We're bored!

Family Fun Mom

<font color=green>No longer tagless... my wit has
Joined
Sep 29, 2005
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My kids and I are bored! I can think of plenty of things to go do but they all take money I don't have to spend. It was so much easier when they were little. A trip to anywhere with a playground would keep them happy and busy for hours and they'd come home exhausted. Now that they are teens and a tween finding things to do with them when their friends aren't available is so much harder.

Any ideas for cheap summer fun with three teen/tweenagers?
 
I am very nature oriented maybe a scavenger hunt with ther digital camera (if they have one) first to complete gets a prize. Most creative picture with items get a prize? Then the prize be something you already have out a homemade coupon like pass the chores or something?
 
Have you tried Geocaching? It is a fun way to do scavenger hunts with your GPS (and smart phones have apps, too if you don't have a GPS). Caches are everywhere; parks, ball fields, retail establishments (there is one hidden in the tool department of my local Home Depot), etc. If we are bored, we pick a few caches and go hunt them, with usually an ice cream for all in the end. :thumbsup2
 

How about a part-time job? Babysitting, delivering papers, day camps? Parents shouldn't have to entertain teenagers!
 
How about a part-time job? Babysitting, delivering papers, day camps? Parents shouldn't have to entertain teenagers!


You can always count on at least one DISser to offer a smart remark that isn't the least bit helpful :rolleyes2

That's not what this is about. It's not just them that's bored, it's me, too. We each have our own seperate things going on. Sports, activities, work, ect. I'm looking for things to do TOGETHER when we are all here and have nothing else going on. It's just harder with older kids and my creative juices seem to have dried up in this extremely hot summer weather.

Thank you to all who have replied with helpful answers so far. There are some cool, creative ideas!
 
Marathon board games?

Monopoly can be a vicious sport! I was once involved in a game of LIFE! that went on so long (it actually may still be going on, I dunno where that box is, heh), that I ended up with kids scotch taped in rows around my car I had so many. Scrabble doesn't go as long but you can do whoever reaches 5,000 points first wins or what have you.

Keep a chess game going always with someone waiting to play the winner...

Also old-school card games are fun. Cribbage, bridge, gin, poker, hearts, whatever.

Plan and make a picnic dinner (for outside or, if it's too hot, move the living room furniture, get a blanket and voila) - plan the menu, go shop, everyone is in charge of making something and you all work together in the kitchen.

You can do other just 'it's hot' stuff, like making a bunch of -ades and then making popsicles. Go to the store and load up on lemons, limes, oranges, pineapple, berries, yogurt, pudding mix, whatever, come home, make limeade, pitchers of whatever, blend other fruit, mix some with yogurt, make a big batch of popsicles. Everyone devises their own flavour mix and gets however many spots in the molds for their concoction. If you don't have popsicle molds, basic ones are really cheap and last forever.

You can have story day - say you'll each think up one starting sentence or topic and then everyone will write a story starting with that sentence. Even teens will get into it, especially if you start writing stories from your childhood or from when they were little, they'll be interested.

If you just make it like 'it's hot, I'm bored, let's be goofy' even the 'coolest' teens will usually be swayed into it when they see everyone having fun.
 
Maybe something creative like cooking? We have been trying new ways to cook or grill chicken (it is often on sale here). I am surprised that both kids have enjoyed taking over a dinner each week. My younger one and I have also been to the library once a week. And we have been watching old films from Netflix. Like old Doris Day films or the original Father of the Bride. Ones she would never see but are cute. We have had a very quiet summer and have enjoyed the down time.

Edited to add as an outing we have gone ice skating. I found some coupons on line for 1/2 off and it was WONDERFUL to be in the cold!!!!!
 
Volunteer to go walk dogs or clean pens at a local animal shelter.

Check if any local food ministries or food banks can accept home baked goods. We had fun making a bunch of cookies and cupcakes for a food ministry this summer.

Do you have a local county fair? If so check out the fair books. They could make/bake/create/photograph all sorts of fun things to enter and they may even make some money.

Go to a local retirement home or VA center and play checkers or chess or just sit and visit. Call first to see if they have times that are better then others.
 
Maybe something creative like cooking? We have been trying new ways to cook or grill chicken (it is often on sale here). I am surprised that both kids have enjoyed taking over a dinner each week. My younger one and I have also been to the library once a week. And we have been watching old films from Netflix. Like old Doris Day films or the original Father of the Bride. Ones she would never see but are cute. We have had a very quiet summer and have enjoyed the down time.

