Oh! A kid in our neighborhood offers car detailing. So beyond just regular washing, he really gets in and vacuums and cleans them out.
Ok, this one might be a winner. He actually just did this for me-- his own idea-- and did a great job. He really really wants to work this summer but isn't old enough. This could be a great side gig.
We do have a neighborhood facebook page, so he could advertise there. I'll talk to him about it tonight!
This would be amazing. And it would get him socializing with people of all ages, which is always a plus. Have him create a poster/brochure to circulate!
Is he going into high school? If so can he take an online summer school class to get a requirement out of the way? That's what my then 13 year old did last year. This year he is doing golf practice, drivers ed and a coding class online through UCLA Extension.
He is pretty burnt out on online classes and just screen time in general after the past year, so I'm not sure if he'd be up for an online class.
But definitely lots of good ideas for offering services in the neighborhood-- I think they would be up his alley.
He's a very literal kid, not particularly creative, so while I don't see him creating his own board game, I *could* actually see him doing something like building his own wooden chess set or something... Hmm. This has given me a lot to think about!
I get it! David is 12 and just has a ton of energy. We do daily five mile walks just to put a dent into that, lol.
Lots of good recommendations here, I just want to rave about Outschool. We always do a ton of classes with them and they are really fun for him and they are fairly reasonably priced. There are so many to choose from.
He's also getting really into coding. My H set him up with a ten hour tutorial (java), but my helps him with that because I don't know anything about it, but he needs very little help and he's actually loving it.
Is there anyone he could hang out with??? I mean, when I was little (dark ages, LOL), nobody went to camps or anything. We just rode our bikes to each other's houses, went to parks, sometimes got a ride somewhere with someone's parent, like to the movie theater or something. In between, I guess I went for walks, read, did art projects on my own.
Is there a sport or other local activity he could still register for over the summer?
I have no ideas but I would love to hire a neighborhood kid to clean out my car! That’s a great idea. Just vacuuming the interior, wiping down hard surfaces/seats, and cleaning out the cup holders would be amazing.
Is there anyone he could hang out with??? I mean, when I was little (dark ages, LOL), nobody went to camps or anything. We just rode our bikes to each other's houses, went to parks, sometimes got a ride somewhere with someone's parent, like to the movie theater or something. In between, I guess I went for walks, read, did art projects on my own.
So just want to mention since several people mentioned doing things with friends-- the friend situation is a little complicated. He did have some good friends in the neighborhood going into the lockdowns last year, but they didn't really do a good job of staying in touch (as you'd expect from then-12 year olds).
Now he feels really awkward around them. I've talked to their moms, and they ALL feel awkward and didn't maintain friendships through quarantine, but it's been hard getting them to reconnect. Unfortunately, their interests have also diverged somewhat during their time apart, which makes it harder. (Like, all DS thinks or talks about is cars. No one else is interested, but then he doesn't have anything else to say...)
All that to say, I'm hopeful that he can spend some time with friends, but I don't think it's something we can count on to fill his time.
Post by supertrooper1 on Jun 9, 2021 13:01:12 GMT -5
Can you find him a small engine to rebuild? I don't know how independent of a project this would be, but a friend's son started rebuilding small engines at 12 or 13 and moved on to cars as he got older.
Is there anyone he could hang out with??? I mean, when I was little (dark ages, LOL), nobody went to camps or anything. We just rode our bikes to each other's houses, went to parks, sometimes got a ride somewhere with someone's parent, like to the movie theater or something. In between, I guess I went for walks, read, did art projects on my own.
So just want to mention since several people mentioned doing things with friends-- the friend situation is a little complicated. He did have some good friends in the neighborhood going into the lockdowns last year, but they didn't really do a good job of staying in touch (as you'd expect from then-12 year olds).
Now he feels really awkward around them. I've talked to their moms, and they ALL feel awkward and didn't maintain friendships through quarantine, but it's been hard getting them to reconnect. Unfortunately, their interests have also diverged somewhat during their time apart, which makes it harder. (Like, all DS thinks or talks about is cars. No one else is interested, but then he doesn't have anything else to say...)
All that to say, I'm hopeful that he can spend some time with friends, but I don't think it's something we can count on to fill his time.
