AprilTN Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My dc are in the tween and teen ages, and things are rapidly changing for us. Instead of afternoons filled with tea parties and barbie dolls, they are texting and trying out new hairstyles and bickering. I was just looking at a few blogs that I love, but I felt a sadness when I would look at each post of cute finger painting afternoons, big book baskets full of picture books, and the like. I am missing that time so much already and I want to savor anything I have left of those experiences. Also, I want to know what your teens, especially girls, do in their free time. I need ideas. The oldest (13) in particular does not know what to do with herself. Finally, if you have tweens and teens and have a blog, I'd love to add it to my list of blogs I read. Maybe it will inspire me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My teen is a boy, but some of the girl tweens/teens I know love tea parties - the grown up kind with real finger sandwiches etc. Playing musical instruments, volunteering, babysitting, doing arts or crafts, cooking or baking. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 No blog here, sorry. To keep busy, my teens do/have done: sports, music, volunteer work, jobs, more music, computer and video games. DD17 would normally have every afternoon filled with sports practice, but she is recovering from knee surgery. Instead, she is volunteering at local elementary and middle schools teaching beginning band students, giving music lessons (getting paid), taking music lessons for herself, working a job, and visiting with her friends. DS15 does robotics club, music practice, archery, works out, and volunteers (he isn't old enough for a job). When my teens were 12-13yo, they were involved in martial arts and music most afternoons, as well as doing volunteer work with me. DD was babysitting too at that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My 12 year old knits. She's learning to crochet. She gardens. Now that the weather is finally getting below 90 some days, she bakes. She loves to draw, sometimes paints (if I put the finger paints or play-doh out for the 6 year old, I'll likely find her in it, too). She helps her 10 year old brother make elaborate things with Legos and Kinex. She co-opts the neighbors' pets and babies to play with. She and her 13 year old brother both read a LOT -- I have a difficult time keeping books around for them. Right now she's writing her own fantasy adventure novella. (I'm counting it for school, but she spends a lot of free time on it.) She picks fights with her siblings. She has a dozen half-started sewing projects in my dining room. We still do tea parties every few weeks. Except now, the dc prepare the food. I'll either read to them, or they'll take turns reading from poetry books (Shel Silverstein still is heavily represented). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anneofalamo Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 tween twin girls at 12 and boys 13 and 15 and I blog! We read ALOT. They each go to the library (ride bikes or skateboard) each day! Free internet fun for an hour and the librarian gives them extra time if they are doing "research" My girls play computer games, curl and straighten their hair over and over, walk the dog, lie on a blanket for hours in the back and giggle. They also all have chores to get done, and cook dinners! They all go "hunting" with pellet guns and do target shooting at least once a week. They love when PS is out, their friends are out! They play board games, color, do art, uhm and drive me crazy on numerous occasions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My blog and girls ages are in my siggy :) I go in spurts with the blogging though. My girls read a lot, talk online with their friends, go to a writer's club, do a lot of craft and sewing projects, cook, and just try to be lazy ;) I have one that likes art, one that likes singing, and one that loves acting...so they take outside classes for those as well. They also take up a large portion of their free time with bickering, being hormonal, and trying my patience. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I love the tween/teen ages! My twins swim. That occupies most of their free time! They also play piano/violin. One is very into photograph and photoshopping. With that, there really is not any time for anything else. Ds is in CAP. He flies with an instructor about once a week. Ground school is also once a week (when they have it). Hey plays paintball about one weekend a month. Xbox takes the rest of his time.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My oldest, now 19, spent lots of time with friends and texting friends, but we still did stuff together. She still loves to go shopping with me and we act silly. My dd13 is horrified if I so much as laugh out in public. :tongue_smilie: My ds15 has Aspergers, so his experiences are likely not typical. My dd13 spends a huge amount of time in her room. She draws, listens to music, and talks with friends on the computer. She is eagerly anticipating graduating high school and going to college. It's hard having my baby be so very independent. I miss, miss, miss, miss, miss, miss the days when they were younger and we played together. I miss the elementary years of homeschooling when the material was fun. I'm not liking high school very much. