Kids ages 9-12 can often find their own entertainment but when you notice them gravitating towards screens, it's helpful to have some screen-free ideas to engage tweens.
Science and Engineering Activities
Tweens love science and engineering projects. Best of all, they promote critical thinking skills and encourage curiosity and perseverance.
Invention Bag
Have an "Invention Bag" on hand for free engineering exploration. Ours contains random stuff from around the apartment as well as hardware items like pulleys, an assortment of bolts and levers, string, etc.
Make an Indoor Boomerang
Boomerangs aren't just for wide open spaces. We made indoor boomerangs out of paper that really work! It's a great exercise in patience, trial and error–all the skills needed for a good engineer!
Make a Compass
Does your tween know they can make a compass from a magnet, a needle and a piece of cork? Show them how its done!
Paper Airplanes
Don't underestimate the allure of paper airplanes. Adventurous tweens can design their own. One day my son built a landing strip for them and spent an hour trying to get them to land just right! Folding and flying paper airplanes uses several STEM skills. This book of paper airplanes is our favorite.
Domino Run
Set up a domino run. Kids will love trying to make elaborate runs and perhaps even making a video to show others and impress their friends!
Mix Up Something Sensory
Mix up something "gross" like flubber, slime or gak. Even older kids need a good sensory experience and tweens can come up with their own concoctions of these items.
Catapult
Design a catapult and set up a target range. There are several ways to design a catapult. It can be super simple or elaborate. When testing it out, ping pong balls or pom poms are best for indoor target practice!
Provide Inspiring Books
Keep a couple of science experiment books on the shelves for kids to thumb through. Right now, Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes: Unforgettable Experiments That Make Science Fun is providing some serious inspiration.
Art Projects
Some kids are natural artists, others have to be convinced to pick up a pen. There is an art project for every kind of tween.
Journal
Keep an art journal. Here are some creative journal ideas. Just the other day, my tween declared, "I feel the need to make art coming on, mom!" He got out his journal (we LOVE our mixed media vellum journal) and got to work. Having a journal makes it easy for kids to keep track of their own art and look back at what they've done before.
Zen Drawing
Zentangle-inspired drawing is a favorite, calming art activity of ours. My son uses his art journal for this.
Comic Book Art
Motivated tweens who like to write can create an entire a comic book. However, those less inclined will be tempted by a gigantic piece of paper and to design a giant comic strip like this one.
Make Trading Cards
Do your kids collect Pokemon, sports or Magic the Gathering cards. Inspire tweens to design and craft their own trading cards. My kids collect Pokemon and sports cards. I encourage them to make their own... as if a collection of twelve billion isn't enough, HA!
Mandalas
Drawing mandalas is rewarding and relaxing. Young artists can freehand their shapes and designs or use a compass to draw perfect circles to hold elaborate patterns.
MORE: 5 Fun and Flexible Drawing Ideas for Tweens
Math Activities
With a numbers-loving 10 year old, math activities are always a bit hit in our home. That's not the case for many kids, but these creative math activities help smooth the path!
Math Art
Math art eases art-loving kids into mathematical explorations. Try tessellations as a fun way to start, then move on to spirolaterals which sneaks in some multiplication practice. Or, check out all our math art projects for more ideas.
Single Player Logic Games
There are several terrific single player logic games that tweens can play if they don't have a sibling their own age. Kids can play these games to practice logical thinking and spatial relation skills. My son loves his Perplexus, IQ Twist and Rush Hour games.
Traditional strategy games also exercise the brain muscles needed for math. We have a selection on the blog which your tween can put together with our printables and some household items. Try Pentalpha, a star shaped puzzle, the Peg Triangle Puzzle, or these two versions of Patience.
For kids who love logic puzzles and don't mind sitting down with pen and paper, my son loves his Math Perplexors books,.
Magic Squares
The challenging math puzzle known as magic squares. will keep your child busy for quite some time!
MORE: Our favorite math games for kids
Active Indoor Activities for Tweens
How much space do you have? If you are one of those lucky people with a recreation room/basement you are probably used to your kids heading down there to toss a ball or jump around. But what do you do if you live in 650 square feet of space?Here are our solutions:
Land, Sea, Air Jumping Game
Play "Land, Sea and Air". Yes, indeed, my 10 year old enjoys this simple game that may remind you of Simon Says, especially when he can make up his own weather events.
Balloon Tennis
Make paddles out of paper plates and craft sticks or rulers and hit a balloon back and forth. Younger siblings can easily join in and balloons are unlikely to break grandma's crystal vase. Ping pong balls are a also favorite around here.
MORE: Indoor Ball Games
Carnival Toss
Set up a carnival style game with bean bags, ping pong balls or even paper airplanes. Use a large box with cut out holes as targets. Click here to see how our carnival game works.
Jumping
Consider letting kids jump on the bed. I don't allow jumping on the couch, but the bed is fair game. My son even plays his own version of balloon football across the bed.
Dancing
Dance based on a theme! For example, "weather." A caller shouts out words on the theme, such as "Hurricane! Blizzard! Shower! Sunny!" Then the kids make up dance moves around that theme. Animal words are also fun.
MORE: Indoor Active Art Projects
ChristyM says
Wow! Fantastic list.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks!
Jeanette Nyberg says
Hate the word 'tweens'. It sounds so smarmy But I love these activities- it takes the strength of 10 moms to tear my tween away from her tween screens, so I think if I had some of these things ready and waiting for her she could be lured into doing something that didn't rot her brain.
anonymous says
I love this page!
Amanda says
i like this page because they give you so many ideas
Taisa says
This is a great list! I suspect it will come in very handy this winter with my 9-year-old ( I also hate the term tween. I almost didn't sign my boy up for a tween library club just because I hate that darn word so much!)
Erica MomandKiddo says
So glad it is useful!
The Little Tourist says
Thank you for these computer-free activity ideas!
Gwen Martin says
This is wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to share these great ideas!
Erica says
Enjoy!
Chelsea says
A lot of children face problems with Maths and Science subjects, and therefore these activities are a great way to boost their own confidence. These activities will help them gain more experience with the subjects. The art activities are also cool too as well!
Caylee says
Hate is a strong word
Finley says
Yes hate is a strong word
Becka says
Never let your kids jump on the bed... unless you are willing to pay out for a new bed and mattress. Springs will get broken, memory foam will split, slats will break, divan bases are made of thin wood and will break too! A broken bed may result in your child getting hurt!
A better idea would be to buy a trampoline if your kids want to bounce.
Ramona says
oh my gosh i can finally do something without Mira [my 10 year old] complaining "i am bored"
Erica says
Yay! I hope she enjoys some of the activities.