Present for unknown 11yr old

[gingernutrichtea]

In Starbucks they have this lovely idea. A Xmas tree is filled of names and ages of children either in care or whose families can't afford presents. You pick a name and drop a present off. I have an 11yr old boy. I was firstly thinking of a skateboard but now I don't know! Are they still cool? Please give any ideas! Would probably be looking to spend around £40/£50 but will pay more if it's awesome.

My 10 year old went though a really lego phase a while back, but wouldn't thank you for it now.

Thank you all! Brilliant ideas! The kindle fire sounds great just worried about PP post about cash converters/ getting stolen if In care etc so may go with the sports gear? It is such a lovely idea I wish it was in more places, feels nice to be doing something. Was heartbreaking reading all the names and ages. Thank you all so much x

If in temporary accommodation etc they may not have Wi-fi access needed for a fire tablet.

I like the idea of a trendy backpack with some treats inside. Don't forget chocolate and sweets will be nice as fillers. Really like the cinema or nandos voucher if there is one nearby. Or sports direct voucher inside a wallet

That's really lovely:
I was going to say Lego as well - there is some for older children.
Kindle fire is a good idea as well.

Don't dwell too much on the cash converter comments - these remarks are cynical and not in the spirit of gift giving. You are taking on that risk anyway, so put it to one side and enjoy the process of selecting and giving a gift since that is what it is all about really!

I think that anything big (skateboard or basketball hoop) is not such a good idea, because you don't know how mobile these kids have to be and they are big items to cart around.

Also cinema vouchers - no idea how much freedom they will have to use them, unfortunately

some ideas here

Love the idea of buying a cheapish bag and filling it with goodies!!

Go for a gift that doesn’t create further costs. A tablet etc may be nice but it could be that he has no means to do anything with it when he can’t access the Internet.

I would go for a bag with some treats. Can you check locally what brands are “in” as it seems to vary a lot, maybe a local fb group or colleagues?

I suspect that the gifts don't go directly to the child on the card. That's to make it seem more personal, but in reality the gifts probably go to a central place and then are given out by people who know the children and know what each child would like

This is almost certainly the case, it is with the one I've done for the last few years. Bearing that in mind you don't need to worry about what [Tommy] or [Jack] is into, just buy a gift appropriate for a boy of that age. It's really best to buy one "decent" gift rather than a selection of small bits although those can be split out as stocking fillers. Don't wrap the item as it will need to be checked anyway before being passed to the child's parent or guardian.

It's likely the charity has advice re what you should or shouldn't buy on their website.

What would you buy someone who said they like soap? (I just used whatever liquid soap is a quid at Tesco at the time

Re not having internet, loads of places have free wifi that they could connect the kindle to, and I know lots of libraries offer free wifi. If they dont have a device they definitely cant get online, but if they at least have it then they can work around the internet issue.

Don't dwell too much on the cash converter comments - these remarks are cynical and not in the spirit of gift giving.

ANd back in the real world. It is Friday, you have just picked up your kids from school and the electricity has run out. The emergency might last until Sunday but you don't get your benefits until tuesday. You are lucky enough to have a second hand freezer but 48 hours without power the food will start to thaw and without heat and light the weekend is going to be pretty miserable.

You could pawn something now and get it back on Tuesday, only you don't have anything to pawn. Your eldest has a tablet.

What are you going to do?

Sorry to derail OP I live in an area with a lot of poverty and this kind of thing happens. Sometimes it is feckless parents more often than not it is necessity.

I think the bag idea is brilliant, something he can use at school and is likely to last for a few years then fill it with smaller treats, lynx stuff and chocolate, little gadgety toys, Guinness book of records