2024 Shopping Guide: Lead Safe Mama’s Favorite Lead-Free Holiday Gifts for Pre-teens & Teens

Hi all! Because you (Lead Safe Mama community members) have asked us for Lead-Free holiday gift ideas, we have created articles with ideas for each age group. Note: We’re paying to promote these write-ups  on Facebook so more people see them.
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This is the “Teens & Pre-Teens” gift idea list. Since this is an especially important time in a child’s life for them to stay connected with the family, my focus (as a parent) for kids this age has always been games — including ANY game that encourages and supports reading, organizing, and planning skills! The list below is full of things I might buy (or have bought) for the teens and pre-teens in my life, including my four sons!
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Stand by for more gift categories. The “infants and toddler gift ideas”, “gifts for mom”,  “newly independent young adults” and “Lead-free & On Sale Today” shopping guides pieces are linked at the bottom of this, so scroll down for that, too. All products linked below are for Lead-free choices (based on independent XRF testing we have completed of the products).
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There is a full range of price points here. These are some of my top picks after spending hours scouring online for good choices! (Prices may change and were updated on 12/8/2024 – Sunday.)
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Board Games:
(If you have vintage versions of these games made before 1990, it’s a good idea to replace them since  older versions can have unsafe levels of Lead in some plastic, paper, or metal components!)

Classic Connect Four — https://amzn.to/3ZP0BKB — 18% off – $9.87
Giant Connect Four — https://amzn.to/3BsldOM — 41% off – $117.76 
Classic Battle Ship — https://amzn.to/4dCTpV9 — $12% off – $14.97
Classic Twister — https://amzn.to/3ZO34VB — 50% off – $10.00
Classic Ouija — https://amzn.to/3CYVsGf – 27% off – $19.99
Classic Monopoly— The 1980s Edition — https://amzn.to/47X8OhH — $24.20
Monopoly with Thimble — https://amzn.to/3Yclu0Y — 32% off – $14.97
Classic Jenga — https://amzn.to/3XXJrrB — 38% off – $9.97
Classic Clue — https://amzn.to/3Y9ARY3 — $21.99
My favorite travel scrabble (I bought one for each of my kids when they moved away!) — https://amzn.to/3Yb2ZKa — 20%  off – $35.99
Classic Scrabble — https://amzn.to/3BwHtqJ — 55% off – $10.00
Classic Boggle — https://amzn.to/4dyg5pp — 32% off – $11.99 (we bring ours with us EVERYWHERE!)
Mini Boggle — https://amzn.to/4dAlLPy — $9.75
Giant Boggle — https://amzn.to/3ZXY5ln — $21.99
Deluxe Turntable Scrabble — https://amzn.to/3ZMGFYK — 6% off – $169.95
The Game of Life — https://amzn.to/3BITLvV — 15% off – $21.99
Forbidden Island — https://amzn.to/3XSaogo — 9% off – $19.99
Ticket to Ride — https://amzn.to/4erb8Qu — 55% off – $25.00 (before a $4.61 coupon)
Sorry — https://amzn.to/4etpjof — 17% off – $9.97
Catan — https://amzn.to/4eTfH5Q —55% off – $25.00 (before a $4.61 coupon)
Chess & Checkers — https://amzn.to/3TV3FRm — 12% off – $9.89 (A note: Some modern chess sets sold for use by adults may contain Lead)
Wooden Dominoes Set – https://amzn.to/3ZHZ3kV – $5.99

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Card Games:
Bicycle Playing Cards — https://amzn.to/4ew91Lm — 39% off – $4.89
Giant Uno — https://amzn.to/3ZJ865j — 28% off – $14.48 (before $2.49 coupon)
Exploding Kittens — https://amzn.to/3Nc1vZY — 50% off – $9.99 (before $2.00 coupon)

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Toys, Puzzles, & Puzzle Toys:
Lego Stitch — https://amzn.to/41wiLkS – 20% off – $51.95
Lego Wicked Emerald City — https://amzn.to/4fby9qd – $99.98
Lego House Set — https://amzn.to/4f6rltV – 20% off – $47.99
Plus Plus starter kit (70 pieces) – https://amzn.to/4fZcyCy – $7.99
Plus Plus – 600 piece toy (a favorite of my boys) — https://amzn.to/4ipIm5e – 11% off – $31.15 
Matchbox Toy Car Farm Set — https://amzn.to/4g3GdKP – 52% off, plus $2.01 coupon – $12.00 before coupon
Matchbox Toy Car Set  — 8 vehicles – https://amzn.to/3ZMJ99e – $9.99 (all new products from this brand are lead-free)
Matchbox Transforming Excavator Set — https://amzn.to/3ZJyQTa – 29% off – $21.17
Rubik’s Cube — https://amzn.to/3Bz5c9H — 6% off – $9.36
Any RoseArt Puzzle — https://amzn.to/3ZJAUL2 — This 1,000 piece puzzle is 18% off – $8.99
Any Ravensburger Puzzle — https://amzn.to/3ZSfFXV — this one is $24.99
Kanoodle (my 16 year old loves this one for car trips & flights!) — https://amzn.to/3YbBSyD — 29% off – $9.99

