"Playdates" for 10-11 yr old boys...

[BogstandardBelle]

Am I right in thinking that "playdates" for 11 yr old boys are all about playing video / PS / XBox etc together? DS has had two friends over this afternoon, and it's all they want to do - except for a half hour interval where they stopped for a snack / chat and then another half an hour for an indoor Nerf battle... it's really cold outside, none of them are into football anyway, they are not quite old enough to be sent to the park alone (it's too big and too far away).

What do your 11 yr olds do during winter playdates other than play video games together?

Yes - all they ever want to do here is play on screens and we just let them -- playdates are supposed to be fun! Interspersed as you say with food and the odd NErf battle they are very happy. My DS is 11 too.

Same. Sometimes they will do Lego.

Lego has been given the bums rush - we sold our entire collection as it hadn’t been played with for years, and I was fed up dusting the boxes :-)

Do you ever direct them at this age? As in «you’ve had enough screens - go and find something else to do» ? I generally don’t, and I think ds would be pretty embarrassed if I did.

mine still plays lego or playmobile if the weather is too shit to go outside (walkie talkie hide and seek is a favourite)
computers are not allowed at play dates at ours.