Gift guide · 12 ideas
Stocking stuffers for teens
Small things a 13 to 17-year-old will actually use, from the bedroom wall to the walk to the bus stop.
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Teen stockings are tricky. They’re too old for slime and novelty erasers but still want a pile of things to open on Christmas morning, and a stocking of socks says you ran out of ideas. What works is small, a little grown-up and part of their day: the phone, the bedroom, the cold walk to the bus, the friends who come over.
Every pick was under $25 when we checked, and about half under $15, so three or four together fill a stocking. Most suit boys or girls, a few lean one way, and each comes with our pick from one of our top lists. Prices change often, so it’s worth a quick check before you buy.
Wireless earbuds
They lose one, sit on the case or leave a pair on the bus, so a spare never goes to waste. One pair for the school bag and one at home means there’s music for every ride.
soundcore P20i by Anker True Wireless Earbuds
$20–$30
Oversized drivers tuned for bass, 10 hours from a charge and a pocket-sized case with a lanyard. The soundcore app adds 22 EQ presets and can make a lost earbud beep.
What owners say: Owners like the sound and find them fairly priced. Fit and comfort vary from ear to ear, though, and some lose the connection now and then or have a bud give up over time.
A closer look: Ten minutes in the case gives about two hours of listening, handy when they’ve run down just before a commute. The lanyard clips the case to a bag or a set of keys, and the soundcore app lets each earbud’s touch controls be changed to suit.
- 10 hours per charge
- 30 hours with the case
- Big drivers tuned for bass
Heads up: There’s no noise canceling on this pair.
View on Amazon See our top 5 wireless earbuds →A star projector
Teens spend half their lives in their bedrooms, and this gives the ceiling something to look at once the lights go out.
HERHOTER Galaxy Star Projector with Remote
$10–$20
A palm-sized projector, about 3 in across, that washes the ceiling in slow-moving waves of red, green and blue under a scatter of stars. A sound mode makes the light pulse with music, and the timer runs from half an hour to four hours.
What owners say: Mixing the colors into different skies is half the fun, and parents find it calming at bedtime and bright enough for a child’s room; whether it covers a whole room and how well the remote works divide them.
A closer look: Two bases come in the box along with a USB cable, but no plug, so use a phone charger. In sleep mode it switches itself off after an hour with no buttons pressed, handy for a child who drifts off quickly.
- Color waves and stars
- Timer up to 4 hours
- Light pulses with music
A ping pong set for any table
Something to do when friends come over that isn’t a screen. Once dinner’s cleared, there’s a match going with whoever’s around.
FBSPORT Ping Pong Set with Retractable Net
$10–$20
A net that pulls out to 5.25 feet and clamps onto almost any table up to 1.8 inches thick, plus two paddles and six balls, so the dining table or a picnic table becomes a ping pong table in a minute.
What owners say: Fun for all ages and quick to clamp onto a dining table, it fits most surfaces. The net divides people: some say it stays put, others find the tension weak or parts wearing out within weeks.
A closer look: The net clamps on at each side and winds back in at the press of a trigger when the game’s over. It’s a set for casual games on the kitchen table or a picnic table rather than serious rallies, and the carry bag keeps paddles, balls and net together.
- 2 paddles, 6 balls, net
- Carry bag included
- Net extends to 5.25 ft
Rechargeable hand warmers
A January morning at the bus stop is no fun with bare hands, and these keep fingers warm enough to text.
Gaiatop Rechargeable Hand Warmers (2-pack)
$10–$20
Pocket-sized and warm in three seconds, with three settings from 113°F up to 149°F, and two halves that snap together magnetically for heat on both sides of a palm. Gaiatop puts the battery at up to nine hours per warmer.
What owners say: Quick to heat and small enough to slip into gloves, owners say, some getting seven hours from a charge; others found the battery faded sooner or the pair didn’t last.
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. Each is just over 3 inches long, small enough to tuck inside a glove, and both charge in a little over three hours from the pair of USB-C cables supplied.
