It’s a tough call and one you can never be sure you nailed correctly – getting a gift for a teenager. Growing up has significantly changed since you went through the transformation bursts typical for the early days of youth. And when you did it, there was no internet, no smartphones, and no peer pressure based on social media.

So what do teenagers want to receive as a gift? You can never know unless you can make an educated guess because you are aware of their passion. Take it into account, but by no means gear yourself to follow it blindly since there are red flags in teenager gifts too. For example, if they want to get a pet, though it might sound like a great idea to gift them one, there is a possibility they will lose interest fast. And, the care for the little creature will likely be entrusted to adults. Here are a couple of cool holiday gift ideas that we’re pretty sure teenagers will love.

Scale Model Cars

source: bigscalecars.com

Type

Getting hobby car models for a teenager is one of the safest bets you can make. Provided you have an idea which model of car would have the greatest appeal to them. There is a great variety you can choose from: some like model race car kits, others want nothing but off-road trucks. And there is the bunch into recreating historical plastic model cars, most of which are no longer seen on the roads.

Scale

Possibly the most important consideration when you are getting a model car kit for someone else. The most typical scale are: 1:12; 1:18; 1:25; 1:35; 1:64 and these ratios will determine the size of your model. Kids tend to go for the biggest available model, however, keep in mind that the unit will not be used at all times and dedicated storage space is a requirement. The 1:25 is one of the most popular since it’s big enough to show a satisfactory level of detail.

Details

source: rolls-roycemotorcars.com

Today, hobby car models are designed and feel more and more lifelike. Maybe you are after a specific manufacturer (like Ferrari, Mercedes, Ford) or you want the model to replicate a distinctive feature (like a removable rear top). You might be surprised to find out that good scale car models recreate real vehicles in great detail and this is one of the main reasons teenagers will welcome such a gift.

Australian Model Cars

This is a unique way to appreciate a car that holds special meaning to the country, region, or city. It can serve to establish rapport between generations since kids can have the exact model their grandpa used to drive. Those sort of connections are what extending gifts to someone is all about.

And for the bunch that is seriously into car racing sports – they can have a model commemorating a specific race that was part of a championship (both domestic and international). Not a lot of sports allow you to have a pocket size replica built in great detail on your shelf.

Scooter

source: myproscooter.com

Motor Skills

As it was briefly mentioned above, kids grow up in leaps. This is especially the case in the tween and teen periods where they can experience an increase in height within a month. Some kids take this naturally and can accommodate the change almost instantly. Others need some time to develop body confidence and consider themselves ‘freaks’ because suddenly their arms and feet are longer. The classic kick scooter works great in making such transitions smooth. The kid can become more comfortable with their bodies without even noticing. And the scooter is remarkable in this regard because unlike most physical sports, it takes the focus away from the increasingly self-conscious psyche of a teenager.

Exercise

Speaking of sports, we have a serious issue on our hands. Performing physical activities, completing outdoor adventures, and playing sports were never more accessible to the youth, yet they spend staggering amounts of time in front of a screen. Be it their mobile phone, a laptop, or a PC; be they studying, entertaining, or socializing, most of the time they find handheld gadgets worthy of their attention. Old fashioned scooters can serve to shift their focus and introduce them to cool ways to be active (they’ll never term it ‘cool’ though, just so you know). The physical benefits of riding scooters are self-evident.

Mechanical

When it comes to cool aspects of riding a scooter, what can beat doing tricks on a half-pipe? It’s one of the reasons pro trick scooters were designed in the first place. Elaborate routines and stunts are guaranteed to make a teen stop whatever they are doing at the moment. While that is strikingly obvious, what is less apparent is the accompanying learning curve connected with such performance. What’s the best way to learn anything? Yes, play, and it works at any age. So when they stretch their hand to take their pro trick scooter, it’s only a matter of time before they want to take every piece of it apart. It’s ok, we are talking about mechanical maintenance and upgrade of their scooter. It gears them toward earning basic mechanical skills which can set the course for the rest of their professional (or recreational) lives.

E-skateboards

source: de.wikipedia.org

Electric

Gifting an e board to a teen works along the same lines. Unlike their old fashioned equivalents, electric micro-mobility gear has many electrical components. And they are all connected in one efficient system. So owning e-skateboards can be the gateway into developing an interest in electrical engineering. E boards have batteries, motors, wheels and they are set up to move by the push of a button. If that’s not fascinating in itself, making sure the e-skateboard is well maintained will teach the kid some new skills.

Technical Thinking

Having a radio-controlled device is bound to make you learn a thing or two about sending wireless signal. And not just that. A teen with an e board has to adopt a way to keep on top of the capabilities of their gadget. For example, they have to manage power banks if they want to continue using the board till their intended destination. On that note, their consumption of the power in the batteries should be in line with the calculating range. All of these ways of thinking come naturally and are not forced on them. If they dig it, it will be useful for them later in life.

Balance

Nothing speaks a lesson in balance like a good e-skateboard does. This aspect of skating remains unchanged, even if you don’t kick your skate with your leg to move forward. It’s good for their core muscles, it’s good for learning how traffic works and it’s good for nurturing good decision making and fast reaction to outside stimuli. They can benefit in all these regards while commuting to their high school.