Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Hobbies and activities

34 replies

Newuser75 · 27/10/2026 17:13

I’m wondering if people can give me some ideas which might help my son.

He is 13 years old and more and more we are seeing that he just hasn’t got anything that he can occupy himself with while in the house.

He plays football and goes to drama after school and loves TV and does play on games too but we don’t want him doing that constantly.

More and more now he just walks around the house like a little lost soul and unless he has a phone or screen of any kind doesn’t know what to do with himself.

Things he won’t entertain:

lego
art of any kind
crafting
coding

Please tell me what your teen boys do in the house that doesn’t involve a screen!!

OP posts:
bardabunga · 27/10/2026 20:14

Newuser75 · 27/10/2026 17:29

Likes it! Does LAMDA at school as well as a drama club one night a week.

Show quote history

Could you get him interested in writing a play script or a film screenplay?

Original poster
Newuser75 · 27/10/2026 20:30

bardabunga · 27/10/2026 20:14

Could you get him interested in writing a play script or a film screenplay?

Show quote history

That’s a good idea. Thank you

OP posts:
Original poster
Newuser75 · 27/10/2026 20:31

QueenMaiker · 27/10/2026 19:28

Thinking back to my gamer/coder DB his favourites were:

  • Reading
  • Darts board
  • Half-size pool table
  • D&D and similar games
  • Magazine subscriptions about science and gaming (grown up ones not kids ones)
  • Electronics (db built his own gaming computer eventually but at this age was just tinkering)

For my nephew it was:

  • Home gym equipment (pull up bar, exercise bike, dumbbells, mat to do pushups, sit ups, squats and lunges etc etc)
  • Board games with his brother/friends
  • woodwork (he had a workbench in his dad’s shed and he made all sorts of things - a cricket bat and stumps, shelves for his room, a chest with a hinge lid to keep his Stuff in
  • Duo Lingo
  • growing cacti and succulents (not hugely time consuming but does require a bit of faffing about most weeks. There are lots of YouTube videos explaining how to make terrariums, or make cuttings grown on a pebble etc)
  • Learning to juggle! Seriously good in the end - could do 5 balls!

In a similar vein: stunt yo-yos are fun (I had one).

Thanks for taking the time to list all these. There are a few things there he may like to try!

OP posts:
Freshrain · 27/10/2026 20:53

Cooking

Either family meals, or baking, or both

BigBrownBoogyingBear · 28/10/2026 07:17

Warhammer is a really time consuming hobby. You could take him to one of the shops to see if he's interested? They'll explain how it works and give him a model to build and paint. My 13 and 16 yr olds really enjoy it.

My 13 yesr old has a 3D printer- he likes designing and printing things. He just made a cake topper for my parents' wedding anniversary cake! It's probably incredibly toxic 🤣 but it kept him busy while I was at work.

TheCompactPussycat · 28/10/2026 07:37

QueenMaiker · 27/10/2026 19:35

My brother also learned to spin our sofa cushions on his finger. It drove my mum WILD as inevitably eventually they would fly off and smash into the TV or the lamp.

He also used to make little model aircraft from Airfix kits - I know that’s a craft but he really liked building them and painting them.

And one year he got into Origami and also making paper geometric shapes from templates .

Then there was the year we both got into making fudge, honeycomb and jam. It’s quite tricky and also relatively dangerous due to the high temperatures involved! So not one for a kid who lacks common sense.

Oh and growing crystals! Actually this was really my mum’s hobby - she could make HUGE sugar crystals, perfectly smooth. Her salt crystals were magnificent too. There is a real art to it and lots of variables both making the solution, finding the right jar, seeding the crystal then putting it somewhere it can grow perfectly. We would compete to see whose solution made the best crystal.

And finally I recall him growing chilli pepper plants and mushrooms, both from kits. Both these activities annoyed my mum as they took up loads of space and didn’t yield much! But enjoyable.

I was going to suggest Airfix. Yes, it's craft but it involves sharp knives, pliers, etc. and if you really get into it, you can create diorama which may appeal to his drama side.

Birdwatching?
Nature photography?

therockingbird · 28/10/2026 07:54

I have two teens and we’ve spent time on life skills .. 😀 cooking/diy/gardening .. one is really into cooking and the other is very into gardening. I’ve found if I include them in house tasks for an hour or so a day it takes them off their screens and makes them feel useful. We’ve also joined David Lloyd which opened up recently in our area - family badminton has been a huge hit! We spend most of the evening at the gym and sometimes even have our dinner there. It’s brought us all together in the most unexpected way and out the house for hours most nights!

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 28/10/2026 08:43

Singing or music lessons, and the associated practice, could complement Drama well.

Original poster
Newuser75 · 28/10/2026 09:19

therockingbird · 28/10/2026 07:54

I have two teens and we’ve spent time on life skills .. 😀 cooking/diy/gardening .. one is really into cooking and the other is very into gardening. I’ve found if I include them in house tasks for an hour or so a day it takes them off their screens and makes them feel useful. We’ve also joined David Lloyd which opened up recently in our area - family badminton has been a huge hit! We spend most of the evening at the gym and sometimes even have our dinner there. It’s brought us all together in the most unexpected way and out the house for hours most nights!

David Lloyd is actually a really good ideas. Thanks

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread