21 Fantastic Gifts for 10-Year-Olds

Fast-paced, slightly silly, and hunger-inducing (if you love sushi like we do), Sushi Go is a drafting-style card game that can be played in less than 20 minutes, but the multitude of possible permutations keep this game engaging for hours. It's for two to five players ages 8 and up.

This puzzle game that kids can play solo is one of our no-fail birthday gifts. Kanoodle is perfect for a car ride or a doctor's visit when you prefer your 10-year-old to be off of electronics but not complaining of boredom. It’s a spatial reasoning game and comes with challenges of varying difficulty.

Kirby meets Katamari in this fun-for-the-whole-family Switch game where gobbling up yummy food is the whole point. Loaded with action-packed races, cute mini-games, and challenging head-to-head battles, Kirby’s Dream Buffet offers nearly endless enjoyment, whether it’s with a handheld Switch or on the big screen for game night.

Chances are you’ve seen someone wearing Crocs that have been bedazzled by Jibbitz, the shoe charm that lets people personalize their footwear. They’re a great choice for kids because there are hundreds of different options, from beloved movie characters to sports teams. Pretty much any hobby or interest you can imagine has been Jibbitized, and, starting around $4.99 each, they’re a neat, inexpensive way to add flair to your pair.

You can't go wrong with high-quality markers for a kid this age. It’s the kind of gift that invites the recipient to tap into their own creativity, something most of the 10-year-olds we know are happy to do.

This customizable LED light box is the perfect choice for a kid who has things to say. The 12” by 9” box comes with 100 letters, numbers, and symbols (which stow neatly in the sliding compartment on the back of the box) to let kids express themselves in lights. It can be either battery- or USB-powered.

This is a small, portable kit to make ten friendship bracelets, ideal as a birthday present or as an activity to take on your family vacation.

John Derian's weird, wild and beautiful nature images are sourced from 19th century documents — think bugs, plants and animals. This book with more than 500 stickers encourages kids to unpeel those images and stick them somewhere else, like a notebook or water bottle, or to rearrange them within the book itself.

A 10-year-old might be transitioning away from stuffed animals, but that’s fine because this is more than a stuffed animal. It’s a veritable sleep aid. Meant to be warmed in the microwave, this lavender-scented, super soft cuddly buddy is a one-way ticket to the land of nod.

Kids learn about resistance dying techniques and a little chemistry while making their own unique ice-dyed socks and bucket hat — similar to tye-dying, but cooler!

There are still and affordable LEGO sets that level up for kids ages 10 and up. This Ferrari F1 race car comes with a minifigure and is satisfying to build, roll and display.

Ideal for kids who love the Questioneers book series, this kit includes everything you need to immerse your 10-year-old in the world of iterative design. Normalize mistakes and breakthroughs with this super cool domino machine, and then watch as kids design their own domino patterns with curves, splits, and stacks aplenty.

Jigsaw puzzles can be a tough sell for some 10-year-olds, but this is more than your average tabletop puzzle. Here, kids can learn all about their favorite cities of the world—geography, culture, history. It’s all right there in a multi-dimensional puzzle that appeals to LEGO-lovers and their moms.

STEM-loving kids who want to tinker might love this set of 28 science experiments for ages 10 and up. They'll write in invisible ink, make things foam and fizz and otherwise mess around — it's best with some parental supervision.

What’s more joy-inducing than sledding down a snowy hill? Flying down that hill on a snow tube! Like an inner tube for the winter (Wintertube? Still workshopping…), the snow tube is big enough for big kids (and adults!) and durable enough to make it through an active snowy season.

Designed specifically for kids, this Echo Dot includes parental controls to help monitor your kids’ activities on the device. When purchasing from Amazon, the Echo Dot Kids includes a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, with access to age-appropriate books, games, and educational tools (like help with their homework!).

Harness the chillest vibes as only a hammock can with the Eno Singlenest Hammock, which sets up easily and breaks down to the size of a mango in a handy dandy carrying bag. Oh, and because life’s more chill with a beverage, the hammock also has a built-in drink holder. The hammock includes carabiners, but you’ll need to buy the suspension system separately.

You don’t have to be the fastest runner or the most coordinated to have a chance at winning in archery. This is a real archery set, sized down to fit a 10-year-old. It comes with a target, but kids can also create their own bullseyes, like an apple on a table, a leaf on a tree, or a row of empty cans on the fence.

Though this is age-graded for 6 and up, using a 3D drawing pen is actually pretty difficult and better handled by kids age 10 and up. This is one of the originals and still best, with tracing guides, 72 pieces of plastic and a charging cable included in the box.

Not just great for avowed readers, The Secret Series books are playful and riveting even for kids who claim they hate reading. These fantasy-adventure novels conjure Trenton Lee Stewart (Mysterious Benedict Society) with a dash of Megan McDonald (Judy Moody), and they’re filled with secrets and twists to keep those pages turning.

A personalized neon sign can be their name, initials or a word such as "love." This plugs in and mounts to the wall. Hardware is included, and there's a nine-character maximum.