We Need Things to Do This Summer! Suggestions?

Kids don't need to be scheduled every minute of the summer!
How about "go outside & find something to do!"
What about a summer reading program?

I would go with vegging out. That is what I let my kids do a few days a week---with a requirement of getting outside and walking around the block so they get fresh air and at least some exercise.

Volunteering is a great suggestion but in my area, I have found they do not allow a 12 yr old to volunteer. For the food banks, you must be 15. The animal shelters used to be 16 yrs minimum but are now 18.

Is there someone nearby she could help out, maybe gardening or in the home? When I was 10 - 12 I went with my grandmother to help one of her cousins in the house because she could not do much. What does she want to do?

Teach her one household/ life chore a week, to the extent she doesn't already know-

i.e. how to do laundry. how to make jam. how to balance a checkbook. how to check the oil in the car. how to pump gas. how to change a tire. how to snake a drain. how to sand/ prime and paint something. how to cook a roast chicken. how to deal with customer service. how to process an insurance claim. how to save a life (CPR for children). how to throw a party - invites, RSVPs, food purchase and prep, decor, thank yous. how to eat - go for a fine dining experience. how to sew a button, hem a pair of pants. how to make/ hang curtains. how to make something easy for a last minute potluck. how to read a map. how to navigate using the stars.

if you can't think of what else to add to this list, I am sure it will soon occur to you. alternatively, think back to what you wish you had known when you were starting out. this is a great age and opportunity to teach her, when she is old enough to learn, but not yet too full of herself to listen.

teach on thursday morning. have her practice on Thursday afternoon. have her do it herself on friday.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

Free time is a good thing. Let her just hang out.

do what we do.. explore your city.. my son and I have always spent a great deal of time walking through out city and or taking the bus and other local transportation... We walk through different neighborhoods, noticing the types of homes and garden, but mostly, our walks have given us a way to bond. We have had many great conversations on these walks .... it's a simple way to spend your time, but it can also be very profound.. We ll take a long walk, stop for lunch, grab something to drink... it's also great exercise.. We have walked the city for years and if it weren't for all those walks, I wouldn't have gotten to have so many precious moments with my son... time flies quickly... my son is now 13 and the walks, although we take a few, they are becoming less and less and he finds his independence :( ... so take that walk today.. even if it means you have to drive part of the way into town that is scenic or fun.... kids spend way too much time texting and using the computer, getting them outside away from those things can be very beneficial for all parties involved..

How about nothing? Just let her figure out how she wants to spend her time. No "I'm bored" allowed and you have to refrain from structuring anything. Today is our first official day of summer and after a walk on the beach my kids have been chilling out.

This weekend is a softball tourney, beach party and the older one is going to watch some friends graduate this afternoon. We leave for a vacation on Monday, they need time to just be.

So many kids don't know what to do with unstructured time. I believe that entertaining yourself and being happy doing nothing are important life skills!

Hanging out.

Playing board games, learning new card games. Close all of the drapes and make the house dark, watch old movies, make popcorn and flop out together.

Host a cook out, let her help plan, purchase supplies and cook.

Clean out all of the junk and things you no longer need. Then either hold a garage sale or donate all of it.

Visit the Library every week, check out books, then go to a coffee shop and order something cool to drink and enjoy the books that have been Checked out.

. Plan day trips to parks in your area that you 2 have never been to. Take bike rides, Go to a Roller Skate at a rink. Go Bowling. Go swimming. Go camping. Go to a carnival, attend parades in your area. Go to Country Fairs.

Teach her to sew a button on her shirt. Teach her how to hem a skirt. Teach her how to iron. Teach her how to check the oil in your car, how check and refill the tires on your car.

Sign her up for a Babysitting class and later take a first aid class together.

Let her work on a few science projects. have her record the results and during the school year, she can pick her favorite and try it a second time, comparing the results.

Teach her how to prepare a family recipe.

Give her a budget and let her organize a weekend getaway for the family.

See if your local animal shelter needs you all to walk dogs once a week.

Let the neighbors know she is available to water plants, pick up mail while they are on vacation.

Work on crafts. Make Christmas gifts.

Paint her room.

Start a garden, Tomatoes, Basil and garlic.. then she can make pizza at the end of the summer with her crop.

