I think I can speak for most young men when I say that the absolute, without question, BEST part of the Bar Mitzvah experience is – you guessed it – the thrill of receiving all their amazing Bar Mitzvah gifts.
And I have a feeling the same is true of young women receiving Bat Mitzvah presents.
For a Jewish child, this day is a day like no other. A typical 13th birthday gift for boys or a 12th birthday gift for girls might not be too special, but a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is the king of all birthdays, and many will receive more presents than they have on all other birthdays combined.
While giving money as a gift can work, in my mind better Bar and Bat Mitzvah etiquette is to get a unique gift instead. This will ensure they remember your gift forever!
A personalized Bar Mitzvah gift is FAR better than cash in my opinion, even if the cash is worth more.
In general, worry less about how MUCH to give for Bar Mitzvah gifts, and focus more on finding cool gift ideas that will bring the boy some joy.
Best Gifts for 13 Year Old Boys and 12 Year Old Girls
Terrible at thinking of gifts? Don’t know what to buy, or what cool stuff would be popular gifts with 13-year-old boys or 12-year-old girls are?
No problem.
Here, I’ve carefully scoured the internet for the absolute best, most memorable, and affordable gifts out there. In fact – if it was MY Bar Mitzvah, this is what I would want!
The following gifts can not only be used for Bar Mitzvahs, but for Bat Mitzvahs as well. These gifts are also great regardless of whether you’re actually attending the Bar/Bat Mitzvah or not.
Ready?
Let’s get to it.
Technology Bar Mitzvah Gifts
The one gift that every 13-year-old boy wants more than anything else is whatever the latest technology is at the time.
While lacking in spiritual significance, he’s sure to receive plenty of “meaningful” and “appropriate” Bar Mitzvah gifts from everyone else, so why not be the cool aunt, uncle, cousin, brother, sister, or friend, and get him something fun?
After all, the best Bar Mitzvah gifts are the ones that can be enjoyed right away.
Here are the top electronic-based gifts to get him in 2019:
1) Oculus Quest Virtual Reality Headset
Virtual Reality is one of the biggest new technologies to come out recently.
The possibilities are endless – you can use it to play games, explore the world, or even make new friends!
Of course, these days a 13-year-old boy has been around technology his entire life, so figuring out how to use this in fun, creative ways should be no problem.
While extremely cool, Virtual Reality isn’t QUITE mainstream yet, which means if you get this for the Bar Mitzvah boy as his Bar Mitzvah gift, you’ll be sure you’re getting him something unique and memorable.
With this drone, new adventurous possibilities abound for the lucky Bar Mitzvah boy, Bat Mitzvah girl, or whatever child is lucky enough to get this affordable drone as a gift.
Easy to control and able to fly up to 80 meters, this drone can be used to have fun in tons of ways! From playing hide and seek to simply use it to explore, trust children to come up with tons of fascinating ways to use this gift to the fullest extent possible.
Clearly, this drone is a top-tier toy and makes a great gift for 13-year-old boys or 12-year-old girls.
Sticking with the gaming theme, one thing every gamer needs is a good, comfortable chair with cool gaming features.
“What gaming features does a chair have”, you ask? Well, how about:
- 2 Bluetooth speakers
- Surround Sound System
- Connectivity options with smartphones, tablets, and laptops
- An adjustable seat and ergonomic design
Are those enough features for you?
Truly, everything can be considered technology nowadays. And with this technologically advanced chair as a bar/bat mitzvah gift, you’ll get to show how cool and “hip” you are!
Traditionally, younger people usually gravitated towards bigger, over-the-ear headphones.
There were no good wireless in-ear options, and bigger headphones tended to be more stylish.
That all changed with the invention of Airpods.
All of a sudden, there was a cool, wireless earbud option on the market – and even better, it was made by everyone’s favorite brand, Apple.
If the Bar Mitzvah boy has an iPhone – and maybe even if he doesn’t – Airpods are definitely worth considering.
Beats headphones – or nice headphones in general – are something almost every child WANTS, but can’t always justify spending money on (and that goes DOUBLE for the parents spending money buying it for their kid).
