What are you doing with/ what are your teens doing this week?

[Idratherbepaddleboarding]

School seems to have broken up early this year and now we have a week to go until Christmas with no plans at all. We had a lovely, Christmassy weekend with friends and I’d like to keep the momentum going but I’ve no idea what we can do. Luckily, DS still likes to do things with us but left to his own devices, he’ll just game which isn’t the end of the world but he was already bored yesterday as we didn’t go ice skating til after tea. We can’t afford to spend a fortune on indoor activities but it’s raining outside. We live rurally, so he can’t just go out and find things to do. DS’s GF is at her mum’s this week so he won’t be able to hang out with her and he goes to a grammar school in our nearest city so his school friends are spread far and wide. All of our extended family are ill so we can’t even go to theirs.

He doesn’t need to be entertained all of the time, but a bit of something to do would be good! Does anyone have any ideas??

I feel the same. They're happy chilling in their rooms but because it's Christmas, I feel bad, like we should be doing things.

Yesterday the teens were tempted out of their rooms to make peppermint bark. We took them for lunch at the garden centre at the weekend. Bit of a theme here dangle food and they seem to be interested. We will all go to walk to the local street that put on the charity Christmas lights if it ever stops raining long enough this week.

Other than that it’s the usual Christmas films etc.

Here mainly hanging around gaming and vegging but recovering from horrible flu thing. Although they are chatting about meeting friends today to do some Christmas baking.

Cooking.
Christmas films.
Silly crafts? We made some reindeer napkin rings a few years ago.
Escape room game - you can get these one at kits for about a tenner.

Kahoot or similar? You can play it on the TV screen and my kids like doing that. We take it in turns to make quizzes for each other. We also made jam but now have so much jam I'm worried about fitting the turkey in the fridge.
A bit of veg time on their own is perfectly fine as well though!

DS is mostly working.,
DD is meeting up with friends, redecorating her room (she has art work stuck all over it and it changing and refreshing it) and doing some baking.

I'm working, so my ability to do "something" with them is limited. But we'll have "do stuff with family" overdose in the week after Christmas.

Not a lot, I’ve asked them if they want to do things but they are happy just vegging out, I don’t blame them really one of my children is in year 11 and has had test after test/ PPEs etc and now just wants to chill before it all starts again after Christmas.

We went to my aunt’s house yesterday for a family Christmas dinner and fun, which DD enjoyed. Today she is chilling this morning and then has a therapy appointment this afternoon. Tomorrow we are going Christmas shopping in town tighter and will have a Starbucks. Wednesday is another chill day then Thursday she is going ice skating at Battersea with a friend and then out for dinner. On Friday we are meeting a friend for a wander along the south bank and a pub lunch. Christmas Eve she is having a friend over and they are baking Christmas cookies then my mum will come over in the evening and we’ll have a buffet tea together. Then off to my sister’s for the main event on Christmas Day. (DD is 17 if that’s relevant)!

School doesn't finish til Tuesday here, and then DS is working every day up to and including Christmas Eve so I have no problem keeping him occupied. My other son has just returned from University and he has lots of important but not very festive things planned like going to the dentist and opticians! Other than that, I expect they will both be talking to friends on the internet, gaming, and doing their usual hobbies. No particular Christmas plans though I am hoping to prevail upon them to put the decorations up at some point and I may get some "help" with pre Christmas baking - like a PP, food seems to lure them from their rooms!
We also live rurally so catching up with friends is easier said than done, though I expect DS1 will try to meet up with his local friends at least once whilst he is home, though I guess that is more likely to be over New Year.
I wouldn't try too hard to be honest. Some down time is generally needed at this stage of the year anyway.

I’ve got 2 teens and a preteen. Eldest has learning difficulties, though, so slightly different for us.

today we are off to see Father Christmas (younger 2 actively want to carry on doing this for their sister, which is nice)

tomorrow we are off to the pantomime

wednesday is a chill day, but with a local Pokémon swap club for youngest.

theoretically they are off to exH for Christmas this year, but that’s not really happening (their choice), so I will have to find some more things to fill in time for eldest later this week.

next week, I have plans for local light show thing and we are off for our annual visit to Longleat to see the lights display there too. Hopefully also have some friends popping by to visit, and will also do ‘my’ Christmas lunch and presents etc one day.

in between there is still a fair amount of time for them all to chill (although eldest has no concept of that, and needs constant entertaining) and middle dc has a tonne of revision to do as has mocks in January too.

Teens do their own student they. Obviously and family and friend meetings will mean they are obliged to attend.

First day of the holidays here and ds15 has asked me not to wake him up - he is still snoring away in bed. Mocks were not great for him after six weeks of illness that school would not recognise until I (paid) for a doctors letter. So I am encouraging him to potter and do his thing. So it's haircut, dentist and he has a few shifts in the pub where he works and he is going to pack away the big shop on Thursday.

I'm happy with the level of activity and he is being more Independent.

Mine have had this horrid virus so are still a bit lethargic/coughing so mostly films and eating chocolate! We will do a few nice long dog walks and pub lunch/hot chocolate and cake but other than that I’m letting them do their own thing. We’ve got family staying for Christmas so that’ll be busy then

You are so lucky!!! Our tyke breaks up 23rd, which is bliss as he's 7 with ALN & we both finished by 16th, but now we need to fund childcare on Thurs 5th as he's not back til 9th! Wish we could have a fun, family week off together, but earn 36k a year between us, DH is now ill & recovering after a long arse autumn term (he's a HLTA & Cover Teacher with leadership responsibility for ICT & PE, I'm an FE College Careers Advisor) & I'm so bored I'm on mumsnet, avoiding housecleaning or booking appts (opticians, dentist). Literally cannot wait until DS is a teenager though, time off from him and work for good behaviour is like gold dust!!

My teen (DD 17) is helping out at our church foodbank/warm space from now until Thursday.

Ours are still in school.
They don’t go back until January 9th so hopefully we can enjoy a bit of time together without the Christmas pressure!

All the schools round here don't finish til 23rd

Ds1 (12) has been out with me running errands, shopping, got his hair cut, picked a present for his little brother etc. Now he's sorting through old toy cars to give away (and make space for new). He's already been on to his mates and I think they are going to arrange a gaming afternoon at one or another of their houses.

Ds2 is still at school til Wednesday. He's really disgruntled.

14yo has friend over for sleepover tomorrow and I think they'll be hanging out for the best part of 2 days.

Thanks for all of the replies. I should have added DS is 13. He loves to cook and cooks for us nearly every night so he’s settled on baking gingerbread and is going to come with me to town to get the ingredients. Don’t worry, he will certainly be getting plenty of downtime and gaming time, but he’s already bored of that. We also need to go to Costco before Christmas just for those mince pies but it’s far away so it’s a bit of a day out in itself 😂 and he’ll come for the pizza. Then we’ll go into the nearest city one day to get his Dad’s present as he’s left it too late for reliable delivery really (he’s already got mine but is still waiting on delivery).