Shoebox appeal - 12yo boy ideas pls

[Barmbraic]

One of the children we've been "given" in the school shoebox appeal is a 12 yo boy. I've no idea what to get for him. So far I was thinking nice smelly stuff, hair gel, maybe a portable usb battery pack and wired earphones? All I know is the family is in temporary accommodation so I don't want to risk any console accessories in case he doesn't have one. Maybe an amazon voucher? I don't know any 12yo boys to ask them!

Warm socks gloves and wooly hat.
Nice soap and deodorant set.
Bag of sweets

Sweets
Biscuits
Socks

Thank you, yes, I had thought about then forgotten hat, gloves and socks. Ds (8) can't wait to be let loose in the sweet shop...he wanted to fill the box with nothing but sweets

Lynx, some form of ball, beanie hat.
Earbuds and battery pack are good ideas.
Torch? Puzzle book and pens?
Rubix cube?
Can you put in food?? Sweets, chocolate or crisps. Nutella?

I think an Amazon voucher would be great. - mine would be pleased with that. All he wants this year are fairly big ticket items so he’s delighted to get money or vouchers to save towards those. Maybe a book - there are good recommendations for age groups on the book trust site. Is chocolate allowed? The Science museum do some good sciency (obvs) stuff - we often find stocking fillers there.

Inexpensive watch
Puzzle - something like Rubik’s cube
Card game
Nice pens / pencil case

Brilliant ideas, everyone, thanks. Sweets & food allowed but no nuts.

Lynx (lots of places doing a shower gel/deodorant set for £3)
Touchscreen gloves
Sweets
Gum
Potential problem with Amazon voucher is the delivery and I assume you don't know which fast food or shops he might be able to walk to
The USB Battery pack is a great idea

Can of fizzy drink?
B and M and a lot of supermarkets do American sweets. He might enjoy trying those for fun?

Waboba moon ball
Joke book
Trick yo-yo
Mug
Hot chocolate powder
UNO card game
Gel pens
Pencil case

I would be careful with ear buds and usb battery pack, he may not have a phone to use them with. Also anything that may be easily sold is not a good idea. Consumables with no real re sale value are your best bet. So sweets, chocolate, smellies (not big name brands), gloves etc

tictactwo, I was a bit in two minds about the Amazon voucher for that reason. And the potential for a quick, unexpected move if he does order something. And no, no idea where he lives for anything local to him.

Bunnybigears I didn't think of the selling on

From a recommendation on here I’ve bought some astronaut ice cream from Amazon as a stocking filler for a 12 yr old

Sweets, football/basketball (deflated) and pump; tHis book

Book has been tested on a twelve year old

Uno cards
Watch (inexpensive but 'grownup' type)
Chocolate orange
Socks (bonus for gaming related or other 'cool' designs)

Voucher for somewhere like Tesco that sells pretty much everything.
Water bottle
Gloves
Wallet
Sports socks
Rubiks Cube
Powerball gyroscope type thing
Pad of A4 paper and some pens
Pack of cards
Pocket kite
Face mask with a 'boy' print

football comic/annual
mini games, like travel connect 4
macdonalds voucher if such a thing exists

I wouldn’t go for a voucher as it has the potential to be take off him and used for other things.

Some ideas:

Beanie hat and gloves (something like North Face if not too expensive)
Chocolate
Lynx set
Sachet of hot chocolate that you can make with water and a funky mug (the jugs in the temporary accommodation might be a bit minging!)
Fidget toy/ rubix cube
That Would You Rather book from upthread, DS is always asking me would you rather questions 🙈
A pack of non-glittery gel pens and a notebook
A can of coke to have with christmas dinner (hopefully there’ll be a Christmas dinner)

Thanks everyone, I'm glad I asked. I got a rubix cube, uno, a deck of regular playing cards and a lynx gift set. I didn't get branded, but decent quality thinsulate lined gloves and beanie. Didn't get to the bookshop yet. Ds is in charge of the sugar portion so he's going to go mad in the local shop tomorrow. I'll see how much space is available after that.

That all sounds good :)

I think pens as well: they always loose them and they aren't always cheap. Or a maths set like this: www.whsmith.co.uk/products/helix-oxford-maths-set-b43000/0079252024300.html - the bits always get broken and lost.

Poundland have some lovely things like bic multicolour pens, gel pens etc. If in temp accommodation he may have nothing to do so colouring or notebooks and pens would be appreciated.

I think that all sounds lovely OP. I think an inexpensive watch also sounds really good