9 / 10 year old girls. What do yours do all day?

[treetrunkthighs]

Dd1 is obsessed with the iPad, to the exclusion of just about everything.

She is limited to an hour a day but when she's not on it she is stomping around talking about it, begging for ten more minutes.

She does like to read and write but doesn't 'play' anything any more.

I need some suggestions I can offer her when faced with "I am so boooooored". Do yours play with toys still? Which ones?

Thanks

Does she see friends in the holidays? I should get her out getting physical exercise - take a friend.

If they are bored I suggest housework and generally they find something to do! How about cooking? Let her do some meals - plan them. Gardening - craft projects.

My 9 yr old DD mainly does a variety of the following....

Lego building
Pocket Pet re-arranging
Drawing endless pictures
Making 'houses' for toy monkeys/ponies/cats
Playing with small toy horses and their stable/horsebox etc
Tormenting her 2yr old brother
Doing 'show jumping' courses round the garden on an imaginary pony
Trying to teach the cat tricks
Reading and reading and then reading some more
Sewing things out of felt
Making dens
Digging holes

Screen time doesn't figure majorly - maybe an hour a week on a pony games website, or a film before bed at the weekend. We've got a Wii but due to building work on the house it is packed away atm and she hasn't really noticed it's absence.

Tbh in your situation I'd ban the iPad for a fortnight, provide an assortment of books/decent toys/art supplies, and completely ignore the whining and stomping (headphones may help here). In my experience children will always find something to do if left to get bored enough.

I would agree - if she is stomping around obsessed by it have a complete holiday from it for a fortnight.

I also point out that as a mother I have lots of 'hats' but chief entertainer is not one of them! To the 'I am bored' I have several stock answers. 'I wish that I had time to be bored', 'Only boring people get bored' or 'I can find you a job to do'. It is her problem.

My almost 9 year old (but has a lot of friends who are 9 already) likes to...

Ride her bike,
Make up Gym routines
Will play some make believe stories with friends (When her gym friends came round - all aged 9 & 10, they had an elaborate WW1 story being played out)
Watch Horrible Histories
Writing and Drawing
Craft stuff
Bounce on the Trampoline
Play with her Ipod.
Some board games (like Uno extreme)

But no, she doesn't play with toys as such any more. The only ones she does still play with is the dressing up. She has a younger sister, so they often play that together.

reading and writing stories, about cats and Pokemon.
listening to MP3 player.
going out on jaunts in our car.
the Wii.

we are trying to do some more meet up with friends type things, even if it's just park and a coffee, but people are away or busy, so it's difficult, and needs planning. Am determined not to let these hols slip by.

My dd (9) will still play sylvanians on her own. She talks her 2 younger brothers into dressing up and performing in plays with her. She can bake cakes independently and likes to sew bits of felt together. She loves reading, but mostly in bed, and enjoys games such as chess, uno extreme, mouse trap but gets frustrated with her brothers. She will bike ride or go swimming but obviously those involve me too! Oh, chalking pictures on the patio is another favourite.

She does also love screens though and will ask for some computer time every day or wii or DS. She is beginning to enjoy movies that I like now though and we snuggle up with popcorn on rainy afternoons; Calamity Jane was a big hit.