Hobbies And Interests
Bracelet Crafts
Many preteen boys and girls will enjoy making friendship bracelets. Give the children several different colors of floss. Ask them to select three colors and cut about two feet of each one. Teach the children how to do a regular braid with the floss. After they have the hang of it, allow them to look up different patterns and techniques online for friendship bracelets. You can use embroidery floss, plastic floss, crochet thread and yarn to make bracelets. For added decoration, put pony and alphabet beads on the bracelets.
Water Games
Divide the preteens into two teams and ask each team to stand in a straight line, each player facing the back of the player in front of him. Place a bucket of water at the front of each team line and an empty bucket at the end of each team line. When you say, "Race," the first two players in line must dip a sponge into the bucket of water and pass it over their heads to the next players in line. Each player must pass the sponge over his head to the next player in line. The last player must squeeze the water from the sponge into the bucket. The first team to fill up their team bucket with water wins the game.
Tie-Dye Crafts
Give each preteen a tie-dye kit and T-shirt. Tie-dye kits are available online and at many craft stores. Ask them to create a unique tie-dye shirt. Other items the preteens can tie-dye include bandanas, pillowcases and shorts. For added fun, create a tie-dye contest. Award prizes for the best, most creative, funniest and silliest tie-dye creations.
Carnival-Style Games
Many preteens still enjoy playing carnival games. Make a prize walk instead of a cakewalk. Print numbers on several sheets of paper and place them in a circle on the ground. Write the same numbers on small slips of paper and place the numbers in a bowl. Play music and tell the preteens to walk around the circle. When the music stops, each player must stand on a number. Draw a number from the bowl and the player standing on that number wins a prize. For another carnival game, try another game of luck. Place several floating objects, such as ducks or stars, in a bucket of water. Draw a dot on the bottom of some of the items. Tell the preteens to grab one item. If they grab an item with a dot, they win a small prize.