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What is a good/fun activity for an adult to take preteen/early teen to. Preteen as in 10-13.
I forget the boy's age. He not my child, but my nephew. He recently lost one parent, and I just afraid he sitting at home very restless. He does not live close to me, and pandemic keep me from seeing him. But he is family, and I feel like I need to contribute.
I am afraid of major professional sporting events with large crowds. I was thinking a hockey or basketball game, but I hate for him to go to restroom, only to not return ever. He is not a bad rebellious kid or anything. I am more worried about other people, and I dont have confidence in today's youth in handling situations. Basically, they are either one of the riff raff you see on TV, or one of the victims. There is no inbetween. He is too young to be one of the riff raff we see.
So what other options are there? I guess I can try the indoor cart racing. Or even paintball. Come to think of it, I am not sure activities he likes to do. If I have the opportunity, I would introduce him to something new, but I dont want to surprise him either.
How kind of you to want to help him. Why not ask his remaining parent what good outing would be? Or if he’s even up for an outing? It’s hard to want to try something new without surprising him too.
I disagree with your characterization of preteens/teens all being either a thug or a victim. And you should check with the parent about their protocols when out in big crowds. There’s no way I’d send a 10 year old to the bathroom by himself at an NFL game, I don’t care whose kid he is.
This time of year there are a lot of pumpkin playgrounds with activities. That would get you all outside, but in a smaller environment. Good luck.
Since you live in NJ you could take him to Six Flags, they are having Fright Fest on the weekends during the month of October. Additionally, he might enjoy staying in a hotel with an indoor pool and video arcade, it seems that's all the younger kids are interested in anyway, video games. I used to take my niece and nephew to Atlantic City when they were your nephew's age and they loved every minute of it. I liked the suggestion by the other poster to ask his parent what he enjoys doing.
It's also going to depend on the kid somewhat too. Like paintball, one of my kids would have been fine going alone or with a grownup because he's super outgoing and willing to interact with anyone. The other kid, not so much, and wouldn't enjoy that type of thing unless going with a group of close friends to play with.
I think it's a good idea to ask his parent, or him, what sorts of things he enjoys before making plans.
Some ideas if he's on the younger side of pre-teen
-An aviation or car museum, or whatever he's interested in learning about, lunch at his favorite place
-An arts or crafts type session, maybe a cooking class or introduction to another hobby type if that's an interest. Our local uni used to have 'exploration' classes of lots of different kinds on Saturdays, and some stores often have these kinds of kids things too. Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, local art stores.
-Local festivals, like the pumpkin patch or maybe there will be hay rides, haunted houses, etc this time of year
-Zoo, aquarium, kids museum, science museum
Go-carts. Laser tag. Indoor rock climbing. Inflatable bounce houses (though those are usually more popular with a younger crowd). A museum ship. (If your user name reflects your location, there's the battleship New Jersey in Camden and the aircraft carrier Intrepid in New York.) I second the idea of talking to his remaining parent to find out what sorts of things he enjoys, as well as things that might be a turnoff (crowds, loud noises, etc.)
If you take him to a sporting event, accompany him to the bathroom if he needs to go. Wait for him near the sinks, where you can keep an eye on him or on the stall into which he entered. And since you might want to use the facilities as well, tell him beforehand that if he gets done before you do, he is to wait by the sinks until you come out. Not outside the bathroom, but by the sinks where you can hear him if he needs to call to you. If you are a woman, then wait right outside the men's room, close enough that you can hear if he screams for you.
There’s no way I’d send a 10 year old to the bathroom by himself at an NFL game, I don’t care whose kid he is.
This time of year there are a lot of pumpkin playgrounds with activities. That would get you all outside, but in a smaller environment. Good luck.
too old for pumpkin playgrounds. By the time I was 10, I was going to restroom all by myself in crowded malls.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wp169
Since you live in NJ you could take him to Six Flags, they are having Fright Fest on the weekends during the month of October. Additionally, he might enjoy staying in a hotel with an indoor pool and video arcade, it seems that's all the younger kids are interested in anyway, video games. I used to take my niece and nephew to Atlantic City when they were your nephew's age and they loved every minute of it. I liked the suggestion by the other poster to ask his parent what he enjoys doing.
I think he is too old for that. Too old to just go sightseeing. I think he prefer an actual activity.
If you take him to a sporting event, accompany him to the bathroom if he needs to go. Wait for him near the sinks, where you can keep an eye on him or on the stall into which he entered. And since you might want to use the facilities as well, tell him beforehand that if he gets done before you do, he is to wait by the sinks until you come out. Not outside the bathroom, but by the sinks where you can hear him if he needs to call to you. If you are a woman, then wait right outside the men's room, close enough that you can hear if he screams for you.
Then don't take him to a sporting event. Period. If you're going to take him somewhere, you're responsible for his safety. And thanks to the ever-expanding supply of nutcases out there, I would not consider it safe to allow a 10-year-old boy to use the restroom in a sports arena by himself. Sad to say, that's the world we live in.
If he's on the older side of pre-teen I would definitely check with his parent, at that age a lot of kids don't want to spend time around adults. It's all about the video games and spending time on their phones. How would you feel about inviting him and a friend of his to some kind of event if the idea is just to get him out of the house and doing something?
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