Shopping for a teenager can be tricky. They are too old for Primary prizes and not quite ready for grown-up keepsakes, and they have strong opinions about what they will actually use. The good news is that the right LDS gifts can meet youth right where they are: building their own testimony, attending seminary, making trips to the temple, and starting to think about a mission. This guide to gifts for youth covers birthdays, turning 12, seminary, temple trips, and youth activities for both young women and young men, with practical tips on choosing something a teen will treasure instead of tuck in a drawer.
What Makes Good LDS Gifts for Youth?
Before you shop, think about how the gift fits into a teen's real week. A few questions help:
- Will they use it every day? Teens get the most out of things that live in a backpack, a scripture case, or around their neck: bookmarks, highlighters, jewelry, keychains, and oil vials.
- Does it reflect their style? A camo scripture case or a delicate necklace says "this was picked for me." Let their personality guide color and design.
- Does it point toward a milestone? Turning 12, starting seminary, a first temple trip, or receiving a mission call are natural moments for a gift with meaning.
- Is it age-appropriate to grow into? A 12-year-old and a 17-year-old are in very different places. Simple, fun items suit younger youth, while older teens often appreciate gifts that help them prepare for the temple and a mission.
Turning 12: A Big Step Out of Primary
The year they turn 12, youth move from Primary into Young Women classes or Aaronic Priesthood quorums, and many begin attending the temple to perform baptisms for the dead. It is one of the biggest transitions in a young member's life, and a small gift that marks it can mean a lot. Think about items that celebrate who they are becoming and help them get ready for the temple.
Made for members of all ages and described as a perfect gift for youth, this recommend holder features a mountainscape with an outline of the Salt Lake Temple and has a clear sleeve for a recommend. It folds down to 2 x 3 1/4 inches, so it slips easily into a wallet or phone case before a temple trip.
One of our most popular necklaces for young women and girls, it has a small temple outline charm, a pearl charm, and three pink blossom charms on an adjustable 18-20 inch curb chain. It is a sweet gift for a girl entering the Young Women program.
For more ideas made just for this age, browse our Young Women gifts, which include theme bookmarks, recommend holders, necklaces, and rings.
Scripture Study and Seminary Gifts
Seminary often marks the first time a teen studies the scriptures on a daily schedule, so tools that make study more personal and organized are always welcome. Many youth are ready for their own full set of LDS scriptures around this time. If they already have a set, add accessories that help them mark, track, and carry what they learn.
This quad features a watercolor mountain landscape and is hand-bound from the standard quadruple combination edition, with thumb indexes, maps, and footnotes. Its description calls it a great gift for young men, young women, and missionaries, and it is made to order with your choice of ribbon colors.
Made for Come, Follow Me, seminary, and youth classes, this 7 x 4 inch bookmark shows a timeline of Book of Mormon events, prophets, and movements of people on the front, with important Book of Mormon scriptures on the back.
This polyester case fits a standard-size quad or a Bible and triple combination set, with multiple organizational pouches inside for scripture study on the go. It comes in seven colors, including green camo and pink, so it is easy to match a teen's style. See all scripture cases for more colors and sizes.
Journals for Personal Revelation
A journal is one of the simplest gifts for youth, and one of the most lasting. Encourage teens to record impressions from seminary, youth conferences, and general conference, and to write down their testimony as it grows.
A hardcover journal with a blue leatherette cover, 112 lined pages, and a black satin ribbon bookmark. You can personalize the front with their name and add a quote or other text on the back, and it was designed to match our basic leatherette scriptures.
Jewelry and Everyday Reminders
Jewelry is a favorite for youth because it goes everywhere with them: to school, to games, and to camp. A CTR ring or a dog tag necklace is a quiet daily reminder of who they are and the covenants they have made.
Our best-selling CTR ring features the letters CTR in an easy-to-read cursive design. It is made of durable stainless steel in sizes 4-10, including half sizes, and customers love it for Young Women achievements. Browse all CTR rings for more styles for young women and young men.
This stainless steel dog tag features the Christus statue as sculpted by Bertel Thorvaldsen and comes with a matching ball chain. You can add a personalized message on the back, such as a favorite scripture reference or a birthday date. Explore more LDS dog tags, including Title of Liberty and Armor of God designs.
Gifts for Young Men
Young men often appreciate gifts that are practical and connected to priesthood service, from blessing the sacrament on Sunday to preparing for a mission. Ties, tie clips, and keychains work well for younger deacons and teachers. Oil vials are a meaningful gift for an older young man as he prepares to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, since consecrated oil is used by Melchizedek Priesthood holders.
Available in boys, youth, and men's sizes, this 100% polyester tie features an olive branch pattern that symbolizes the priesthood power of God. It is designed as a gift for milestones like priesthood ordinations, baptisms, and missionary farewells, and it pairs with any Sunday suit.
Made entirely of stainless steel with a leak-proof rubber seal and a silver matte finish, this vial is engraved with "Hold to the Rod, the iron rod." Its description calls it a perfect gift for young men, missionaries, and men overall.
Future Missionary Gifts
For older teens, a mission may be only a year or two away. Gifts that help them prepare spiritually now, rather than just pack later, can make a real difference. Encourage regular study, a habit of journaling, and time spent learning the doctrine missionaries teach.
This spiral-bound new edition is the standard curriculum for full-time missionaries and ward missionaries, and it may also be used by members in wards and stakes. It describes the principles of missionary work and the doctrines missionaries study and teach, making it a great way for a future elder or sister to start preparing.
When the call comes, our LDS missionary gift guide walks through gifts for the farewell, the field, and the homecoming.
Gifts for Youth by Occasion
- Birthdays: choose something personal they will use, like a CTR ring, a dog tag with a message on the back, or scriptures in a cover they love.
- Turning 12: a recommend holder, a Young Women theme bookmark, or a first tie for passing the sacrament.
- Seminary: study tools such as bookmarks, highlighters, a journal, and a scripture case.
- Temple trips: a recommend holder or temple jewelry to remember the day.
- Youth activities and camps: small, durable items like keychains, rings, and dog tags hold up well in a duffel bag.
- Christmas: see our list of 10 perfect LDS Christmas gifts for youth for holiday ideas.
Shopping for the whole family, too? Our LDS gift guide for every occasion and every person covers gifts for kids, parents, and everyone in between.
Shop More
Find something special for the teens in your life in our full collection of LDS gifts, or help an older teen get ready to serve with our LDS missionary gifts.