Edited to add as an outing we have gone ice skating. I found some coupons on line for 1/2 off and it was WONDERFUL to be in the cold!!!!!

Cooking would be fun. Something like a competition to see who can make the best homemade pizza or milkshake. Even silly stuff like coloring books. Again if you make it a competition or a game it may help get the teens in to it.
 
You can always count on at least one DISser to offer a smart remark that isn't the least bit helpful :rolleyes2

It wasn't a smart remark. You weren't very specific in your first post about it being stuff to do with them, you said something for them to do when their friends weren't around.
 
Check with your local parks and libraries. Many of them offer fun stuff designed for families for free all year, but especially in summer!
 
came home one day last week to find 4 teenage boys on a homemade slip and slide in my back yard. Large blue tarp from the hard ware store, bottle of shampoo and the hose. :rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:
 
I have a 5 and 20 year old so take it for what it's worth.

We have:
-made & decorated home-made sugar cookies, Only do that at christmas most of the time. Used our spring cutter and lots of sprinkles and such. SEVERAL hours.

-Free Bowling- shoe rental is extra but not too bad

-Free days at the museum or zoo. Many places have at least a morning a week free or sometimes one day a month.

-Kid's movie camp. Some free.Some 1.00. Look for the ones they might like and take your own snacks.

-Movie day at home. Pull the shades, turn down the air, grab a comforter, pop some corn and find something on netflix or out of your collection.

-Go though old pictures or movies. Organize or just enjoy!
 
Marathon board games?

Monopoly can be a vicious sport! I was once involved in a game of LIFE! that went on so long (it actually may still be going on, I dunno where that box is, heh), that I ended up with kids scotch taped in rows around my car I had so many. Scrabble doesn't go as long but you can do whoever reaches 5,000 points first wins or what have you.

Keep a chess game going always with someone waiting to play the winner...

Also old-school card games are fun. Cribbage, bridge, gin, poker, hearts, whatever.


I do agree with playing board games. With having a 20, 17 and 12 year old and them all having friends over, board games are the cheapest, funnest way for us to have a few hours of laughs. We are addicted to Harry Potter Clue lately, but broke out Disney Scene It a few days ago and have played that one several times in the past few days. We love a good board game when it is too hot to even go to the pool. :thumbsup2
 
If you have girls, I bet they would be interested in baking. You can decorate cupcakes and cookies. Maybe even learning how to sew or knit.

Or you can go to the park and play some football/soccer ball/tennis.

I also agree with the slip-n-slide idea. They are usually cheap and teens love them. Just make sure you lay it on a flat grassy area. We laid ours out one time without looking. There was a rock underneath it...I still have the scar. :rotfl:

Oh, and another idea...I used to love driving around and playing music really loud and singing to it with my mom/sister.
 
DD16 became obsessed with Pinterest last school year. I joined but didn't have time to even look at it until school was out. By the end of July, we both have tons of pins. For the last couple of weeks, we have been trying recipes and making crafts that we pinned. DD and her boyfriend have been learning to cook trying out dessert recipes and we've been trying out different vegetarian recipes for dinner. Tonight was veggie burgers (made with sweet potatoes and cannellini beans.
 
definitely look into volunteering.

My DD needs to stay busy. Next week she is doing a "cooking camp" for 4 younger girls. We have spent the last 3 weeks searching for fun recipes and crafts and testing them out. (The parents just pay for the food.. she has to figure out ahead of time how much it will cost.) She is 13 and did it last year too.

You can make carnival games and invite younger kids, or organize a scavenger hunt or "marathon" for any smaller neighbors. Bake treats and take them to the local firehouse. Create your own family board game. (If you need a new game to try our family is obsessed with Farkle.)

We also play a lot of 4 square and badmitton in the yard.

Buy some Sculpey.. that keeps my son busy for hours and he has made some amazing things. Start now and make some Christmas gifts. Sew pillowcases, or do a latch hook.

I think someone else mentioned geocaching.. we enjoy doing that together.
 
Not sure of the ages of your children.

One year when the older kids were 6-10, we were not able to do a vacation at all. We made plans to have a picnic at least twice a month, if not more, at every park in our county. We even ventured into the county next to us.

We had a great time discovering all the neat things our area had to offer. Many parks were on lakes. Most had playgrounds, porch like swings, etc. Our favorite ones had hiking trails. They had several trails for different experienced "level" hikers.
We would always come home with treasures....driftwood, rocks, sea glass, leaves, etc.

It turned out to be a great summer. We took lots of pictures and the kids made scrapbooks pages on the rainy days.l
 





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