Holiday ideas

[MintGreenC]

What are you doing with your teens/ preteens in the holidays? Everything is so expensive. No puddle jumping or feeding ducks 😂 not keen on museums and have been to most when they were younger

We stopped the smaller day trips and went on bigger ones less often.

Or send them with friends so you no longer pay for yourself.

Swimming, cinema, coffee out with friends, games etc

Theme park once a year.

Meet ups with friends to the park - free

This holiday? Visiting both sets of grandparents, visit the donkey sanctuary (free) and planning a trip to Bristol’s wild project (depending on weather).

I’m hoping to take them to a theme park in May half term then summer holidays we are going to the Canary Islands where they’ll swim in the pool and sea pretty much every day, and play tennis. Thankfully they entertain themselves pretty well (3 dds) and even the 16yo joins in with the younger twins (13) when it’s holiday time. They also take turns to cook dinner sometimes and are getting quite competitive.

Zoos were forever popular, even into adulthood. Trips to the theatre for shows again, remained popular all the way through, same with the cinema. Mostly they wanted to meet their friends somewhere and have a good old catch up so we often did that in pizza express or wherever was local that could cater to dietary requirements and mums had a separate table and equally enjoyed the catching up.

Go ape like places fun, same with bouldering/rock climbing. Still drag them out for dog walks with friends but there is some pushback.

Days out in London were still enjoyed and we let them choose - Madame Tussauds was surprisingly popular with pre teens which surprised us.

We re started our family gym membership and they do enjoy a swim although often chill in the jacuzzi more these days

Theme parks a mixed bag- depends if they like rollercoasters or not! Harry Potter studios a big success (albeit pricey!) same with day trips to the beach on the whole.

We're off to Jodrell Bank with our 13yo tomorrow. If it ever stops raining, he's asked to go walking. He'll also arrange to meet up with friends to play football. He enjoys doing a jigsaw and playing board/card games. And before this all starts sounding too wholesome, he spends vast amounts of time on his PS5.

I am currently in charge of
2x 13 yr old, 1x 17, 1x 15

This is what they have wanted to do
(We won't necessarily do all of it but these were their suggestions)

Swimming pool (with slides/ inflatables/ wave pool)
Ice skating
Climbing wall/ Go Ape
Laser tag
Bowling
Cinema
Meal out eg Pizza, Mexican
Baking (do a bake off contest)
Movie night at home with popcorn
Shopping trip with their pocket money (more the 3 girls than the boy although he is persuadable if there are geeky stores
They still quite like an adventure playground apart from the 17y old
They will go on a long walk if it's billed as an adventure and involves a picnic
Stately home/ museum only if it's interesting to them. We have enjoyed Duxford air museum and Bletchley Park recently as they like war stuff or a sci fi/ mystery angle

1 x 14yo girl.
We have been to the cinema, out for a meal, to a VR place. Stayed at her nans tonight and apparently they took the dog for a walk and then got a takeaway and watched the Taylor swift tour on TV. She will go shopping with her friends on Friday and on Saturday her friend is staying over.
One day next week she's going ice skating with friends and I think she mentioned going to the indoor fair one day too.
I think we will go to an arcade place, and probably a Costa and beach walk one afternoon. She has been to a couple of intensive dance days as she is on competitive dance team. I also added her to my gym membership so sometimes she comes with me and she likes running on the track or swimming although the highlight is definitely getting a smoothie at the gym cafe after.

I have a 13 yo dd. Easter consists of:

• climbing wall with sibling
• Day out science museum
• Day out shopping with me
• Meeting friends in local town centre
• various trips to parks (cycling, running, playing with sibling)
• visiting friends
• baking unsupervised
• A few afternoons babysitting for kids who are stuck at home whilst their parent is wfh (she is good at keeping them occupied while the parent works and it earns her some pocket money, building up to proper babysitting for these families once she is a bit older)
• theatre in London (tickets were a Christmas gift)

It is actually quite a mundane holiday overall punctuated with occasional excitement. Am really excited about the green shoots of a holiday job Babysitting! She would be the envy of her friends if she was actually earning her own money.