This means it’s the perfect choice for a cool Bar Mitzvah gift.
Beats have long been the headphone brand of choice for middle school/high school children, as the mixture of style and quality is a perfect fit for that age group.
If you get them for him as a Bar Mitzvah gift, he’ll quickly become the most popular kid in school.
In short – you can’t BEAT Beats as a Bar Mitzvah Gift.
If you get these for the Bar Mitzvah boy, he’ll be sure to wear them around all day, every day.
As to whether that’s a good thing or not? We’ll let you be the judge of that.
Remember how we said that nice headphones were something everybody wants, but can’t always justify?
That goes double for Apple Watches.
An Apple Watch is definitely cool – it’s stylish, made by Apple, and has all sorts of cool features like:
- the ability to make calls and use certain Apps that are on your phone
- sensors that count steps taken, stairs climbed, heart rate, and everything else you can think of
- an extremely long 18-hour battery life
- Water Resistance
And, believe it or not, it even tells you what time it is! Pretty cool for a watch, huh?
However, even more than nice headphones, many people just can’t justify buying them.
After all, an Apple Watch isn’t a necessity in the same way a Smartphone is, so many people balk at getting one – which, again, makes it one of the best Bar Mitzvah gift options.
A great gift is one that will be used every day.
So, great Bar Mitzvah gifts should be something a 12 or 13-year-old child uses every day. And what do children that age often do every day?
That’s right – they play video games.
This Logitech headset is one of the top gaming headsets on the market and will help turn gaming into a social activity or make it more social than before!
With name-brand recognition, an affordable price, and great specs, this Bar Mitzvah gift is sure to be a hit.
When considering fun, cool technology gifts to get a 13-year-old boy, the obvious choice is to get him a gaming system.
After all, which 13 year old doesn’t love games?
The Nintendo Switch is the favorite gaming system for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah age range, so that’s the choice I’d recommend here over the Xbox or Playstation.
While a bit pricey, opting for a gaming system would certainly be a memorable gift choice and is bound to be one of his favorite gifts he receives.
Jewish – Based Bar Mitzvah Gifts
This category is where most typical Bar Mitzvah gifts are found.
Sefarim and items with religious significance are often given at a Bar Mitzvah, and for good reason.
It’s important to note that if you decide to go for a Jewish-based Bar Mitzvah gift, keep in mind that the average Bar Mitzvah boy already gets many such gifts, as many people decide to go in this direction.
So, see if you can confirm that he won’t be getting the same gift from someone else.
“Jewish” style gifts can be hit or miss. While the parents will likely be happy, and the gifts will likely be quite meaningful, oftentimes religious Bar Mitzvah gifts simply aren’t too exciting for a young boy or girl.
So, before deciding on what type of Bar Mitzvah gift to get, be sure to think about the recipient’s personality and try and determine what their face would look like when seeing the gift for the first time.
If you picture them excited and ready to become a man and join the Jewish People? A meaningful, religious-based gift might be just what they need.
If not?
Luckily, there are other categories above that you can choose from!
Now, let’s see some examples of great, proper Bar Mitzvah Gifts with a religious spin to get for that special young man.
9) Jerusalem Temple Do-it-Yourself Model
Here’s a unique and cool Bar Mitzvah gift that’s perfect for the more creative type.
While most Bar Mitzvah boys get some combination of money, Sefarim (Jewish books), and electronics, you can easily stand out from the crowd by getting him this absolutely stunning and intricate replica of the Bet Hamikdash (the Hebrew name for the Jewish people’s Holy Temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed over 1000 years ago.
Putting this together will be a nice, fun challenge for many people.
Then, once it’s complete, you can enjoy a stunning and meaningful visual representation of the Jewish People’s past.
This is the type of Bar Mitzvah gift that will be great for some recipients, but not as good for others.
If the Bar Mitzvah boy is creative, likes building things, and enjoys history, this Bar Mitzvah gift will seem personalized and tailored to him specifically.
