Help me set challenges for DD (8)

[Orangedaisy]

Dd has developed an infuriating habit of constantly asking me to set her a challenge. Doesn’t react well to anything school work or chores related and is starting to get bored of ‘score 50 goals in a row’. She loved ‘make a rocket from
stuff in the recycling’….but there’s a limit to this top. Any ideas very welcome please!! Ideally nothing too messy…..

[Leeds2]

Write down a drink, and chocolate/sweet item, for every letter of the alphabet without using google!
Learn 100 different capital cities, and flags, that you can test her on.
Make something she can use to walk, sort of like tin can stilts.
Make a papier mache pig, starting with a balloon and some old newspaper.
Practice keepie uppies with a football, until she can do 100.
Learn to knit.

[MacavityTheDentistsCat]

Hi Orangedaisy

My DD is a like this and also always asking for challenges.

One of the best ideas I've had over the years is to make her Advent Calendar into a puzzle: She basically gets 24 small wrapped presents in late November and, before she can start opening them, has to figure out which present belongs to which day based on a list of clues.

When she was young, the clues needed some research but were relatively easy - and often connected to her school work for that year (e.g. The number of labours of Hercules; The sum of the digits in pi to 3 significant figures). Now that she is older they are much, much harder and not always obvious (I am slowly wreaking revenge for all my effort over the years 😉).

She has loved it from the start and, of all the challenges she asked me to set, this is the one she has loved the most and that has actually bonded us together rather than just made me feel, "Oh no, not again!" 😂.

[AdaColeman]

Grow a salt crystal.

Learn to knit or crochet, is she can do this already, then make an item such as a scarf or mittens.

Make some Christmas wrapping paper using potato printing, keep the shape simple, eg outline of holly leaf or Christmas tree.

Make Christmas paper loop chains, paper spiral mobiles, chains of linked angels or trees or bells, cut out snowflakes etc etc.

[TeenDivided]

That's fab.

I wonder if she'd like 'build a bridge from recycling (or spaghetti & uhu) that spans 50cm (or 1m) and see what maximum weight you can balance on the middle.'

followed by:

Build another bridge that can take twice the weight.

[Orangedaisy]

Dd was thrilled to read this thread @Greydogs123 she picked your marble run first….and then made tickets for us all to ‘buy’ to have a turn. Kept her busy and happy for ages! Thanks so much all.

[GingerPigz]

What about the National Trust's 50 things to do before you're 11 and 3/4s?

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/50-things-to-do-before-youre-11--activity-list

[Mariposista]

Your kid sounds brilliant!

Learn how to say hello in 15 languages
Learn how to sign her name
Grow a plant from seed
Do 100 start jumps every day for a fortnight
If you're religious, read something from a children's Bible and discuss it with you. If not, something from another book she is interested in, and tell you what she's learned from it.
learn how to cook something basic (with supervision)
order her clothes by colour
sort out some old toys for charity

[JamMakingWannaBe]

You definitely want to try and incorporate chores in this:

• fold towels
• pair socks
• separate darks from lights
• empty the dishwasher in 5 mins
• make the biggest pile of dust from what is on the TV /TV unit
• check the grocery packet best before dates
• arrange the soup tin cupboard (by flavour/colour of the tin)
• dust 5 cobwebs
• deadhead flowers in the garden
• look at recipe books, write a menu plan for the week and write the shopping list. Extra points for ordering online shopping!!

Alternatively nip to Argos, pick up a paper copy of the catalogue and challenge her to choose appropriate gifts for your WHOLE family.

Can I borrow her....?

[Orangedaisy]

These are great thank you!

[NuffSaidSam]

Make lunch/dinner (e.g.omelette or scrambled eggs) or desert (e.g. fruit kebabs or rice Krispie cakes).

Find 10/20/30 things that begin with 'S' or any other letter.

Find something that begins with each letter of the alphabet or give her your phone and let her take a photo of something a-z.

Make a picture using natural resources (twigs, leaves, conkers, acorns, grass, mud).

Design your own card/board game.

Learn to do a simple piece of origami e.g. a boat.

Learn to say please and thank you in 5 different languages.

Get her to set a quiz for you/DH.

[Happyelfjokeday]

If you Google for Taskmaster for schools you will get some good ideas!

[Unexpecteddrivinginstructor]

Challenge number 1, draw up a list of 50 challenges that an eight year old can do 🤣.

We used to have a jar of ideas that they would pull one out of. We had things like stop start animation, make up a tune, maybe make an instrument, tidy bedroom, design an outfit (have a budget and can look in catalogues/ online to make an outfit for an occasion.

[itsgettingweird]

Learn to do 100 hula hoops in a row.

That should keep her entertained for a while - and hopefully in the garden!

[Chevyimpala67]

You can also download 30 things calendars for kids

1 thing to try and do each day

[Chevyimpala67]

Read 4 books in a month? Any book, any length.

Create a bespoke piece of artwork for your office/home

Research how to make candles/soap then make some?

Research/Make plans for Christmas decorations/meals/activities/home made gifts?

If she likes physical challenges get her a cheap step counter and set a counter to achieve?

shop for and budget for a week's worth of meals?

[Orangedaisy]

Thank you, yes she does and she has done a lot of the badges. They don’t pique her interest hugely though, or they are off the scale complex in her interpretation (e.g. wants to hold a fair for her charity badge….). It’s more 10 minute things i am after but I will look in the badge book again.

[Greydogs123]

Make a marble run from recycling materials. Write a letter to someone she admires. Do a plant experiment e.g. grow beans in jars in different conditions and keep a diary of how they do. Climb a mile (up and down the stairs). Learn something, like how to do a cartwheel.

[LucindaJane]

Does she do Brownies? She might like working towards badges.

[Orangedaisy]

*too

’proof read for mummy’ might work