Gift ideas for charity adoption

[smile145]

I volunteered to "adopt" two kids through a state services "operation Santa Claus". I received their clothing sizes but no requests as to what they need or want for clothing or fun items.

The only constraints is that I must spend at least $70 per child (I will likely spend more) and that they must each get at least one clothing and one non clothing item. I was assigned a 13 year old girl and a 17 year old boy. Without knowing anything about them or their situations, what are your suggestions?

Thanks

 

[smile145]

Sorry I totally forgot additional constraints they gave. All items must be new, no candy or food items and no gift cards.

 

[Jedana]

I volunteered to "adopt" two kids through a state services "operation Santa Claus". I received their clothing sizes but no requests as to what they need or want for clothing or fun items.

The only constraints is that I must spend at least $70 per child (I will likely spend more) and that they must each get at least one clothing and one non clothing item. I was assigned a 13 year old girl and a 17 year old boy. Without knowing anything about them or their situations, what are your suggestions?

Thanks

13 year old girl---hair brush, nail polish, pedicure set; fun socks--the ones that are all different; lip gloss; bath stuff (bubbles, fizzes, etc); some girl books

17 year old boy---body wash/shaving stuff; tshirts; local sports team stuff (blanket, jersey, hat)?

either--board/card games (Uno, Apples to Apples, Mille Bournes are always fun); DVD movies (current new releases)

Tough to do not knowing them at all.

 

[akcire]

Clothing suggestions: pjs, hats and gloves ( if your in a cold state) and socks. Those things are fairly universal. I always shop for clothing items at the biggest type store in an area and give gift receipt. I pretty much avoid "style" stuff especially with teenagers. Also many kids get coats in coat drives but no hats and gloves??

As for non clothing. No idea. Teenagers are a mystery to me

 

[EMom]

Ask around and find out what is popular with the teens in your area, since that can be very specific. Is it A&F, Hollister, Aero, etc.? In our state, there is a store (I'll call it Todd's.) and all the kids like to wear Todd shirts on Thursdays. It's called Todd Thursdays. But it is state specific. Go to any school and 80% of the kids have a Todd shirt on. It sucks to be the kid that cannot afford one. If there is something like that, maybe you could buy one. But the idea of a gift receipt is a good one. That way, they can exchange it if needed.

Girls always love makeup, but since you don't know the ethnicity, that can be dicey. Maybe a smallish gift set from Ulta since they have a good selection of hair and makeup products, with a gift receipt so they can exchange it if it doesn't suit their complexion. All the girls here love Bath and Body Works stuff. They have great sales and you can do well there and they will gift wrap for free.

Boys.....I know nothing.

 

[McKelly]

I'd go with hoodies for the boy - Nike, Under Armour, local sports teams. And then maybe a pair of athletic pants and socks. For the non-clothing gift, how about the 2015 Guiness Book of World Records book. That seems to be popular among men/boys.

 

[TwoMisfits]

13 year old girl - for clothes, I'd get a hat, waterproof high end gloves, and a name scarf (all coordinating) if you are from a northern climate. If you never have winter, I'd get her Pjs with slippers.
For the "fun" gift, I'd get a few items, hoping one would be a hit. I'd get a smash journal, a party game (apples to apples, wits and wagers, fluxx, etc), and a makeup item (maybe a nice manicure set with fun polishes and finishes)...

17 year old boy - for clothes, I'd get a hat, waterproof gloves and a football jersey for the football team in your area (the hat and gloves should coordinate, but not be from the team in case he doesn't like it).
For the "fun" gift, I'd again get a few items, hoping one would be a hit. I'd get a high end sports item (a football, a basketball, skateboard, etc), a large graphic novel (Spiderman/Avengers) or comics related book, and an intricate Lego item or a collectible card game (like a Magic the Gathering core set) or party game...

Other ideas good for either - Leonard Maltin's 2015 movie guide, the Ripley's Believe It or Not or the Guinness Records 2015 book...

 

[smile145]

Great. Thank you all for all of the ideas!

 

[chrissy92972]

Hi! I am mom to a 16 year old boy and triplets who will be 12 next week.

For the 13 year old girl
nail polish
nail polish remover
hair brush
lip gloss
deoderant
fun jewelry from somewhere like Claire's- my daughter loves all of that stuff necklaces, rings, bracelets, etc.
Also since school started a while ago, may stock her up on school supplies like crayola markers, new pencils, lead pencils, and extra lead, fun pens etc.
fun pillow or body pillow and case
new jammies, socks, slippers

For the 17 year old boy
axe- body wash and deoderant
hoody of some sort
socks
how about a tracphone type thing and some minutes for texting/data or something like that?
beanbag chair
warm blanket
put it all in a laundry basket or something like that in case he needs it for college?
wallet

 

[Gracie09]

I would hesitate to get them anything too physically big. They may be homeless or in foster care and it's hard to transport large items when they move around.
A cheap e-reader - look for a kindle or nook on sale would be good. It can be charged and they have access to library books for free.

Warm clothes, bath products.

 

[barkley]

I worked for social services (and we did these adoptions year after year) and i'll make a couple of "do not" suggestions-

nothing that requires batteries (will go unused if they can't afford to replace)

nothing that requires something separate to use it (dvd/cd/blue ray players may seem pretty common to many people-not everyone has them though and it's rotten getting a cd or movie with no way to play it).




my 17 year old LOVES funny t-shirts-jc penny and walmart (on-line and in the stores) have a great selection for 1/3 the price the identical items are sold at places like hot topic/think geek.

I don't know any girls in the age 13 range that aren't into 'frozen', and there's a wealth of stuff out there for it (the fleece blankets are really nice), I think journals with some fun colored pens are great for this age as well.

 

[Lucky'sMom]

I have a 13 DD and an 18 DS, so here is my input:

1) DD and her friends would not want "Frozen" items...too babyish. They also would not wear a hat. (I know this may depend on the "culture" where you live). Girls this age desperately want to be like the older teen girls. I would get a shirt from American Eagle, Hollister, etc. with a gift receipt. Do you have clothing sizes? Nail polish, etc. is a great idea. Bath and Body Works sprays, shower gels, lotions are popular. A cozy sweatshirt, flannel PJ bottoms. Anything from "PINK."

2) For the 17 boy, I also recommend local sports team t-shirts, hoodies, really anything with the logo on. Agree with AXE products suggestion. Low or no show socks from Nike, Puma, Reebok, etc. Gloves. Flashlight. Leather belt.

It's so nice of you to do this...it will be very much appreciated, I'm sure!

 

[Soarin4us]

Teen boys:
Beware low/no show socks-- in many areas they should be shin-high, black, with Nike logo!
Under armour clothing
Hoodies
Gloves
Drawstring sports bag (used to carry "stuff", not just for athletes)
Nerf balls-- especially for city kids
Magnetic dart boards

 

[barkley]

I think the posts on this thread are serving to show how different things are area to area-it varies as to what clothing really "needs" to be specific for a teen to like them (certain types/brands of socks, shirts-what's considered babyish...).

op have you considered going to a local mall and just people watching-you might be able to observe on a weekend and get some insight into what the kids in your area seem to repeatedly wear.

I like the idea of the e-reader, just check with your local library system first, they can tell you what system they offer free downloadable books on.

 

[tina.tina]

DD is 13 and despises anything PINK or pink. She is also not interested in Frozen stuff. Dropping DD off at school yesterday, a girl got out in front of us wearing a camo jacket and camo shoes, carrying a camo backpack. My DD would never wear camo. So, I understand why you're having such a hard time.

There are so many differences in kids depending on geographic area. In our area, flannel shirts are in again for boys and girls. Boys definitely wear the tall Nike basketball socks but they're mostly white with colors on them. Jordan stuff is especially popular. Nike, Under Armour, and other hoodies are popular for boys and girls.

An inexpensive tablet would be a great gift for both. Last year, Walmart had an RCA tablet on sale for about $50 that my sister bought for her DS7. She said it was really nice and holds music as well as acting as an ereader.

 

[NYEmomma]

Aye aye aye, that's hard!! Boys are so different from one another. Most of the stuff mentioned here for the 17yo, my DH would have thrown right into the trash when he was 17 (and now even, lol!). He hates sports, he hates popular label clothing, doesn't like reading. Plain, solid colored hoodies are probably a safe bet. Slippers? Nice blanket?

 

[2TxAgs]

I agree that hanging out at the mall for a bit might help you with where the teen girls like to shop. At that age, Aeropostale was a biggie around here. They have great sales and cute hoodies, scarves, slippers, jewelry, etc.

My kids aren't readers and from my visits to the library, I sure don't see many older teens in there. Not sure many kids know that you can use a library to download books, so I'm not a fan of the e-reader idea. Kids also need $ and computer access to download music... I agree on sports gear - athletic pants, hoodie, the mid-rise basketball socks. Again, a visit to the mall might help in this respect. Tickets to a local sporting event? Movie tickets?

Good luck!

 

[smile145]

I really appreciate all the ideas and it has given me a lot to consider and select a variety of items so that hopefully at least one is loved. I don't have any kids myself so I was not up to date on what is popular with teens. I do this every year but usually the case sheet I get has their likes and wants on it but this year the ones I got only had clothing sizes filled in for these particular kids. Also I have been assigned younger children in the past which is easier for me. So again thanks for all the ideas for these teens. And yes I am in a cold climate so appreciate those cold winter clothing ideas.

 

[njmom47]

Teen boys:
Beware low/no show socks-- in many areas they should be shin-high, black, with Nike logo!
Under armour clothing
Hoodies
Gloves
Drawstring sports bag (used to carry "stuff", not just for athletes)
Nerf balls-- especially for city kids
Magnetic dart boards

These would be my son's preferences (he's 19).

 

[Darcy03231]

Sleeping bag, pillow, backpack with personal hygiene products, books, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc., flashlight, warm clothing (if in a colder climate).

In our area many of the kids who are on these lists are homeless and/or in foster care and these are some suggestions we've gotten from organizations collecting for them.