If he has other interests, you may be better off getting him one of the other options on this list.
According to Jewish traditions, once you hit the Bar Mitzvah age, you instantly become a man.
This means that all of a sudden, you are now able to participate in all of Judaism’s customs the same way any adult can.
So, What better Bar Mitzvah gift is there than your very own Kiddush Cup? Personally, I can’t imagine a more meaningful, great, and appropriate Bar Mitzvah gift for a 13-year-old boy.
With this Kiddush Cup, you can now make Kiddush during the Shabbat meals and really learn what it feels like to be an adult.
In many ways, this gorgeous Kiddush Cup is a perfect Bar Mitzvah gift choice for pretty much any Bar Mitzvah boy.
Religious significance?
Check.
Helps the boy feel like a man?
Check.
Combination of luxury, functionality, and spirituality that few other gifts can come close to matching?
Check, Check and Check.
Charity is extremely important in Judaism. According to Jewish custom, a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is when a child officially becomes a man or woman and is therefore obligated to keep the commandments found in the Torah, charity being a major one.
So, what better way to honor this special day than by getting them a Tzeddukah box they can use to get into the habit of giving charity?
This beautiful silver, hammered nickel box will brighten up their room and help instill values and good habits at a young age. So, if you’d like a meaningful gift, it’s tough to beat this.
This gift combines 2 favorite topics of Jews around the world: Sports, and discussing famous people who are Jewish!
From Sandy Koufax to Esther Roth, this book will teach you all there is to know about over 150 Jewish athletes.
What better way to make a Bar Mitzvah boy – or Bat Mitzvah girl – proud of their culture than by learning about all the successful Jews in this book?
Passing down recipes is an ancient Jewish tradition, and there’s no better way to continue the trend than by gifting this cookbook to the next generation.
Taking traditional Jewish recipes and modernizing them, Jake Cohen is able to appeal to Jews of all kinds.
Not into cooking?
No problem – this cookbook is so fun that it can get anyone into the kitchen!
I think it’s fair to say that Hannukah is on the shortlist for everyone’s favorite holiday.
In fact, it has a lot of similarities with a Bar Mitzvah – this holiday is famous for its family time, presents, guests, and food!
In my opinion, that’s enough to make a Menorah a perfectly appropriate Bar Mitzvah gift.
Now that the Bar Mitzvah boy is a man, he should be ready to take part in the special tradition of lighting the Menorah every Hannukah.
And what better way to do that than with a new, gorgeous silver Menorah that you got him for his Bar Mitzvah gift?
A Bar Mitzvah is the first time a Jewish boy will be reading from the Torah, so getting them a Torah pointer is one of the best presents you can get a 13-year-old Jewish boy.
Torah pointers are very affordable, and this beautiful, blue 8″ pointer is a steal at around $20. Reading the Torah in front of all your friends and family can be extremely nerve-wracking, so at the very least you can help make sure the Bar Mitzvah boy looks good doing it!
13 years old is right around that special time of life where boys are JUST starting to get into fashion.
And what’s more fashionable than a beautiful silver pendant proudly displaying the Hebrew word Chai (“life” in Hebrew) and signifying your connection to the Jewish people?
Nothing, that’s what.
The fact that the necklace displays the word “Chai” is extremely appropriate, as Chai is a very meaningful word to the Jewish people.
In fact, Chai is such an important and symbolic word to the Jewish people that it is used to help people decide how much money to give as a Bar Mitzvah gift if they opt to give cash instead of a present – often, multiples of $18 are given (more on this later).
Surprisingly affordable, this Sterling Silver Necklace is the perfect memorable gift to get a young man coming of age.
What’s not to love?
Miscellaneous Bar Mitzvah Gifts
While kids do love their electronics, contrary to popular belief they enjoy other things as well. Kids still love sports, fashion, music, and tons of other things as well, and these categories can make for great Bar Mitzvah Gifts.
In this section, let’s go over some miscellaneous gifts to get the Bar Mitzvah boy if you don’t feel like getting a religious or electronic-based gift.