- 3 heat levels, 113–149°F
- Up to 9 hours each
- Heats in 3 seconds
Heads up: The top setting reaches up to 149°F, so use it inside a pocket or glove rather than against bare skin.
View on Amazon See our top 5 rechargeable hand warmers →A wireless charging stand
Their phone is the last thing they put down at night and the first they pick up, so a stand by the bed means it’s charged for school every morning.
INIU 15W Wireless Charger Stand
$10–$20
Two charging coils mean the phone charges wherever it sits on the stand, upright or sideways, and the light dims in the dark so it won’t keep a light sleeper awake.
What owners say: Owners are pleased with its everyday charging. Speed and case compatibility are hit and miss, though, and a number of buyers saw theirs die after a week or within a few months.
A closer look: It sets its speed to suit each phone, up to 15W on some Androids and 7.5W on an iPhone, so it works as the shared charger in a house full of different phones. A flashing light means it has found a coin or keys on the stand, so clear them off.
- Charges any wireless-charging phone
- Up to 15W charging
- Light dims in the dark
Bike lights
Once it’s dark by five, the ride home from practice or a friend’s house needs lights, and parents worry a little less when they have them.
Zewdov Ultra-Slim Bike Light Set
$10–$20
Two tiny lights, 0.67 in thin and about an ounce each, that slip into a jeans pocket when the bike is locked up in town. Both charge together in an hour or so from one split USB-C cable, and each remembers the last mode used.
What owners say: They’re brighter than expected, owners say, easy to strap on, even to a basket, and simple enough for kids to switch on, with a red rear light that’s easy to spot; a few had the front light switch itself off.
A closer look: At 200 lumens the front light is for being seen on lit streets rather than lighting a dark path. Take both off when you lock up in town, since they’re small enough to live in a coat pocket, and the rubber straps also fit a scooter or a stroller handle.
- Front and rear lights
- Charges both at once, USB-C
- Fits a jeans pocket
A speed jump rope
Boxing, wrestling, basketball: any sport where the coach keeps saying footwork. A rope of their own means drills at home, not just at practice.
LIFEEZY Self-Locking Speed Jump Rope
$10–$20
A thin, PU-coated steel cable on aluminum handles with a double-bearing system, so it turns fast and smooth for quick jumping. The length sets in seconds with a self-locking clamp, no screws or tools.
What owners say: The slightly heavy handles and smooth spin get the praise, along with how quickly the length adjusts, and plenty of beginners use it for short cardio bursts. How long the cable lasts varies: a few had one give out early.
A closer look: Stand on the middle of the cable, pull the handles up to your armpits and lock the length there. Jump on rubber gym flooring, wood or a mat where you can, since rough concrete wears through the coating fast. It suits anyone working toward faster jumping or their first double-unders.
- Coated steel cable
- Ball-bearing aluminum handles
- Self-locking, tool-free adjustment
Heads up: Thin steel speed ropes sting if they catch your shins, so beginners may prefer a thicker PVC rope first.
View on Amazon See our top 5 jump ropes →A detangling brush
Long hair knots overnight, and on a school morning it gets yanked out in a hurry, so a gentler brush makes the scramble a little kinder.
Tangle Teezer The Ultimate Detangler
$10–$20
Two-tiered teeth split the work: the long ones ease knots apart while the short ones smooth, and the handle keeps a firm hold in wet hands. Tangle Teezer started in London: its founder, the hairdresser Shaun Pulfrey, was turned down on Dragons’ Den, the UK’s version of Shark Tank, in 2007.
What owners say: Soft bristles that are kind to the scalp work knots loose without pulling or snapping hair, wet or dry, and owners with thick hair rate it too. A few found it broke.
A closer look: In the shower it doubles as a way to comb conditioner or a hair mask through evenly, before rinsing as usual. On long hair, hold the lengths above a knot while brushing below it, so the pull stops at your hand rather than the scalp. Pick out loose hairs from between the rows every few days.
- 325 two-tiered teeth
- Wet or dry hair
- Suits wigs and extensions
Alcohol markers
If they fill sketchbooks with characters and fan art, alcohol markers are the next step up from colored pencils, and the holidays are the time to try them.
