Crafts? Loom bands? He could make something to donate to kids in hospitals.
I can play ‘2048’ on my phone for quite some time. S introduced me. I think it was free.
Video chat dates with cousins?
How about the harmonica or other small musical instrument? A subscription to CreativeCloud if he likes media and Photoshopping.
A puzzle/word games book. A friend brought me one after I had surgery a few years ago and it’s something easy to pick up/put down and pretty entertaining.
Gift card (or subscription) to Audible.com
He can lie on the deck, put in EarPods, and listen to required reading (school) or his genre of choice.
My youngest daughter had a fairly mindless job one summer and decided to listen to books on the AP English Literature list. She liked what she listened to (and ended up scoring a 5 on the AP exam though that may be unrelated as she had a phenomenal AP English Lit teacher).
Here’s a short list (you can find complete lists with a quick search): https://www.albert.io/blog/ultimate-ap-english-literature-reading-list/
*I realize the AP lit suggestion may be nerdy but he’s the right age for it and may like the idea of killing two birds with one stone like my daughter did. She listened to a handful of great books that summer.
My son once assembled a paper model of the Edmund Fitzgerqald. All pre-cut, but it took him a long time to finish, as it was quite detailed. I bought it at a museum, but I’m sure you could find it online. There are many different ships available.
S found some intricate instructions on constructing origami and used a square yard of bulletin board paper to make creatures like woolly mammoths, dragons, Pegasus, etc. it was fascinating and amused him as he was awaiting his security clearance so he could start work.
The instructions were all free online. I believe most were in Japanese (which he can’t read or speak), but he could follow the instructions somehow anyway.
How about a drone (with FDA license), so he can practice and get good at it, navigating it around his room and house? Some folks use it in their careers to get photos or to transport things.
dover publications has some neat paper craft type things. www.doverpublications.com
My D also had a serious surgery in High school.
She seemed to enjoy I-tunes and amazon cards the most. Deciding what book, movie , or music to buy gave her something to do and getting the package in the mail was a boost.
She also enjoyed chocolate and a really soft throw blanket.
Rubic’s cube… also, check with his mom to see if he has GOOD ear phones. A luxury every teenager will appreciate.
For what it’s worth, someone upthread mentioned iTunes gift card:
I don’t know if I speak for ALL teens, but probably the large majority: we appreciate the thought, but very few of buy on iTunes anymore! Most all music is streamed on Spotify or Apple Music, and movie/TV shows streamed through Netflix/Hulu/the like. It’s an easy gift and still seems relatively popular at Christmas, but almost everyone I know my age doesn’t have much use for them. An Amazon gift card would probably be better if that’s the route you’re going.
I like the idea of an instrument though- something like a ukulele is generally easy enough to pick up without getting discouraged, but obviously the possibilities are endless as far as continuing to challenge past the basics.
Thanks for all the ideas, I’ve shared some with his Mom and am waiting for feedback.
Tools and instruction/idea book for whittling or woodcarving. This website describes the 4 different types of carving and the tools you need for each.
http://www.chippingaway.com/BeginnersHowToGetStartedWoodcarving.htm
@Novafan1225 – that’s really helpful, thanks. I am an iTunes buyer. I guess I’m old-school with my digital media.
I have a question, though. If I were to set up a Spotify account on my iPhone (I don’t have a Spotify but have been thinking about doing so), wouldn’t that be something I “charge” to my iTunes the same way I’d charge a paid app, in which case an iTunes card would defray the cost? Just curious, and sorry to threadjack.
@Pizzagirl I don’t believe an iTunes balance can be put towards a Spotify subscription, unfortunately. The app itself is free, and if you want to subscribe to premium (ad-free/offline listening/etc.), you input credit card information directly into the app.