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My 13 yo daughter talks with me, writes, reads and plays with her brother. Essentially the same things she did a few years ago. Yes, she's well into puberty. Yes, I know I'm lucky. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My son (15) is a writer and is involved with local theater. He reads constantly. He likes scuba diving, but isn't able to go as often as he'd like. (You can't go if you're alone, sick, injured, busy, or broke, so it's easy to go several months between dives!) My daughter (13) spends between 15 and 20 hours a week at her ballet studio, and enjoys pilates, baking, and painting her nails. They both play piano and take ballroom dancing lessons. Sometimes they make short films, or invent a new language, or walk around taking pictures of the neighborhood. My son does some wood burning, and my daughter likes to sculpt with polymer clay. They play video games a few times a week; usually Rock Band or Lego Whatever. They also love watching movies, playing board games, and playing at the beach. I'm really enjoying the teen years, algebra and hormones notwithstanding! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 DD 15 practices violin, reads, practices violin, reads, practices violin... DD 13 draws, paints, reads, knits, writes, sings, plays violin, bakes, plays with her siblings, goes hiking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in C-ville Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Oh, honey, tweens and teens are my playland. I LOVE teens and had the most fabulous time with my oldest driving her home for fall break. I have had college girls in my life for many years, Bible studies, baking lessions, I even road-tripped with a few when I was speaking at retreats and they led worship. My car ride home reminded me of my travels with these girls. She wanted to share about life, had questions about boys, friends, theology. It truly was awesome. We've certainly have had, and will continue to have challenges. Last week, one of my teens TOTALLY plagiarized a paper. Another REFUSED to get in the car to go to Classical Conversations because he didn't finish his work. We've had computer stuff, texting issues, the pull between friends and family, our desire to healthily launch AND keep them in the next, mixed with their own echoing desires. And I have two tweens - hormones spurting, bodies changing, and the vision of what lies ahead played out on the big screen of their big sisters. Even though I LOVE teens, I do find myself looking back and longing for the simpler days. Life was physically exhausting with six within seven years (Katya joined our family when she was 8), but there was a beauty. I cognitively knew that season was fleeting, but now that it has passed, I miss it at times. Hopefully I will have many grandbabies to linger over and love on when their moms and dads are worn out. But, your post is a reminder to me to relish the days I still have with the "little girls," to not push them aside b/c of a teen issue, too much school, etc. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I have a 12yo girl. She reads, writes, roller-blades, volunteers with Gleaners, participates in Awana's Jr High club, rides her bike, and still plays with her brother's toys. She isn't much into fashion and that kind of stuff yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I have a 13 year old boy and an 11 year old girl. I do blog. Both of my kids are on a swim team and that takes up a lot of their time. In her spare time my 11 year old likes to read, text her friends, hang out with her friends, play board games with her brother, draw, walk the neighbors dog (not that she ever shows this kind of enthusiasm to walk our dog), and listen to music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I have a 13 yo ds and an 11 yo dd too. They stopped playing last year. They used to be enormously creative. Along with the neighbor kids, they spent almost a year on this elaborate game they called Monopoly money. They essentially brought the game of Life to life. When dd hit 11 (and ds 12) this came to a screeching halt. I feel the same way you do. Although I don't want to go back to those diaper years. My kids are pretty busy w/sports. I've decided to let them get more involved b/c otherwise they'd gravitate towards electronics (which they still do to some extent). When the weather is nice, dd is out practicing her volleyball serves against the garage and ds is playing basketball. I want to get dd more involved w/scrapbooking and reading. I wish my kids were bookworms. DS will read at night and dd will if I tell her. This past weekend my youngest dd had a sleepover birthday party and my oldest dd and her friend had so much fun w/the younger girls. They really enjoyed playing with them. I reminded them they're not to old to play... Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 (edited) Also, I want to know what your teens, especially girls, do in their free time. I need ideas. The oldest (13) in particular does not know what to do with herself. Finally, if you have tweens and teens and have a blog, I'd love to add it to my list of blogs I read. Maybe it will inspire me! My kids are both theatre nerds. So, they spend a lot of time either going to rehearsals and performances or preparing to do so. They both take voice lessons, and my son takes a few dance classes each week. They both read quite a bit, too. And both listen to lots of music, mostly Broadway soundtracks and the score of whatever show each is currently rehearsing. My daughter has played around with some other hobbies over the years. She went through phases when she enjoyed making miniatures for dollhouses. She did some beading for jewelry. She played piano and classical guitar and is now teaching herself to play the ukelele. She follows a number of vloggers and is currently trying to get started a local chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. She also maintains a blog with news about her theatre exploits. My son makes costumes for any occasion that requires or inspires them. And this year, he joined a Lego robotics team. He also recently began volunteering at the local science museum. I had more or less stopped blogging, but I recently decided to try and pick it up again. We're making radical changes in our homeschooling approach, and I thought it might be interesting for me to document that process. I've done exactly one recent post so far, on Monday when the new routine went into effect. But, you're welcome to stop by and see how things go: http://tweakedacademy.blogspot.com/ Edit: Oh, yes, I forgot about the texting. My son, in particular, texts with his friends a LOT. For the longest time, we didn't have a texting plan on his phone, because at .20 a text, it was cheaper to just pay as we went. Then, in the last couple of months, his text usage skyrocketed. I looked at the most recent bill and saw he had sent 75 texts in the previous month. It's not a big deal. We're all texters. It just caught me by surprise. Needless to say, I set up that texting plan the same day! My daughter also spends a fair amount of time on Facebook keeping up with friends from school and from previous shows. Since she spent most of the last four years on campus 800 miles away, her closest current friends aren't local. Facebook and Skype help her keep in touch. Edited October 21, 2011 by Jenny in Florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AprilTN Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Oh thank you all so much or this much-needed inspiration. I was so excited to come home from running errands and see these wonderful posts. When they were small I had several long lists of ideas for activities and I would read through them occasionally to keep things fresh. I think I will take these suggestions and make a new list for the dc that is more age-appropriate. Thanks again!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 My 13 year old is a boy. He spends his afternoons chatting with friends over video games (they can talk to each other now, I guess from any distance) when he's not out playing soccer or some other sort of ball. He sometimes meets with friends in the neighborhood and hangs out with them, but most of them are a year older than him and began high school this year, so they're sort of leaving him behind right now.... He also talks on the phone quite a bit as well as texting.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Mine are into making clothes for their stuffed animals. They're into using coupons at Jo-Anns to buy velvet, fur trim, rhinestones and other costume type fabrics. They like to decorate doll houses with our massive vintage-y miniature junk collection. :001_smile: We hit the garage sales and find odd things for them. I don't think they feel like these things are baby-ish pastimes because it's "costume design" and "quirky/vintage home design" (;)). They also enjoy audio books, drawing. There's also reading, sports, and friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 One more! :001_smile: My girls are finally taking an interest in making jewelry. They grew up in a bead shop I worked at for years. I'm so excited to share this new hobby. We go to gem shows, check out catalogs and websites for inspiration... it's a lot of fun. Here's the gem show we go to, they have them all over the country: http://www.gemfaire.com/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 My oldest (18yo now) spends a ton of time drawing. She generally sketches with pencil and then scans it into the computer and messes with her drawing on photoshop or some other program. She is in college now studying animation. My middle dd (16yo now) spends a lot of time reading, especially manga and science fiction. Aside from that, she likes to read fan fiction and go to the park to swing. She plays video games too, but primarily when she gets something new. She's into Pokemon, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts. My youngest dd (13yo now) spends a lot of time playing guitar and taking pictures. She also spends quite a bit of time texting with her friends (primary method of communication). Sometimes she'll get into a drawing or writing mode and spend a LOT of time doing that (several hours/day). She had her weekly guitar lesson yesterday and has spent at least 5 hours playing on her guitar since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 (edited) My tween loves to ride horses, scrapbook, listen to music, make jewelry, paint her nails, talk to friends, text, organize her room, and just lay around. She spends a lot of time playing with her sisters or fighting with them. She still plays with her Breyer horses. She also spends a lot of time with our animals-chickens, goats, dogs, cats, and a snake. My blog is in my siggie. :D Edited October 21, 2011 by Nakia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 My dc are in the tween and teen ages, and things are rapidly changing for us. Instead of afternoons filled