Present ideas for 11 year old boy about to start secondary school

sweaty_betty

Hi there - I have no idea what to get this particular 11 year old boy for his birthday! I asked, and he said "nothing".

However, I think he'd be disappointed to not get anything so I'm trying to figure out what I can get him, even if it's just a little present.

He's very keen on "being cool", wearing the right clothes, hairstyle, etc. So I'm a bit concerned about getting him a new school bag, pencil case etc in case it's just not right. Is there anything he might need for secondary thing that he won't know about yet? Does anyone else have a child of a similar age and can shed some light on what makes them tick?

TIA

arbrighton

Vouchers for a high street shop of some kind then he can pick for himself?

arbrighton

Or perhaps online like Amazon?

balletshoes

I,d go the safe route ~ cash in a card or a voucher for a store u know he likes. my DD,s secondary school, apart from the uniform, didnt have anything different required for school compared with her primary school, so focussing on stuff for school for her birthday pressie would have been pointless to be honest.

z.n

I'd go the Amazon route- pretty much anything is on there and he can see what he wants once he knows what everyone else has. Sadly he is entering the period of maximum peer conformity and if you buy anything 'special' it is likely to be the wrong thing! At that age DS would have bought a game, a school bag like everyone else had and of course went through stationery supplies like water-everything gets lost/borrowed or broken in those early years.

If you want to get something personal then a nice visible fob for a locker key/ usb stick/door key might be appreciated- something he is happy to brand himself with (my DS loved lego) in front of other boys and which can easily be spotted as his on the floor five desks away. A secret pocket belt for hiding bus fare etc would also be handy-not just for theft but also because they seem to lose everything all the time and a £5 note can cover many ills. He might think that nerdy though (oh but so very practical!)

lulu_92

z.n wrote: »

A secret pocket belt for hiding bus fare etc would also be handy-not just for theft but also because they seem to lose everything all the time and a £5 note can cover many ills. He might think that nerdy though (oh but so very practical!)

I think 11 year old me would be a bit annoyed at getting that as a present:rotfl:

Actually, I think 22 year old me would be too!

System

My youngest just started secondary. As well as all the obvious things, we needed to get him a scientific calender and a Spanish/English dictionary.
They are not really suitable for birthday gifts, but are sort of practical gifts, so may be useful.
Linda x

Spendless

I've got an 11yo daughter about to start Secondary. They can start with a lot more of a social life, than they've had whilst at Primary, so vouchers/gift cards for cinema, or shopping or leisure centre maybe.

z.n wrote: »

A secret pocket belt for hiding bus fare etc would also be handy-not just for theft but also because they seem to lose everything all the time and a £5 note can cover many ills. He might think that nerdy though (oh but so very practical!)

My 14yo son would adore that. Do you a have a link. He's grown out of caring what others think. It would have come in very handy when he went into yr7 too, stuff was always going missing!

maman

arbrighton wrote: »

Vouchers for a high street shop of some kind then he can pick for himself?

Jack Wills is one of the favourites here at the moment.


If you want to give something quite small to go with money then a memory stick, especially one where you can't remove the lid and lose it. Lots of homework/coursework seems to be saved on those recently. You could buy one of those alongside the voucher/money.


I've seen a lovely 'hamper' done for the cinema. Using an empty popcorn box (staff agreed happily to give one!). Fill it with lots of goodies (they still like sweets at that age!;)) and the cinema vouchers that someone else suggested.

lulu_92

maman wrote: »

If you want to give something quite small to go with money then a memory stick, especially one where you can't remove the lid and lose it. Lots of homework/coursework seems to be saved on those recently. You could buy one of those alongside the voucher/money.

You can always buy a fun one. I've seen a few in Argos that are shaped like characters and stuff.

theoretica

lulu_92 wrote: »

You can always buy a fun one. I've seen a few in Argos that are shaped like characters and stuff.

Or these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tobar-Mesh-Clip-Ball/dp/B003MG68LO/ref=pd_sim_k_h_b_cs_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0YXTJA4JXEC3GA4DGDYJ