Kid's theatre - go see a show
Boat ride
Beach (not sure how far away you are)
Museums
Free kid programs at museums (for older kids they have some amazing free programs near us in the summer)
Volunteering
Weekly hike (Once I get my kids out on a trail they are both usually very happy exploring)...we take our dog.
Nature center
Cooking class...or you teach her how to cook something she chooses out of a cook book.
Puppy training class (for your 12 year old to do with your puppy)
Walk in the neighborhood
Bike ride together (we love to do family bike rides)
Art project...when I was 12 I was really into doing painting, cross stitch, crochet, and making things
Library
Farmer's market
Invite a friend over or she goes to her friend's house
Movie theatre
Rollerskating or ice skating
If you live near water...rent a canoe or double kayak together (my 11 year old son and I like to do this. We will rent one for an hour or two.)
Sailing class (my 11 year old is signed up for one this summer)
Rock climbing at a gym...both my kids really enjoy this (me too!)
I will hire the neighbor kid to let our dog out half day or take her on a walk if we are going to be gone all day. Don't let your puppy stop you from doing something that lasts all day...every once in a while!

At 12, your child is old enough to babysit. I think the pool with friends is exactly what a 12 year old should be doing.

I vote for hanging out and unstructured time.

I like the life skills lessons. But also, what's wrong with "doing nothing"? Maybe not literally doing nothing, but it's summer! How about sleeping late, a little vegging in front of the TV, reading in the backyard, taking a bike ride? Kids are so scheduled nowadays. It's okay to do nothing sometimes!

I love Fanged Bunny's suggestions about "adult" tasks. Kids need life skills and right now you have a captive audience! My kid learned to do laundry and that stopped the previous practice of throwing things on the floor or failing to hang up stuff that could be worn again. He also learned to cook basic meals (pasta, meatballs, salad, or making a pizza) which took a lot of the complaining out of him when I cooked. Balancing a checkbook is GREAT - helps them understand where money comes from and where it goes. How to sew a button is great. I'd add in how to iron - teach her the order (collar, shoulders, sleeves, back, front).

2kidmama had great ideas re volunteering. You could check into the local animal shelter - which might make her more responsible about the puppy you have and include training techniques. She could also organize a collection among the neighbors for stuff the shelter needs: food, kitty litter, old towels and sheets (all the stuff you can't donate elsewhere due to stains or rips). There are some fun patterns you can find on line for making dog beds out of old sweaters or long-sleeved shirts plus some old pillows (the ones you wouldn't use for your guests) - great use for things with holes. Here's one: http://wonderfuldiy.com/wonderful-diy-pet-bed-from-old-sh...

This could also be done with a friend or two which would make it fun plus beneficial.

Go to local farmers markets, try a new vegetable, and create a meal around it. Stick to recipes with 6 or fewer ingredients. (Bonus: cooking reinforces math skills as you double or halve a recipe, figure out how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, etc.)

Volunteer at a nursing home - help residents make paper flowers, do crossword puzzles, or make them smile by bringing the puppy in for unofficial pet therapy. Many residents are lonely but high functioning. Call ahead to talk to the activities director to see what's available.

Help out neighbors (for pay) with vacation doggie care, plant watering, mail collection, trash cans out and back in. Make flyers for this. My son turned this into a major business (including lawn mowing as he got older) and it was terrific on his college activity resume. In time, he learned to keep accounts, write invoices, track payments, etc. She could be a mother's helper - even if she's too young or inexperienced to babysit alone, she can help out while Mom does laundry, pays bills, or gets a shower.

I really like Fanged Bunny's idea. You could do some really useful things together, and teach her skills...that's good stuff!

I also like Fuzzy's idea. Sign her and the pup up for basic puppy obedience courses (with a professional trainer, not Petco/Petsmart). When that's over, sign her up for the intermediate course! It will strengthen her bond with the dog, and give you a good canine citizen as well!

ETA: I just wanted to say, also, don't fill every day with stuff. A day of nothing is important...where she can say, "I'm bored!" and you can tell her "go outside and find something to do!" Kids need to engage those parts of their brains that cause them to come up with games and play with no guidance or prompting.

read alone. read to each other. write a story together. write stories separately then read them to each other. go to the library. take the puppy for walks. take the puppy to a training class. bake cupcakes. grow a garden. fingerpaint. take a cooking class. get a yoga video. deep clean one room per 'open and boring' day together then watch a movie. jog. ride bikes. take horseback riding lessons. learn a language. learn a musical instrument. get hula hoops and decorate them and have a hooping contest. get pen pals. volunteer at a soup kitchen. volunteer at the pound. cut a neighbor's grass for them. visit a retirement home. go fishing. go to the park and push each other on the swings.
do nothing at all and let her figure out how to cure 'open and boring.'
i don't understand boredom.
khairete
S.

