Stocking fillers for teenagers that won’t end up in a drawer
Small, useful and a bit cool: stocking fillers for 13 to 17-year-olds, from bedroom lights to things for the walk to school.
Price guide: £ under £15 ££ £15–£40 £££ over £40
More ideas: Gifts for teenage boysGifts for teenage girls
Teenagers are hard to buy small things for. They’ve outgrown novelty stocking fillers but still want plenty to open on Christmas morning. The ones that work are useful, a little grown-up and fit their life: the bedroom, the phone, the walk to school.
Everything here was under £20 when we checked, and most of it under £15, so a few together make a full stocking. There’s a mix for boys and girls, and plenty that suits either.
LED strip lights
Price band: £The bedroom upgrade teenagers love: behind the bed, round the desk or under the shelves, changing colour with the music.
Our pick
Keepsmile 10m LED Strip Lights with Remote and Music Sync
Under £10 Price range
Ten metres of colour-changing strip for behind the bed, round a desk or under shelves, run from the remote or a phone app, with a music mode that pulses along to whatever’s playing.
- 10m, can be cut to length
- Remote and phone app
- Music sync mode
- 16 million colours, dimmable
- Timer and wake-up setting
What owners say: Owners find them easy to put up and bright, and like being able to dim them.
Heads up: Stick it to a clean, dry surface and press it down firmly along its whole length so it stays put.
A closer look: Measure first: ten metres goes round a double bed or along a desk and shelves, and the strip can be cut at the marked lines if it’s too long. It’s for indoors only, so keep it out of bathrooms.
A phone tripod with a remote
Price band: ££For videos, revision timelapses and group photos where nobody has to hold the phone.
Our pick
Eucos 157cm Phone Tripod and Selfie Stick with Remote
£10–£20 Price range
A phone tripod that stretches to 157cm and doubles as a selfie stick, with a Bluetooth remote so they can start filming from across the room. It folds down to about 30cm for a bag.
- Extends to 157cm (62in)
- Bluetooth remote, 10m range
- Fits phones 2.2–3.6in wide
- Cold shoe for a light or mic
- Folds to about 30cm
What owners say: Owners say it’s well made and stable, keeps phones secure, and is excellent value.
A closer look: Pair the remote with the phone’s Bluetooth once and it works as a shutter button from up to 10 metres away. The cold shoe on top takes a clip-on light or microphone if they get serious about filming.
Heatless curlers
Price band: ££Curls without straighteners or tongs: wrap it in before bed and unwind in the morning.
Our pick
Kitsch Satin Heatless Curling Set
£19.00 RRP
Wrap damp or dry hair round the soft satin rod before bed, fix the ends with the two scrunchies and wake up to bouncy curls without any heat. It’s made to be slept in.
- 34in satin curling rod
- 2 satin scrunchies
- For damp or dry hair
- No heat needed
- Wear it overnight
What owners say: Owners say it gives lovely curls that last all day, especially on thicker hair.
A closer look: Put the middle of the rod on top of the head, wrap sections of hair round each side and fix the ends with the scrunchies. Leave it in while the hair dries, or overnight, then unwind.
A makeup brush set
Price band: £A proper set to learn with, or to replace the grubby brushes at the bottom of the makeup bag.
Our pick
BEAKEY Makeup Brush Set (10 brushes, 2 sponges)
Under £10 Price range
Ten brushes and two teardrop sponges, with soft synthetic bristles and light birch handles: a lot of set for very little, and a good one to learn with or keep as a spare in the gym bag.
- 10 brushes and 2 sponges
- Soft synthetic bristles
- Birch wood handles
- Latex-free teardrop sponges
- Vegan and cruelty-free
What owners say: Owners find the bristles soft and say they work well, especially for contouring, and that the set is easy for beginners.
Heads up: Don't soak the handles when you wash them, as water loosens the glue that holds the bristles: wash the bristle end and lie them flat to dry.
A closer look: Use the flat bottom of the sponge for foreheads and cheeks and the pointed end under the eyes and round the nose, as BEAKEY suggests. It makes a good stocking filler for a teenager getting into makeup.
A rechargeable hand warmer
Price band: £For the walk to school and the wait at the bus stop: two warmers that snap together with magnets, and no more disposable ones.
Our pick
Gaiatop Rechargeable Hand Warmer
£13.99 RRP
Pocket-sized, warm in three seconds and far greener than a box of disposable warmers.
- Heats in 3 seconds
- 3 heat levels (40–55°C)
- Pocket-sized (65g)
- Rechargeable
What owners say: Warms hands quickly, fits in a pocket, easy to use and less wasteful than disposable warmers.
A closer look: Two warmers come in the box and cling together with magnets: split them between two coat pockets on a cold walk, or join them for heat on both sides of one palm. At 8cm long, each is small enough to tuck inside a glove, and a full charge takes a little over three hours using the pair of USB-C cables supplied.
A Bluetooth tracker tag
Price band: £Clip it to house keys or a school bag and their iPhone finds it, which saves a lot of frantic mornings.
Our pick
UGREEN FineTrack Tracker Tag (Apple Find My)
£9.99 RRP
Works with Apple’s Find My just like an AirTag, for a fraction of the price. Clip it to keys, bags or suitcases.
- Apple Find My
- 2-year replaceable battery
- No app needed
- Keyring hole
What owners say: Easy to set up in Find My and a good budget alternative to an AirTag.
Heads up: iPhone only, as it doesn’t work with Android.
