Rainy day activities for sulking children please!

[BlueLobelia]

Two DSs. 12 and 10.

They are in the middle of a gaming ban due to appalling behaviour and I am in need for ideas.

Current ideas;

• baking

-cooking -making posters -films -writing stories -homework (!)

The only ideas the DCs have come up with (as far as I can tell) is slamming doors and yelling at me.

I could make them watch youtube videos of how bad gaming addiction is, but even I am not that mean...... [considers]

Thanks in advance!

I am very mean and would give them a final choice of tidy bedrooms/do the hoovering. Tends to either help DS find something to do, or gets tidying done

Of that is on the agenda too... they just don't know it yet.

[listens to theatrical wailing in bedrooms]

Don’t know why you need to entertain them tbh, at that age. You’ve handed out the punishment so the consequence is they deal with it, not that you have to find loads of other ideas to amuse them.
It’s not the worlds worst thing for a child to be bored.
Do what you want to do.

Card games
Writing letters or making cards for elderly relatives
Learning a house hold task eg how to iron, hand wash or sew on buttons
Collect a bag of stuff to be donated to charity shop

Another couple - do you have any silver that needs polishing? Or shoes

They won’t melt in the rain. Put waterproofs on them and go explore somewhere they’ve never been before.

@Coffeeand

Don’t know why you need to entertain them tbh, at that age. You’ve handed out the punishment so the consequence is they deal with it, not that you have to find loads of other ideas to amuse them. It’s not the worlds worst thing for a child to be bored. Do what you want to do.

Kind of agree with this to be honest!

The gaming ban is a punishment so you don't then go out of your way to find other fun things for them to do. Why do you feel the need to entertain them?

They’re a bit old to need planned activities to be honest! They can suck it up and read a book, I’d only engage in doing something if I wasn’t being sulked at and they came to me and asked nicely if we could do an activity together. After they’d tidied their room/done some other job to help!

Well- we are already in our second weekend of this ban, so I am keen for something else to do. DS1 has ASD ADHD and sensory issues so going out in the rain really is not an option- if only for my own sanity.

I agree with pp; the ban is a consequence of appalling behaviour so no need to entertain them.

If they complain that they're bored then suggest they tidy their rooms or offer to let them help you with whatever household chores need doing. But do not offer suggestions of fun activities.

If they ask to bake etc, that's great. Let them get on with it and ask them to give you a call if they'd like any help. But you don't need to come up with the ideas for them.

All children need to be bored from time to time and to have to come up with their own ideas. It's good for creativity and preparation for adult life when they have to think for themselves. This is doubly true for children who are over reliant on tech for entertainment.

The ban began on 29th April and is for 2 weeks (finishes this week).

I am looking for new ideas. It has been reading and keeping themselves amused [arguing with each other] since then. New ideas very welcome. Cleaning shoes appeals to me.

@BlueLobelia

Well- we are already in our second weekend of this ban, so I am keen for something else to do. DS1 has ASD ADHD and sensory issues so going out in the rain really is not an option- if only for my own sanity.

I feel your pain. At least there's two, how are they with each other? Or is that the cause of the awful behaviour?

www.elsa-support.co.uk/about-elsa-support/

Loads of ideas and some free or cheap worksheets and colouring at ELSA
My kids also loved a fashion show, building a structure with spaghetti and marshmallows, design a tshirt, draw yourself as a superhero and describe your powers. Design and make. Board game.

Pillow fight? Make a den? Have you got a small tent they can put up inside and sort out do that they can sleep in tonight? Get them to sort out stuff they can sell on eBay, get them to photo, write description get them to research prices etc?

Just some things my DS enjoys apart from the bloody Xbox.

Thanks. :) They are generally okay with each other. They have played with their lego and all their roblox (bloody shitting roblox) figurines. They wind each other up the usual sorts of ways. They never want to watch the same film at the same time.

last year due to me working insane hours they spent way too much time on games. Something had to give and in the end it was parenting. DS1 in particular is inclined towards obsessions and addictions due to his autism, obviously, and I am trying to get him to absorb the idea that real life is more interesting than his online life. Hence the request for some new ideas - not to just bore them rigid for yet another day.

Anyway- Harry Potter -the Half Blood price has just been put on. I would never have thought I would come to the day when i suggested they get off games and do something more useful- like watch tv.

Oh thanks for that @vestastilly!

@vestastilly

www.elsa-support.co.uk/about-elsa-support/

Loads of ideas and some free or cheap worksheets and colouring at ELSA
My kids also loved a fashion show, building a structure with spaghetti and marshmallows, design a tshirt, draw yourself as a superhero and describe your powers. Design and make. Board game.

Oh brilliant! Thanks for that link. design and make a board game is inspired and right up DS1's alley I suspect!

Well done for enforcing the ban. I like the idea of having a sort out for the charity shops - it does concentrate little minds on how lucky they are to have so much stuff - books, old toys, outgrown clothes etc and then have a good tidy while they put the rest back.

They’re up early aren’t they? I’d have sent them back to bed (after they’d made me a cup of tea) don't think I could entertain anyone before 9am on a Saturday.

@SmidgenofaPigeon

They’re up early aren’t they? I’d have sent them back to bed (after they’d made me a cup of tea) don't think I could entertain anyone before 9am on a Saturday.

God yes. Just before 5 am!

On the upside they have never been so keen on school as they have been the past week or so.

5am! Bloody hell. In that case the TV would be going on, sod any kind of activity until much later.

DH has just got up (he was on a late shift last night) so I might abandon the three of them and go back to bed with coffee and MN [great modelling of limiting online life there ]