I see. Thanks. I do get it. I have a 12 year old who did virtual school. She's reconnected with some girls via soccer but there's a lot of awkwardness in that whole age group. My plan also wouldn't even work for US, b/c we aren't in a location where my kids can ride bikes everywhere like we used to do. We had SO MANY places we could go on our own, and it was all pretty "safe", too.
Since you said he likes to mow, I think offering mowing/yard care services to neighbors is a great idea! It could take up as much or as little time as he wanted - he could do it just for one person or several households.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Jun 9, 2021 13:04:46 GMT -5
My kids (11 and 14) are primarily being lazy teenagers. They don't like camps either. Some of the things they do: - Prep and cook dinner (DD); some other chore like laundry or bathrooms (DS) - Have lunch at the mall a mile away with their cousin (H will drop them off, then they walk home) - Work out: we walk/run as a family every evening, and they each find workouts on Youtube that they do - Read manga (DS) - Learn/practice Japanese via Duolingo (DD)
In terms of socialization, DS chats with his friends while they play video games. DD also has a couple of friends that she calls/messages. We have to be pretty proactive about getting them together in-person, which is tricky. Some of the parents are more COVID-cautious, and it's almost like the kids forgot how to interact in-person. (DS did distance learning most of the year, and DD did it all year.)
Post by BicycleBride on Jun 9, 2021 13:06:24 GMT -5
I would love for someone your DS’s age to take my 8 year old DS out for runs and bike rides while I am home. My Ds loves outdoor stuff but DD can’t keep up and Ds would go for way longer than I have interest in. So basically I need a dog walker for my child lol. Maybe your DS could see if any families of younger children in your neighborhood would hire him for that sort of thing? I imagine there are a lot of parents in your situation but with younger kids who would love to hire an older kid to run them around a bit while the parents wfh.
Does he like building things? There are some really cool extra challenging lego sets aimed at older teens and adults.
On the friend thing what if they all got rc cars and worked together to build Obstacles and play with them? If there is a group project they could get over their awkwardness and have an activity that is fun to work with. It would probably rekindle the friendships and open up other opportunities too.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Jun 9, 2021 13:23:59 GMT -5
I know you said he's burnt out on screen time, but DD gets ideas from TikTok (and less so Youtube). Maybe he could look for small projects that way? It may require a trip to the hardware or craft store, but he could do some research, make a supply list, then follow the instructions to build something.
I would also pay a kid to mow my lawn since mine hates to do yard work.
Oh! A kid in our neighborhood offers car detailing. So beyond just regular washing, he really gets in and vacuums and cleans them out.
Ok, this one might be a winner. He actually just did this for me-- his own idea-- and did a great job. He really really wants to work this summer but isn't old enough. This could be a great side gig.
We do have a neighborhood facebook page, so he could advertise there. I'll talk to him about it tonight!
I’ll add the option of cleaning trash cans/separating recycling if your neighborhood has rules about keeping cans clean or sorting recyclables. It wouldn’t require additional equipment from the car wash and might give him some more options. We get business cards all the time about can cleaning, so it’s a thing. (I don’t blame him if he’s not interested, though!)
Does he like photography or have any remote interest in it? If you’re close to a nature preserve, he can set out to photograph the different wildlife/plant life there and offer the photos to the nature center if they turn out well.
If you have a dog, he can teach the dog new tricks/skills. Or would he be interested in walking some neighbor dogs? If you have a cat, can he built cat forts out of Amazon boxes?
Post by pinkballoons on Jun 9, 2021 13:41:04 GMT -5
Also, check your local library system for options! Summer is a great time for library programs and some systems do a great job of engaging teens in unique ways aside from traditional reading programs.
I have a 13 year old DD and am in a similar situation. She can ride her bike to the pool and is on swim team so she will do that each morning when the weather is good. She made a list of things she wants to try baking, several crochet projects, and a goal of reading 1 book a week. She does not like kids and would not babysit or offer to entertain kids in any way, unfortunately!
I think the classic models are a great idea. I see many now are snap together or don't need to be pained. The originals are the best with lots of detail. I think they're perfect for his age.
My teen is a car lover as well. He found a handful of friends who like cars or tolerate his love of cars enough. They have enjoyed car meet ups where they can look at cool cars and then get food. Google "cars and coffee" and your city and see if you can find something like that maybe.
There’s also YouTube channels and books about “100 things my dad/mom taught me” type of things like changing a tire, wiring an outlet, fixing plaster, building a campfire, sewing on a button, etc. that could be helpful and interesting.