This one definitely isn’t your average Bar Mitzvah gift.
I’m not sure if you missed it, but we’re officially living in the future, as everyone’s favorite movie “Back to The Future” has proven to be prophetic.
Yup, that’s right – hoverboards are real now!
Getting one as a Bar Mitzvah gift opens up tons of new possibilities for the Bar Mitzvah boy, and is sure to quickly become one of his favorite possessions.
This hoverboard has enough battery to let the kid have fun for a long time and looks stylish to boot.
Looks like he found a new favorite mode of transportation!
Bar Mitzvah boys are just getting into that age where they start to care about fashion.
That can mean many things, like nicer shirts, sweaters, or the latest basketball shoes.
However, to really take your fashion game to the next level, a fancy watch is an absolute necessity.
Watches can get very costly, but this one manages to stay reasonably priced while still looking amazing.
And not only that – it’s functional as well.
Solar-powered, water-resistant…
This watch has it all.
Foosball has long been a favorite of children this age, and for good reason: it’s FUN!
This unique gift idea can transform a plain old basement into a paradise for the bar/bat mitzvah and their friends.
The table is fixed with the official foosball measurements, and includes a built in scoring system and extra foosballs when the kids inevitably lose the first ball. If you get this table as a gift, you can be sure that the kids in your neighborhood will have hours of fun playing together!
20) G-Shock Watch
G-Shock has long been a favorite watch brand for kids. For starters, it’s durable – it can resist shock, water, and pretty much any other type of damage really well.
More importantly, it looks cool, and has all the standard features a watch like this needs (timers, alarms, calendars, and more).
Getting a child a G-Shock is a pretty safe bet to be a top tier gift.
21) Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker
Yes, I know. This is TECHNICALLY another technology gift.
However, it doesn’t have a screen, or plug into anything with a screen, or even necessarily go NEAR anything with a screen. Plus, the whole waterproof thing makes it kind of outdoorsy, so I decided to put it into a separate category.
(I know, I’m really not doing a great job proving that kids have interests other than technology).
Categorization aside, these speakers are SUPER cool.
They sound great, look great, are waterproof, dustproof, drop-proof, outdoor proof, and whatever-abuse-kids-these-days-can-throw-at-it proof.
What more can you ask for?
22) Classical Guitar for Beginners
Obviously, a beginner-friendly, all-inclusive, stylish, gorgeous-sounding guitar isn’t for everybody.
However, if the Bar Mitzvah boy loves music and has expressed interest in learning to play instruments before, a beginner-friendly, all-inclusive, stylish, gorgeous-sounding guitar might be the perfect gift for him.
This guitar includes a waterproof guitar bag, strap, tuner, picks, and guitar wipes, is affordable when compared to many other guitar options, and is extremely highly rated in terms of sound quality.
And bonus points – if the boy goes on to become a famous guitarist, you get to take the credit!
Like many Bar Mitzvah gift ideas, this is another gift that can be great for some people and not great for others.
For music fans, this is a cool, personalized Bar Mitzvah gift, but if the Bar Mitzvah boy doesn’t enjoy music they likely won’t enjoy this gift too much.
Besides being an amazing present to the Bar Mitzvah boy, this Bar Mitzvah gift is great for his friends as well.
Imagine inviting your friends over the weekend, or after a long day of school, and having this awesome, competition-ready Ping-Pong table set up and ready for hours of fun.
I’d say that would instantly make him the most popular kid in his friend group.
Unfortunately, Paddles and Balls aren’t included with this table, so you have to buy those separately, but it DOES come 95% preassembled, and includes a premium, sturdy net that should be able to survive kids playing their heart out night after night.
24) Customizable Basketball Jersey
Here’s a cheap, extremely personalized gift you can get for any Bar Mitzvah boy who happens to be a sports fan.
The size, color, number, and name on the Jersey are all customizable – so tailor this gift however the Bar Mitzvah boy likes!
You can choose to put his name, his favorite player’s name, a funny name, or anything in between on the front and back of the jersey
In the child’s eyes, this is likely the best Bar Mitzvah gift a boy can ask for.
