What will your 9-10 year old be doing this weekend?

[parrotonmyshoulder]

Mine is stuck in a bit of a rut really. Older sister sleeps in later now, has homework, will do some baking, reading and writing.
DH is working. I need to do weekend chores (both work full time - 50 hours+).
We’ll probably go out altogether tomorrow - beach or picnic.

I find DS really tricky at the weekends as he struggles to know what to ‘do’ unless we’re going out. So there is a lot of ‘what are we going to do?’,’When are we…?’. I know the common response is ‘children need to be bored’ but what if they always are? It’s not like I’ve spent the last 10 years entertaining him.

I think he needs a lot more adult time than he gets. We play games together most evenings and at least once at the weekend. Or we’ll watch something together.

We can’t do weekend clubs or activities as doing that previously nearly destroyed us all. There needs to be down time and fewer plans at the weekends.

Anyway, back to the point. What are other 9-10 year olds getting up to today?

Tennis lesson (she walks herself there, so easy for us). Swimming lesson. Probably will text a school friend and ask if they want to go to the park. Evening BBQ as a family. Lots of reading in the gaps )she’s currently reading in the bath).

Mine are older but my 10 year old nephew plays football on Sunday , does gymnastics on a Saturday. He likes lego. And will watch TV and play Minecraft or terraria on his ipad or PS4.

Usually DS is nagged to get dressed, goes to chess club, comes back for lunch, whinges about watching screen time, complains he's bored, is offered a list of suggested activities, complains about them, is given a chore to do but suddenly finds an audio book with jigsaw/nerf gun/ Lego entertaining.

Or he goes round to see if his friend is in and they play there, here or at the park. Or he Minecraft's online with a friend who isn't in walking distance.

DD will go to gym in a bit. Not much this afternoon, may go to a free music festival tomorrow. She has lots of activities in the evenings so, gym aside, we don’t like too much structure at weekends.

Normally my 9 year old DS does his martial arts on a Sat morning but it's off this week as the instructors are away to a tournament so I've given my youngest the day off of her dance lessons and we are having a lazy morning. I'm going to take them out soon to buy ingredients to make Brownies and to buy fathers day cards for tomorrow. Then tomorrow we are going to see Lightyear and will probably go out on a bike ride.

DS does get very bored on a weekend and probably ends up playing too much Xbox. Every few weeks we make sure to have a friend round so he gets that interaction as there are no kids his age in the surrounding streets etc. that he can go out and play with. We also play a lot of board games and he loves a Costa trip for hot chocolate.

We aim for weekends with 1 downtime day and 1 day with more in it. The busier day might have something like a friend to play / a walk with others / a visit to something fairly local (fete, market, mini golf), a swim, a cafe trip etc.

The quieter day is cleaning their own room and doing homework, otherwise free to read / play Nintendo / watch tv / draw or paint / listen to music etc.

This weekend we’re going to a local fete today then a friend is coming back to play and stay for supper. Tomorrow we might see grandparents but not much else.

10 and 12 here and they do the same things - roblox; walk; swimming tomorrow. I am trying to persuade them to got to the cinema with me but they are reluctant.

we don't do much tbh.

Not really useful along what others do as it will likely be a list of activities that you don't want to sign up to again (understandably). What are his hobbies and interests so we can make suggestions instead. If you have family time on a Sunday could you arrange play dates for Saturdays so ds can have company while you get on with jobs? You might find these reciprocated too so he gets some variety and you get some peace

Might not be useful for you!

I’m finding it useful, thanks. I wasn’t asking you to tell me what to do. Just what others were up to.

Sorry you totally misunderstood my intention. I was trying to be helpful not telling you what to do. My dc will be going riding and spending a few hours at the stables. I'm not sure that useful for you or something your dad would potentially do but was thinking I could offer some suggestions if I know what your ds likes doing.

DD9 (nearly 10) playing football Saturday morning and swimming Sunday morning.

She will go out to play after both if it's dry.

We might got to to see Jurassic World

9 year old has sports today and tomorrow, also a party tomorrow. Tbh our weekends have been basically activities and parties for one or both for the past 6 months . It’s exhausting!
can you get a friend up ? On quiet weekends ( sometimes there’s no matches on Sunday ) we get a friend up for 9 year old and 4 year old .

