Teens are so hard to buy presents for. It seems like ever since my eldest turned 13 in the summer, all he's interested in is his PS4 or getting money. But what fun is just giving cold hard cash? What we need are unique presents for teens… 

So, knowing that I needed to find some obscure gifts that wouldn't be relegated to the back of a sock drawer, I scoured the internet to come up with these great teen gift ideas, sure to put a smile on their face…

Make it personal 

Teens are forever being told to ‘be themselves' and ‘be individual' and one way to encourage that individuality is by buying them something personal that will mean something to them.

Ideas include bespoke pieces of artwork for their rooms (try My Art Haus), get a song recorded about them (try Fiverr.com) or how about a nice piece of jewellery? You could go for something that's engraved or how about something more eco-conscious like these charm bracelets (from WearthLondon).

Finders keepers

All teens love gadgets right? Heck, even VIP and I like a good gadget – especially if it makes your life easier/run more smoothly/is fun to play with etc..

And with so many gadgets out there, you're not short on choice.

One particular gadget that I came across (which I thought was VERY useful) was this Smart Bluetooth Keyfinder.

If your teen is forever losing stuff (or not remembering where they put things), they can attach this tracking device to anything they hold dear – their keys, wallet, car, maths homework …

You then link the bleeper to a free app you can download (via Bluetooth) on your phone and you're then able to track its movements.

You can set up the system to receive an alert on your smartphone (if the connected item goes out of range for example) and there's also the option to establish ‘Wi-Fi safe zones' to make sure you don't receive an alert every other when you're at home.

And if you do happen to lose something, the in-app Map feature will show the last saved location – and if an item is marked as lost, the network will also inform you if another user establishes a connection with it.  It even works the other way around: if you lose your phone, you can hold the device's button to make you phone ring!

And that's not all…(and teens will LOVE this feature), you can even use the tracker's button to make pictures with your smartphone – the perfect selfie gadget!

Sports fans 

If, like me, you have teens that are into their sport or enjoy going swimming on the odd occasion with their friends, then Tesalate's towels are second to none.

How do I know this? I've got one. Or rather, my teen has one for the pool and his 100-mile challenge, which he attends on a weekly basis.

Being compact and light it's ideal for swimming pools (as well as the beach as it's sand repellant!), and as the towels are made with AbsorbLite fabric they dry rapidly compared to regular ones, yet can also absorb at least 1 litre of water.

Game changers

There are so many great games in the shops – and Christmas is a great time to see what's on the shelves as there are hundreds of new games launched every year.

The Very Merry Christmas Game is a game of presents, crackers, Christmas songs… and sprouts. You move around the board collecting presents (present cards) to put in your stocking, which all have a value depending on whether they are nice – or a nit naff. You can get rid of presents (the bad ones!) and take other players’ gifts off them decided on the pull of a cracker.

As it's suitable from ages 8 upwards, you can get the whole family involved by playing in teams and it's available from John Lewis and Debenhams for £20.

Another game that will be going down a storm with teens this Christmas is Fortnite Monopoly from I Want One Of Those, and costs £26.99.

Alternatively, another new launch is The Crystal Maze Board Game from Rascals, where you work your way through themed time zones packed with a medley of mental, mystery, skill and physical games.

As a family we love watching The Crystal Maze on the telly, so to bring straight into our living room – and all have a good concept of what's in store is a great idea.

It's suitable for ages 10 and above and for two or more players and, much like the TV show, teamwork is paramount as players voyage through themed time zones competing against each other. Each crystal won means more time to spend scrambling for gold tokens in the game's furious finale.

What's great is that Rascals has also developed an official smartphone app to accompany the game called “The Crystal Maze: Game Timer” for both Android and Apple iOS devices. The free app features authentic music and sound effects from the show and can be used as a timer for games in the four zones and for the Crystal Dome game, which both teams play at the end.

The Crystal Maze Board Game costs £35 and is available in store and online at Debenhams, John Lewis, WHSmiths and Amazon.

The ‘big one'

If you're thinking of splashing the cash on one big present this year, then you'll need to do your research and invest wisely.

Anything like phones, super gadgets and virtual reality are big this year – and the tech is constantly improving. With teens wanting to keep up with the latest trends, bear in mind that what you buy this year might very well be outdated a year from now, so probably best to invest wisely without spending an absolute fortune (unless you're happy to have your teen's cast-offs!)

Popular Christmas gifts for teens this year include:

– Drones (this DJI Mavik Pro Drone with 4K Camera is a popular choice)

– Virtual Reality headsets and games (here's a starters example from Amazon)

– BOSE headphones – these wireless, bluetooth are very sought after with teens

The best of the rest

I've rounded up a few unique Christmas teen gifts that you might not have heard of or seen before, which will usually go down well with teens as they're unexpected gifts that your teen might not know exists!

• A Smartphone Projector for £17.99 which enables teens to project videos from their smartphone with the 8 x magnifying lens (meaning they can show them off to friends when they come round).
• F in Exams: Give you teens a laugh with these test paper blunders (to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes!) for £6.99.
• A Lamborghini Driving Experience for £69 – six laps in a range of locations for ages 12-17.
• A Slush Puppie Making Machine for £49.95 – get them making their own drinks!
• Mushions! Turn someone’s face into a cushion from £16.99.
• Things They Don’t Teach You In School for £16.99. Get them reading useful books for a change!

Which unique presents for teens caught your eye – and do you have any suggestions of your own for unique gifts for teens?

You might also like…

• How To Decode Teen Chat & Texting  
• 15 Ways to Sneak In more Family Time
• A Christmas Stocking Fit For A Tween

A Pin For Your Gift Ideas Board