When did your DC outgrow playgrounds and parks?

[TheGreatSchnauzerFest]

Very stuck on what to do with DC aged 11 and 9 this half term.

One DC has ASD and does not like to leave the house. I can hear the giggles of the neighbours young children frolicking in the sun whilst my DC are pinging away on video games

(One DC has been out all morning with friends and the other has done puzzles, some reading etc so they haven’t been on screens all day).

The weather is meant to be glorious tomorrow but I’m at a total loss of what to do.

DC with ASD hates crowds, parks, playgrounds etc. I think they’re sick of these things anyway after lockdown. DC with ASD will not go for walks.

Neither DC wants to do trampolining or crazy golf and they’ve outgrown soft play.

What is everyone with older children doing?

Would they spend the day at the beach?

Well the other weekend my 17yo and 13yo walked an hour to go to a new one, and spent 3 hours playing before walking back (apparently the zip wire was amazing), so I don't think they've grown out of them yet.
They were with dh, so weren't doing anything else.

My older one I don't think has really played on one since about 12yo though.

More importantly, it is really tiring to move around quietly in a forest 20m from someone walking on a made path, so they had to negotiate trees, brambles and undergrowth as well as uneven terrain (and they came back properly tired and excercised). For several years, when they were too young for real independence, it was very worthwhile. But you do have to live in the right place. In a city park, you might need disguises.

Mine are 13 (with SEN) and 10. Both pretty much outgrown play areas now. How about something like Go Ape or indoor climbing walls? Mine also like swimming and theme parks. My DD with SEN will walk if she has headphones on listening to music (we have recently discovered this and it’s been a life changer 😂). And bike rides. They also both still like splashing about in the local brook with wellies on.

I have two DC now 12 & 14 - one in particular hates busy places.

Mine would do (and still do) walks - they would prefer a remote place (I mean not a park, out in the countryside somewhere) and ideally with a 'destination' (e.g. summit of a hill). Or long bike ride to a cafe. Or beach/forest with a small group of friends.

We're in Scotland so something like a lochside walk with a fire on the beach, or kayak to a little island & have a campfire usually a hit.

We do sometimes (pre covid) do a museum trip or similar. It's OK, but not their favourite. Going for a specific exhibition works better than a general look about.

They also do still like some sports activity holiday camp things.

Oh yes - messing in stream or stone skimming still popular too.

Also laser nerd guns in the woods with another family while you and the other parent have a coffee on a bench 😁

What a cool idea @XingMing!

We have tended to do more specific excursions from these ages onwards too - two DD 11 and 14 yo. Museum, castle, beach, nearby city/attraction, go ape type places. During Covid though it has been more cycling and walking, which thankfully they were okay ish with as well.

Thanks for the reminder LtGreggs, nerf guns were often the accessory of choice.

You can make it all really fun until they discover the opposite sex, and then they'd rather shop for carpet if flirting across a carpark is an option. IME.

DS stopped being interested in the playground around his 10th birthday but he still goes to the park and plays football with his friends.

I live by a secondary school and we’ve always had a small group of tweens/young teens coming into the playground (unsupervised) and playing on the swings/roundabout but they start to fizzle out by the age of 13-14.

😂 we're not there yet and it's quite funny to imagine it

About 12 for playgrounds with the giant web climbing frames, zip wires, and the round swings you can fit a few children on. That was only because DS was self conscious being too old around other children though. He is 15 now and occasionally still uses the good playgrounds (as do I in my thirties) but only when there aren't any primary aged children around!

There's not much kids hate more than being taken to chose carpets. But at 13 or 14, being taken out to buy new carpets gives you a whole new view on the other kids being subjected to the same indignity. Some are interesting.

DS loved to climb and was at the top of every frame from about six. I have vertigo, so it was stressful.

I have an ASD DS who still wants to come with us plus a 8yr old DS and a 4yr old DD so keeping them all happy is hard. They all love swimming but not normal swimming I save up and we go to one of the expensive places with the slides and rides. Same goes for theme parks eldest DS loves a theme park. They all like biking especially the ones with some stunt ramps. Bowling is another good one and the trampoline parks. A hike and a picnic rather than just a park.

That should have said ASD DS 19!!

I've got a 10yo (with ASD) and 8yo. They're more particular about playgrounds now but have picked up interest and are begining to use them as a setting for play (DS1 has a deep interest in war, so they tend to rampage around mock shooting each other) We tend to go later in the day when it's quieter and the main heat has passed.

They like wilder places for walking particularly woods and more rugged hills.
Pokemon Go gets us around the more dull parks!

If they don't want to go out - don't force them. Just find more at home indoor stuff to do. My 13 year old daughter has ASD and it will be a rare day we 'go out' for the day. She isn't that interested. She usually ends up getting overwhelmed and miserable - so me and husband get miserable.
Tomorrow (the Bank Holiday) I plan to do some craft sets for me and maybe a bit of reading, she will probably play on her Nintendo for a bit and make some beads necklaces, husband will probably listen to some sport and cook us tea. The rest of half term will be mostly the same although husband will be back at work.
I would rather do this that be dragging her out to 'do' things that she quite frankly doesn't want to do.

My 10 year old is still happy to go to the park at the moment and would probably do soft play too if they hadn't all gone bust. How about rock climbing, swimming, a park where you can hire a pedalo, go ape or just a trip to a cafe for lunch?

Could you entice them on a walk with a promise of cake/icecream in a cafe at the end? I'd also make it non-negotiable that you want to go out but offer them a choice of what to do.

@UserAtRandom

It really depends on the park. There's been an annoying trend near us to remove all the more adventurous equipment (monkey bars, zip wires, large adventurous climbing structures) in favour of equipment that is aimed at 5-10 year olds. The more adventure playgrounds we eked out until 12/13. I found that they moved on to less structured play - climbing on trees and other natural structures (or skips :) ) was in favour long after playgrounds were too dull.

I wish there was more of the adventurous equipment. DS had moved away from the younger playgrounds where there was a choice and was climbing to the top of the giant nets at three. That meant he was bored with the equipment for younger children by six or so, unless playing with friends, which was a bit of a problem.

We use a 10ft framed paddling pool and my 10yo and 7yo have spent literally hours in it today. Splashing about, making up games etc

I mean we have one in our garden.

[quote TheGreatSchnauzerFest]@traumatisednoodle I agree, a brilliant age BUT we are restricted hugely as DC with ASD does not like to go out , especially to playgrounds or busy places. Swimming is unfortunately booking only due to covid and there are no sessions available for the entire week.[/quote]
Can you plan to go out earlier in the morning, or in the evening so it isn't busy?

Ooh yeh bowling is something that ours both still like and it's sort of quite self contained to your lane so less of a feeling of busy/ crowded maybe especially at a less busy time.

In a similar vein ours like roller skating and ice skating although don't get to go often enough to be any good at it. Usually crowded though.

We don't have a big enough garden for a framed pool but whenever we have gone to a holiday place with a hot tub they love that and will spend ages in there.