I know you don’t want to be doing activities every weekend but could you maybe do a swim class every Saturday morning with breakfast after?

My son is nearly 9 and he has a 1 hour sports activity Sat morning and Sun pm (Tennis and karate). For us we like that we know he's getting a bit of exercise and I feel less guilty that he's then chilling (usually watching You Tube, playing on his Switch) around that.

Could you consider one activity for him as there is still plenty of downtime around that?

My DS is 8 and a half. Today he is hanging out in his room playing with Lego and his tablet, tomorrow we have cinema tickets booked to see Jurassic World. I’m very lucky that DS will entertain himself when we’re at home.

10 year old boy.
Probably try to watch you tube all day and be abusive when hes told no
Aggressively saying no to everything he's asked to do
Moaning hes bored due to lack of any imagination

seriously though
He was out last night at a club so nothing sporty planned today.
Homework and reading
If stays dry something outside in garden
Long Dog walk if dry
Film later

Dd will play with her our generation dolls all day long. Maybe Lego. No input from me required, so I'm happy, she's happy.

@liveforsummer
Sorry. Touched a nerve. If he had interests and hobbies that he was engaging in, I guess I wouldn’t be asking this question.
We have tried a lot of activities. He does some evening sports clubs. We don’t live in an area with much on offer like weekend swimming or sports that don’t require a huge time commitment.

My 10 year old had a friend to stay last night so he will play with him today. There’s a basketball club he’s just started going to that you don’t have to commit to every week, it’s a drop in, so I’m hoping that will be better than other activities in the past that have meant the whole day has to be planned around them! I’m planning on taking my work with me so I will be done by this evening. We’re going to the cinema tonight and then tomorrow we have no plans. He quite often arranges to meet a friend at the park now which has been lovely as he’s out and I don’t have to be particularly involved. When he’s indoors though he does spend a lot of time with his phone watching YouTube or playing on his Xbox so I like him to get out.

My 10 year old son is watching F1 qualifiers, chatted to a friend on the phone, made himself breakfast, kicking a ball around, playing Xbox. No plans to go out at the moment. Pretty good at amusing himself.

My nearly 9-yr old's weekend will be mainly focused (as always!) around Lego! He does a watersports club for a half day every other wknd but other than that we don't have anything structured. We have a wider family get-together this afternoon and tomorrow we're seeing my in-laws. Often we go to a NT place/out for a walk and picnic as a family or sometimes into our nearest city for a day out. Very occasionally we go to the cinema but they're mainly left to their own devices! He does REALLY like Lego, Minecraft and reading though, so I understand that he doesn't want much planned - he likes plenty of time to do those at home. We do play a lot of board games/card games too though.

Mine will play Nintendo, read a bit, probably walk over the shops with his dad, I asked if he wanted to come and watch my friend in a local performance (his friend, her DD, will be there) but he’s moaning it’s too hot.

so when sun goes down we might go for a bike ride or something. He doesn’t see many friends tbh.

My 2 were 10/11 during covid with nothing on.
My older son got really into paid chores (saving for a computer): Lawn mowing, digging, putting toys on ebay etc
DS2 was harder and wanted company (chess, baking etc) but luckily loved reading.
They are a little older now and are both off out today under their own steam (DS2 meeting friend at Park, DS1 probably gym and hanging out).

DS1(9) is currently at a cricket match with an 8:30 meet time (poor DH, DS1 is a lark and will have been up at 6). So back for lunch, probably more cricket in the garden which will cause a dispute with DS2 (6). So I will usher him inside. Homework at some point. About 45 minutes each day in the Switch with DH or DS2. Sunday will be cartoons until 9 when he’ll wake us demanding breakfast (we’re working on him getting his own but he’s malcoordinated and slicing bagels safely is beyond him). Read, play Lego, complain he’s bored, turn down a walk with me, play endless cricket. Eat more food than anyone who is as skinny as he is has any right to.

We do parkrun and then often see friends or grandparents in the afternoon. We have a dog that loves a good woods/hill walk and my DC loves swimming in the sea or lakes, which I've only been willing to start back up again this last few weeks.

Can he have friends over? Meet another family somewhere?

DD1 is 9. Library for books, computer time and Code Club at 11am.

School Fair this afternoon.

Tomorrow, swimming at 5pm.

We might camp in the garden tonight for 30 Days Wild.