Fun for kids ages 10-13

Whether your kids are home for a weekend, or all summer, what do you do with all their pent up energy?!  Here are just some of the fabulous books that can fire up your children’s imaginations, and teach them all kinds of new skills. That means you can hand them a book and watch them entertain themselves!! I bet you thought that couldn’t be done without some kind of sedative!! Many of these books are from Klutz Press--they are pricey, but they are worth it to me because of all the lush color photos that show your kids the possibilities of each medium. Another nice thing about Klutz books is that each comes with enough materials to enable kids to complete several projects. Once they run out, you don’t mind investing in more since you know they really like it.  But you don’t have to buy books--you can borrow similar ones from the library. You will have to buy your own materials, so check the dollar store before you shell out a lot of money at a craft store! Younger children can do some of these things, too, they just need more help since they can’t read well. WARNING: if you don’t make rules limiting time watching T.V. or playing video games, they will take one look at the book, and go back to watching T.V.--everything takes so much more effort than T.V.! So be tough, make rules limiting T.V. and video games, then enforce the rules, then let them get REALLY bored, THEN hand them the book, and see their creativity blossom! or better yet, take them to a book store and let them pick the one that suits their current fancy.

A “Koosh” is a ball that is like a bunch of rubber bands that have been tied together--it feels very cool. Copy cats are called porcupine balls. So many toys have enough novelty to entertain for about 5 minutes, then when it rolls under the bed, it gets forgotten. The nice thing about this rubbery haired ball is that it comes with a book with all kinds of games.

This may appeal more to boys than girls just because of the consistency--it is well named!! It is like a super sticky, stretchy, sqishy snake. The book has lots of wacky ways (33, actually!) to use it, so that will stretch it’s entertainment value to quite a long time!

The Foxtail is a ball with a long nylon tail attached to it. The tail increases the chances of catching it because it is so much longer than a ball. It is easier to track, too, and since you can sling it by the tail, you don’t have to be a very good thrower. The book provides lots of play time with all it’s ideas for games.

What boy isn’t a sucker for paper airplanes? There are a lot of sets out there that have the dotted lines printed on the paper so you know just where to fold. Some of them can get pretty complicated, so be sure to read some of the projects to see if your child is ready for that book or kit. If you can find this particular book, it is one of the easier ones, and it also has all kinds of flying contraptions, so it has a lot of variety. This is not a Klutz book

Magnets are so fascinating. Combine them with magic tricks, and you know you have a winner! The magnets by themselves would entertain for about 5 minutes, but the book stretches that time much longer, and provides a little learning along the way, too. Be amazed at your child’s tricks, and it will last even longer!!

I think all kids dream of becoming a magician.  If they can stick with a few good tricks until they get good enough to perform, it could become a life-long hobby that can be used in so many places. To help that interest grow, promise a sleep over, or set up a neighborhood show to showcase their new skills and give something big to work towards. The book comes with a scarf and metal ring.

There are all kinds of how-to art books out there, but most of them only appeal to kids who already have an interest in drawing. These two books have a broader appeal that might coax even a reluctant artist to try their hand at a few projects, whether it be monsters or cartoons. Add a contest with a prize that everyone wants (be it family or friends), and you might even start them on a career!  books like these might even be helpful in dealing with a problem in your child’s life in two ways--1) drawing about the situation, and talking about it can be very therapeutic, and 2) to laugh at the final product can help them see the funny side of life, and to realize that hard times don’t mean the end of the world.

These are Usborne books, another great book publisher for kids.

Remember the etch-a-sketch when you were a kid? Well Klutz shrank it, and added an activity book, so it is just the right size to entertain while traveling or waiting at a doctor’s office. The cool thing about this is that it has clear plastic sheets that you put on the screen of the etch-a-sketch that are mazes or activities to use, so when you get tired of just fiddling, there are more activities to do.

Did you make cootie catchers when you were a kid? You can make these without a book, but the fun in getting this book is in all the funny pictures and questions on the pages that you can tear out of the book and use as is. So if you are clever and funny, and want to spend time with your kids, don’t buy this book. If you want something they can do on their own, buy the book.

view how to make cootie catchers

The book comes with a string to make the various string pictures. If you know how to make a bunch, and want to spend the time teaching your kids, don’t buy this book. If you don’t know how, or don’t remember, then this book is for you. This is an activity your child can do alone, but it is more fun with a friend.

Boys and explosions--they just go together, don’t they? Why not harness that fascination and use it to motivate them to learn science?! But don’t worry--this one is not hands on--you get to read about big boys making big explosions!

These books have so many cute ideas that you don’t know where to begin! They have projects that appeal to boys and to girls. My kids made so many adorable figures, at first copying the ideas in the books, then branching out on their own. They made tiny cakes and pies for their miniature dolls and furniture, not to mention the tiniest nativity set I have ever seen!

These projects using pipe cleaners are really quick, and if you don’t mind helping, even a two year old can make some of these projects. Wrap the pipe cleaner around a pencil, and you have the body of a mouse, dog, boy, or lion--just change the color and add legs!

Kids around the world are intrigued with secret codes! This kit gives them all the tools to send secret messages via a morse code transmitter, flags for long distant  (nautical) messages, and special cylinders to send and decipher encrypted messages. While they are at it, they can read about the history of secret codes, too.

This is not a Klutz book.

From optical illusions to hair dryer science, this book is full of hands on science. But the kids won’t even notice that they are learning because it will feel like they are just playing.

A chinese jumprope is a loop of coated elastic, that 2 kids put around their ankles. A third child tries jumping over it in ever increasing difficulty--the book explains how to do it. A chinese jumprope takes less coordination than a traditional jumprope because it doesn’t move. It is more fun with several friends, but you can get by with one child and 2 chairs to stretch the elastic around.

Toy-book combinations to get them moving

Kits With Appeal for Boys

Books to get them drawing

Books just for fun

Craft kits to grow their creativity

Entertaining Science Books to trick them into learning

Crafts just for girls

This book has lots of cute earring and necklace ideas, and if you don’t get bogged down in deciding which beads to use, many of the projects can be finished in 30 minutes or an hour, at least once you know what you are doing. Grown-up girls can make them, too, and you will save so much money by making jewelry instead of buying it! This book comes with a variety glass beads in several sizes, colors, and styles, as well as wires and findings to finish several projects.

My girls spent not hours, but days and weeks tying knots with embroidery floss to make friendship bracelets with their friends. They started with basic designs, then moved onto more complicated projects. The book comes with a clip to hold the bracelet while you work on it, and enough floss for quite a few bracelets, but I had to replace the floss multiple times!

This is a cute little set for a project that doesn’t take long to complete. Follow the instructions to fold strips of paper to make poofy three dimensional starts.

Family Fun > Fun for Kids grade 4-6