You have a new puppy. She can train it.

I wouldn't let my kids go to the pool by themselves, too much can happen in an instant.

I'd find out why she isn't able to go to friends houses and have company at her own home.

Have a food challenge. Learn how to make healthy versions of things you normally cook with. If you use any processed food (canned soups, salad dressings, ranch dressing mix, taco seasoning), then learn how to make them without using anything canned or processed.

If you already cook in a healthy way, then choose an unfamiliar food item and learn what to do with it (fiddlehead ferns, Meyer lemons, a different kind of fish). Or learn to cook a Thai dish, a Mexican dish (not tacos out of the box), a Korean dish, a French sauce, etc.

Make sure she learns the basics of good cooking. Give her a challenge (pick 5 ingredients and have her make a meal - then she gets to give you the challenge the following week). Make sure she knows how to make real meatballs, a cheese sauce, a vinaigrette, cornbread, pancakes, etc (without a box or can). Start practicing for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner! Learn to steam green beans, make a real cream of mushroom soup and authentic fried onions so when the holidays come around you and she can make a green bean casserole without a single can. Teach her how to measure dry ingredients and liquid ingredients, how to increase a recipe or divide it in half, how to use a food thermometer.

Cooking together can be wonderful.

What about allowing her to have down time for chilling out, sleeping in, doing what SHE wants to do?

I never felt the need to schedule and structure my now 20yr old child's every summer day, or any day for that matter.

Of course she had things she was involved with through school.., cheer was a huge time taker for us with her training and camps. As she got older she managed her own schedule.

I think it's ok if she wants ( even now my daughter living on her own and with a non paying summer internship) to spend a day on recharging herself. That can be a mani/pedi, reading, sleeping in, cooking, lounging by the pool and hanging out with me to lunch, do laundry, Mani/pedi.

Enjoy YOUR time with her because it flies by and right now you are establishing the relationship you will have with her when she is 20+!!

Allow her to enjoy herself with no structure.

I wouldn't leave a 12 yr old at a pool with or without friends.
The pool personnel are not there to police the tweens and baby sit.
Even with life guards watching - people of all ages still drown at public pools.
Try leaving her some down time when she can play with/train the puppy and/or read a book.
Or she can wash and vacuum the car(s), organize the garage/shed, grow/tend a garden, etc.

Have her babysit for neighbor kids.

Have you asked her what she wants to do? There may be things you didn't think of/consider that she would like?

These are on my summer bucket list (but I have an almost 2, 6 and 8 year old):

PJ day with movies at home
Have a picnic in the park
Have a picnic at home in the living room
Eat dessert for dinner (Or lunch)
Go swimming
Go swimming after dark (with glow sticks)
Go fishing
Go to a Splash Pad
Go to the Zoo, Science Center, Zoo, City Museum, Art Museum, etc
Find out local activities (Slide the City, Renaissance Festival, Balloon glow, Botanical Gardens, etc)
Get manis/pedicures
Go to lunch/dinner/appetizers and chat
Go to the mall and buy a new school outfit, shoes, underwear, pjs, etc
Arts & Crafts day: This could be something you both choose together from Pinterest or go to Michaels and have her pick out a few things to do: paint, art, scrapbooking, etc
Take the puppy for a long walk, go to dog park
Is there anyone with small kids that she could babysit (while you are home and can supervise)?
Drive in theater
Bowling or skating
Any family close by that she can have a sleep over with or spend the day with them? Grandparents to help out all day? Cousins to play with?
Water fun day - sprinkler, water balloons, water guns,etc

Have you checked out www.kidsbowlfree.com to see if a local bowling alley participates? Here, they offer two free games every single day all summer long if you join their free program.

A lot of the movie theaters around here offer $1 movies some mornings too (usually once or twice a week at 10 a.m.). Many might be too young for her, but there are usually a few that would appeal to older kids too.

I don't know your area at all, but I would recommend hiking, biking, renting movies, and just hanging out with friends.

Last summer I started having my kids take turns picking out what they want for dinner then they would have to make it. They really had a good time.

I would suggest public pools with the slides and rivers. We are inside all summer because it's so hot here so we do inside things when everyone else around the US is outside. lol

We pay for my 12 yo son to go to the Boys and Girls Club. It's an expense that we plan ahead for but they have a new activity every 45-60 minutes for them so it keeps him busy. You can also pay per day as needed instead of the whole week. I hope you find some fun things for her. Good luck.

Puppy class, and the dog park, once the dog has shots. Other than that, just chill and have downtime.