How to keep 12 year old granddaughter occupied and happy

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.

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 ,

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.

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).

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

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.

Thanks ladies. Some great ideas here. I especially like the charity shop suggestion. She is at her other grandma's for a couple of days which is giving us both a breather but I will definitely be putting some of these great ideas in to practice.

Can you get old family photos out ? Show her what fashions have come around again, show her what her parents were like at her age, what you were like at her age.

Do you have any jewellery or clothes she could help to sort out or ask her what stuff of yours she thinks you should get rid of etc , at that age they like their opinions to be taken seriously.

Is it impossible to take her with you to your mom's? My 13 year-old son goes over to my mom's and helps out. He's even learned how to do pedicures on her. My mom is 82 .

Keeping a diary 📔 s always a good idea, especially on rainy days. I started one at the beginning of lockdown and still do it . Assure her that it will be PRIVATE. Or a pen friend… the granddaughter of a friend, perhaps. Story writing. I loved this as a child and , being disabled, some of my pastimes were quite solitary. Family history… research and making a tree. Gardening ? Nice and hands on ! Good luck ! BTW . My two 12 yr old GC LOVE a game called ADVERTS. Take turns to write the name of a product, swap papers and then write what a product does. The resulting mis- matches are good for a laugh and you can adapt the game to other genres with a bit of thought.

growstuff

chelseababy

How about doing a family tree? Familysearch is free and there are lots of other free resources.

Linked to that, do you have any old family photos? At about that age, my daughter's grandmother once asked her to digitise and sort out a load of old photos, which kept her busy for hours.

Just came online to say the same thing! Many (all?) libraries can give you access to 'Find my past' which has censuses going back to 1841.
www.findmypast.co.uk
And www.freebmd.org.uk is brilliant - she can look up Mum & Dad births and marriage etc - and it's free.

chelseababy

How about doing a family tree? Familysearch is free and there are lots of other free resources.

Linked to that, do you have any old family photos? At about that age, my daughter's grandmother once asked her to digitise and sort out a load of old photos, which kept her busy for hours.

Bear in mind her age, her hormones will be starting to play a part at this age, on top of being sad. I have 13 ye old granddaughters and they can be tad difficult to keep occupied. I really wouldn’t push anything on her you want your home to be happy place for her. Phones while not ideal, but it will allow her to keep in touch with what’s going on with her friends back home. Petting farms are good as the animals make them engage. I’d let her lead the way see what occurs.

I wonder if there are any things she would be capable to do, or could learn to do, which you could honestly tell her would be helpful/useful for you or others? We all want, somewhere in us, to be useful at some level - and not necessarily have a big fuss made, but hear e.g. "It really helped that you did XYZ for me/my neighbour/the charity shop........thank you"

I have one great niece that age. Being twelve is on the precipice of growing into teen-hood. It’s kind of a brutal age coming out of puberty into young “womanhood.” They can be emotional and unsure of themselves.

There are advanced 12 yr olds (mature, responsible, astute) and 12 yr olds who are not quite all that, yet.

I think she misses her friend(s). She has no one to relate to while there, to talk and socialize with. If some girlfriend would come and visit I think you’d see an immediate change in her outlook. Not just for one day (as she’d have to get used to you too) but a few days so they can actually accomplish something. A really fun thing is to make friendship bracelets using embroidery floss, not that expensive. They will find their own level of fun.

If possible, can you enlist a (friendly) neighboring teen to be a guide around your neighborhood? Library, ice cream, movie? You’d have to know this family.

Admit you don’t know what she’d like to do and just ask her. Say you want her to be happy - not lonely or bored.
Good luck!
USA Gundy

How about doing a family tree? Familysearch is free and there are lots of other free resources.

My just turned 14 year old grandson used to stay with us every weekend so mum & dad could work, I used to take him to hobbycraft and buy him the items to make Xmas cards or birthday cards etc and sit with him and do it together, also as been mentioned before download the App free prints 45 on her phone and send off the photos which she would like to put in a scrapbook and a bit about them or maybe you take some photos of photos you have of your parents and her mum or dad when they were smaller and she can build her own memory album. How about a cinema afternoon, my husband always goes with DGS. When I used to look after my nieces I’d take them for a manicure and have mine done at the same time or buy her a couple of items of clothes on a shopping and lunch out day? One other thing see what’s on at the theatre especially if you live near to London, they have some good matinee deals on in the holidays sometimes.

Juniper
I agree with what you say, my two thirteen year olds love getting their nails done and shopping. We are lucky enough to have a lovely outdoor pool, but there wouldn’t be much fun going alone.
Board games are an option, Netflix could keep a teenager going for months.

One idea is to scour the local coach companies trips.in school holidays thru usually go to theme parks ,shows in London or cities near by .,and other places you don’t want to drive to .
Charity shops if you know somewhere with lots and lunches out ,go karting tho better with a friend,cinema,shopping generally ,these places like go ape with rope ladders etc etc,
All this stuff costs money but it’s only for a short period so make the most of it .

Can you go swimming? Some pools are offering special rates over school holidays. No mixing or joining in required but can boost mood a bit. Any animal centres eg rescue centres where public have access. Animals can be comforting. Even a bit of gardening. My 12 year old GD isn't into this but does seem to enjoy trundling up and down with the lawnmower and in autumn using the leaf blower. Both seem to get a few smiles of how clever I've been. Do you need a fence painted? GD loved doing that with me during Easter holidays. Jigsaws, board games with jelly bean prizes. Shopping for something to wear never goes amiss. Try not to "fix" her. Just go with the flow as they say. Security abd knowing she is not going to be interrogated about "what's wrong with you". If she wants, she will give little indications and you can respond then. Good Luck, hope your time together benefits you both.

What movies does she watch? That could give a hint into her interests? Is she away from her own home due to family issues? Could you recommend that she begin writing a book of her own for other young girls? A journal? Can she babysit for someone in your neighborhood? Get a pen pal from another country? Could you have her pick out a recipe to try cooking? Other home skills? Are there any interesting supposedly haunted places around that you could visit and tour? See a performance? Concert? Definitely check out the events at the library. A train ride? Fold up pieces of paper with the names of local places to visit in a bowl and select. Good luck!!

I have my 11 year old GS this week. So far we have walked the dog, he has mucked about on the adventure playground equipment, we have driven to B&Q for paint, as he is hoping to paint the shed tomorrow! Watched a bit of the Ashes now are going to see Mission Impossible. He is making tonight's supper Quesadillas (sp) then we might watch an episode of Outnumbered together.
Just my suggestions of course, but cooking, baking, going to the library and choosing some books, going to Barbie
maybe out for pancakes, a trip to a country park maybe making something - learning to knit or crochet or patchwork. Take her swimming.
Think back to what you did with your own children. Enjoy her company!

Hi I know how you feel
My grandchildren are (because of circumstances) subdued and difficult to engage
I guess we have to accept there is only so much we can achieve even if we wish for more

Manicure. Pedicure. She could choose and book online.
Get her hair done
She could choose and book a restaurant online.
Give her some research tasks.
Can you afford to let her shop online? Next is good for teenage girls and deliver next day.
She could “earn” money by doing some jobs and be allowed to spend in local Boots/ wherever while you have a coffee nearby.
Learn to bake. Find recipes online, shop for ingredients.
My now 11 year old granddaughter comes most school holidays. We do all of the above and cinema/theatre
She has done local playschemes
Really depends on your locality and what funds you have available.
Some great ideas on this forum

Shelflife I think this is a great idea.

My son used to do this - but of course he found his recipes online!