March break is here. *cue the ominous music* Time to break out the tween boredom busters.
I don’t know about you but I have two tween girls to entertain next week and, for the second time ever, we aren’t taking them anywhere. Aside from the fact that they are bemoaning the total cruelty of my husband and I taking off the week after without them, they are also pulling out preemptive cries of boredom.
Boredom, Shmoredom I say. This mom has plans and boredom isn’t a part of it. Aside from all the great staycation ideas I just posted over at ChildMode, I also have an arsenal of tween boredom busters up my sleeves.
So, because we’re in this gig together, I thought I’d share these ten tween boredom busters with you. Good luck Mom. Remember it’s only a week. We’ll worry about summer break later.
Ten Tween Boredom Busters
Let Them Have a Sleepover
Besties make everything better. They also keep your tween from following you around endlessly, saying “there’s nothing to do.” I sometimes think I love my girls besties more than they do for that very reason.
Put on a fashion show.
Let them put on a fashion show at home, with your hallway as your runway. Many tween girls are obsessed with make-up and this is safe place to let them play with it. Let them put make up on you and you can put make-up on them, all while subtly teaching the less-is-more philosophy. Get your camera ready and help them create their own model portfolio — put pictures in a scrapbook.
Get in The Kitchen
Practice your own Home Ec 101. Get your kids to plan the menu for the week, write up the grocery list and prepare the meals. Seriously. Parents underestimate how much kids really do want to be in the kitchen. Look the other way on some of the grocery items and have fun! For recipe inspiration, my buddy Martha, has some great ideas. Also, you can never go wrong with ice cream.
Have a dance off.
Pull out your mom moves a la Michelle Obama. Delight when they cringe at your total lack of coolness.
Challenge them to a video game.
I, for one, am a terrible video game player. It is something that I just never got into. It is for this reason, that my children love competing against me—because they can crush me! I like to put a big show on like I’ve been practicing while they were at school and then watch them collapse into fits of laughter when I crash Mario into every obstacle on the course.
Bowling, Laser Tag, Indoor Mini-Golf
Basically anywhere you can blow off a little steam. If you haven’t shot a laser gun at a group of rowdy kids then you haven’t lived. Seriously. You may love it more than they do. Bowling, is actually considered quite retro by the kids, which is way cooler than old, so run with that. Plus, what’s more fun than bowling shoes? Finally, mini-golf is awesome. I kick my kids butts at mini-golf, but that could just be because I’m super competitive.
Pull out your family photos.
Nothing gets your kids talking like looking through old photos. Especially old photos of them. Like this one of my daughter sucking her thumb and pulling my hair which she did whenever I was in reach! Or photos of you as a teenager. Kids love feeling connected to their history, so pull out your old family albums and start talking.
Go to the Movies.
Super predictable but a boredom buster all the same. Plus your tweens are getting older and the movies are getting a little more entertaining for you too. Check out Common Sense Media for full reviews to see if your kids are ready.
Read A Book
I know it doesn’t seem as exciting as some of the other boredom busters here. Or maybe you think your kids are too old to read to anymore, but believe me when I say that reading tween books is so much better than the days of Goodnight Moon. Check out here for Top Ten Book for Tween Girls and lose yourself in a good story or two over spring break.
Have a St. Patrick’s Day Party
March Break usually falls around the greenest of days, St. Patrick’s Day. Why not have a party celebrating St. Paddy and the kids return to school. Win/Win. Get your kids to plan the whole event and turn it into a bit of sneaky educational experience. Get them to find Irish music, Irish food and Irish customs to share with friends and family. Check out my St. Patrick’s day Pinterest board here for pinspiration. Bring on your Irish.
Travel Young – Why You Should & How to Do It
These are great ideas. My SIL is taking my girls to a hotel/indoor water park for three days of spring break week. I plan on letting them get in the kitchen and we’ll finish the books we’re reading together those other 2-3 days. My issue is summer so I hope you’re coming back w/help on that one. We are NOT putting them in camp this year. And it frightens me.
Hi Candace
Thank you for all of the great ideas. I really appreciate having the movie and tween girls’ book recommendations all in one place. We are ‘staycationing’ this year too, and have a few things planned, but your post helped give us a few more ideas! You are right about the friends being a big help. With an almost twelve year-old daughter and nearly fifteen year old son, the interests vary! Have a wonderful March Break!
Ida Mae
P.S.
I can’t imagine why our girls would cringe with our 80’s moves…throw on some Duran Duran or Cindi Lauper – girls just wanna have fun!
Well I for one agree fully. Boredom
Schmoredom! Also a mom of tween girls and laser tag is too of their list of fun stay cation stuff to do. Good ideas. Thanks! Hoping you make it through the week!
I totally love the Dance-Off idea! My kids ain’t got nothin’ on me.
I love the idea of putting on a fashion show~ What fun, my daughter would just adore putting on makeup!
A dance off sounds like fun. Plus, it’s a great way for them to burn off energy!
These are really great ideas! I used to do a lot of these when I was a kid and had so much fun.
It is a good thing you are thinking about this in advance! There is nothing worse than tweens at home with nothing to do!
Great ideas. We’re definitely going to need to implement some of those during our upcoming spring break! I think my daughters would love kitchen time… they’re finally old enough that I’m letting them do stuff by themselves!
These are great ideas! My daughter and her friend once had a “beach party” on the back patio! They sat out lawn chairs and umbrellas and ate beach-themed snacks.
Great ideas, we haven’t gone bowling in forever – we need to do that during break!!
It’s kind of ridiculous how much fun bowling is. Some things never get old.
I wish we had the weather for that!! Maybe we could do it inside 🙂
My 11 year old came home and made peanut butter cookies the other day from start to finish. Teaching them to cook has been one of the best things I’ve done.
I am so thankful that my daughters are toddlers and infant! we already have dance parties…LOL. These are great idea. No one should be stuck inside in front of the tv. boring!
No kidding. Two hours into their break this morning and I heard “I’m bored”. Sheesh.
It’s usually the simple things that amuse the most.
Nobody can do the mashed-potato quite like me. 🙂
You should see some of the outfits my kids have put together. Cracks me up 🙂
great ideas! We are not at the tween years yet but soon – scares me!
Wow, what a great list you have here! I’ll have to save this to remember later on.
and get more rainbow loom bands! that keeps mine busy for hours
These are such great tips. You’re such a fun mom!!!
Love the ideas ! We need some great ideas when bored. lol
These are all great ideas. The sleepover one works really well for us.
Yes boredom is definitely in the March air. My kids haven’t complained of boredom all winter until this week. Great ideas in your post. We’ll have to try some at our house.
Putting on a fashion show completely reminded me of my sister and I strutting through the house trying different poses when we were bored at home. Thank you for the fun memory
Awesome ideas! I can’t believe how quickly Spring Break came upon us.
Movies and getting into the kitchen are things that we do. 😉 Love alll of your ideas. 🙂
Great tips..thanks for sharing, Love the Party ideas.. I know spring break is coming and I will hear I’m bored a lot ….will keep your ideas handy….
Great ideas. Thanks for the Common Sense Media shoutout! 🙂