Besides screens, what indoor solo activities does your 12 year old choose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read, play instrument, cook/bake, shoot baskets, play with the dog, etc.

Do you have a way to shoot baskets indoor?

I'm OP, and my 12 year old's go to activities are all outside. He'll happily ride his bike for hours, play fetch with the dog, or shoot baskets, but as the weather gets colder, and it's dark early, he's finding it harder to amuse himself. Hence my question.

I have two other kids, close in age, one of whom loves to make stuff, whether it's baking or legos, or woodworking. The other would read for hours. But this son doesn't have a go to activity.

There hasn't been a single day this winter where it was too cold to play fetch with the dog or shoot baskets.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like many of these posters have girls. Not to generalize, but my 12 year old boys are very difficult to get to do art/craft activities on their own anymore (which make me sad since they were so into it when they were little). I find it really hard for them to keep busy besides screens. There's lots of wandering around the house, largely saying there's nothing to do. Reading is the only reliable thing I've seen that will fill time inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like many of these posters have girls. Not to generalize, but my 12 year old boys are very difficult to get to do art/craft activities on their own anymore (which make me sad since they were so into it when they were little). I find it really hard for them to keep busy besides screens. There's lots of wandering around the house, largely saying there's nothing to do. Reading is the only reliable thing I've seen that will fill time inside.

My 13 year old is similar. His go-to are video games and watching stuff on his iPad. He is more than happy to do something else like play a board game, play with nerf guns, or do push ups and things...but he seems incapable of doing things alone. He has always been that way, since the day he was born. He's game for just about anything, but it has to be social. If it isn't social its not worth doing. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read, play instrument, cook/bake, shoot baskets, play with the dog, etc.

Do you have a way to shoot baskets indoor?

I'm OP, and my 12 year old's go to activities are all outside. He'll happily ride his bike for hours, play fetch with the dog, or shoot baskets, but as the weather gets colder, and it's dark early, he's finding it harder to amuse himself. Hence my question.

I have two other kids, close in age, one of whom loves to make stuff, whether it's baking or legos, or woodworking. The other would read for hours. But this son doesn't have a go to activity.

There hasn't been a single day this winter where it was too cold to play fetch with the dog or shoot baskets.

Yes, but sometimes the time when my kid is looking for something to do is 7:30 p.m. and it’s dark and rainy, and the dog can’t see the ball and so he is looking for inside things to do.

[Anonymous]

Rock tumbling --> Jewelry making, knitting, baking

[Anonymous]

We have 2 boys ages 11 & 12
puzzles
wood working kits
magna tiles with stick bots
legos
create a Rube Goldberg machine (this works on snow days. I give them a challenge that they have to build something with 15 actions before they can earn screen time)
single player games
slime: lots and lots of slime

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have 2 boys ages 11 & 12
puzzles
wood working kits
magna tiles with stick bots
legos
create a Rube Goldberg machine (this works on snow days. I give them a challenge that they have to build something with 15 actions before they can earn screen time)
single player games
slime: lots and lots of slime

Building Rube Goldberg machines is great for out-of-the-box thinking.

[Anonymous]

Over the door basketball hoop.

[Anonymous]

Hair. Nails. Writes songs and poems. Reads. Messes with calligraphy. Builds small simple machines (“look! I made it so I can open the drawer across my room from where I am sitting on my bed with this coat hook and rubber band!”)

[Anonymous]

Nerf hoop is an essential item for any boy under 30.
Lego
Books

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like many of these posters have girls. Not to generalize, but my 12 year old boys are very difficult to get to do art/craft activities on their own anymore (which make me sad since they were so into it when they were little). I find it really hard for them to keep busy besides screens. There's lots of wandering around the house, largely saying there's nothing to do. Reading is the only reliable thing I've seen that will fill time inside.

My 13 year old is similar. His go-to are video games and watching stuff on his iPad. He is more than happy to do something else like play a board game, play with nerf guns, or do push ups and things...but he seems incapable of doing things alone. He has always been that way, since the day he was born. He's game for just about anything, but it has to be social. If it isn't social its not worth doing. Sigh.

OP here,

I think it depends on the boy. My 9 year old loves to make stuff. He'll bake, or draw, or do woodworking, or build something out of legos or cardboard boxes. My guess is that while the interests may not stay exactly the same, he'll still have things that he enjoys in the "making" category when he's older. But my oldest doesn't enjoy that stuff nearly as much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have 2 boys ages 11 & 12
puzzles
wood working kits
magna tiles with stick bots
legos
create a Rube Goldberg machine (this works on snow days. I give them a challenge that they have to build something with 15 actions before they can earn screen time)
single player games
slime: lots and lots of slime

PP --Any wood working kits/brands you recommend? I think one of my kids could like this -- he likes the idea of making things but doesn't/can't come up with ideas on his own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read, play instrument, cook/bake, shoot baskets, play with the dog, etc.

Do you have a way to shoot baskets indoor?

I'm OP, and my 12 year old's go to activities are all outside. He'll happily ride his bike for hours, play fetch with the dog, or shoot baskets, but as the weather gets colder, and it's dark early, he's finding it harder to amuse himself. Hence my question.

I have two other kids, close in age, one of whom loves to make stuff, whether it's baking or legos, or woodworking. The other would read for hours. But this son doesn't have a go to activity.

There hasn't been a single day this winter where it was too cold to play fetch with the dog or shoot baskets.

Yes, but sometimes the time when my kid is looking for something to do is 7:30 p.m. and it’s dark and rainy, and the dog can’t see the ball and so he is looking for inside things to do.

Glow-in-the-dark ball or frisbee

[Anonymous]

Read, practice instrument, punching bag (it’s in our basement, on a stand and he has boxing gloves- was his birthday present request), play with dog, uses nerf basketball hoop in playroom, annoys the HELL out of his 16 yo brother (who’s a good sport and they do “play” well together), opens fridge multiple times hoping for a different result

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 2 boys ages 11 & 12
puzzles
wood working kits
magna tiles with stick bots
legos
create a Rube Goldberg machine (this works on snow days. I give them a challenge that they have to build something with 15 actions before they can earn screen time)
single player games
slime: lots and lots of slime

PP --Any wood working kits/brands you recommend? I think one of my kids could like this -- he likes the idea of making things but doesn't/can't come up with ideas on his own.

Not PP but check out tinker crate. It's a subscription service that sends a DIY stem kit every month. Some are better than others but my kid loved it.

https://www.kiwico.com/tinker