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Need help entertaining your older children? Gone are the days when you could give them a cardboard box and some crayons and they’d be happy for hours. Tweens and teens require a different level of entertainment, not to worry, I have some suggestions for you.
Sometimes we just have no choice but to offer up suggestions for entertainment when it comes to your older children stating that they are bored. Most of the time, they can occupy themselves. They have their school they perhaps have homework or extracurricular assignments and activities to be getting on with. But there are times when they will just be at a loss and you are going to hear the dreaded “I’m bored” saying.
It is natural. During the school holidays and the evenings, our older children will likely be bored at some point. It is important for children to experience boredom as they can learn to use imagination and fend for themselves. However, If you feel the need to help your older children out don’t despair. Here are a few suggestions to have as a backup plan to keep things smooth and happy in your household.
Play a game on the console
While this isn’t always going to be something you want to encourage, playing games online and getting engrossed in something like a video game isn’t always that bad. As long as they don’t stay on it for too long. These days, they can now play online. Allowing them to communicate and play with their friends from the comfort of their own home. Some video games help children to process and problem solve, while others see it as a way of relaxing from the stress of school.
It can even be a help when it comes to kids that deal with anxiety or other mental health struggles. As long as they are not always doing it, there might not be as much harm as you think. Better yet if you have the time, why not play with them for a little while? It could be the perfect time to bond and spend some quality time without your older children feeling like you are interfering.
Watch different things online
Maybe they like to watch things, so encourage them to seek out different things that they are interested in. It might be that they like different types of animation, maybe they are interested in the creative side of things where some websites online could be worth checking out. Maybe they like to think about things so something psychological or problem-solving videos could be the answer.
You can find an array of things online on YouTube such as tutorials and teaching them how to do things as well as interesting documentaries. Netflix and Amazon Prime also have an array of content that they can watch, some educational or could inspire their different interests.
Read a book or get on with something educational
It can be quite hard to encourage older kids to grab a book and read or to do something remotely educational, but if they don’t have much else to do then why not suggest it anyway? They may surprise you. Books are so varied these days that there is bound to be something that interests them, plus getting ahead on school projects is always going to be good advice to give.
You could even look online together and seek out some books they might want to try. Or better still, why not go to the library? There are plenty of reading challenges online that may inspire them to read a few different books.
Play with siblings
If they have siblings then why not encourage them to play together? They could do anything from playing outside and enjoying the good weather or staying indoors and playing games. Board games or card games are getting a bit of a revival these days as people are interested in the more retro options that are available. Or maybe you could encourage your older children to teach their younger siblings something. It could keep them quiet for a while and still enable them to think and be entertained.
Encourage them to get outside
Finally, with so much technology and options to be entertained indoors, the art of going out and being in the fresh air is becoming less of an option. But that can often be because it is forgotten about. Suggest some exercise, encourage them to ride a bike, or even sit outside and play games or read a book. They could even go out and meet some friends or play with their singlings. You could also ask if they want to take on some outdoor chores like washing the car or clearing the garden. The fresh air can help them feel much better.
I hope this gives you some suggestions for entertaining your older children when they are bored.
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