Tweens age 9-12 - what do they enjoy at half term/ weekends?

[Bluewavescrashing]

DD age 9 does theatre club after school one day a week, piano lessons and gym. She reads in bed every evening, walks to school most days, has the odd playdate.

In the holidays she seems less interested in doing stuff with us as a family (or just with me and her little brother). I get the holidays off work so I'm really lucky. She feels too old for soft play now. She loves playing sims4 on the PC which I do allow but not for hours on end.

In the good weather it's easier as we have a trampoline, bikes and scooters. With the rainy days though I've struggled to find things to do that aren't really expensive. Clip and climb was good but £28 for an hour for both kids. Local pool is undergoing a refurb. Trampoline park is also ££ although she does love it.

Any advice?

Also--she loves board games but is quite selective about which ones she will play. Crafting is popular but not babyish type stuff. She loved a mosaic set that we did together. We also cook together which is fun. Thinking more of stuff out of the house though. Films at the cinema are dire at the moment.

My dc (aged 6-14) have all agreed to bowling/ laser quest/ ice skating recently in addition to the things you mentioned.

My 10 year old is loving cooking an entire meal - pasta and meatballs, sweetcorn chowder. He is doing tomato soup right now.
Climbing, swimming.
Sonic is ok - we went yesterday with me hoping to sleep through it, but I actually watched it. Dolittle??
It's another £££ one, but lazertag stuff seems to be a step up from soft play.
Good weather one, but messing about in the woods.
I agree there isnt much cheap and inside.
Taking himself to the shop, buying a copy if the Times, and doing some if the puzzles in the back has filled an hour here and there.

I have dc 10, 13 & 15 and always try and have one proper day out either just us or with friends. We went on the train down to the coast on Thursday with a friend and her dd. 1.5 hour train ride with card games and snacks, walk along the seafront - bloody freezing - a bit of stone skimming and chasing each other on the beach, proper sit down fish and chips lunch and back home again. With a friends and family rail card it cost less than 3 of them going to the trampoline park for an hour and we were out for most of the day.

My teens also go to the local leisure centre and use the gym/swim and meet up with friends in town plus we do cooking, films or gaming, borrow a dog and go for a walk, bike ride. I'm quite happy for them to have some downtime but like you don't want it all day everyday and can't afford (or think they should expect) expensive activities everyday.

I have DSs aged 8 and 12 and tbh I struggle to get them to go out and do things if it's just the three of us. However, that changes dramatically if we arrange to take/meet friends for whatever activity we do. In winter, trampoline park is good, cinema (although can be tricky to find a film they'll both enjoy), laser quest, adventure playground/Go Ape/high nets very good with friends in warmer weather. If I'm honest, they spend far too much time on screens - as do I - when the weather is rotten. They both enjoy baking a cake though or making flapjack, brownies, anything they can enjoy eating afterwards!

Good ideas, thanks.

DD often just says she doesn't want to go out these days. I do let her have plenty of down time but think exercise and a change of scene are important.

Dd1 is about to be 9 and enjoys playing out a lot with the kids who live nearby. She does crafts like sewing or making soaps and bath bombs. She spend a lot of time playing with her pets (e.g. making toys for her mice or training them to do tricks).

She sounds rather busy to me. My 11 year old has spent half term eating crisps, doing some loombands and leaving a trail of socks.
Does your daughter seem bored and unhappy? If not then leave her be.

My DD is in this age range.
Her favourite things are: inviting a friend round for tea, cinema with pick and mix sweets, ice skating, roller disco, day out to a museum/art gallery that offers child centred activities. Days of soft play seem a distant memory.

DS2 is 9 (DS1 is 15 so mostly does his own thing). He was at a football camp Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday he went out with DH to visit an old friend (sort of like an uncle to him). Thursday we went to visit my parents and then yesterday we went to the cinema and had lunch.
He’s had football training this morning then he’s been on Fortnite and reading. He has a match tomorrow then we are baking and he is doing his homework.