Quick show of hands: How many of us are tired of trying to figure out how to get our tweens and teens off of their phones or tablets all day long? Oh, all of us? Yeah, we thought so. The battles over screen time are so challenging because all the apps and games tweens and teens love are intentionally designed to keep them glued to their phones for hours on end. Add some FOMO about missing messages from friends, and it's no wonder that kids are basically attached to their phones all day.
But with the holidays coming up, we have a chance to pick up a gift or two that are so fun and engaging that kids will gladly take a screen time break to use them. From gifts that inspire creativity to gifts that encourage them to get outside to touch some grass, we've got so many bases covered here. Not going to lie, some of these gifts look like fun for parents, too, which is a real win-win!
More from CafeMom: I'm a Screen Time Expert & Mom: This is How I Manage My Own Kids' Usage
Make Your Own Hot Sauce Kit
$48
from
Uncommon Goods
Got a teen who loves watching the YouTube show Hot Ones (where celebs answer questions while eating progressively hotter chicken wings)? This DIY hot sauce kit gives them the chance to bottle their own spicy sauce and do a wings challenge of their own.
Glamnetic X Beetlejuice
Fun fact: It is basically impossible to put on fake nails and stay scroll on the phone at the same time. Tweens and teens who are into fashion and beauty will like this fun collab kit from Glamnetic and Beetlejuice. Nails last for up to two weeks, and have fun raised 3D patterns.
Kids Tie Dye Cookies
$35.95
from
Bake Eat Love
Tweens and teens who are into watching cooking or baking videos (or just all the “is it cake?” challenges) will love baking and decorating these delicious gluten-free tie dye-inspired sugar cookies. This kit is easy enough for tweens and teens to make on their own, but moms will enjoy the end results as much as they do.
Monopoly Knockout Family Party Game
We all know that Monopoly is one of the all-time classic board games, but sometimes it can be hard to persuade kids to get off their phones long enough to commit to the duration of a game. The new solution is Monopoly Knockout, which is more active and can be played in about 20 minutes or so. It’s fun for siblings to play together or for a family game night.
Sit, Fetch, Purr, Paint: Paint Your Pet
From
$35
to $65
from
Uncommon Goods
We love an experience gift and think that creatively inclined kids (or tweens and teens who just love their pets!) will love this two-hour watercolor class on how to paint a realistic pet portrait. This comes with all the supplies they’ll need to get their creative sides going.
Ninjaline Ninja Vines and Rings 7-Piece Hanging Obstacle Course Kit With Tri-Ring Vines
Yes, this one does require a fair bit of parental setup on the front end, but a backyard obstacle course is an amazing way to get kids outside, moving, and having fun in a screen-free way.
More from CafeMom: Is Discord Safe for Your Teen’s Mental Health?
Hapinest DIY Wall Collage Picture Arts and Crafts Kit
This fun kit is perfect for the tween or teen who might want to upgrade their room to show off their aesthetic or who just loves some DIY (but not permanent!) decorating. The kit comes with tons of stickers, cut-outs, string, and other supplies so they can personalize away.
MSR Shift Snowshoes
It can sometimes be tough to get kids off their screens and outside when the weather turns colder, but it doesn’t have to be. The right winter gear and some fun new snowshoes are perfect for an afternoon of enjoying the winter snow.
'The Fall of Whit Rivera'
$18.59
from
Bookshop.org
A juicy young adult romance is a great distraction from the temptation to spend a cozy day scrolling for new Taylor/Travis videos on TikTok. Teens who love reading will be drawn to this cozy enemies to love interest story that has some deeper themes about body acceptance, classism, and more.
Rainbow Ready Paint Pouring Kit
Tweens and teens can get off their phone and into this trend with this easy to use kit from Target that includes plenty of paint, mixing cups, craft sticks, glitter, gloves, a drop cloth and two canvases.
Diamond Art Gryffindor Crest - Stand Together
$44.99
from
Diamond Art Club
Tweens and teens who are still into their Harry Potter phase might enjoy doing this Diamond Art kit. These kits are surprisingly relaxing and perfect to work on while listening to an audiobook. We might have a guess about which book they’d pick for this project.
Flour Shop Mini Explosion Cake Kit
$59.95
from
Williams Sonoma
Create an at-home Great British Baking Show moment for the teen who’d love to try something from the trendy Flour Shop and who wants to learn more about cake decorating. This kit comes with a two 3″ diam. cakes and all the aspiring decorator needs to frost and decorate it.
Colorful Wash-out Hair Chalk Kit
Tweens who like watching makeup and hair tutorial videos might be into this chalk painting kit. It comes with chalk, design templates, and instructions for how to turn their hair into art (in a thankfully temporary way). This is rated for ages 4+, so even younger tweens can get into the fun.
Sew Cute Sloth Softie Kit
This little stuffed sloth is so adorable! At less than $10, this easy sewing kit could be a great stocking stuffer (or stock up on them for easy birthday party gifts later on) for a crafty or animal-loving kid.
Exploding Kittens Card Game
This fast-moving (and very silly) card game is lots of fun, easy to learn, and has enough cat butt jokes in it to make any older kids laugh. Can be played with just two players but is more fun if the whole family joins in, so add it to the game night list.
