Ideas for non-screen activities for teens during lockdown

[RemarkableLemur]

My teens both do a lot of online gaming, which is not a problem as in the past it's been offset by all the sports activities they used to do, and of course going to school.

Now all school is online, and all sports and drama and other kids activities cancelled, all that they do is sit for hours and hours and hours each day in front of screens, and my youngest isn't coping very well.

Board games are nice but I need to think of things my youngest can do by himself.

He goes out for a bike ride once a day.

Any other ideas?

How about c25k?

Mine are doing:

Painting room
Running an hour a day
Baking / cooking
Looking after pets - rabbits, chickens, cat
Volunteering online with brownies
Helping with DIY around house for money
Netflix
Sewing
Art
Looking up A level and degree courses and jobs
News with me
Taking food to zoo animals who have asked for donations

Though very much a male / female divide here with DS thinking everyday is a lovely day for doing nothing and DD doing 90% of those.

I can't say that any of these work for long, but: jigsaws, sudoku, crosswords, knitting, and screens where people are doing things together rather than alone--facetime, messenger kids, Roblox, fortnite, etc. It's just all a bit shit, and at best is like an endless rainy October half-term holiday in a caravan near bridlington. Plus schoolwork.

Cooking

That line about the rainy holiday in Brid - so true!

Some good ideas here, thanks.

If anyone has any more ideas, keep them coming.

Board/card games.
16 year old DS1 is teaching himself the keyboard.
14 year old DS2 is moaning that brother stole his keyboard
I'm going to suggest colouring to DS2 tomorrow as he's struggling. We have the same colouring book so I might suggest a competition.
We've also been watching a lot of musicals. We watched Phantom ànd Billy Elliott Live tonight.

Oh and DS 1 has decided to take up tap dancing again. Apparently his shoes still fit and he's found a big wooden board to dance on. I can't complain, I did the same at his age

Get them to plan and cook a family meal or two.

Forgot DS did some lego.

Both of them have been doing toddler toys again and dancing to todder songs like

We've been doing some general redecorating of house, new rugs etc

Making mocktails, hot chocolate with real chocolate and frothy milk

DD is doing python and she did some political history UK and US

DD wants to lay a wooden floor but hasn't started yet

We wrote an article for the university library

Got some cactus and lights

DH has online piano lessons which child could do too.

We plan summer holidays for when this is over or at least paused over summer.

I was going to say that DS1 (15) has done nothing but sit and marvel how great it is that he barely has to move these days . Then I remembered that he has actually done a fair bit of cooking and baking, put together lots of Lego architecture stuff and he's played complex board games with us/his friends online. He's gone with his Dad for a long dog walk now and then. He had been attending Stagecoach for 12 years +, but we've had to cancel this term as we just can't afford that much for zoom classes . He isn't getting enough exercise at all which worries me. But he's perfectly happy and loves not being at school! He does miss his DnD and Warhammer clubs though.

Perfect time for life skills and learning to be independent, things there are never time for usually.

Cooking/baking - from finding a recipes, to buying ingredients, knife skills, make a sauce etc etc.

Read highway code book (hard copy)

Build and do a home fitness routine every day

Redesign their bedroom

Declutter their bedroom or the loft (sell things not used anymore on gumtree)

Learn to do and manage their own laundry including ironing

Teach them to cook a few basic recipes and then get them to cook dinner once a week
Update their bedroom: build their own flatpack furniture, paint their own walls
Design an item of clothing. Cut the pattern, learn to use a sewing machine and sew it together
Create their own fitness challenge - building up to a number of press ups sit ups, burpees etc a day

Music - playing piano/guitar/singing,
Listening to music,
Rearranging and updating bedrooms,
Selling old clothes on depop,
Selling old nerf guns on eBay!
Fitness regime,
Online monopoly,
Baking and eating cakes!
Cooking healthy lunches
Cleaning out pet cages,
Rubik’s cube challenge.

Those are the things I can think of from the last few weeks. Alongside lots of FaceTiming between Dd and friends, and ds and his friends have rediscovered Minecraft. And watched the whole Star Wars back catalogue on Disney Plus!

My oldest is learning to cook and making their own recipe book so when they leave home they have recipes and hopefully a few skills!

Could they be able to do some shopping for you? A second trip out of the house on some days.

Glad to read about the bike ride.