Ideas for a TG teen girl who is bored to death!

[cricketmum84]

Just wondered if anyone had any ideas to occupy a 15 (almost 16) year old teen trans girl during this lockdown? (Only mentioning she is trans as she's not in to the "traditional" girly stuff that I would do with her younger sister)

She is so fed up, has video calls with friends and family, goes out for a daily walk and takes photos but she is still bored. I keep suggesting thinks like family film night, board games, sketching, writing, reading a book etc but everything is met with a shrug. I even suggested a makeup challenge but still no interest.

Has anyone had any novel ideas that might occupy some of her time?

I think that's pretty typical tbh, and there's not much you can do. Its an age when peers are really important for so many kids, and as a parent you can't really step in and replace them. How did she spend her time before lockdown? My DD has been doing a lot more reading, art and music practice than before. But she also spends a lot of time moping around being miserable.

Knitting
Painting
Baking
Stop motion animation
Enter loads of online competition/those ones on receipts etc.
Pay her to cut the grass/wash the car/look after her sister
Learn a new skill (check out future learn)
Learn a language

I think sometimes they're just determined to be bored though. They're not really bored, they're fed up and who can blame them?! So maybe she just wants sympathy and not solutions.

It's hard isn't it - they rely so much on social interaction at that age.

Agreed maybe she does just want a bit of sympathy rather than for me to come up with stuff. I'm just conscious she is sleeping later and later every day sort of want her to be trying to fill her day with more than just sleep and FaceTime!

She's an amazing cook and wants to go into food at some point so I suggested getting a stack of recipe books out the garage and trawling through but didn't even get a response to that 😂

Is she the type where you could just call her on it? Just say something along the lines of 'I know you're fed up and fair enough it's properly shit, but for your mental health you have to do something other than sleep and face time. I can help with ideas/materials if you need me to'. And just leave it with her.

Is she the sort of person who would respond to doing something for others? So she cooks for you all in the evening or perhaps for a neighbour or someone who is unable to get out at all or poorly?
My daughter has had quite a lot of school work - full online everyday . She’s also done Joe Wicks twice a day so after that we haven’t done lots. She’s helped with cooking, learned to bake and binge watched Netflix and played Sims and Just Dance. I’ve also taught her cleaning and ironing and she’s helped a bit with that tho not when doing school stuff. Thinks she’s so gratefully she hasn’t got GCSEs on Monday she wouldn’t dare to say she was bored!! Mood definitely a bit up and down tho but also I think a little nervous about seeing people again and what it will be like .

Could you tell her rather than ask? Say something along the lines of "II know you are good at cooking, I want you to cook dinner on Friday and plan it all out".

Agree with *Nuff" though, you can point out that they aren't making very good choices, you can suggest things but ultimately it's up to them.

Mine are Netflixing, baking, family games night (actually favourite of my very trad teenage girl who thinks many activities are for ‘nerds’). Loads of good docs on Netflix at the moment if she is politically inclined.

Re design the garden, bedroom, front room but only using items you already have in the house.

My 15 /16 year old has redecorated his bedroom. He chose paint colours and I ordered for click and collect at Wickes. I did the masking and cutting in but he painted the rest of the walls. He is waiting for a new wardrobe via Ikea delivery and sorting his clothes, games and pictures etc.

What about doing online sign language.
Typing tutor learning to type on keyboard will help when doing assignments
My dd will be 17 in July so she started doing online driving theory
She also painted her bedroom does lots off cooking
Her GCSE are cancelled does a bit off study in A level choices

Buy a pasta machine and encourage her to help cook? A new gadget is usually a better proposition for me than a recipe book x

Couch to 5k?

If she likes to cook how about writing down ingredients on a scraps of paper, putting them into a bag, shaking the bag and have her pick out 3 at random. Then she can go search out a recipe she fancies that includes all 3 and cook it? Like a civilised Ready, Steady, Cook.

Some fantastic ideas thanks everyone!

@Glowcat that was one of the ideas I came up with last night that actually gained a flicker of interest! I suggested giving her a 5 ingredient challenge where she needed to come up with recipes for 5 ingredients plus store cupboard staples and then cook them for us.

Pasta machine is an excellent shout @Kiki275. She would love that!

@Gwynfluff as with I imagine most 15yo she has plenty of political opinions so Netflix is a good shout. Would get her out of her bedroom too!