A gift for a friend can be a small thank-you, a birthday present or a way to mark something you have enjoyed together. Start with an interest you know you share, or one they have introduced you to. These ideas range across hobbies so you can choose something they will want to spend time with.
Keep the scale of the gift comfortable for your friendship. For a casual thank-you, a small hobby accessory or a book can be enough.
Small gifts means size, not price.
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31 gift ideas
IQ Puzzler Pro has 120 challenges in a pocket-sized case. They fit 12 colourful pieces onto the board to match each challenge, and some go 3D on a separate pyramid grid. The travel case has a clear lid, so it's handy on a train or plane.
Read the puzzle lovers guide
This quiz game suits a film night with friends or family. Teams answer 800 questions about films from several decades and genres, from classics to recent blockbusters, and whoever gets the most right wins. It's a small box with 100 double-sided cards, so it's easy to bring out after dinner.
Read the film lovers guide
Give them a new way to brew without buying a machine. The white ceramic V60 sits over a mug or server and uses paper filters. If they like experimenting with coffee, adjusting the pour is part of the appeal.
Read the coffee lovers guide
Posca markers put down opaque, water-based paint that covers well on almost anything, from paper to wood, stone and canvas. The PC-5M has a medium 1.8 to 2.5mm tip, and the range runs to nearly 40 colours, including fluorescents and metallics.
Read the artists guide
Cheap frisbees wobble and drop. The UltraStar is the proper 175g disc used for Ultimate, and it flies straight and far even in a sea breeze. It's a small, inexpensive gift that gets used every beach trip.
Read the beach lovers guide
Bullet journal fans love the Leuchtturm1917 because it's set up for planning. The pages are numbered, there's a blank contents page at the front, two ribbon markers, a back pocket and stickers for labelling the spine. The dotted grid suits lists, sketches and writing alike.
Read the stationery lovers guide
The AeroPress is a compact manual brewer that presses water through ground coffee and a filter. It works as an everyday brewer or as a second coffee kit for travel. The Original suits someone with little cupboard space who enjoys making coffee by hand. It’s a manual press, so don’t expect a pump espresso machine.
Read the coffee lovers guide
A proper set of cheese knives means each cheese gets the right blade, from soft brie to hard parmesan. Boska's Mini Copenhagen set has four small knives made entirely of stainless steel, sized for a cheeseboard at the table. They go in the dishwasher and look smart enough to bring out when guests are round.
Read the cheese lovers guide
Houseplants need the odd trim, and kitchen scissors are clumsy for it. Burgon & Ball's mini snips are 11cm long with short, razor-sharp blades for deadheading and snipping herbs.
Read the houseplant lovers guide
The owner puts dry food or treats into the green cups, and the cat gets them out with its paws. The Digger comes apart for cleaning and has cups in two sizes, so the owner can choose where to put the food. It's an interactive gift for a cat that already enjoys investigating a treat. Make sure dry food fits the cat's routine, because what goes in the cups is the owner's call.
Read the cat lovers guide
Not every potter has a kiln at home. DAS clay hardens in the air, so they can handbuild dishes, pots and little sculptures on the kitchen table and paint them once dry. It washes off hands and clothes, and it comes in white or terracotta.
Read the potters guide
Field Notes are pocket notebooks for jotting ideas down before they disappear. Each is 3.5 by 5.5 inches with 48 pages, and the mixed 3-pack has one each of graph, ruled and plain paper.
Read the writers guide
This rechargeable light sits around the neck, leaving both hands free to hold a book. Each flexible arm can be positioned separately, with three colour modes and adjustable brightness. It’s an alternative to clipping a light onto a paperback’s pages.
Read the book lovers guide
Hanayama's cast metal puzzles look like small sculptures, and the Enigma is one of the hardest. It's a level 6 Grand Master puzzle designed by Eldon Vaughn, where they have to twist the swirled pieces apart and then put them back together.
Read the puzzle lovers guide
The soft Stow flattens and rolls up once the water's gone, freeing space in a daypack on the way home. A flexible handle helps with carrying and filling it. This is the one-litre Mammoth grey bottle, a handy swap when a rigid spare bottle takes up too much room. It holds drinking water only. A water filter is a separate product and isn't part of this gift.