Money as a Bar Mitzvah Gift
25) Money
Cash is probably the most popular and traditional Bar Mitzvah gift idea in the world.
However, as I stated above, I personally don’t consider giving cash to be a good form of Bar Mitzvah gift etiquette. I much prefer to look for more personalized Bar Mitzvah gifts.
Then again, is cash really such a bad idea? And if you do opt to give cash, how much should you give? What is a good amount for a Bar Mitzvah gift? Let’s discuss this a bit further.
Remember, this is, to date, the most important day in the boy’s life. Writing him a $20 check just isn’t appropriate in most cases.
Most of the amounts for the Bar Mitzvah gifts listed here are in the $100-200 range, and I think that’s a fair range to think about if you decide you MUST give cash instead of a present.
Since cash is the least personal gift you can give, I personally recommend giving somewhere at the higher end of that range, to make the gift a bit more memorable for him.
OBVIOUSLY, how much you can afford to give as a Bar Mitzvah gift is a huge factor. Don’t go broke just to make the Bar Mitzvah boy happy!
Giving “Chai” as a Gift – How much is Chai?
Many Jewish donation amounts are given as multiples of $18 – this applies when giving money as Bar Mitzvah gifts or at any other Jewish event. The reason for this has to do with a Jewish concept called “gematria”
Gematria is a way to turn words into numbers. Each letter has a numerical value associated with that letter, and to get the Gematria of a word, you simply add up the numerical values of each letter in the word.
The Hebrew word “Chai”, which means life, is spelled with the Hebrew letters “Chet” and “Yud”. Chet has a numerical value of 8, and Yud’s value is 10, for a total value of 18.
So, that’s the reason why it’s common amongst Jews to use multiples of 18 – or multiples of chai – to determine the amount when giving money as a gift for any big event, such as by a wedding, when a baby is born, or, of course, a Bar Mitzvah.
Do you have to do this? No, but it’s a cute idea that’s become popular amongst Jewish gift-givers.
It makes money a touch more personalized, and as an added benefit, it helps you decide how much to give by providing an appropriate amount for the Bar Mitzvah Gift.
With this in mind, $180 (10×18), $324 (18×18, so extra credit here!), and $360 (20×18) seem to be the best amounts for Bar Mitzvah gifts if you decide not to give a REAL present.
Those amounts are high enough to feel like significant Bar Mitzvah gifts and have the added benefit of being multiples of 18.
In my opinion, cash definitely isn’t the best Bar Mitzvah gift, and a more personalized one would be better in most cases (even one that costs less than the cash you would have given). This applies even when the Bar Mitzvah money is given in increments of $18.
However, sometimes you have no choice. In that case, giving cash is fine – and giving an amount that is a multiple of 18 would then be preferable.
Final Thoughts
And that’s that! That is my complete (for now) list of my favorite Bar Mitzvah gift ideas.
A Bar Mitzvah is such a special time in a young man’s life, and getting a proper Bar Mitzvah gift can really add to his happiness, while the wrong gift will likely get tossed aside, never to be looked at again.
Talk about pressure!
Luckily, this article has so many great ideas for personalized Bar Mitzvah gifts, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find him something he loves.
Side note – While there should be something for everyone on this list, obviously there are plenty of other great gift ideas out there that we haven’t included. If you have any awesome ideas, let us know! We’d love to add more options.
Enjoy the Bar Mitzvah!
P.S – Looking for gift ideas for other occasions? Giftingarea.com is your go-to source for everything gift-related. For example, check here for a list of amazing gag gift ideas, or here for a list of useful gift ideas for grandma.
Max Kimmel
Max Kimmel graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S in Mathematics and Minors in Finance and Information Technology. He is a data expert and uses these skills to make sure all facts mentioned in his articles are accurate. Max has grown multiple e-commerce businesses to 6 figures in sales, invests in Index Funds, Rental Properties, and Cryptocurrency, and has been featured by HuffPost and Forbes.
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