What Does Your Young Teen Do On Weekends?
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Anonymous
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Son is 14. Great kid, enjoys school, has nice friends, does his chores etc. This is the first time since he was much younger that he isn't going a travel sport and he seems to have too much time on his hands on the weekends. He gets his chores done, does homework and then what else? He sometimes babysits and does odd jobs for neighbors (weeding etc), reads a little, and hangs out with friends a bit. We often will do things as a family but overall he needs more to do.
I know this is an odd question and I'm not looking to over schedule him but I also don't want him playing video games all weekend. Thanks for your input. |
Anonymous
| This is OP, forgot to add: he's open to doing volunteer work on a regular basis but we haven't found a good fit. Ideas? |
Anonymous
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Dd is 13. Here's this weekend:
Saturday morning: leave at 8 to go to volunteer gig 10: meet friend (with me) for brunch 11: girls go off to wander shops, DD to be home by 1. 1: food, cleans room, finishes homework 4: comes with me for errands 6: picked up for sleepover Sunday: 10: leaves with friend to go meet author 12:30: go meet other friend at park to play tennis 2:30: will futz around bedroom and text with friends 3: will be picked up by friend to go buy book DD doesn't like this friend as much as friend likes her so I will say no to staying for dinner. 5:30: DD home. I will offer to play Monopoly or go for a long walk, both of which DD has asked be to do with her recently. 7: DD will shower, get ready for school tomorrow She is an extrovert. I would need to be sedated if I got together with three friends in one day. |
Anonymous
| When my DS 13 has free time we might do something as a family (movie etc) or else he goes to a friends or watches sports on TV. Not that much more than yours.... |
Anonymous
| Mine mainly plays video games, to be perfectly honest. |
Anonymous
| If your son is an introvert, it's good for him to "veg" on the weekend, even if that involves some tv etc. He needs to recharge for the week. |
Anonymous
| Heads down to the National Mall by himself or with friends. Also video games. |
Anonymous
He's actually an extrovert which is why I'm trying to help him. His sister is 12 and an introvert and really needs alone time and is great puttering around and doing crafts etc. He's not. I wish he had "hobbies"... Thanks to everyone who I answered. I appreciate it! |
Anonymous
| Goes to the gym. |
Anonymous
| Jealous. Mine is doing homework most of the weekend. Some family outings. Crafts when she has free time. I keep trying to encourage social activities but she doesn't do many casual ones, just things like birthday parties. |
Anonymous
f he's an extrovert, have him do his own legwork to find something that will interest him and let him just taste something totally new and unusual without pressure to compete. He can look at the parks and recreation department catalog for whatever county or city you're in and find a ton of age-appropriate classes that only last six 10 weeks -- long enough to try something new but short enough that it's not some huge, all-year-long commitment if he finds the activity isn't his "thing." Would he want to try out an individual sport? Think fencing, golf, tennis. Does he like gaming? Maybe he'd like to try programming his own game--there are classes out there for teens to do just that. There are cooking schools in the area now offering kids' and teens' classes, if he'd like that. And so on. There are community centers, rec departments, arts centers all over the place. Get online with him and have him check stuff out--he might say "I have no interest in X" if you suggest it, but if he sees the offerings at local places he might want to try it or something else. He's had the long commitment of a team travel sport -- let him know that you're willing to pay if he wants a taste of something totally different and individual. Also, it's GREAT that he is willing to volunteer. What are his interests and why can't you find a good fit-- is it age? Some volunteer jobs cannot take anyone under, say, 18 or 16, but there are things out there for kids of 14 if he asks about it. He could check the libraries; they use teens as volunteers younger than some other organizations do. He also might want to check with your county for volunteer opportunities --for instance, Fairfax County publishes online an annual list of volunteer openings for all ages and it's a long list; kids his age are always needed at one-time events such as pulling up invasive plants in local parks, or acting as staffers at festivals etc. He has to go out and look up these things, though, and ask about them. Family shelters also probably would welcome his help with anything from serving food to helping with minor repairs to reading to kids--have him ask at local shelters. (The key here is HE asks, he researches....that will keep him busy too!). If he's into science or math, and likes competitions, he could look into whether his school has Science Olympiad or Math Counts teams. They often meet for coaching and practices on weekends. Or he could join a club at school that does weekend activities-- at our middle school, there was an "eco club" that did yard work around the school building. An extroverted kid also might like drama either in school or as a weekend class -- local theatres like Encore Stage in Arlington and Imagination Stage in Bethesda have a LOT of teen classes in drama etc. on weekends. I think that somehow a lot of parents and kids in this area tend to put "activities" into a tiny box that only includes sports, gaming and "hanging out," but an extroverted kid who is actually willing to volunteer and who is looking for things to do with his time has so many more options around here depending on his interests. He can go with something more intense and longer term but he also can choose a short-term class purely for fun (maybe ask a friend to take it with him), or he could volunteer -- surely someplace would really want to have a kid like him! Good luck! |
Anonymous
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HS football game
Fantasy league with friend Referee soccer Homecoming dance Fishing Basketball with neighborhood friends Watch football with family Practice lacrosse Walk dog Nationals game with friends Capitals game with friends Movies |
Anonymous
| Dd is 12 and an introvert, so totally opposite. She takes a 3 hour japanese class on Saturday from 9-12. Gets home around 12:45. After that, she begs to just be left alone and not go anywhere until Monday morning. Sometimes she'll meet friends at SB or go see a movie, but usually she just needs to veg. She works on art, listens to music, does homework, and watches a little youtube. |
Anonymous
+1 Mine sleeps very late on Sat. and Sun. mornings and I encourage that. He is exhausted from waking up early all week for school. |
Anonymous
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Isn't it nice to get rid of the travel sports? We are fully enjoying the change.
He plays a school sport and is pretty tired by Friday night. He does a rec sport on the weekend. He usually does something with friends one weekend night, and with us the other weekend night (usually with another family). He sleeps a lot, since he's tired from the week and growing boys need a lot of sleep. He does whatever he does in his room and enjoys the break from the noise of the week. He reads. He surfs the web. He plays some Call of Duty. He runs some errands with me. Of course, there's a fair amount of homework, too. |