7yo interests?

[winemaker06]

I have no idea if it's even close to normal for my 7.5-year-old to lose interest in most toys, but it has happened suddenly here. All he wants to do is sit around and read, or otherwise whines for TV/tablet/computer/video games of some sort.

I'm super happy he loves to read, but there has to be some moderation and he obviously needs activity. Just last year when we were all stuck at home, he would play games and pretend things with his little sister, and that doesn't happen AT ALL anymore. He will go outside and play with neighbor kids, but won't happily go out with just his sister or our family. Which makes things miserable when the neighbors are away and/or it's raining or 100+ degrees midday.

I tried getting out some magformers and he doesn't even want to build anything with that or his millions bricks of Lego.

So, what do other kids entering 2nd grade usually do with themselves?

ETA: Both kids are in daycare camp all day, but evenings and weekends have been painful. It's possible is just another fun phase!

[twilightmv]

My 7.5 year old has never liked toys much so it may not be comparable. He’s always liked swords, drawing stuff, books, and shows. He’s the same now. He likes to walk around with hangers pretending they are weapons, Minecraft, drawing, books, etc. He’s never been one to play with action figures or blocks.

ETA: he does love playing with his brother (9) and some of it is still imaginative play.

[waverly]

Is it that he just wants screen time? I know with the pandemic my kids had way more screen time during the shutdowns.

Mine are in summer camp which helps a lot. Last year we had a nanny due to the pandemic, and they did lots of walks and went to parks when they finally opened. They played lots of board games. When sports opened up again they did soccer which helped with the activity level. The kids also scooter and bike ride now that DS has learned. DS doesn’t really want to play outside either unless the neighbors are out. Then they will play basketball as well because we have a hoop. We force them outside and lately they’ve been playing a lot of Gaga ball. We don’t have a Gaga ball area- they’ve just been making that part up.

Otherwise, in the house, DS does a lot of reading. He likes playing sports games. He has a soccer board game and a miniature ice hockey type game. He does still play with his stuffed animals and sometimes they are at war and sometimes the animals are playing the World Cup.

[brooklyn]

I’m jealous your kid wants to read all day. I’d totally let him, especially after daycare activities all day. Mine just wants the tablet. I signed him up for “summer enrichment” just so he’s doing something educational in the morning.

[dontlook]

I would let him be if he’s in camp all day. I would push books over electronic time but it’s normal to be pretty tired especially if they are outside in the heat.

My 7.5 DS had days where he’s really into playing but I have noticed he plays with toys a whole lot less than he used to. DD (10) rarely plays with toys at all so I’m guessing it’s normal.

[winemaker06]

I will clarify that he does get a ton of reading time, but just don’t want him spending the entire weekend shut in his room by himself. And when he ventures out, it’s immediate fights with sister or us or whining.

Daycare camp sucks this year- no field trips or visitors allowed so it sounds like the school-age kids mostly read alone and in groups, play board games, and go outside Mayyybe 3/5 days of the week. (I think they’re short-staffed due to COVID cohorts and all that)
I never thought I would be so impatient for school to start again!

Thanks for the input guys! I’ll keep wracking my brain for ideas because I personally need to get out and about on weekends for my sanity.

[ilikedonuts]

I just got mad at my 7 year old 5 minutes ago for reading instead of playing with her toys when I told her electronic time was up 🤦🏼‍♀️ (And then felt horrible) Her toys never get touched anymore.

[sporklemotion]

My 7 year old also pushes back on anything but screens. She likes crafts and dolls, and also LEGO, so probably not helpful.
She does like puzzles (like Highlights Top Secret Agent or Puzzlemania).

But what I wanted to say in commiseration is I am seeing a HUGE change in her in terms of her labeling things as “babyish.” She has some interests that she probably wouldn’t admit to friends, and I feel like all it takes is naysayer to turn her off to it altogether.

[niq]

V went through a phase of not wanting to do much except watch TV. He reads on his own a ton, and he'll play with LEGOs on his own a ton, but that's about it for fully independent stuff. Otherwise someone has to be playing with him, whether it's board games, taking to the park for a nerf gun fight, story telling, pretend play, whatever.

I don't think the attention span for, like, shooting hoops on your own or playing an instrument really kicks in for a couple of years.

[tacokick]

Maybe he just needs a lot of time to decompress from camp?

[winemaker06]

Jul 8, 2021 18:22:31 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Maybe he just needs a lot of time to decompress from camp?

It's possible! Doesn't explain weekends. But at least we only have 2 months left of "summer" now.

[dcn]

My 8 yo is like this most of the time. He does like to create stuff/figure out how things work. He has been doing his snap circuits lately, and I had him create a treasure/scavenger hunt with clues for his brother recently.

I also make them go outside periodically - they play with remote control cars or these rocket copter slingshot things I found at Lowe’s.

I also play board or card games with him a few days a week.

I feel you though - he just wants to play video games mostly 🤷🏻‍♀️

[court26]

I don’t really have help to offer, but 7 does seem early to start these behaviors. This is where I am at with my 12 year old and I’m endlessly frustrated! I’m sorry! I keep saying that it has to be a phase- a weird phase where I beg him to join the family and then almost immediately hope he goes back to his room because all he does is pick fights with his sister and me! Ugh!

[lilac05]

My almost 8 year old loves LEGO, Beyblades, and Transformers best. He also loves to play outside…mostly games that he and the 3 other neighborhood kids come up with. He wants to learn how to rollerblade and loves his bike and scooter.

