DB in NJ Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 He has 1 good friend who just moved further away from us and may be moving to Arizona this summer. He goes to youth group, but he's the youngest one there, and there are no other kids his age involved. Actually, there are no other kids his age at church period. We don't do co-op (we used to, but the only one left that's nearby is a mega co-op that I really don't know much about). He is an excellent, fast runner, but he's not interested in competition (and even if he were, there is no homeschool track team that I'm aware of). I have absolutely no clue what to do with him. I am thinking about music lessons but that won't help with the friend thing. I've looked for lego leagues nearby, but I haven't found any (and he isn't interested anyway). I think I need to push him to do something, whether he's interested or not. Boy Scouts is always a possibility, but we didn't have a good experience with my older ds and our local troop. Urgh.....any ideas??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Is there a book club at your library? My kids participate in the library book clubs and they are both on the library teen advisory board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Even if he doesn't want to compete, have you looked at track clubs. Near me a local running store sponsors a youth program. There is also a local rec league near me that runs a track club alongside other sports ( soccer, cheer, lacrosse, etc.). Your local running club may sponsor a youth program. Music lessons--if you do something like School of Rock he would have individual lessons and be put in a performance group so he would meet other kids. Bach to Rock may also be structured like this. Would he be interested in Parkour (lots of running and jumping over urban obstacles) there are clubs popping up all over. Many teen boys like this. It' s challenging. It's not competitive like a typical athletic event. Rock climbing can have a I liar atmosphere in a club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 My boys aren't super active, but here are a few things they participated in during the 12-15 age range: Taekwondo Gymnastics swimming at rec center Theater class at performing arts center Book club at library robotics club with 4H General 4H club Game days with homeschoolers (board games) Field trips with homeschoolers Programming with friends via skype cooking class and photography class through rec center ping pong at rec center If you have access to any kind of local message homeschool group, you could suggest a monthly activity for kids in his age range or with same interests. I did this when the kids were younger and we organized science days, game days, orange juice juicing days (we had a very prolific orange tree), pokemon days, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I don't know, but would love to find something for my son. He is in Boy scouts, does fencing and in youth group with kids his age, still no "friends". Kids he talks to at these activities, but nothing goes on outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Could you look into the co-op again, maybe just take one class there? It might be worth checking into. Also, that's an age where my kids sometimes didn't think they were interested in an activity, but if I pushed them just a little, they sometimes ended up really enjoying it. Can you look for a community track team? Our town has one in the summer. My son at that age began swimming, and it ended up being a real passion of his. There was both a community team and a school team that he eventually swam with, and where he met a couple of good friends. Also, it took up a lot of extra time. With my children, I found that they were content having their family as their best friends as long as they had enough activities to do. So, even if he doesn't find a best friend in an activity, it might fulfill other needs. Other things my son got into at that age... Theater! Does your town have a community theater? Biking... (my husband got into that too, and they ended up going on some MS bike rides across our state in the summers, which was a wonderful experience for both of them.) 4H? A part-time job? My son was able to start working in a restaurant bussing tables at age 14. Environmental groups? Two rivers pass through our town, and there is an active environmental group here that focuses on keeping the rivers clean. They have lots of other activities, such as kayaking, camping, canoe races, etc. That's where my son got into kayaking. My son really needed physical activity at that age. If he didn't do something active every day, he'd go a little crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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