Polls and Tips for Tweens and Teens

Art class

AMC movie pass

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

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

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

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

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!

Have a designated trash bag. It's better to plan ahead for this than to have to frantically search for one when your kid is trying to hand you something disgusting.

How were you kind to someone today?

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

If you live near a big city, an outing to the city can be a fun birthday party idea for tweens or teens. When we lived near Chicago, my tween requested a day trip to the city with a few friends. We ate at a fun restaurant, visited an attraction or two, then rode the train back home. She loved it!

We celebrate birthdays with an experience rather than a bunch of gifts. I couldn’t tell you what a got for my 11th or 12th birthdays but I sure do remember going to a baseball game with my grandparents and that day at the zoo.

If there are six apples and you take away four, how many apples do you have? Four.

The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I? A hole.

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

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. ~ Dalai Lama

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

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

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!