What do your 8 year olds do?!

[LegoCardSwapper]

We've just got back from a week in the countryside and all of a sudden the rest of the summer holidays are feeling a bit of a void. We've got the odd thing booked and I intend to book some more bits with friends and some play dates but...

My girls and my toddler boy play. Happily. Will play together/alone/side by side. Happy in the playroom just pottering (pulling everything off the shelves every day). My 8 year old boy is a different beast. Will happily stare at the iPad/tv/switch all day if I let him. Long story, but due to some circumstances at home today he watched iPad for 6 hours! Plus some time on his switch and some time watching the Olympics. I am mortified.

It got me thinking though (as I have put some time restrictions on his devices) and there is literally nothing I could point at as something he enjoys. He likes building Lego sets but then doesn't play with them, and doesn't play with the huge box of lego.

So, what do your 8 year olds do?

Mine are allowed ipads at weekends only and then during the long summer the are allowed two hours max.

Other than that football. Few camps.
Swimming.
Drawing and making things out of clay.
Hot wheels is a big favourite.

DD reads, draws, makes and binds notebooks and books, makes puppets, sews things, writes stories, nags to watch the iPad, watches iPad, nags some more to watch the iPad….(you get the picture). When iPad removed, also plays basketball, roller skates and potters in garden. Likes craft sets, but gets bored after a while as she’s an only and likes other children to play with. Like other DC on the thread, she likes new Lego sets, but doesn’t much want to play with them after the first build!

At the moment she’s watching A Series of Unfortunate Events, Hilda, The InBestigators, endless Horrible Histories, YouTube videos on the Harry Potter films, and drawing and craft videos. She’s reading HP and likes drawing pictures from online tutorials.

We have endless craft and science sets I try to interest her in, but what she really wants is to goggle at the iPad…she does get bored on her own though, and it’s a pain trying to keep her amused all day if we can’t go out/have a play date, eg if isolating, or if I have a heavy work day.

It's hard to limit screen time as I am working from home every day.

So I am having her friend overt other day and on the days the friend isn't here she goes to the friends.

I encourage her to read, craft or paint etc over the iPad.

Just downloaded go Henry so maybe she will be incentivised to do chores for cash

I have done clay in the fridge also from Amazon. A massive block for about a tenner so we will be having a clay day soon.

Found this video really helpful.

at 8, he loved lego (never following directions w the kits), building, art,
walks, climbing (early parkour) not into reading at all.

he had his first lemonade stand

It’s really hard. My 9 year old ds also whines for the tech. He likes playing fifa on switch. I let him most days. He also plays football for hours in the garden. Him and dd player soccerama for hours this afternoon.

I have a few days out planned. Trampoline park, water park inflatables and some sleepovers.

8yr old dd;
At home
Colouring
Painting
Crafting
Puzzles- by that I mean word-searches and crosswords
iPad
Movies
Lego
Board games
Playing with her brother in the garden
Out and about she does;
Swimming ,Body boarding/Surfing Rockpooling( we live 5mins from the beach)
Scooting/cycling
Football