Entertaining my Tween

[Deleted]

Hi guys! I need some ideas on some fun things to do with my tween daughter (10) this summer. I seem to be out of ideas!

[busymom]

Hmmmm. I think 10-year-olds are easier to entertain than teens!


They're still young enough to enjoy stuff like trips to the zoo. How about bowling? And trips to the local library. The great part about being that age, is entertaining them is still pretty cheap. Oh, and invite some friends over... They can watch Redbox movies, or do crafts. Is she into sports? That's a good age, if you haven't already, to start them playing golf or tennis. I'm sure you'll think of more things to do...

[raeoflyte]

I spent my tween summers at the pool.

[Deleted]

Yes. We do bowling and trips. But, i am thinking more of daily stuff that doesn't really cost money to go out. She likes crafts and music and sports. And, she likes to bake so we have been doing quite a bit of baking. But, i need some ideas for summer. Any ideas for some crafts and so forth?

[raeoflyte]

Do you sew? There are a lot of sites that can help teach you how to reconstruct clothing. Make a trip to goodwill and turn that tragic 80's get up to a cute new summer dress.

[Deleted]

I don't sew but my daughter likes to sew. Her gram taught her a few things about it and when her gram went to assisted living, my daughter wanted her old Singer sewing machine. I don't have a clue how to work it!

[Deleted]

We don't really have anything like that around here. We live in a small town so not a lot going on. I think i will check the local library for some summer programs.

[plugginaway22]

When my girls were that age they LOVED crafty projects. Tie-dyeing party to do t-shirts was always fun. Get some friends together and make a water obstacle course in your backyard.
(Buckets, water balloons, bins for water tossing, sprinkler set-up, etc) One summer they helped me plan and have a yard-sale with the motivation that they get $$ for their things and a bonus for helping! We also did a small bake sale with lemonade at the yard sale. So many things! I miss those days!

[raeoflyte]

Gardening could be a fun project to do together. Flowers are fun, and since she is into baking, she might like to do some herbs/veggies and branch into canning and cooking.

There are also a lot of fun garden crafts. I saw a magazine that painted old bowling balls to look like giant lady bugs and bees. I keep meaning to search craigs list for bowling balls to do that with. I think my little guy would get a kick out of that.

[Green Eyed Lady]

We had to entertain ourselves when we were 10. We could have more fun finding stuff in the yard than any class we would have been sent to. Course we didn't have playdates either. I think maybe I was poor.

[Sam_2.0]

At 10, she should be able to look up videos on how to work the sewing machine and practice making a few things. Pinterest has some great ideas for recycling old t-shirts & tank tops into dresses (I want to make some matching ones for DD and I - they are adorable!). Summer reading programs at the library are great too.

[startsmart]

It may not be "fun" per se but teach her how to use your computer and scanner to digitize old family photos. Let it be a task she does while watching tv or movies so that she's not just staring at the tv but also doing a chore.

It's fun for some kids to see old pictures and hear the stories but you can also make it an incentive - pay by the box or tie it to another activity she likes.

Also at 10 yo...
library - every week, you get the same number of books as your age. 1o yo = 10 books
camera - create a weekly challenge with a cheap digital camera. Try to get a picture of one thing starting with each letter of the alphabet. a = apple, b = book, c = car, etc
walk the pets or make arrangements to walk a neighbor's pet if they're busy
learn something together like sewing, baking, cooking
teach her how to do some things around the house like laundry, cleaning, pulling weeds. Just do them together as you talk about whatever subjects she's interested in and teach as you go.
Let her help with a bigger project like organizing the basement or painting the bathroom
puzzles
board games, I love scrabble
adopt a senior citizen together
babysit with her (may not be able to do it alone)

[Peace77]

Visit a craft store for ideas. Perhaps she can make Christmas and birthday gifts.

See if the craft or fabric store has classes or lessons. She might like the classes offered at Home Depot or Lowe"s.

She could get a basic cookbook from the library and learn how to cook meals.

