Tween Boredom Busters – Spring Break Edition

Tick tock. Tick tock. Only one more day and then the kids are out of school. *cue the ominous music*

I don’t know about you but I have two tween girls to entertain next week and, for the first 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.

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. For fun sleepover games check this post out over here.

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.

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. This Spring Break look for Escape from Planet Earth, Jack the Giant Slayer and Oz. 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 ends on St. Patrick’s Day this year, so 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. Bring on your Irish.