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Dungeons & Dragons, Pokemon & Magic The Gathering (many things I have actually bought for my kids in support of their gaming!):
Magic The Gathering Starter Deck — https://amzn.to/3ZpFM6G — 18% off –  $17.99
Magic The Gathering Commander Deck — https://amzn.to/49ukDNc — $25.00
Pokemon Starter Deck — https://amzn.to/3UlgbKv — $20.85
Pokemon Battle Deck — https://amzn.to/4dAma4w — $18.79
Glow-in-the-dark 100-sided die — https://amzn.to/4gQhDOt — $15.98 (bought for my kids in many colors)
Rainbow DnD Dice Set — https://amzn.to/4eV7qi5 — $9.99 (bought for my kids)
Six sets of DnD dice — https://amzn.to/3XMudpe — $12.99 (bought for my kids)
My son’s favorite card binder — https://amzn.to/3XW4NFx — 10% off – $22.49 (all colors should be ok)
Card Sleeves — https://amzn.to/4dFWung — $17.99
Set of Binders for Card Sleeves — https://amzn.to/3Yc50G3 — $28.99 – (before 10% coupon)
Note: We buy our deck boxes at local stores. I would not trust options on Amazon to be toxicant-free.
Note 2: Your vintage DnD figurines (metal ones from your childhood) should not be used since they are often nearly solid Lead OR Lead mixed with Antimony (a known Carcinogen). I recommend buying the paint-it-yourself plastic figurines from your local game store.

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Sports
Tennis Balls (we buy these by the case!) — https://amzn.to/3VtBcTy – 18% off – $87.62 (72 Balls)
Tennis Racket by Wilson – https://amzn.to/49AmNeb – $34.99 
Basket Ball by Wilson – https://amzn.to/3ZuIV5f – 21% off – $21.42
Soccer Ball by Wilson – https://amzn.to/3D6YMzd – $14.95 (size 4)

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Educational Toys (for exploring the world):
These are for older children and/or need to be used with supervision. They may have Lead in the batteries or other toxicants in components like electrical cords, but are not a concern when used as intended (by a child in the appropriate age group).

Magnifying Glass — 13% off – $6.99 – https://amzn.to/3ZMYV2H –
Pocket Microscope — https://amzn.to/4goUIZE – $10.49
Neodymium Rare Earth Magnet  — https://amzn.to/49q2aRX – $16.99 – (before 10% coupon) – close supervision recommended
Kids Microscope Set — https://amzn.to/4evViUH — 10% off – $89.99
Microscope for Younger Kids — https://amzn.to/4eRLAM2 — 21% off – $31.49
Kids Telescope — https://amzn.to/4eV7PRD — 27% off – $146.93
Alternate Kids Telescope — https://amzn.to/4dzdbR9 — $44.99
Rock Tumbler — https://amzn.to/3zM3UHL — 28% off – $43.49 (Do not tumble rocks that may contain Lead — rocks provided with the kit should be safe and most rocks you will find on a beach or similar location will be safe.) Rock Identification Book (for discovering which rocks are safe to tumble!) — Here’s one for $16.34 https://amzn.to/3Yb1agr — OR this one https://amzn.to/3Y8hVc5 for $11.31 (13% off).                                                
Fishing Magnet (this is an amazing toy, but needs very close supervision as powerful magnets can scratch things like cars and refrigerators… something I may know from personal experience! Charlie once pulled a shopping cart out of a lake with this. It’s a great tool for learning about cleaning up the environment and of course, removing metal things from bodies of water!) https://amzn.to/4gUm5f1 — 12% off – $24.99 (will provide HOURS and HOURS of fun if you live near a body of water!)
Metal Detector — https://amzn.to/47TORse — 25% off – $69.99 (we’ve bought two of these and while a more expensive one might perform better, this is a good starter one!)
Giant Balloons (36 inches) – Great for Science Experiments (we used our garage air compressor to fill them!) https://amzn.to/4g81KCm – 15% off – $14.49
Even Bigger Balloon  (60 inches) We blew this up (with my husband’s compressor) and the kids tossed it around the park with hundreds of people during a big public event — https://amzn.to/3OJUb8y –  $20.99

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Bedroom (20% off holiday SALE happening now at Naturepedic!) anything from this Naturepedic is generally a good choice, but here are some of my favorites:
Organic Mattress (a twin, what my youngest son has) — https://shrsl.com/4pa6k
Organic Sheets (cotton, for the twin) — https://shrsl.com/4pa6l
Organic Cotton Blanket — https://shrsl.com/4pa6n
Down Pillows (not Naturepedic) — https://amzn.to/3TVLjzZ
Organic PLA (sugarcane fiber) pillows — https://shrsl.com/4p9dc

Naturepedic’s 20% off (plus free pillows) Holiday Sale is happening now — the code to use with the above Naturepedic links is HOLIDAY. Plus, they contribute 15% of what you spend back to Lead Safe Mama, LLC in support of our programs if you start your shopping with a click on one of our links!
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Links are Amazon affiliate links or direct affiliate links for Naturepedic unless otherwise stated. If you purchase something after clicking on a Lead Safe Mama, LLC Amazon affiliate link, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you! You don’t even need to purchase what we link to for your shopping to support this childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety advocacy work! You simply need to click any Lead Safe Mama, LLC Amazon affiliate link before you start shopping and then go about your browsing as you normally would and we may receive a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting this work in this way!
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1. Lead-Free & On Sale Today: https://tamararubin.com/onsale/
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2. Gifts for Mom: https://tamararubin.com/2024/11/gifts-for-mom/
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3. Our “Babies & Toddlers” Gift List: https://tamararubin.com/2024/09/2024-shopping-guide-lead-safe-mamas-favorite-lead-free-holiday-gifts-for-babies-toddlers/
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4. Our “Newly Independent Young Adults” Gift List:
https://tamararubin.com/2024/10/2024-shopping-guide-lead-safe-mamas-favorite-lead-free-holiday-gifts-for-newly-independent-young-adults-college-grads-newlyweds-others-2/

For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).

• Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
• Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for six product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
• All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
• Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!