At 12, a boy wants what has value and what is played with others: an abstract strategy game like Qawale, a family pirate game like Captain Flip, a 1/24 Solido model car that starts a real collection, a 200-piece Lego kit built over a weekend, a soft-toy gargoyle that makes people laugh. The gift that leaves a mark is the one you would not have given a little one.

What a 12-year-old loves

This is the last age of toys, and he knows it: what he keeps has to survive secondary school. Collections hold up, cars, Pokémon cards, comic-book figurines, because they have a value he knows. Short strategy board games, against an adult or among friends, replace luck-based board games. Sciences that make something still interest him. Soft toys stay, provided they have humour.

Our gift ideas

To play strategically

Qawale is two-player abstract strategy with pebbles, Captain Flip is played as a family, Mythologic is fast deduction, Tudikoa a guessing game by Bioviva, the Incollables happy families game has three levels, and the set of giant dice makes a living-room Yahtzee. The Tintin and cars playing cards and the Snoopy cards serve every game. All our board games.

To collect

The Lego Tintin rocket is the centrepiece of a bedroom, Müller's Roadmaster in 1/24 joins the Tintin cars, the 1951 Mercury and the Back to the Future DeLorean are 1/24 Solidos, the 2CV with its three cyclists, the Facel Vega II and the American police Ford F150 complete the cabinet, the Concorde really flies. Pixi's Obelix and Dogmatix and the Pokémon Mega Greninja collection are pieces for serious collectors. See our cars, boats and planes and our figurines.

To experiment and explore

Slime Chemistry explains what he is making, the galactic explorer kit heads for space, and the unbreakable wooden magnifier comes along on walks. See our arts and crafts.

To read

Tintin in America in English gets him reading in the language of school. Our books and our Tintin world.

To laugh and keep on the bed

Growlston the gargoyle, the croissant and the little fox by Jellycat have the humour it takes, the rooster and the parrot are realistic. All our soft toys.

For school

The three-piece Snoopy trolley set lasts the whole year.

What budget?

Under 20 euros: the 2CV, the F150, the Concorde, the Facel Vega, the Tintin or Snoopy cards, the album in English, Mythologic, Tudikoa or the magnifier. Between 20 and 50 euros: Qawale, Captain Flip, the Incollables, the giant dice, the Mercury, the DeLorean, Growlston, the fox, the croissant, the explorer kit, the slime, the rooster and the parrot. Above 50 euros: the Roadmaster, the Lego Tintin rocket, the pirate ship, the Snoopy trolley, Obelix and Dogmatix or the Pokémon collection, for a gift that leaves a mark.

Frequently asked questions

Which board game at 12?

A game where luck matters little and a round lasts under an hour: Qawale for two, Captain Flip as a family, Mythologic among friends. At this age he reads the rules alone and referees the games.

Still toys at 12?

Yes, provided they are not marked "for children": a collector's model car, a display Lego kit, a strategy game or a funny soft toy survive secondary school. What no longer works is toys handled on the floor.

Can the gift be wrapped?

Yes, gift wrapping is free: tick the box on the product page before adding to cart. Delivery to a pick-up point is free from 80 euros in mainland France, and you can collect your order in our shop at 211 boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris.

See also

• Gifts for a 12-year-old girl
• Gifts for an 11-year-old boy
• Gifts for a 13 or 14-year-old boy
• All toys for ages 8 to 12
• All our gift ideas by age

Advice from the team at L'Oiseau de Paradis, a toy shop in Paris since 1932.