To ask what your 12 year olds (or similar age children) are up to this holiday

Largely has been waking around midday, playing Genshin, Minecraft, doing a few dog walks with me, watching Ted Talks, helping me get bits together for charity (finally willing to let things like the dressing up basket go!), couple of friend meet ups later on planned. I did an egg hunt, did a day trip 2hrs drive away with a nice roast, went to Lidl nearby to see what they had for Japanese week (lots of puddings it seems!). We've got some craft boxes to do too and painting 2 walls on the way to the bedroom needs doing. There's a growth spurt going on and we need to save money for a new boiler so I'm happy to have a relaxing few weeks to be honest!

• Visited and been visited by grandparents
• been for a walk and icecream in a country park
• shopping
• baking
• out for a birthday meal for a sibling
• training for their sport
• playing on computer/ phone

I need to book in a haircut and shop for new shoes for next week. 12 year old is mostly happy doing their own thing. I don't feel the need to do expensive days out.

Why has she not got any friends? My dd is autistic but has got a couple of friends (they are also autistic).

Are there are ways to encourage friendships, life without friends is boring!

My 12 yo DD and friends still enjoy soft play!

You're ideas are amazing!!

Gaming
Dog walks
Out at the park with friends playing footy, basketball, cycling or on his scooter
Trampoline park
Visiting relatives
Trip to a zoo
Shopping with the vouchers for he got at xmas
Football camp for 4 days

Nothing unusual or particularly exciting, but it's all the stuff he enjoys

Playing with his younger brother (who’s autistic)

I have an autistic DS the same age - this week we are staying with relatives and will do beach trips, National Trust, swimming etc. and he will watch films, play Roblox etc. in downtime. Next week he needs to do some revision for exams after the holidays but he also likes going for bike rides with a friend, pottering in the garden, gaming, watching films etc. He also plays a sport with training sessions several times a week and likes board games.

He isn't great at playing with his sibling (unless Roblox). Sibling is going to a holiday club next week as we are working.

@UnlimitedCake A boy age 12 at soft play?

The weather's been particularly shit but wev been bowling, for dinner, he's been to a virtual golf place, to the amusements today, hes had a sleepover with his cousin and had a friend stay over. Other than that he kicks about playing with his friends when it's dry or hel play for awhile on his pc/ps5 or occulus.

A bit of shopping but mainly chatting to their friends on the phone while playing Roblox.

Climbing/bouldering which she loves
Cinema
Swimming
Shopping and lunch out with her friends
Football match with her dad
Day out with family planned-maybe zoo or theme park

@lilsupersparks Those are impressive suggestions.

She has:

• organised a sleepover with her best friend from primary (now at different schools) and asked me to take them to mini golf
• visited granny (twice)
• walked into town to buy herself bubble tea
• practised her instrument most days
• read
• planned her birthday party
• met a friend in the park but got rained on and came back home and made brownies
• dentist
• hairdresser
• cooked supper for the family (twice)
• watched lots of TV, and maxed out her hour of games time on her phone

We are going bowling, played sticks yesterday, have done a few board games gone to both of his grannies and gone out for a hike. Other than that it’s screens (trying not to get them off the screens as much as I want to), Easter eggs and today he’s going to have to start a project due for next week. I think he’s possibly bored but won’t complain because there’s cleaning he can help with😉

edited to add he loves Lego so did some of that too

DS is 12 and quite happy to entertain himself in his room but he would stay in his room on Roblox the entire time if we let him! So far he’s been to softplay, a trip to the beach with fish n chips and ice cream, a local walk, seeing Grandparents and lots of Disney films with snacks as a family. He’s had a few Lego/science sets for Christmas and will probably have a go at those at some point too.

I’m mostly following for ideas but so far DS (nearly 12) has seen his younger cousins and played in my parents garden, bought a new x box game called planet zoo where you make zoos, gone to the cinema, made brownies.

He does meet friends in the park usually but his best friend is on holiday so he hasn’t done too much of that. He has done a bit of playing x box while talking to friends. He has expressed interest in a day out at a local animal place, probably another cinema trip (it’s his birthday this holidays) and we are hoping to meet up with a friend and her son in London and 🤞 do something that isn’t too expensive! We also have some herb, chilli and mini cucumber seeds to plant that he seemed interested in doing but we will see.

so quite a few screens but hopefully will feel like he has done some other things too.

13yo DS (3 weeks off) has done a few days of his sport, we are going away for a few days and he is consolidating the bits of the GCSE courses they have already covered.

Other than that, he meets up with friends in our local town or for a kick about (I am not involved in this), lies in his bed or games. These are his favourite things, so he is not bored as long as he has access to these!

I think the randomness and my evident excitement helped capture their interest 🤣im
still quite excited by it as you can tell!!

Thankfully mine are musical so in the school holidays they either went to orchestra/ choir things a bit and/or I would despatch them down to the local nursing home (my friend was manager) as the entertainment! They did enjoy the reaction, though the tea and scones went down well too. Kids might as well be useful. One of mine is autistic so the music was her outlet, she would also practice for hours. (She's currently composing a concerto, now an adult)

@ThisNiftyMintCat

That sounds interesting could you give more details on square space please.

Op my dd is quite hard to get out but she usually loves it and then says she wants to live there!!

Day trips at home are also hard the best thing is to get her on holiday so that's what we have done this time.

I find Easter a good time to get away to get yer weather

We're currently staying at a theme park resort overseas with friends with similarly aged DC.

We'll have 2 days at home then we're off to visit family elsewhere in the UK for a few days - 11yo is a registered helper at the riding school there so will probably spend most of his time shovelling shit and carting a wheelbarrow about (he loves it!).

Then the last 4 days we'll be at home but one of them the DC will be at a holiday club so I can catch up on stuff at home and another day they'll have friends over.

We're lucky as she has friends on the same road so they end up in each other's houses.
They've also decided to learn rollerskating so that's keeping them occupied.
Apart from that, it's Stranger Things, baking, reading and meeting friends and family a few times with me and siblings.