with tea parties and barbie dolls, they are texting and trying out new hairstyles and bickering. Also, I want to know what your teens, especially girls, do in their free time. I need ideas. The oldest (13) in particular does not know what to do with herself. I have an almost-10 yro and almost 9 yro (they're 13 months apart and they're together constantly). They both spent TWO hours :001_huh: yesterday making computer animation movies on ALICE. www.alice.org Someone else on the board recommended it. They are both huge into gaming (big surprise, right?). :glare: I bought them a subscription to Gamefly, so they can try a bunch of different games. Those two could easily spend hours playing those games, so I have to limit it. If homeschool was a program that came up on the Wii, they would get in there and defeat it. Our entire family is into cycling, but that's something we all do together. They will ride their bikes around the neighborhood together, tho. My daughter does a lot of art stuff - sketching, painting, etc. The dude has been reading every book that crosses his path. My son has been writing in a diary and writing poetry. My daughter has been making "guidebooks" - like one book was a pet care manual for pocket pets...the other was a plant identification guide. They both have skateboarding gear and I take them to a free skatepark (with obstacles or whatever those things are) and they both skateboard. Honestly, they spend too much time on Youtube. :glare: Our family is so weird. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 My kids are both theatre nerds. So, they spend a lot of time either going to rehearsals and performances or preparing to do so. My son REALLY wants to take theatre classes. He's been pestering me for months. We took them to a theater to see Wizard of Oz and I think he was hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Stock up on a variety of arts & crafts. My girls YouTube duct tape crafts & create for hours. Embroidery floss for bracelets, klutz fashions with paper, ribbons, beads, etc., dozens of nail polish colors, back issues of magazines that interest them. My girls will look at magazines over and over - they'll sketch pictures from them & just re-read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I have an 11 year old girl and a blog (see sig) but it also covers my younger son's fingerpainting afternoons lol. My daughter likes to read, draw, do arts and crafts, collect rocks, ride her bike, listen to music, play on the computer, play video games, write in a journal, watch tv, hang out with friends and does extra curricular activities (scouts, judo, guitar, book club, bowling). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 My son REALLY wants to take theatre classes. He's been pestering me for months. We took them to a theater to see Wizard of Oz and I think he was hooked. Be careful. The whole theatre thing can eat your life. Fortunately, one of my favorite hobbies is being in the audience. So, it all works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Be careful. The whole theatre thing can eat your life. :lol: that's what I'm afraid of!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I'm the opposite. I enjoy this time much more, because I wasn't in to all the little kid stuff. :D Even my 9 yo: he just made himself a fried egg for the first time a bit ago, and I'm thinking, "thank goodness he is getting older." :lol: My 13 and 15 yo like computer programming, electronics/robotics, reading, playing tennis, and art/crafts. They also spend a lot of time on school and music practice. I try to keep them too busy to bicker or be the stereotypical difficult teens, and it seems to be working well. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Mine also enjoy dancing. We play a game called Dance Party USA. We start at one side of the radio and dance our way across the stations to every song. It's really funny, and has also revealed my kids unknown love for mariachi. :lol: Sometimes we watch dance tutorials on youtube. You can find everything from the mashed potato to the robot. I love it because they feel a little awkward sometimes at this age, it's awesome to watch them let go and get funky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 My teen has lots of homework. That's what I noticed when they got older. Other than that, my dd likes to do puzzles or watch dvd's from old tv shows like McHales Navy or McGyver currently, or listen to the radio or watch Tim Hawkins on dvd. She is a reader too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 (edited) During the week dd volunteers on Monday afternoons, has a homeschool co-op on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, synchronized swim on Monday/Thursday evenings. Her schedule is busy, but I hated seeing my teen boys with too much boredom and time on their hands, so I'm preventing this with dd11. She'll be 12 next month. She also has two regularly scheduled social days per month. The rest of the time is preciously guarded so that we have plenty of time together to build memories. :001_smile: We love to hike together, snowshoe, etc. ETA: In her free time she spend time with me and her sister, is a voracious reader, and loves to spend time with our may animals. She also loves to make jewelry and spend time on art and photography projects. Edited October 21, 2011 by Denisemomof4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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