a kayaking or outdoor adventure experience? Or a Climbing Wall session?

#9. Jewellery Organiser

How about something to help organise their jewelry? The Stackers range available on Amazon.co.uk can be built up as a nice collection.

#10. New Tablet/iPad Case

We liked this iPad sling bag suitable for iPad or other Tablets which comes in black, khaki green and blue, available from Amazon.com.

Or try this V7 Sling Bag which fits iPad, Kindle Fire and up to 10.1 inch Tablets, it comes in black and is available from Amazon.co.uk.

#11. iTunes Voucher

You can’t go wrong with an iTunes voucher for a standby birthday idea for teens…

#12. Prepaid Credit Card

A prepaid credit card loaded with some cash would make a nice birthday gift.

#13. Bit of Bling

Some jewellery suggestions:

  • a really nice pair of earrings;
  • a St Christopher necklace;
  • leather bracelet;
  • a Claddagh ring which is a traditional Irish ring given which represents love, loyalty, and friendship (the hands represent friendship, the heart represents love, and the crown represents loyalty). When the hands that hold the heart are angled towards the girl, that means she is taken, when the heart faces out, the girl is single.

“Give a charm bracelet then each birthday and Christmas perhaps add a charm as a pressie” Cármel G

#14. Shopping Afternoon

Take them for a shopping afternoon to their favourite mall or shopping centre. Set a budget and set them loose, and arrange to meet them at a cafe at the end of the afternoon for refreshments.

#15. Phone Credit

The ultimate useful present for a teen.

#16. Nail Polish Set

A set of nail polishes makes a nice gift, this Gel Nail Polish Set with 6 colours and French Manicure Starter Kit is available from Amazon.co.uk.

#17. Sportshop Voucher

To stock up on their favourite brands.

#18. Tickets to a Match

If they have a favourite sports team, then tickets to a match is a nice gift.

#19. Outdoor Gear

Is your teen into the outdoors? What about a fly fishing lesson or a fishing rod and reel? Older teens might like a tent and camping gear if they are planning trips to music festivals.

#20. Skateboard

For the skateboarder in your life, a new board would be welcome.

#21. Drone

Drones with cameras are all the latest rage. This DEERC drone may be small, but it can even fly outdoors, wind dependant. It also has a front mounted camera with a video recording function. Super stable indoors or even outside on a calm day.

#22. Tickets to a Concert

Another standby present idea for teens, concert tickets to their favourite artist or band. Or how about picking a new unknown band and sending them hear them? You could ask a nearby music venue for ideas on upcoming bands that your teen might like if you give them an idea on the type of bands they like.

#23. Team Jersey

For the sports mad teen in your house, how about gifting them the latest team jersey available for their favourite team.

#24. Cool T-shirt

You can’t go wrong with a cool t-shirt for a teen. Find out what the latest popular brand is.

#25. Vinyl

vinyl

Obviously you will need a record player in the house but vinyl is the new super-cool music format. And many records come with the CD and also the download MP3 version of the album, so they can actually be quite good value considering.

#26. Box Set

Give your teen a box set that they can watch and rewatch. Some suggestions:

  • Friends
  • Stranger Things
  • The Wire
  • The Witcher
  • Modern Family
  • Vampire Diaries

#27. Funky Artwork Print

Kids Laughter (Soundwaves by JANDO)

Get your teen some new artwork or a print. We love these unique prints from Jando Design including ones based on voice soundwaves, send them a recording and they’ll turn it into art.

#28. Ballerina Slippers

Standby fashion option for tired feet and great for tucking into handbag or clutch.

#29. Onesie

If we had said to you a few years back that onesies would burst onto the scene you would have laughed at us. However they are here and they are cute (think back to when your teen was 2 and in a similar getup!).

#30. Netflix Subscription

With unlimited movies, tv shows and documentaries, an annual Netflix subscription is a great present for a teen (plus the rest of the family get to enjoy!)

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#31. XBox/Playstation Game

Grab the latest and greatest game to give to your teen. Or top them up with an Xbox Gift Card so they have currency to eg buy players for the FIFA games and other extras. Most places that sell games have the gift cards.