Read the hikers guide
This elasticated pouch slips over an A5 book or notebook and holds two pens or three pencils, so it goes well with a reading journal. The navy pouch has a faux-leather finish. It’s sold as the holder only, without any stationery.
Read the book lovers guide
In the 1920s, members of the oil-rich Osage Nation in Oklahoma were murdered one by one, and the case helped shape the early FBI. David Grann's account reads like a thriller and was turned into a Martin Scorsese film. It was a number one New York Times bestseller and a National Book Award finalist.
Read the true crime fans guide
The red rubber KONG has a hollow centre for a filling the owner chooses, and its uneven shape is made for bouncing play. This is the large Classic, meant for average chewers. Buy it if you know the dog already plays with this type of toy.
Read the dog lovers guide
This silicone travel bowl folds down between stops on a walk or a journey. It holds 24 oz, so the owner gets a portable bowl without a rigid dish taking up space. It's handy for water breaks, but you'll need to pack the water separately.
Read the dog lovers guide
Muc-Off's 8-in-1 kit has everything for a full bike wash in one tub. There's Bike Cleaner, a sponge, four different brushes and a Bike Spray that protects against rust after the wash. The empty tub doubles as a parts washer. It suits anyone who rides in all weathers.
Read the cyclists guide
Ooni's cutter has a big 11.3cm stainless steel wheel and an easy-grip handle made from glass-reinforced nylon. It goes in the dishwasher.
Read the pizza makers guide
This basket turns a mug they already own into a loose-leaf brewer. Its etched stainless-steel mesh holds the leaves, and the lid doubles as a drip tray once the tea has steeped. On a desk, that means no wet strainer sitting beside the keyboard. It's a compact gift if they're starting out with loose-leaf tea. Check their favourite mug has room for the basket.
Read the tea lovers guide
Pitchfix makes switchblade-style pitch mark repairers, and the Hybrid has an aluminium body with a soft-touch grip. It comes with a magnetic ball marker. Fixing pitch marks is part of every round, so it gets used every time they play.
Read the golfers guide
The Rubik's Cube has been around since 1980, with over 43 quintillion ways to scramble it and only one solution. The current cube has plastic tiles instead of stickers, so the colours won't peel, and a smoother mechanism that turns more easily. A beginner's guide can be downloaded for anyone starting out.
Read the puzzle lovers guide
Pigma Micron pens are a favourite for inking drawings and sketchbooks. The ink is pigment-based and archival, so it won't fade, and it's waterproof once dry, which means they can paint watercolour over the lines. This set has 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5mm tips.
Read the artists guide
Stanley's vacuum-insulated steel mug has a handle and a press-fit lid for drinks at camp or in the garden. The matte-black 0.35-litre version holds a manageable coffee. It's made for sipping, so don't expect a sealed bottle they can put inside a rucksack.
Read the outdoor lovers guide
Arthur Dent's very bad day begins when Earth is demolished to make way for a space bypass. Douglas Adams' comic classic is one of the funniest books ever written, and fans quote it constantly. Every sci-fi lover should own a copy, and a spare towel.
Read the sci-fi fans guide
Fudenosuke pens are the favourite for modern brush lettering. The small, springy tips make it easy to switch from hairline upstrokes to thicker downstrokes, and this pack has one hard tip and one soft so they can find their style.
Read the calligraphers guide
The Wonderboom 4 is a small, tough speaker for outdoors. It floats, survives a 1.5m drop, is IP67 rated and lasts up to 14 hours. Outdoor Boost tunes the sound for open spaces, and two can be paired for stereo.
Read the music lovers guide
The Kuru Toga solves the oldest pencil problem, a lead that wears flat on one side. A small gear turns the lead every time it touches the paper, so the point stays sharp and lines stay crisp. It uses strong 0.5mm leads and has a spare eraser under the button.
Read the stationery lovers guide
This pocket box has 12 Cotman half pans and a travel brush, so they can paint wherever they stop. The colours are a mix of warm and cool shades, including ultramarine, sap green and burnt sienna, and it all folds down small enough for a coat pocket.
Read the artists guideTry another interest or clear the search.
These products are selected from our researched interest guides. Open the guide beside a product for its selection notes, limitations and sources. A recipient tag is an editorial suggestion, so choose the interests that fit the person you are buying for.
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