23 Best Toys for 12 Year Old Boys That They’ll Actually Use

This was one of the most challenging builds my son has ever tackled — and he loved every second. It took him several days to finish, and he was obsessed with the working gearbox and W16 engine. He even brought it to show his grandparents because he was so proud of it. If your 12-year-old enjoys a real project that feels more like engineering than just building, this one’s worth every piece.

This blaster is always the first one my son grabs when friends come over. It’s compact, super accurate, and somehow ends up turning every backyard hangout into a full-on Nerf war. We’ve made up all kinds of team games with it — capture the flag, target practice — and I love that it gets them off screens and outside.

We built this one over winter break, and it turned into a whole Star Wars marathon weekend. The detail is insane, and the mini-figs sparked a lot of imaginative play afterward (even for a 12-year-old who claims he’s too old for that). It now lives on his shelf as a centerpiece — and a reminder of a fun project we actually finished together.

This little robot made coding click for my son. He started by making it roll around the living room, but soon he was programming games and obstacle courses. What’s cool is that it grows with him — there’s always something new to try, whether it’s a simple Scratch program or more advanced logic with JavaScript.

We picked this up after my son joined a basketball team, and now it’s part of his daily routine. He competes against himself to beat his score — or drags his dad into late-night shootouts. It folds up surprisingly well when not in use, but honestly, it’s been out more often than not. Great for rainy days or when he just needs to burn off some energy. Check out even more of our favorite basketball gifts for boys.

This one surprised me. I thought it might be too “young,” but my son got really into designing tracks and figuring out how the gyroscopic robot would handle curves and obstacles. It’s like a mashup of a roller coaster and an engineering challenge — and it gave us some great conversations about physics without feeling like a science lesson.

This set caught my son's eye after we watched a documentary on skyscrapers. He got really into learning the names and history behind each building while putting it together — the Empire State Building was his favorite. It’s more than just a build; it sparked a whole mini deep dive into New York architecture and geography. This is one of the best gifts for Lego lovers.

This is the "big boss" of his Nerf collection. It has serious power, and the 25-dart drum means fewer reloads during backyard battles. He uses it to practice trick shots off the fence or challenges me to hit moving targets. It's become a go-to for solo play and weekend chaos with friends.

Honestly, this was one of those unexpected hits. He wasn’t sure at first, but once the crystals started forming, he kept checking on them like a science experiment. The hedgehog part gave it a fun twist — he even named them. It’s simple but sparked a surprising level of excitement.

We set this up between two trees in the backyard, and it’s become an instant challenge course. My son loves testing his grip strength and timing, and he’s slowly added more obstacles to make it harder. It’s one of the few things that pulls him outside without me reminding him.

This one appealed to his mechanical side — he was fascinated by how the discs spin and the steering system works. He even looked up real videos of the machine to see how close LEGO got it. It’s a fun build that sparked a random but cool interest in agricultural tech.

This book turned our garage into a mini science lab. My son has tried the paper rockets, the tennis ball launcher, and is eyeing the potato cannon next (with close supervision, of course). It’s a hands-on way to learn physics — and honestly, it's been fun for both of us to build these together. Find out even more of our top books for 12 year old boys.

This set felt like a step up — my son took his time with it, really focusing on the details like the suspension and engine components. He kept pointing out how the real car works and compared it to the model. After finishing, he displayed it with his other Technic builds like it’s part of a mini car museum.

This became a quiet obsession in our house. It’s one of those puzzles that looks easy until you’re halfway in. My son will sit down to beat his own time, and we’ve even used it as a quick brain warm-up before starting schoolwork. It’s fast-paced, low-tech, and surprisingly addictive and is one of our favorite board games for 12 year olds.

This was his first “real” robot, and it made coding feel exciting instead of overwhelming. He built it himself, ran test programs, and kept tweaking the design to improve its moves. Watching it respond to his code gave him a sense of control and confidence — and it’s made him more curious about learning Python.

If your kid is into motorcycles or just likes slick design, this set delivers. My son geeked out over the working gearshift and suspension — he kept showing us how the engine moved. It’s a smaller set compared to others, but packed with cool, moving parts that make it feel really advanced.

This one took some serious patience. My son loves puzzles, and this brainteaser gave him a quiet way to unwind at the end of the day. It’s tricky, but solving it gave him that “yes!” moment — and it’s a nice break from screen-heavy toys.

This is a solid choice for creative builders. My son liked that he could take it apart and rebuild it into something totally different — the submarine was his favorite. It’s not a long build, but the ability to change it up made it feel like multiple toys in one.

This set brought serious excitement into our living room. My son and his cousin spent hours customizing bots and battling it out — complete with trash talk and slow-mo replays. It’s messy, loud, and incredibly fun. Watching him tweak his bot designs for better strategy made it feel like a creative STEM activity in disguise.

This game gets chaotic fast — in the best way. It’s a go-to during family nights, and somehow my son always ends up winning. It’s helped stretch his vocabulary and quick thinking without him realizing it’s remotely educational. Bonus: it’s one of the few games we all genuinely enjoy playing together.

This was one of those toys that surprised both of us. My son didn’t think he’d be into electronics — until he realized he could build a working AM radio and a lie detector with just a few clicks. The clear instructions and snap-together parts made it easy to start, but the projects got progressively more complex. It’s the kind of toy that makes science hands-on without feeling like schoolwork, and it gave him a real sense of accomplishment every time something lit up or buzzed to life.

This kit surprised me with how much it taught — not just building cool structures, but understanding why certain designs work. My son kept testing how much weight each model could hold, and even tried combining elements from different builds. It sparked way more critical thinking than I expected from a toy.

This was a birthday gift and an instant favorite. My son loves cars, so he took his time building this one, paying close attention to all the curves and tiny details. It’s small but really sharp-looking, and now sits front and center on his LEGO shelf.