Polls and Tips for Tweens and Teens

How to do laundry!

How to change a tire and jump start a car.

Try to keep them outdoors as much possible. I try to take my kids to a local libray, outdoor park to play at. Also look up for any family friendly events that are free or vey low cost to keep them busy and less on screens!

When we set screen time limits, we usually limit these to personal devices that they are using for non-school purposes. So, we don't include family movie nights, for example, or family gaming on the Switch. We tend to treat shared screens differently (and more loosely), too. So, we will place fewer time limits on movies, shows or games they watch or play together on our family TV than we do on tablets or phones.

Academic tutoring. If a teen excels in a particular subject, they could help younger students by offering tutoring services.

Internship or volunteer work to build their resumes and gain experience.

AMC movie pass

Art class

What did the shark say when it ate the clown fish? Tastes funny.

Why does a duck have feathers? To cover his butt quack

I put together little gifts (think Dollar bin) wrapped up in bags with a time on them. My kids look forward to these gifts and it helps to pass the time on long trips!

I like to spread out the distribution of any new activities or road trip toys over the course of the trip, and find that my kids enjoy them longer this way. If they start the trip with unlimited access to all of the new stuff, they blow through it pretty quickly and there's not as much to look forward to.

If you could have any super power, what would it be, and why?

If you were an Olympic gold-medal athlete, which sporting event would you want it to be in?

A shopping day with mom and/or grandma has been a favorite pick for my teen daughter these last couple of years.

Last year for my oldest daughter's birthday I threw her a surprise slumber party and decorated our entire place with some of her favorite colors and had the cutest backdrop for pictures with her friends. We had cool foods and homemade glittery pouch drinks. I set up a cute make up station and did all of the girls makeup which they all enjoyed so much. We played different games and a special "Do You Know The Birthday Girl" game which she really loved.

My husband and I will usually take the day off work (when we can) so we can be there for drop off and pick up on the first day, which makes it feel extra special for all of us.

First day of school photos on our front steps, and couple more in front of the school too.

My 6 year old loves his running program and I see a fair number of kids who don't love team sports there. They do individual activities, like quick sprints and longer jogs, and the coaches have them work together and build team spirit in other ways.

Ninja Warrior/ Boot Camp/ Kick Boxing/ Cardio Classes. Unique kids schedules are often found at specialized, local adult gyms now.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~Maya Angelou

You've always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself. ~Glinda the Good Witch, The Wizard of Oz

"When one can see no future, all one can do is the next right thing." – Frozen 2

"The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Do you understand?" – Pirates of the Caribbean

Category-type naming games. How many types of desserts can you name? How many countries can you name? How many different characters in Harry Potter can you name? Etc.

First letter/last letter. Not sure if there’s really a name for this game, but one person starts by picking a word (usually we like to pick a theme, like Marvel or Harry Potter). The next person had to think of a word that starts with the last letter of that previous word, still within the theme (if you are using one). For example, if the first person says “Harry,” the next person has to think of a word that starts with a “y.” Then we go around the car taking turns until someone gets stuck!

The kids are responsible for getting their backpacks ready before going to bed, and making sure they have all their homework, books, permission slips, etc in there, and that it is zipped up and ready to just grab and go in the morning. We sometimes need to remind them to do this, but as it becomes part of the nighttime routine it gets easier and easier!

My boys pick out their clothes the night before, and always check what the weather will be like to plan for it, as well as if they have gym or not. It makes getting dressed in the morning much easier!

Smoothies. But not ones made with too many seeds :)

Yogurt!

Annie! A classic for the whole family, always. Kids were 7 and 9 when we saw it, and we were coming out of an obsession with the movies, which made it extra fun!

I love the stage version of Beauty and the Beast! It's just similar enough to the familiar Disney movie for kids to understand everything, but just different enough to keep it fresh. The extra songs are some of my favorites.....and there's nothing like the magic of watching the beast turn into a prince right before your eyes!