#32. Mini / Portable Speakers

A set of mini or portable speakers that can be easily toted around to the park, beach or friends’ houses is a really nice gift for a teen’s birthday.

#33. Telescope

If the astronomy bug has bitten your teen, what about a telescope. Take some time to consider this and don’t automatically buy the most expensive (if there’s a danger it may lie around gathering dust).

#34. iPad or Tablet

Yes we know it’s not an original idea, but there’s always the latest iPad or tablet to buy them.

#35. New Backpack

Handy for school, weekends, general trucking around. In 1966, the Van Doren Rubber Company opened up for business in California. Within a few years, global skate culture adopted Vans shoe as their favorite brand, and today Vans still represents a look that epitomizes the Southern California lifestyle. We like this Old Skool backpack which comes in a variety of colours and designs. Available on Amazon.co.uk.

#36. Uggs

Along with the hoodie, Uggs have become the go to footwear for teens around the globe and have spawned a multitude of knock off styles. So do a bit of online research to get the best value for the authentic Uggs.

#37. Watch

An Apple Watch would be a splash out gift but a regular digital or analog watch can be handy for exam days too where connected watches are not allowed to be work. 

#38. Makeup or Skincare Set

cleansing and skincare routine

For the teen who enjoys make up or wants to give their skincare the best boost, a makeup or skincare set can give the best value often rather than buying individual items.

#39. Vans or Converse

To go with your new cool Vans backpack (see Number 35) a pair of Vans shoes has to be the “biz”. Or a pair of Converse are still popular with teens.

#40. Selfie Stick

If you haven’t come across these, a selfie stick is used to take selfie photographs by positioning a smartphone or camera beyond the normal range of the arm.

#41. Headphones

Some new headphones, either noise cancelling over ear or Airpods are a nice gift idea for teens.

#42. Eyeglass Holder

For the glasses wearing teen in your life, pick up a cool eyeglass holder for them.

#43. Graphic Cushion

Etsy is a good place to find cool cushions for your teen’s room, most producers ship worldwide and you’re getting a unique handmade product too.

#44. Camera

Your teen may use their smartphone all the time to take pics but if they are into taking photographs an actual camera might go down well.

#45. Let’s Make Some Great Art Book

In this interactive Let’s Make Some Great Art Book, Marion Deuchars takes the broad canvas of ART and fills it with drawings and activities that let you discover what art can be, how it can be made, what it can mean for you and what it has meant for people through the ages.

This book is packed with stimulating ideas to spark your creative imagination. You can complete the Mona Lisa’s smile, or design your own Jackson Pollock-inspired work with a marble, a tray, some paint and paper.

#46. Thermal Coffee Mug

Great for travel to school, for out and about at the weekends.

#47. An Acre of the Moon

Who wouldn’t like an acre of the Moon?! You can buy 1 Acre of Lunar Land, starting at $29.99 from lunarland.com, the official legal real estate agency for the Moon since 1980 :) .

#48. Air Hockey Set

An Tabletop Air Hockey set looks, feels, sounds and plays just like the real thing. Pucks glide across the playing rink on a cushion of air for fast, exciting table hockey action.

Lightweight and portable, just place on a table and play away and when it’s not in use, simply put away and slip under the bed or pop in the cupboard. Available on Amazon.co.uk.

#49. A Cool Classic

Get your reader teen a cool classic, there’s some really beautiful hard back versions being published nowadays too. Some suggestions:

  • Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
  • Catch-22
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • Fahrenheit 451
  • The Catcher in the Rye
  • The French Lieutenant’s Woman
  • A Clockwork Orange

For more ideas, here are Classic Novels for Teenagers.

#50. USB Stick

Always handy, USB sticks are good presents.

50 Amazingly Awesome Birthday Ideas for Teens - MyKidsTime

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Published On: January 19th, 2022 / Categories: Parties / Last Updated: February 5th, 2023 / Tags: , /

About the Author: Jill Holtz

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Jill is one of the co-founders of Mykidstime and a mum of 2 girls

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