MemOffice 80-Color Alcohol Markers (broad and fine)
$10–$20
Eighty dual-tip markers in a carry case, with a broad tip for filling in, a fine one for outlines and color-coded caps that make the right shade quick to find. An easy way to find out whether alcohol markers are for you.
What owners say: The wide range of shades and the well-made carrying case get the most praise, and plenty of owners use these with their children for coloring books. Some say the ink lasts well, while others had a few pens arrive dry or bleed through thin paper.
A closer look: There’s no blender pen in this set, so blend by working the lighter color over the edge of the darker one while it’s still wet. A sheet of cardstock under the page stops the ink marking the next one, which matters most in coloring books printed on both sides.
- 80 colors, carry case included
- Broad and fine tips
- Color-coded caps
A bracelet-making kit
Friendship bracelets are back, traded at concerts and sleepovers and stacked up both arms. With letter beads in the box, each one they make can spell out an inside joke.
Redtwo Clay Bead Bracelet Kit (5,100 pieces)
Under $10
About 4,600 flat clay heishi beads in 18 colors and 500 charms, with letter and number beads, hearts, gold beads and spacers among them, all in one compartment box with stretchy string, scissors and tweezers. Enough for a big batch of friendship bracelets.
What owners say: Owners love the bright mix of beads and charms and the trendy flat preppy look, and children stay happily making for hours, with plenty in the box for lots of different styles.
A closer look: Finish each bracelet with a double knot pulled tight, add a dab of clear nail polish to hold it, and slide a bead over the knot to hide it. The tweezers help with single discs, and threading straight from the box’s compartments keeps the colors from getting mixed.
- About 4,600 clay beads
- 18 colors plus letter beads
- 500 charms included
A gaming mouse
A computer gamer will notice a real gaming mouse every night of winter break, and it fits in a stocking where a keyboard wouldn’t.
Redragon M612 Wired RGB Gaming Mouse
$10–$20
A rapid-fire key is one of its eleven programmable buttons. The claw-grip shape has a frosted, fingerprint-free top and rubber on the thumb side for a sure hold.
What owners say: Comfortable to hold and fun to light up, with buttons to spare. Not every one lasts: some still work fine after a year, while others developed random clicks or failed within months.
A closer look: The five DPI steps come set between 500 and 4,000; Redragon’s free software unlocks anything up to 8,000 and remaps every button, side macro buttons included. It’s shaped for right hands and a claw grip, where the fingertips arch over the buttons rather than lying flat.
- 11 programmable buttons
- Right-handed, for claw grip
- Rapid-fire key
A rechargeable headlamp
For campouts, Scout trips, power outages and reading under the covers. A rechargeable two-pack means one for them and one for a brother or sister.
Blukar Rechargeable Headlamp (2-pack)
$10–$20
Wave a hand to switch it on: exactly what you want when you’re holding a breaker box cover or a muddy leash. Two come in the pack.
What owners say: A wide, bright beam, lots of brightness settings and buttons that make sense right away, plus a comfortable, adjustable band. Several say a charge outlasts a set of AAAs.
A closer look: The wave sensor works only in three of the eight modes, so pick one of those before the job starts, and long-press the button to dim it when full power is more than the job needs. After a sweaty walk, the headband comes off the lamp and can go in the wash.
- Two headlamps in the box
- Beam 500 ft (150 m)
- Wave-to-switch sensor
Heads up: Expect 3.5 hours a charge with both beams on, or 5 with one, as Blukar’s own listing says, so charge it the night before a long outing.
View on Amazon See our top 5 headlamps →Tips for teen stocking stuffers
- Charge everything rechargeable before it goes in the stocking, so the earbuds, hand warmers and bike lights work on Christmas morning.
- The star projector runs from a USB cable with no wall plug in the box, so check there’s a spare phone charger by the bed.
- Mix the useful with the fun: hand warmers and a charger next to a star projector and a ping pong set make a stocking that feels thought about.
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
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