A closer look: Set it up from the Find My app on an iPhone: a Mac can view its location afterwards but can’t pair it. Turn on the left-behind alert so the phone nudges you when the keys stay put. When the battery eventually fades, a standard CR2032 coin cell swaps in, and the cover is built to resist small fingers.
Paint pens
Price band: ££For customising trainers, phone cases, sketchbooks and school folders, in soft pastels that show up on dark colours.
Our pick
POSCA PC-3M Fine Paint Markers (8 pastel colours)
£10–£20 Price range
The paint marker many illustrators and trainer customisers use, here in soft pastels that sit beautifully on dark card, wood and denim. Mitsubishi Pencil launched POSCA in Japan in 1983; despite the name and logo, the company has nothing to do with the Mitsubishi car and bank group.
- 8 pastel colours
- Fine 0.9–1.3mm bullet tip
- Opaque water-based paint
- Valve keeps the paint fresh
- Plastic-free packaging
What owners say: Owners find the colours rich and opaque on almost any surface, and love them for detailed work and children's art projects.
A closer look: Before the first use, shake it with the cap on, then press the tip down on scrap paper a few times until the paint flows. Do the same whenever the colour starts to fade mid-line.
A 3-in-1 charging cable
Price band: £One cable with iPhone, USB-C and older Micro USB ends, so nobody has to borrow a charger at a friend’s house.
Our pick
GIANAC 3-in-1 Multi Charging Cable (1.2m)
Under £10 Price range
One cable with iPhone, USB-C and Micro USB ends, so everyone in the house can charge from the same socket.
- Lightning, USB-C and Micro USB
- 1.2m cable
- Charges 3 devices at once
What owners say: Handy to have one cable for everything, and a good length for travel.
Heads up: It’s for charging only, not transferring data.
A closer look: Cotton-mesh braiding, aluminium housings and silicone collars at each end protect the spot where cheaper cables tend to fray. Only the cable comes in the box, so add a USB plug if there’s no spare one at home, or leave it coiled in the glovebox so whoever’s riding along can top up, whatever phone they carry.
A speed skipping rope
Price band: £For the teenager into boxing, football training or the gym: a fast rope for quick footwork.
Our pick
Beast Gear Speed Rope (aluminium handles)
Under £10 Price range
Slim grooved aluminium handles and a thin coated steel cable that whips round fast: the rope for learning double-unders and quick boxing-style footwork.
- Coated steel cable
- Grooved aluminium handles
- Ball bearings
- Adjustable, about 3m
- 200g
What owners say: Owners praise the build and performance, especially for double-unders, though a few had the cable break near the handle.
Heads up: Thin steel speed ropes sting if they catch your shins, so beginners may prefer a thicker PVC rope first.
A closer look: Keep the elbows in and turn with the wrists, not the arms: that's where the speed comes from. Leave a little extra length until you've got the rhythm.
Bike lights
Price band: £For cycling to school on dark winter mornings: tiny lights that come off and go in a pocket when the bike’s locked up.
Our pick
Glangeh Ultra-Slim Rechargeable Bike Lights
£10–£20 Price range
Tiny 27g lights that slip into a jeans pocket when you lock up, ideal for being seen in town.
- 27g each, 1.7cm thin
- 4 front and 6 rear modes
- Both charge at once in 1–1.5 hours
- Covered USB-C ports
- Remembers the last mode
What owners say: Owners say they’re bright enough for the dark, quick to charge, easy to fit and remove, and good value.
A closer look: At 250 lumens the front light is for being seen on lit streets rather than lighting a dark lane. Take them off when you lock the bike in town; they’re small enough to live in a coat pocket. The split cable charges both together.
Wireless earbuds
Price band: ££A first pair for younger teens or a spare for the PE bag, cheap enough not to panic if one goes missing.
Our pick
TOZO A1 Wireless Earbuds
£19.99 RRP
Tiny, light and surprisingly good for around £20. Ideal for younger teens, or as a spare pair for the gym bag.
- Only 3.7g per earbud
- Up to 32 hours with the case
- App EQ settings
- Bluetooth 5.3
What owners say: Good quality, excellent sound for the price, and a comfortable fit that stays put.
Heads up: No noise cancelling at this price.
A closer look: Volume, track skipping and calls are all controlled by tapping the earbuds, so the phone can stay on a bench or in a bag up to 12 metres away. Each charge lasts around 6.5 hours at 60% volume, and the shape is made for smaller ears, so they don’t stick out under a hat or hood.
A clip-on book light
Price band: £For reading in bed after lights out, with a warm setting that won’t wake a brother or sister in the same room.
Our pick
Gritin 19 LED Rechargeable Book Light
£10.99 RRP
Clips to a book and throws a wide, even light, with a warm amber setting that won’t disturb whoever’s sleeping next to them.
- 19 LEDs, wide beam
- 3 colour modes
- Stepless dimming
- Rechargeable
- Remembers your setting
What owners say: Brilliant light with lots of brightness choices, and the battery lasts a good while.
Heads up: Gritin has just launched a Gen 2. This one is the proven version and usually costs less.
A closer look: Amber is the setting for reading in bed, with the softest glow, while the crisp white helps with small print in a crossword or a dim armchair corner. Charging is by USB-C, so the same lead as most modern phones will do, and at about 71g it sits lightly on a paperback.
Tips for teen stocking fillers
- Check their phone before buying tech: the tracker tag only works with iPhones.
- Charge anything rechargeable before wrapping, so the hand warmer and bike lights work on Christmas morning.
- Mix useful and fun: a charging cable or bike lights next to the LED strip and paint pens.
Photos are illustrative. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How we pick · How this works.
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