The difference between boys’ sweatshirts and boys’ sweaters lies mostly in their material and construction, and where they fall on the casual-to-formal spectrum. Both are long sleeved boys’ clothing garments meant to add a layer of insulation for comfort and warmth to an outfit, but while boys’ sweatshirts are made of fabric pieces like fleece or French terry cloth, boys’ sweaters are made from natural or synthetic yarn that’s knit or crocheted together.
It’s customary for sweaters to be worn in more formal settings (depending on the design) while most sweatshirts are considered casual or active wear. Commonly, sweatshirts feature printed patterns, while patterns and colors in sweaters are knit into the sweater itself. Shops on Etsy carry a large range of teen, adolescent, and toddler boy sweaters with cute patterns and bright colors for kids to wear in any setting.