Polls and Tips for Tweens and Teens

Laundry basket or backpack, and laundry detergent.

Towels and bedding, probably for a twin XL, which is the mattress size they use at many colleges. I have seen them stock up on these at Home Goods around the end of summer.

Octopus is a variation on swimming pool tag that is especially fun to play with a lot of people. One person starts off as the Octopus, and tries to tag all the other players as they swim across the pool. When a player is tagged, that player and the Octopus have to hold hands, and work together to keep trying to tag other players. Anyone who is tagged joins the Octopus chain, and everyone in the chain has to hold hands in order to tag the other players. If too many players join the chain (making it difficult to swim), you can break up into multiple Octopus chains.

Keepy Uppy is an equally fun game to play in the pool as it is out of the pool! Just keep a beach ball (or two or three) up in the air as long as possible.

Our Pottery Barn bags were great, and seem to be a popular choice at our elementary school. We never had a chance to wear them out, but they definitely were in good shape after 2-3 years (when grandma wanted to get new ones!). Fun designs and personalization available, too. I wouldn't recommend getting the smallest size (as we did in Kindergarten), as kids outgrow them quickly and they really will last a long time.

I bought my son a Nike backpack two years ago and it is still going strong. It has a front pocket which is great for little items and side pockets for a water bottle. He loves it!

How to do laundry!

How to grocery shop and make simple meals with the stove and oven - eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, cutting/peeling fruits and vegetables

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!

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.

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!

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.

Zip line adventure gift cards

museum membership

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!

During a gas station break, we always let the kids pick out a special snack or two to enjoy in the car. They love getting the freedom to pick whatever they want.

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?

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!

An escape room and dinner is a hit for my tween!

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

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.

Sit around backyard campire (firepit); toast up s'mores; catch and release lighting bugs; stargaze

Cook together! This is an activity my kids have loved at every age from toddler to tween, and the bonus is you end up with a yummy (usually!) meal or treat at the end of it.

I am a huge fan of martial arts. I love that they provide great physical exercise, but also promote and support important life skills like discipline, confidence, and respect for self and others.

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.

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