He doesn’t get much iPad/computer time in a day, but he does love it. I have to constantly ask him to turn off the TV, as he’d sit and do that all day if I let him.

One thing I try to remember (& remind him) is that not all screen time is created equal. Whether TV, computer, or video games, there’s stuff that’s good for them and stuff that’s terrible for them…and everything in between! Rather than argue about time on screens, I usually encourage them to do/watch something that will add to their lives/day…even if what it adds is “just” so emerging that he can talk about at dinner that evening.

[abs]

My DD started to really lose interest in toys around age 7. She was more into crafts, reading, and yes the tablet at that age.

Now at 10 she never ever picks up toys except for the occasional Lego set.

[magpie]

My 7-year-old could read all day too. She will also listen to audiobooks, which is, frankly, the same thing. While she doesn't play with toys much, she loves to do arts and crafts and putter about outside (jumping rope, scootering up and down our front walk, climbing trees, chalk art in the driveway, etc ). If we have a bunch of art supplies, cardboard boxes and recyclables to get creative with, she will keep busy (though it makes a HUGE mess!). She's even happier if I let her listen to all audiobook while she does it, ha ha!

[ellipses84]

My son started losing interest in toys at that age. He became obsessed with Pokémon so he’d spend more time looking at his card collection or reading. He LOVED toys until then and DS2 is the same way. There is a 5 year age gap between them and DS1 will still occasionally play toys and Legos with his brother (or even alone with his brothers toys if they are sitting out in the living room). He also likes science kit activities and board or card games. He was never into art much but last summer’s quarantine boredom, his cousins’ interest in comic book character drawing and an outdoor pod art class I sent him to made arts & crafts an activity he likes now.

[hocus2]

I found not having any video games or ipad was the only thing the preserved toy use. Desperate kids will actually play with toys. It helps to have them in a desirable spot. Seven is a little on the young side to give up toys but some kids just do that. You may also need consider what you have in the house and test some older kid toys.

[fancynewbeesly]

My 10 year old LOVES toys still. But we are moving so
We are slowly packing her stuff. And because their are less toys out, she tends to be on the iPad more. It is so frustrating.

[tarajane]

My 7 year has lost interest in toys for probably a year now. Although he recently started playing with magnet tiles again.

He's extroverted so doesn't love to sit in his room and read but does it. He has a coin collection he looks at, sorts, etc. He plays sports. Mostly he bugs his younger brothers. I have him do logic grid puzzles or summer gap workbooks to earn computer time above his daily hour.

[gastro]

Tablet is preferred for my 10 year old too.

Other things he will do - Science kits, drawing, reading, chores, listening to podcasts, and FaceTime with friends (still on a device but at least they are talking and being silly). DS1 has a tennis lesson every Saturday and DS2 does a gymnastics class on Saturday mornings. We also try and meet another family at the park or beach.

My DH is hugely anti tablet so will take DS1 and and DS2 out on hikes, to the beach etc for a few hours on the weekends.

We also go the pool at least one weekend day.

I read to my 10 year old still even now sometimes when DD1 naps. He will usually draw or do puzzles when I read to him.

I make him do rounds of Duolingo and a math app while on the tablet before he can do what he wants.


He also has to earn tablet time and one way he can do that is the play with his younger siblings.
I love Mondays….I wonder when I will find a weekend truly relaxing again.

[sandandsea]

Ds1 outgrew toys around age 8. He will play now with his 5yo brother but it’s not his thing. DS2 is totally into toys, moreso than ds1 ever was. Some things he still likes are lego sets, science kits (make a volcano, put together a wood toy, build a birdhouse with real tools, planting things, etc), and of course video games (switch, computer and iPad). We also have a racing simulator that he loves. He also likes being outside and doing active things like riding his bike or hoverboard or scooter or playing sports or swimming with friends.

[DarcyLongfellow]

What about crafts? My 8 year old can play with playdoh for hours. She also loves science kits (the Kiwi crates are huge hits).

I've found that moving stuff around makes a huge difference in what they'll play with. I was about to donate our dollhouse because no one touched it. I moved it from outside the girls' rooms to our family room, and suddenly it's all my 8 year old wants to play with.

[minzy]

There’s not a whole lot of traditional “playing with toys” here anymore either, though neither of my kids have been the type to do real elaborate play acted displays of imagination. My seven year old loves watching people play Minecraft on YouTube, playing Minecraft and Roblux herself, and slime videos. She would do that stuff all day long if we did not intervene. I’m really glad we’ve kind of reset things with full day camp and an activity like the pool most nights, because she no longer has lots of hours of unstructured time where we can fight about the TV or iPad.

Otherwise she loves writing stories, drawing or any other kind of art, playing with slime, playing outside or otherwise being athletic, and reading, if it’s a good book. The other day she was so enthralled in a library book when it was time to take a shower that she actually took it in there with her and got it all wet. 🤦‍♀️

Resetting by vegging out for an hour or so after a big period of activity is definitely something my whole family does.

[blissann]

My 8 year old son plays Yugioh, Legos, Imaginext, and Barbies. He also loves being on the computer (Webkinz, Neopets, and games on Shockwave Unlimited), Wii, and DS. He rides his scooter and swims, but doesn't like sports. His very favorite board game (now a family favorite - we're all into it) is Heroscape. And everything coloring. This resource helps coloring-for-kids.com/