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How to keep 12 year old granddaughter occupied and happy

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anna7 Sun 30-Jul-23 09:51:25

I am hoping that that some grans can give me some ideas about how to keep my 12 year old granddaughter occupied during the school holidays. For reasons I don't want to go to on a public forum, my granddaughter is spending most of her time with me and dh . She is not near any of her school friends and I just don't know how to keep her busy, especially as she is a bit upset and subdued at the moment. She spends a lot of time on her phone and watches films etc but obviously that's not a good idea for all day. She is not into crafts etc, and has no hobbies as such. I bake with her sometimes but I can't think of anything else. She hates coming on walks with the dog. It doesn't help that I have to spend quite a lot of time with my mother who is very elderly. I would really appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance

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hilz Mon 31-Jul-23 20:51:37

Some useful tips here for me to follow too. Thankyou.
Kids don't have to be entertained and kept busy all of the time to be happy. Its a useful skill for these tweenagers to learn how to fill their own time. I too think you should have a frank conversation about your concerns and ask is there anything she would particularly like to do. If friends have grandchildren similar ages locally perhaps do a pamper evening. You could get some face masks. Nail varnish and hair colour crayons. Go a little crazy..My grandaughter stayed a while with us and yes we baked cakes. Played board games and watched TV together. She enjoyed prepping veg and strained veggies fryed bacon and tossed pancakes as well as making the odd cuppa before announcing how she wasn't allowed to do that at home. Oops. More importantly it gave me chance to really chat and see her differently and although close I like to think we are closer now so there are positives to look forward to. Good luck.

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NotSpaghetti Mon 31-Jul-23 20:57:47

Yes!
Pancakes or waffles are a great thing to do!

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NotSpaghetti Mon 31-Jul-23 21:00:52

If she reads she may like a trip to a good bookshop for a treat.
You can stop off for a coffee and a bun maybe - some particularly good ones may have a coffee bar too.
I have taken 3 grandchildren now to a decent bookshop and they have really enjoyed choosing a book. (Age 8, 12 and 15).

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Thisismyname1953 Wed 02-Aug-23 13:14:32

On Monday I took my 11 year old granddaughter swimming . Yesterday she had a quiet afternoon playing on her iPad , and today I took her to a nearby town to shop for stationery as she starts secondary school in September and it’s nice to have everything new .
Tomorrow she’s going into work with her dad so I just think of something for a few hours Friday morning and that’s my first week done ! Only anther 4 or 5 weeks to sort.

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aggie Wed 02-Aug-23 13:39:27

When I was that age I went to stay with my aunt and her grown up children , my cousins , Aunt chivied me to stop mooning about !
I was there for weeks , in despair she gave me her library card I was in heaven ,

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Mamasperspective Thu 03-Aug-23 00:16:13

If you bake with her sometimes, why not expand that a bit and teach her to cook general meals as well? You could buy her a book and if you have a printer at home, take pictures and create her own cookbook (my mum passed away a few years ago and I love cooking the recipes she taught me)

Another option, if she enjoys taking the pictures, is to watch some online photography tutorials and maybe take her to some different locations to practice.

Might not be any good but just a couple of ideas.

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