To ask for "old fashioned" games ideas for DS (9) to play?

[Sleeping456]

Sorry to barge into AIBU :)

DS is nine and the problem we have at the moment is that when he wants a break from his new DS he always says he doesn't know what to do.

He is great at helping with jobs, helping to cook, ride his bike, even knit or write stories etc when he is in the mood but it is specifically stuff he can do by himself indoors that I am looking for.

I really would like some ideas for non-screen time activities for him to play by himself. Back in the good old 1970s young boys must have amused themselves all the time without DS consoles etc.

I'm thinking Airfix kits or meccano or whatever. Unfortunately he doesn't like Lego anymore which is rather annoying :).

Got any ideas? What do your kids do?

Many thanks in advance.

How can he not like lego?

Meccano is great. Drawing? Building stuff out of boxes?

meccano is great
jigsaw puzzles
scrap book on chosen subject [dgs1 is making one on big cats]

Lego

Cluedo (there's a Harry potter version our kids love!)

Pictionary

Fluxx

Card games

A book challenge (my 9yo dd suggested it!)

Definitely meccano. It's fiddly and time-consuming, but very boy-friendly (also tomboy-friendly judging by DD1's interest in it!)

Does he actually like cooking? DD1 is 10 and is beginning to bake by herself. She's enjoying the independence and it takes three times as long as when we do it together, so it's a good way to fill a boring Sunday afternoon. I do the oven bits and get stuff out when asked. She does the rest.

I used to bake a lot of cakes and cookies at that age alone. Decorating them was the best part.

Do they still make scalextrics? I used to love that.

Knex, hot wires, cut and stick, badge making kit.

Gosh thank you folks. DS is reading the answers with me. I think he now understands why I love Mumsnet so much :).

He particularly likes the sound of cooking on his own and the scrapbook idea. We are going to write all the ideas down that he fancies on a lovely big list and then refer to it when he wonders what to do. Obviously we'll have to get some things in.

When I explained what Scalextrics was his eyes became very wide and interested but I imagine that that is rather expensive!

He says he likes the sound of hot wires. But what is it?!

Keep 'em coming guys. Many thanks.

Paper airplanes. DSS who is also 9 spends ages making, decorating and test flying them. There are a surprisingly large number of different builds and modifications you can make and, when you get it right, they can cover some distance.

When I was 9 I loved inventing secret codes (writing all the letters out and substituting for other letters/symbols), constructing things out of cardboard using a hot glue gun (under supervision initially of course) and keeping an 'alternate' diary (like a normal diary but with what I wished had happened that day!) Also, not quite retro fun but if you don't mind him using your digital camera photography is fun and a lot easier and cheaper than back in our day when you had one chance to get the shot and had to wait weeks for Truprint to post the pictures back.

Learning the guitar.

Ds3 (6) got hot wires for Christmas. It says age 8 plus but ds's 1&2 are teenagers so play with him. It has a base plate and different parts that click into place. You cam make a alarm with sound or light, a radio etc. It wasn't cheap but he really likes it and it is well made. I got it from Amazon I think!

How about making a play-base type thing for whatever he's into?
many years ago my nephew was into Star Wars and so we/he made a table top base out of papier-mache so he could put his figures on etc.
Ds has made similar things for cars and some that are for...well anything, just fun scenes with houses and dinosaurs etc. We always just use stuff from around the house (plus pVA glue, paint etc) - make houses, roads, mountains, trees, car-parks - keep adding to it.
Hope some of this makes sense :)

Here's a few ideas that I don't think have been mentioned yet:

Learn to juggle, use a Diablo, spinning plates or devil stick.

Astronomy - pair of binoculars and star chart.

Indoor gardening - herbs for cooking with?

Whittling with wood.

Learn the harmonica.

Learn yoyo tricks.

Airfix models. Electronics.

Garden birds.
RSPB web site is a good place to start. My ds has just received a booklet from them with hints and tips on feeding, watching etc. I think there is a garden bird watch coming up that he can join in with.
He can make fat-balls etc. Make a bird table. Take photos of the birds. keep a log/chart of all visiting birds. Create a website with all the info and photos. Draw the birds. paint the birds......

You have all been wonderful - thank you so much everyone. My cup runneth over :).

Tomorrow DS and I are going to write up a huge list - well he is, that can be the first thing to occupy him.

Some really lovely ideas. It was so nice to read about things that don't involve XBoxes etc and to pretend I am back in time.

Sleep well, knowing you have helped two grateful people. Thank you.

I'm sure I had a chemistry set about that age and the new ones are much more kid friendly (unlikely to do any damage) than when we were kids.
Basic electronics kit
My 9yo neighbour makes pop videos with his sister - video camera, writes silly script, costumes etc
A friends kid makes stop motion animation videos with Lego - there are guides on how to do it on the internet.... - yes it involves computers at some point but it also involves script/story writing, model making and takes Lego to another level

Probably not the ideal time of year for it atm but DS7 loves his bug hunting kit which had magnifying glass, little pots to put bugs in to study them, booklet about insects etc. He also loves making shaker maker type things and painting the figures (not very well!) Top trumps? If it is a subject DS is interested in (star wars, dinosaurs) he will quietly study cards for ages

My ds is seven and will spend ages with toy soldiers, drawing 'stick battles' (which is just stick men drawings in different battles) or building a den outside. He loves Lego, can you reignite a love of Lego? Make up some games or something?

Ds is also a paper aeroplane lover, likes setting up targets to shoot with nerf guns, obstacle runs in the back garden or baking.

Yes to collector cards which I did kind of grudge but there's a lot They can do with them.

This is how DS3 spends his free time:
Origami, especially making characters from Star Wars.
Making stop motion animation movies with Lego Minifigures.
Trying to start a Nerf war with DS1.
Knex.
Meccano.
Devising more and more elaborate marble runs.

Also:
Playing the drums.
Making up codes and being a spy.
Practising close-up magic tricks.

Ukeleles are very easy to play and cheap to buy.

If you have space, indoor basketball hoop or magnetic darts board.

My DS has a 30 x 12" tabletop pool table which he practises on when noone will give him a game.

Microsocopes are fun.

I feel bad not commenting individually, it would take forever but they truly all sound great.

Re the marble runs ThreeBeeOneGee, do you mean he makes big ones with toilet rolls or something? Sounds fab.

We have had no fewer than three marble run sets donated to us by people whose children had grown too old to play with them any more. They are all of the same design so compatible with each other. The resulting marble runs are taller than the children.