Good Quiet Time Ideas for Preteens

Quiet time doesn't have to be synonymous with time-out. Taking the punishment out of the process frees your preteen to spend time each day catching up with friends, learning a new skill or reading a book that interests her. Make it all about her, and less about you, and you might see a glimmer of the enthusiasm you thought she had forgotten.

  1. Catch Up on Letter-Writing

    • It's always entertaining to write a pen pal, whether electronically or through snail mail. Most children, girls especially, enjoy keeping up with friends, trends and the latest preteen gossip, and writing letters gives her practice in penmanship -- if putting words to paper -- or in keyboarding if she's exchanging emails back and forth. Both are valuable skills to sharpen. Quiet time is also the perfect opportunity to compose those long-overdue thank-you letters for Christmas and birthday gifts.

    Go Digital

    • Older kids are all about new technology. Consider letting your preteen buy a book on your e-reader, or buy her one of her own. Digital books have all the appeal of the paper versions with the novelty of something new thrown in the mix, or give her an age-appropriate personal digital organizer and help her transfer all her contacts and important dates. Make sure she understands that, as the parent of a preteen, you have access to her password.

    Take it Outside

    • If your preteen is glued to his hand-held game, send him outside with a blanket, a snack and instructions to find the biggest shade tree in the yard. Gaming in the great outdoors can be a whole new experience. Or teach him the relaxed activities of fishing or camping and let him spend his quiet time organizing a new tackle box or looking through a catalog of camping gear to prepare for the next expedition.

    Learn a New Skill

    • Let your preteen pick a skill he's always wanted to learn: painting, woodworking or crafting paper airplanes. Assign him quiet time to work on learning all about the craft. He might read books on the subject, browse online for photo ideas or watch videos of craftsmen as they master the art. Encourage him to spend time budgeting his allowance to figure how long it will take to buy supplies and to comparison shop online for the best deals.

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