What does your 13 year old do during the summer holidays?

[Schoolhols]

My 13 year old has 7 weeks off from school over the school holidays. We are going away for one week but I am worried how to
fill the other six. If I have nothing planned she will just stare at a screen for 6 weeks. What do other teens do?

DD was 13 last summer. She worked 3 days a week, hung out with her friends in town on other days, swam in the local pool sometimes when it was fine, slept until 1pm occasionally! Other than a couple of day trips, I left her to her own devices (albeit I WFH so was around if needed). I think a bit of boredom is good for the teenage soul! They learn to entertain themselves that way.

My son is 13 , 14 in sep. We are also going away the first week of the holidays. The rest of the time off I always make sure he's keeping active not everyday but most days. He will go for a kick about with friends go on bike rides. We will also be going on family days out nothing expensive but to the mountains for walks. He do like his screen like any other typical teenager but it mostly in the evenings when he's been out all day and then chilling which I don't mind. It's a tricky age to say the least.

Mainly hanging out with friends (swimming, cinema, going to city centre, playing tennis and football).
She traveled by train to hang out with her Nan.
She did a lot of cooking (family meals and cake). Slept a lot and played some shite on the Xbox.

DD has a list for herself. Which she wrote. 45 minutes work out, 1 hour art, 1 hour reading, 30 minutes piano and so on. Also random tasks like 'learn all the capital cities' she sets herself.

There are more screens than I'd like but the other stuff means she is deciding her own levels which is more effective than me doing it.

Mine has a week at scout camp, two weeks at sailing school, a week at forest camp. Then two weeks to lie about the house. It’s necessary to get mine outdoors otherwise he would be on screens for 20 hours (and he loves it when he actually makes it outside)

Mine is 14 so was 13 last summer
I work fulltime albeit often from home so I can't be putting on things for him to do all the time
Last summer he went swimming in the local pool, met up with friends playing football/bikes/cinema; we did a few day trips London and the zoo and the beach, but there was a lot of screen time involved I can't lie. He works hard at school and has been doing a lot of out of school activities though so I don't mind too much.

We’re away a week then home a week going paddle boarding, beach, woodland walks and pub lunches. Then they (twins) have a week with my parents and one is going wild camping with my dad (the other staying home with my mum as she’s not a camper). We also have 2 days in London planned.

the rest of the time, they’ll hang out with friends in the park, go to each other’s houses etc while we’re wfh.

Find them something to do.

That’s exactly what I am trying to do. I started this thread to get help with ideas. Lots of people have given me some helpful suggestions. You could have been helpful but either chose not too, or had nothing to offer (in which case you didn’t have to comment) or, you just wanted to try and belittle me 🙄

Working as in job or school work?

First week let them do their own thing, after that they'll probably get bored, so will appreciate other things like cinema trip/swimming/shopping etc.
We're also using a sports camp and will maybe have a few days out

Mine is going to the gym every day and sailing at his club a few times a week. He has some school work set that will need to be done and once I've finished work we'll go on holiday and days out. He sees his friends for a kick about or coffee once a week or so.

He'll be on screens a lot too.

How have your 13 year olds got gym membership?

Mine also has he can use gym and swimming sometimes they rent the football court out too

My DD is 13. We've already had nearly 6 weeks of our holidays and she has spent most of them sleeping. I've resorted to offering her extra phone time (her phone locks for the rest of the day after its been used for 2 hours) if she does something, like bikes to the shop for me, or plays with her little brother. I dragged her along to DS's football training this week and actually got her to join in with a kickabout afterwards which was amazing! In the evenings she watches telly with me. She's stayed at her friend's for a few days a few times this summer too, doing that again right now.

She did go to a massive volleyball tournament in the first week of the holidays, and that exhausted her plus she got sunburnt and didn't want to go out anywhere until it healed, but then got too used to lazing about all day.

Mine can use his school's gym. It's the same staff on in the holidays as term time and all the boys get taught to use the gym safely by them during term time. He goes in his school sports kit.

I work at a leisure centre. We allow 13yo to have gym membership.

Mine is 12.

She is away for a week with Scouts. She will spend a week with cousins. I also have her booked in for some days at a local outdoor ed centre doing things like kayaking.

Apart from that she will meet up with friends and go to McDs, swimming etc and also have some days vegging out at home.

My DCs are students now but at that age most of their summer holiday time was spent either on meet ups at each others houses or on sporting activities.

When they weren't doing the above, they liked cooking meals, baking, reading and watching films.

We did a few big jobs too such as redecorating their bedrooms.

When my teen was 13, 14 and 15 he did loads of sports. He did some council run sports days with multi sport so dodge ball, swimming, rounders. Other days he did the fun day at Snowdome so tobogganing, climbing and ice skating. Some days he'd just swim in the morning and play tennis in the afternoon with a couple of friends. Some days cricket training in the nets and a run. We'd go on holiday for 2 weeks and he'd be round his friends sometimes or they be at our house because he has a cricket net in our garden and a bowling machine. Occasionally they'd be off to McDonald's or Sunway for lunch. They'd go bowling once a week.or cinema if it rained. He certainly wouldn't be in his bedroom much of the time.

@longdistanceclaraclara working as in job, in a local café serving meals / clearing tables etc on weekends and school holidays. She very much enjoys earning her own money! I limit her to three days a week so she can still have time with friends etc.

Mine had 12 weeks at that age 🤦‍♀️. I used to break it up by mini break's, very odd camp, kayaking, wild camping skills etc

He spent a few weeks visiting family and then we had a family two week holiday. And he has chill time where he set his own schedule.

He read a lot, hiked with friends, took on some extra jobs around the house, I paid him, he is a tough negotiator, minimum wage and written t+C's 😜.

My 13 year old has 12 week summer holidays.

1 week residential camp, 1 week sailing school, 1 week Spanish camp, 2 week family holiday, couple of long weekend trips to visit cousins. All quite spread out over the 12 weeks.
The weeks he doesn’t have anything on he meets friends, walks the dog, sleeps in and just chills.

Mine is 16 and has just finished year 11.

He is looking for a part time job (obviously your 13 year old can't do that).

Goes to the gym and plays football.

He is also doing some volunteering at the riding stables which he has done for a while, he has been riding for years and wants to be a vet. He's posted on social medias too offering to pop in to feed/let out small pets in the local area for people who are going on holiday this summer.

We are also going to France on holiday for the last week of the break.