[thyme4change]

Teach her how to cook - not bake. I'm always irritated by people who can make the perfect chocolate truffle, but can't figure out how to make toast. Seriously, you can go your entire life without knowing how to sift flour, but for heaven's sake, you need to know how to cook a real meal.

[Deleted]

Why would that irritate you?

[Deleted]

May 26, 2012 19:41:09 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Hi guys! I need some ideas on some fun things to do with my tween daughter (10) this summer. I seem to be out of ideas!

How about making this the year that she gets to cross the street???


Whoops! Just noticed this is on WIR. Sorry for the sarcasm.

[Deleted]

LOL!

[Deleted]

May 30, 2012 10:48:26 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Why would that irritate you?

Don't mind thyme - she's just hungry.


Crafts are good. Things found in nature can always be improved by the addition of glitter, in my opinion.

Google the recipe for salt dough. She is old enough to make it herself. You see it used a lot to make holiday ornaments, but for a slightly more seasonally appropriate option, you can use it to make personalized marshmallow roasting sticks.

familyfun.go.com/crafts/cook-out-in-style-672924/

I made these once and they were a big hit. She's 10, so she'll think of a bajillion other things to make from the dough.


Another fun, cheap option is freezer paper stencils - you cut shapes into regular old freezer paper and then iron it on to an old shirt or pants or whatever seems fun. A couple of tubes of flat fabric paint (not that cheesy puffy paint that was big in the 80s) and she'll have a whole new wardrobe.


I like canning, but that can get a little bit pricey to get all of the jars and lids and things.


If you have older relatives, she could record interviews with them about their lives. Sort of a family version of StoryCorps?
storycorps.org/

[Sum Dum Gai]

Are you looking for things that just the two of you can do together, or does she have friends over a lot/go to friend's houses a lot?

My 10 and 11 year old girls play sports in the summer, practice their instruments, have a band camp, a Lego Minstorm camp, we get a season pass to Raging Waters, they take swim lessons, hang out at the pool if there's nothing else going on, and it feels like we actually see them less over the summer than we do during the school year.

Board games are pretty big at our house if we're all hanging out together.

[thyme4change]

does she have friends over a lot/go to friend's houses a lot

She isn't allowed to go to other people's houses - only boys can do that.

Also, Shooby doesn't want the responsibility of having other children in her house.

[Deleted]

What are you talking about? My daughter goes to friend's homes. I just have a limit on sleepovers. Sorry, but i don't let her sleepover unless i know the parents and family well. Otherwise no. Same goes with my sons. As for other kids, i have 5 - 10 boys here everyday after school as this is the hangout place. I bake them homemade cookies and pepperoni rolls and have a frig full of pop stocked in my basement and they walk in and help themselves. One day, we came home from work and 3 of my son's friends were sitting in the house, eating chips, drinking pop and playing X box. I said where is my son, and they said he was still at school and hadn't come home yet! Obviously, they felt comfortable coming in to my house to help themselves.

[Sum Dum Gai]

I bake them homemade cookies and pepperoni rolls and have a frig full of pop stocked in my basement and they walk in and help themselves.

Yeah.... you may want to sign the girl up for one of those marathon training deals. She's going to need a crap ton of exercise to burn off all those extra calories.

[thyme4change]

Crap ton is a funny expression. I guess it adequately replaces shit load.

[moxie]

How about a volunteer project you can do together once or twice a week? It will make you both feel good and you'd be helping someone else. Help an elderly person with their grocery shopping or take my mom for a few weeks.

I used to love doing latch hook rugs...can you still buy those kits? You can do them while watching a movie together or listening to music. They take awhile to complete, but I enjoyed it!

[moxie]

*If you take my mom, I'll send some bras along. lol

[Deleted]

May 30, 2012 14:12:22 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

I bake them homemade cookies and pepperoni rolls and have a frig full of pop stocked in my basement and they walk in and help themselves.

Yeah.... you may want to sign the girl up for one of those marathon training deals. She's going to need a crap ton of exercise to burn off all those extra calories.

Nobody really has a chance to eat them. Once the boys descend en masse, they are usually gone in about 30 seconds!