Gifts for a boy aged 11 or 12 — gift ideas

No time for the whole list? These are our four favourites for a boy aged 11 or 12: De Grijze Jager (Ranger’s Apprentice) to read, EXIT The Sunken Treasure to escape from together, Mbappé as a LEGO set and a surfskate for the street. From a small present to a real showstopper.

A small gift for a boy aged 11 or 12, for the Sinterklaas shoe, for a good school report or for a birthday at school. Everything below costs less than ten euros, and every one of them is a gift he’ll be happy with.

The budget for most birthday parties and for Sinterklaas: between ten and twenty-five euros. Video games, board games, books and something for outdoors, all picked for boys of 11 and 12.

Around eleven his own room suddenly matters: a neon lamp, a string of star lights, a speaker or a duvet cover that isn’t childish any more. Gifts for a boy of 11 or 12 to make his own space.

From 1,000-piece jigsaws to 3D mazes, logic games and escape games: for a boy of 11 or 12, puzzles are relaxation and challenge at the same time, alone or together. Lotana has a huge collection of jigsaws and logic games, and 999 Games has brain teasers and escape games.

Games are the gift boys of 11 and 12 ask for most. Here are the Switch games that suit this age best: big adventures, action, and games to play together on the sofa. Be careful when choosing: games with “Nintendo Switch 2” in the title only work on a Switch 2, not on a regular Switch or a Switch Lite. The other way round, you can play almost all Nintendo Switch games on a Nintendo Switch 2.

A ball, a light-up frisbee, a diabolo or a surfskate: a boy of 11 or 12 wants to head outside with something he can’t do yet, and get better at it every time. Is he mad about football? Our football gift blog has a separate overview of balls, kits, books and games for footballers.

For a boy of 11 or 12 a game can involve strategy: bluffing, planning and beating your parents. Card games for a quick round and board games for a whole evening with friends — and many games have expansions, so they stay new. Explore the range at 999 Games and Lotana.

On the threshold of the teenage years, boys read thicker books, popular series and books full of facts. Adventure, sport, humour or fantasy: there’s a book here for every boy of 11 or 12. (Most are Dutch editions.)

Boys who draw and sketch deserve good materials too: markers, oil pastels, watercolour pencils and a sketchbook that can take a knock. Creative gifts for a boy of 11 or 12, from small to professional. Pipoos has a huge range of drawing and painting supplies. Also see our blogs on lovely drawing supplies for children and the best drawing books for children.

LEGO is a top gift for boys of 11 and 12, especially sets about football, sneakers and films they pick themselves. Fun to build and then to show off in their room. Browse the full range in the LEGO Shop.

Around twelve, Fortnite is often the game everyone at school talks about. What he wants of it at home: Peely and the other skins as figures, the logo as a neon lamp, the Battle Bus as a LEGO set, or simply a good desk mat for under his mouse. From a small present for the Sinterklaas shoe to the big gift from grandma and grandpa together.

At this age a hoodie, joggers or a tracksuit is a gift that really gets asked for: comfortable, and from a brand that counts in the playground. Donnay Junior is the affordable choice; at Voetbalshop you’ll find Nike and adidas as well as the club collections from Ajax to Real Madrid. A cap or a set of socks is a small gift that always gets used. For the size, check the label of something that fits now: kids’ sizes run from 128 to 176 (height in centimetres).

A fun day out together is a treat in itself: you experience something special and make memories to talk about for ages. A few ideas:

🧗 A climbing park or treetop adventure course

🎢 A day at a theme park

🎳 Laser tag or an afternoon of bowling

🎨 A creative workshop (painting, pottery or photography)

🍿 A film night with popcorn

🏊 A day at a tropical swimming paradise