Pre-teens are children who are yet to hit puberty. They are more mature than school kids but are not big enough to take on huge responsibilities. Parenting pre-teens can be a bit challenging, especially when it comes to managing both their studies and entertainment at the same time.

At this age, children usually have quite a bit of free time in their hand unless they are overburdened by a number of tuitions. Parents should try to influence their child into using this free time effectively. Pre-teens tend to adventurous and they try to explore various stuffs and find something of interest.

Engaging in activities with your child can be the easiest way to communicate and mingle with them. Its important to enjoy activities with them, this helps in building a great relationship. Some rules and restrictions regarding their free time can ensure their safety and keeps them disciplined at the same time. It does not you keep barging in every time, you see your child free. Solo time is also important for them as long as it is balanced with other interactive activities.

All children behave differently. Some like to spend their free time shopping, interacting with friends, attending parties and being on social media, watching movies, reading or gaming. While some are more active and like engaging themselves in sports such as football, cricket, basketball, table tennis etc. and it is at this age if a sport is taken seriously and upon proper training, the child can go a long way and perhaps make a future career in that sport. Singing, dancing, cooking are some activities most kids enjoy.

As a parent you can involve yourself in an activity with our child, such as

• Watching movies
• Going for a picnic
• Planning a holiday
• Going to the park for walk or maybe a motorcycle ride
• Indulge in cooking

You can ask your child to invite friends over which would ensure that you can personally get to know their friends. It could prove to be a great way for your child to take responsibility that they behave and tidy up the room after they leave. Sometimes your child may be invited to their friend’s house. As a parent it becomes your responsibility to manage the transport department if it is a considerable distance to travel. Occasionally your child may get stuck because of no transportation or due to bad weather, it is your cue to step up and get them out of the tricky situation as soon as possible.

It may so happen that your child may require some money to buy certain equipment or to spend it while shopping or eating. You must have a little chat with them to tell them how far you are willing to go to satisfy their urges and explain to them to not make it a habit. You must explain to them the importance of money and how to use it effectively. A monthly or weekly pocket money can be a great way to let your child spend money according to his wishes while you can keep tab of how much you are providing him.

Entertainment sources can also include watching television, gaming, using a computer, phone or laptop. It is true that these sources might help your child learn certain human values and virtues. Even gaming can be good if parents allow certain games to be played. You must manage your child’s screen time very carefully because most children who are exposed to more than usual screen time are prone to have weaker eye-sight leading to astigmatism, nearsightedness or farsightedness. 

If your child indulges in social media apps such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat etc. it is very likely that they may be exposed to sensitive content which can corrupt their brain. Being socially active can be great but being active on social media is not that great.

It is about the right age that your child starts to learn interacting with other people, strangers, someone of opposite gender to boost their confidence and increase their self-esteem. If your child lacks communication, try to encourage them to talk, otherwise they may end up being introvert and a push over. In your free time, you can approach your child and start interacting about how he is doing at school, has he made any friends, if so what are their names and what are they like, what do they like to do in their free time, would they consider to learn something new etc.

Practicing martial arts can also be a great way to kill time and also learn something extremely important – self-defense. Karate, taekwondo, tai chi, jiu-jutsu, kung fu are some of the many martial arts known.

Entertainment is important to any person of any age. Without some activity to pass time, it feels really depressing and lonely. Especially pre-teens require something amusing to keep them busy otherwise they may turn out to be dull and boring.