2021 Holiday Gifts for College Kids and Teens: They Will Love These!

If you have teens to buy gifts for, shopping can be tricky since it’s almost impossible to keep up with which brands are in or out. College kids are no easier, especially since they are no longer under roof for most of the year.

We are here to help! We’ve been asking our kids (and their roommates, friends, and significant others) and gathered their responses for this list of their favorite 2020 gifts. We love their suggestions and hope that you and your kids will too. These may be perfect for all of the grads in your life.

Please note that we receive small amounts of compensation from purchases made through some of the links it this post.  

2021 holiday gifts for college kids and teens

Apple AirPods
These bluetooth-enabled Apple AirPods connect instantly to the latest Apple devices, providing high-quality audio once they are positioned in your ears. They keep a charge for five hours of wireless listening time or three hours after just 15 minutes in the charging dock. This is THE tech gift your kids will love.


Gifts for college kids

Hydro Flask Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle
Teens and college kids should all have their own water bottles and, when it is one like this one, they will be much less likely to leave it behind or mistake it with a roommate’s or teammate’s. Comes in a variety of great colors.

Gifts for college kids

Instant Cameras
Taking and printing out photos – instantly – with a Fujifilm Instax Mini 9, makes old school photography cool again. Cameras come in light blue, cobalt, flamingo pink, smokey white, and lime green. Comes with a selfie mirror and macro lens to allow for one-of-a-kind keepsake photos. 

Gifts for college kids

Jewelry
This delicate chocker necklace, “Pearls of Love” Sterling Silver and Pearl Necklace, is sooo pretty. Check out all of the Dogeared necklaces, many of which have messages of encouragement as part of the design.  In both silver and gold, there are many price points and make great grad gifts.

2018 Favorite gifts for college kids and teens

Portable charger
Teens and college kids often leave home in the morning and don’t return until late in the evening and the last thing they need is a dead phone battery. The Anker Candy-Bar Portable Charger is a top-selling charger that is super small and light weight.

2018 Gifts for college kids and teens  

Exploding Kittens Card Game
Playing card and board games has become a very popular activity with teens and college students and this game, with the unlikely feline title, is one of the best sellers.

2018 gifts for college students

Portable Humidifier
Convert a water bottle into a humidifier to use in over-heated dorms or bedrooms with this battery-operated stand. Perfect for traveling, too.

2018 gifts for college students

Anker High Speed Charger 
This charger will get your student’s electronics fully-charged in rapid time, keeping expensive devices protected. Lightweight, perfect to throw into a backpack.

phone charger

Spikeball
College kids across the country have discovered this lively game. Four players compete, two on two, and spike a small ball on what looks like a mini trampoline. Described as a cross between four-square and volleyball, this is great for cross training or a super-energized work out.

2018 gifts for college kids and teens

Catan
Are you looking for a board game that your entire family can enjoy?  Look no further than Catan, an international award-winning favorite will be a welcome change from Monopoly.

2018 Favorite gifts for college kids and teens

 

Blue tooth speakers
The choice of wireless speakers is seemingly endless so we looked to see which models get solid reviews, are waterproof and come in under $100.  We chose the JBL Flip 3 Splashproof  for these reasons but also because it comes in a rainbow of colors. 2018 Favorite gifts for college kids and teens

Cards Against Humanity 
This is one of THE most popular games our college kids and young adults play.  This is definitely a game for the 18+ crowd.

2018 gifts for college kids and teens

Bike Accessories
Don’t forget a sturdy lock like the UShake Bike Lock Cable that will help your kid keep their new bike stored safely around campus.

2018 Favorite gifts for college kids and teensAnother inventive accessory for your bike-rider? A bracket for a phone like the Vibrelli Universal Bike Phone Mount Holder so they can keep both hands on the handlebars instead of holding their phone.

Gifts for college kids

Dorm gifts for college-bound teens 

Looking for a gift for a college-bound kid that they can use in the dorm?  Here are our top choices for true dorm essentials:

Read 10 Things All Freshmen Need to Bring to College and consider some of these suggestions, all good, all different price points.

 

If you have high school kids to buy gifts for, shopping can be tricky since it's almost impossible to keep up with which brands are in or out. College kids are no easier, especially since they are no longer under roof We are here to help! We've been asking our kids (and their roommates, friends, and significant others) and gathered their responses for this list. #collegekids #collegegifts #giftguide #giftideas #holidaygiftideas #giftsforteenagers #teens #teenagers #giftsforbigkids

Photo credit: Laura LaRose

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

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

Don't miss out!
Want more like this? Get updates about parenting teens and young adults straight to your inbox.