Inexpensive Gifts for Teens from Uncommon Goods (Under $25)

Shopping for teens and college kids can be a challenge but we have you covered with these unique gifts, all under $25, from one of our favorite companies, UncommonGoods. Any of these would be perfect to include in a college care package, to send as a birthday present, or to set aside for the holidays.

Note: We are a reader-supported site and receive compensation from purchases made through some of the links in this post. 

Uncommonly wonderful birthday gifts for teens and college kids

1. Aromatherapy Shower Steamers

Your teen can turn their shower into a spa with one of these aromatherapy tablets. Infused with essentials oils, they are available in lavender, eucalyptus, or orange mint.

shower bombs

2. Collapsible Popcorn Popper

 Use any kind of popcorn kernel in this silicone rubber bowl. This is a great, healthy snack for your perpetually hungry teen, and it folds for easy storage.

popcorn bowl

3. 100 Things to Do After Quarantine Scratch Off Poster

We love this birthday gift idea for your teen. We all look forward to regaining our more carefree lives, especially for our teens and here are 100 things to do to get back into the world.

100 thins to do after quarantine

4. 100 Movies Scratch Off Poster 

Take a deep dive into movie magic with this poster that invites your teen to keep track of 100 iconic films. They can use a coin to scratch off each title and reveal surprise, movie-related artwork underneath. This is a clever way to decorate a drab dorm wall, perfect for any movie buffs.

movie poster

5. Collapsible Water Bottle

This water bottle can help your teen stay hydrated. It collapses and is small enough to fit in a pocket or backpack.

water bottle

6. Cord Organizer 

Organization is a challenge for even the most organized student. Your teen can easily store their electronics cords neatly and throw them in their backpack. Great for traveling to and from home, too!

cord organizer

7. Microwave Pasta Pot 

Eating in a college dining hall begins to lose its appeal a few months into first semester. Being able to take a break and cook something in their own dorm room will be a gift to your student. Just add noodles and water and nuke. The flexible lid’s a strainer, too, so they can drain, toss with sauce, and eat straight from the pot.

8. Orbits Eye Stones 

When your student’s eyes are exhausted from doing schoolwork, these stone disks bring instant relief. Chill them and apply on or under eyes for a spa treatment.

9. Avocado Huggers

Avocados have become a super-popular food for many teens and college kids and these genius covers keep half avocados from turning brown and soggy.

Avocado Huggers - Set of 2

10. Drink More Water Bottle

This bottle gently reminds your teen to stay hydrated.

water bottle

11. Blooming Lollipops 

Savor creative combinations like lavender-lemongrass and strawberry-basil. For any teen with a green thumb (and the space to grow a plant) the lollipop stick can be planted to grow a plant that was an ingredient in the sucker. Genius!

suckers

12. Therapy Dough

Modeled after clay used in art therapy classes, these pots of aromatic therapy dough are infused with essential oils for stress relief and have been super popular in the Grown and Flown group.

stress reliever

13. Music Playing Cards

In this music lover’s card deck, the cards bear star’s portraits and genres are represented by the suits. Fun for teen music lovers.

cards

14.Vintage National Parks Puzzle

We may not b e able to easily travel to a National Park at the moment but this 1000-piece puzzle of vintage park images will be an entertaining way to imagine a future trip and learn about parks your family may have never know about before.

 

national parks puzzle

15. College Dish Towel

Celebrate your alma mater or your kiddo’s college with this vibrant collegiate dish towel.

dish towel

16. Letters To My Future Self 

This correspondence-inspired time capsule lets you postmark your memories and read them years later. This is a great exercise for teens to hone their writing skills and so much fun to read at some future date.

letter

17. Things They Don’t Teach You in School Game

400 fun facts, random factoids, and pieces of useless knowledge make for a great trivia game.

game

18. Literary Mugs

Our college kids need a mug or two in their dorm rooms or bedrooms. This one is perfect for them to curl up with and read quotations from classic authors. Microwave-safe.

mugs

21. Choose Your Dog Breed Socks

College kids miss their dogs and here’s a way they can remember them when they are far from home.

dog socks

20. Bedside Essentials Pouch

This felt pouch can hold glasses, a phone or other necessities at your teen’s bed.

bedside pouch

21. Telescoping Reusable Straw

Give your teen a portable stainless steel straw and minimize the use of plastic straws.

reusable straw

Are you the parent of a teen? While you are thinking of a treat for them, why not treat yourself to the Grown and Flown book? NOW- in paperback!

Grown and Flown paperback

There is no better company in this gnarly, possibly fantastic transition than Grown and Flown. The perspective in these pages has been invaluable to me.” – Kelly Corrigan, author of the New York Times bestseller Tell Me More

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Uncommon Gifts for College Students from Uncommon Goods 

About Grown and Flown

Mary Dell Harrington and Lisa (Endlich) Heffernan are the co-founders of Grown and Flown the #1 site for parents of teens, college students and young adults, reaching millions of parents every month. They are writers (Lisa is a New York Times bestselling author), moms, wives and friends. They started the Grown and Flown Parents Facebook Group and are co-authors of Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family, and Raise Independent Adults (Flatiron Books) now in paperback.

Read more posts by Grown and Flown

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