Kids in the tween age group can be some of the most complicated people to shop for. Toy trends seem to change by the week, bedroom furnishing fashions can change each month, and there's a new STEM toy every time you turn around. Don't worry. There are some great gifts out there that stand out as "best of the best" and are sure to delight the special pre-teen on your list.
The best gift for 12 year olds right now is the Zen Laboratory Fidget Poppers Pop It Pack. The brightly colored 50-piece fidget popper set will soothe anxious minds and improve focus in pre-teen kids.
Fidget toys became popular a few years ago, not just with kids but also adults. Fidget toys can enhance coordination and fine motor skills, improve dexterity, reduce stress and provide a child's brain with a fun mental break.
This 12-sided fidget cube keeps fingers and minds occupied and has rollers, gears, disks, switches and buttons galore. The cube is pocket-sized and is ideal for home and travel.
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MAGTIMES Rainbow Anti-Anxiety Fidget Spinner
The MAGTIMES fidget spinner is made of stainless steel and has bearings that spin at maximum speed. Relieve stress, boredom, anxiety and improve focus with this fun fidget spinner.
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Integrating technology in toys provides several benefits for children of all ages. Age-appropriate tech toys build technological awareness, encourage creativity and promote learning.
Sphero SPRK+: App-Enabled Robot Ball
The Sphero SPRK+ provides an easy hands-on way for kids to learn programming and coding. The robot has LED lights, a programmable accelerometer, a gyroscope and motor encoders.
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Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart Live lets kids drive a kart right in their homes using familiar controls from the video game. They can even see the view from their kart's camera on the television or Nintendo Switch.
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Altair 818 Hornet Beginner Drone
Altair's remote-controlled drone features a camera with live video capability, a 15-minute flight time and an altitude hover feature. Kids can capture aerial videos and photos and have fun with flight modes like One Button Takeoff and Landing, Headless Mode and Altitude Hold.
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STEM is an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM toys promote cognitive learning, encourage independent thinking and improve original thought while expanding a child's imagination.
4M Kidzlabs Anti-Gravity Magnetic Levitation Science Kit
Kids can learn about the magnetic force with a variety of hands-on experiments. They'll be able to build a maglev train, make a screw levitate, cause a pencil to float and more.
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Plugable USB 2.0 Digital Microscope with Flexible Arm Observation Stand
Plugable's USB digital microscope delivers up to 250x magnification and displays the image right on a connected computer screen. It's compatible with Linux, Windows and Apple operating systems and has a flexible arm observation stand.
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Snap Circuits Teach Tech Mech 5 Mechanical Coding Robot
This robot is a hands-on toy that kids assemble and code by attaching coding buttons onto a coding wheel (included). The robot can rotate 360 degrees, kick, throw, lift, draw and move forward and backward.
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Thames And Kosmos Sensors Alive
Thames And Kosmos's award-winning science kit allows kids to collect data from their environment, download it to an app and generate a world of creatures online. Children learn about physics, biology, light and heat.
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Osmo Detective Agency and Base for iPad and Fire Tablets
With this hands-on educational game, kids can learn trivia facts about history, culture and geography while searching for landmarks across the globe. They'll inspect hundreds of clues with the included magnifying glass and develop observation skills, attention to detail and a sharper ability to focus.
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Musical instruments for kids provide many important benefits for a child's development. Some of these include building gross and fine motor skills, improving hand-eye coordination, enhancing brain development and teaching perseverance and patience.
Paul and Sue Bergstrom Cedar Thumb Piano
This small piano is a perfect little instrument for kids to bring with them wherever they go. Available in acoustic and electric versions, this thumb piano comes with an easy-to-follow songbook.
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Learn-to-Play Electric Guitar Set
This guitar is designed for smaller hands and is available in three sizes for kids of different sizes. Each model comes with flashcards and an app to help them learn to play.
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Drawing has long been known to provide several advantages. Kids who draw are exposed to creative problem-solving, improved hand-eye coordination, increased self-confidence, better focus, improved concentration and refined motor skills.
MYNT3D Professional Printing 3D Pen
This professional printing 3D pen has an adjustable temperature and speed control. It's USB-powered, and the ergonomic shape keeps the controls conveniently placed.
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Illuminated Apparel Light-Up Drawing Tees
This t-shirt comes with a mini light wand so kids can draw right on the shirt. The designs gradually fade, giving kids a new blank canvas over and over again.
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Wacom One Student Drawing Tablet
Wacom's versatile drawing tablet for students works with Chromebook, Windows and Mac computers. Weighing less than one pound, it comes with a stylus and is available in two different sizes.
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Zen Laboratory Fidget Poppers Pack
This 50-piece Fidget Poppers pack provides hours of stress-relieving fun for kids and is a great way to have fun and focus the mind. Included are marble mesh, squishy mochi toys, infinity cubes, a DNA stress ball, stretchy calm strips and dozens of other toys.
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Sarah Harris writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
