You know it’s coming, and soon—Spring Break! Of course, most tweens probably just want to stay up late, sleep in, and overdose on sugar and electronics, but you still might be able to gently suggest some of the following activities:
- Let them paint their room, just make sure you are OK with their color choices.
- Encourage them to plan your upcoming Easter celebration. They might enjoy looking online for some clever decorating ideas, and recipes.
- Look for a Red Cross Babysitting Course that they can take.
- Let them plan an outgoing for the family. Have them research three ideas, and present them to you.
- Create ways to earn money. A neighborhood car wash? Yard care? They can make a flyer and take it around to the neighbors.
- Take them to an arts and crafts store and let them pick out a project to work on. Does the store offer any classes?
- Challenge them to fix something around the house.
- Challenge them to make something useful out of duct tape.
- Have them create a photo album or calendar using family photos. Or, encourage them to make a photo album of their own pictures.
- Is there a piece of clothing that they might be interested in reworking and altering?
- Is your child musically talented? He or she could offer to perform at the local senior living community.
- Have your child make a stack of greeting cards for your use–birthday cards, sympathy cards, thank you notes, etc.
- Challenge him or her to find a You Tube video that teaches them a new skill.
- Send them to the library with a list of things to find: An exercise DVD, a non-fiction book of interest, a magazine, etc.
- Challenge him or her to come up with an Act of Kindness that they can perform over the break, for strangers, a family member, or a friend.
- Take a family walk together.
- Design a fun Scavenger Hunt. Or, have the tween design one for the family or younger siblings.
I could probably come up with an even longer list, but hopefully this was enough to spark some ideas of your own. Enjoy! And, please let me know if this list helped keep this phrase out of your house during Spring Break ………”I’m bored!”.
