7 Non-Screen Activities for Tween Boys
Have you lost your tween boy to the void of screen-time? These 7 activities will get your tween moving and help them express their creativity. Thanks to DOLE Fruitocracy for sponsoring this post so we could share these tips with you.
Parenting a tween boy is an interesting experience. Suddenly my talkative little boys turned into grunting, one-word speaking, tweens with moods that are all over the board. I never thought I’d say this but sometimes I miss the days when they would cry their eyes out over something silly because at least I knew what they were thinking.
Tween boys need a little help expressing themselves sometimes. I love how just a little bit of direction can help move kids into something that may become their new favorite hobby. My boys tend to default to electronics whenever they don’t know what to do. That doesn’t do much for helping them find new interests, so I guide them a bit.
I have two tween boys in my house right now and when they are bored or just need something creative to do, we try and get them busy doing something on the list below. By trying new things and working on expressing themselves through their hobbies, I’ve watched them grow and develop more than I could have imaged.
All that growing and expressing yourself takes a lot out of a boy though. I swear 50% of my day is spend answering the questions, “Mom? What is there to eat?”
I love that Dole came out with their new Fruitocracy fruit pouches. My kids love the great flavors (like Apple Banana, Apple Mixed Berry, Apple Pineapple, Apple Strawberry, Apple Cherry or good ol’ Apple). I love that they don’t have any high fructose corn syrup and are non-GMO.
My boys definitely stay busy so they love grabbing a Fruitocracy pouch to eat on the go. They are a great way to tide my boys over until the next meal and since they are snacking on fruit I know that they aren’t just eating wasted calories.
Build Something Out of Wood
You may be a bit cautious about letting your tween son use power tools but there’s something seriously empowering watching a boy, not only learn how to use tools that seem intimidating but also creating something with his own hands.
My tween boys have been designing and building their own pinewood derby cars this week. It’s an extensive process but they have loved learning about the things they need to do to create a fast car and learning how to use the tools that are required to create it.
I’ll admit, I’ve cringed a few times watching my kids use some of the tools but they didn’t use anything that would cause serious damage if they slipped up and they were heavily supervised the entire time so the experience has been great for them.
Write a Letter
Most tweens probably know how to text better than write a letter by hand. There’s something special about a hand-written letter though and it can be a great way for tween boys to stay in touch with family members who don’t live close by or get to know a new pen pal. My reluctant writer wrote pages and pages when he started writing letters to an out of state friend. It was fun for both of them to get letters in the mail and they were able to stay in touch despite the distance between them.
Get Moving
Kids need to get out and move, especially tween boys. When my kids are fighting with each other or acting up it’s a sure sign they need to get some energy out. There are all kinds of ways to get your tween boy moving. Have your tween play basketball at a park, learn to skateboard, master a new swimming stroke, or anything else that sounds like fun. Get creative. Sometimes the crazier things can be the most fun. My tween boys got pogo sticks and love to have competitions to see who can stay up longer.
Read a Book Out Loud Together
Tween boys can be stingy with their affection. That doesn’t mean they don’t still need and enjoy it. Find a book that is really engaging (think Harry Potter) and set aside a few minutes each day to read together. Once your kids learn to read it’s easy to get in the habit of having them read on their own but it’s fun to have some time to read together and really gives you a chance to talk one-on-one with your son and have him open up in a way that he might not have done otherwise.
Make Paper Airplanes
When is the last time you made paper airplanes together? We used to make them all the time as kids but it’s kind of a lost art now. You can make all kinds of different paper airplanes. We checked out a book from the library once that was filled with great paper airplane designs. Have your tween invite a few friends over and have a paper airplane competition. See who can make a plane that can fly the furthest.
Go Camping
There are few better ways to get your tween boy to hang out with you than taking them off in the middle of nowhere in a camping trip. No TV, no internet, no cell phones, just lots of time to hang out and talk. Camping gives boys a great chance to discover new interests that they may not have found at home. My boys have learned about hiking, local plants and animals, geological formations, survival skills and more on camping trips.
If you want to keep things simple, you could always have a campout in your backyard. Your tween will have some great memories and you’ll have a chance to get to know some things about your son that you might not have known before.
Learn Photography
Photography is a great activity for tween boys. It lets them get creative and express themselves without having to express themselves in words . . . which can be challenging for tweens. There are some great Youtube videos you can watch with your tween to learn the basics and then set them loose. It’s so fun to see the world through their view when you look at the photographs they take.
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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of DOLE Fruitocracy.
