Need some rec's for board games, card games, amusements for younger teens

[recovering doormat]

My easy child is 13 going on 18, and I'm trying to keep her away from the weekend night downtown scene (kids telling their parents they are going to see the new Twilight movie when they are going to hang around at the McDonalds and elsewhere looking for fun) and away from predatory older teen boys (did I mention she looks older than she is, and is often described as "gorgeous" by people other than myself?).

I cleaned up the patio, bought firewood and apple cider, and she and some girlfriends sat outside around the firepit telling girl gossip, then played some kind of card game that resembled gin rummy, had snacks and watched some tv before bed. I considered that a small victory and want to encourage her to bring her friends to my home so I can keep an eye on them.

Can you suggest some board games, card games and amusements that I can put out for them so they will actually want to chill at my house?

Thanks!

 

[mstang67chic]

I've always like the classics....Monopoly (They've got different versions out now), Uno, Gin rummy. Phase 10 is a fun card game also. Trivial Pursuit, Yatzee....do you have a Wii or other gaming system? husband and I play Euchre with friends a lot. I'm sure you could find the rules online or I could try to type them out in an easy to read format. It's not a hard game but once you get the rules down, it's more strategy....if I play this card, it should draw out these cards making my next card good...that sort of thing. The only thing with Euchre though is that you need 4 people to play because it's played with partners. Darts could be fun also.

Another thought if you make this a regular thing....maybe once a month or so you could have spa nights. The girls could give each other facials (not a bad idea with them being in the zit age), do their nails, hair, etc. If you and the other mom's are ok with it, maybe you could have an older niece (say 16-17) come over and show them how to properly do their make up without looking like mini harlots. Or if they are into it....have different theme nights. If there is a movie they are into, maybe they could come over to watch it and dress as their favorite character and you could have stuff related to it. For example....if it's a Harry Potter movie....they could eat slugs (giant stuffed pasta shells), chocolate frogs, pumpkin juice (apple cider)...stuff like that.

 

[mstang67chic]

Another thought...I've always loved the Chef Boyardee pizzas. Maybe you could do pizza night and they could make their own pizzas. The double mixes cost about $3 at Walmart and you could get whatever toppings they would want or they could bring their own and be inventive.

 

[GoingNorth]

Scrabble and Boggle are always good (have a good dictionary handy and require that players not only find words, but define them properly)

Both games are lots of fun and they really help with reading comprehension and overall vocabulary.

Poker played for tokens that can be cashed in for video rentals, game time, etc., is also fun, but it is still gambling and you have to decide how you feel about that.

Pinochle is fun. Euchre is IIRC similar to bridge and if you've got someone who can coach, that can easily turn into a regular get together. Bridge is good because it requires playing with a partner which teaches teamwork and frustration tolerance.

 

[AnnieO]

Uhhh. The new Twilight movie comes out November 20. So if the kids are telling their parents this... Good opportunity to show easy child that lying about something like this can backfire BADLY.

At 13, she is too young to be "downtown". Period.

Slumber parties, cooking parties, spa parties, pumpkin-carving parties... Just about anything you can do in a group. Young teens may not like the whole game thing... But Jenga is always good for laughs... Truth or Dare as long as it doesn't get out of hand... Flashlight Tag is good after dark, outside when the weather's nice. 21-year-old & 17-year old next door play with Onyxx, Jett, their 10-year-old sister and the 7-year old across the street...

 

[DammitJanet]

Movie rentals should be good. Im partial to rocky horror...lol. That age should find it hilarious.

Baking...making cookies or cupcakes or sundaes.

Silly pj games of the truth or dare and telephone if you have enough kids. Heck...ghost stories and smores around the firepit can be fun.

 

[recovering doormat]

Great ideas! I'm partial to spa nights and I have electric rollers and a paraffin bath for hand and foot softening (you melt wax, let it cool a little, then plunge hands and feet into it, cover them with plastic bags and let the warm wax do its work. Wonderful for aching joints and muscles).

I thought about poker (my son was taught by a kindergarten classmate!) but put it to the bottom of the list, since with my luck, I'd spawn a group of gambling addicts. Not worth it.

My older daughter suggested a board game called "Apples to Apples". Flashlight tag sounds great. They already play "Manhunt" which is basically hide and go seek after dark. Some of my neighbors don't care for kids trampling through their yards, so I'd have to think about that one.

I used to love to read short thriller and ghost stories aloud by flashlight with my friends at that age. Some of the best were the classics, by Poe.

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh....how bout a Spike hunt...lol. Or what was that imaginary animal we used to hunt when kids? Began with an S I know that!

 

[cindygirl]

My 12 year old loves the new versions of life and monopoly that are played with the hand held computers. They let you play short medium and long games. UNO is a good card game. They are also into truth or dare. Do you have a park close by because they could also go and play basketball or grounders. The girls are always coming and doing each others nails and hair.

 

[lmf64]

We love Uno Attack! We've played it with multiple generations. Actually the kids love it when the adults get slammed with a bunch of cards. The game this summer was Mexican train dominoes. At first I wasn't real happy with the name, but once I played the game I guess it's just a name lol. A spa night sounds cool for a group of girls.
Janet, it's SNIPE. We took a group of boys up to the lake last summer. They fished, they ate, they made smores and at night we took them out on snipe hunts. My son thought it was hilarious that here he was with a group of 'normal' kids who had no idea that they were hunting for a ficticious animal and he isn't 'normal' and knows that.

 

[DammitJanet]

Yeah Yeah Snipe! I remember playing it when I was a kid...lol.

I was an only child and I was staying overnight somewhere and we went on a snipe hunt. Cant for the life of me remember how old we were but it was fun!

 

[rlsnights]

TWISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even had 5 13 yo boys playing that at my house the night of my son's birthday party. Wild let me tell you.

Other games popular with my 13 yo boy/girl twins include:

Life, Apples to Apples, Pictionary, Uno Attack and Slap Jack

Crafts - both my kids like to make braided bracelets with a few beads on them, sculpting with the clay you dry in the oven (can make your own beads with those) is also fun and not messy

Volunteer - make things for children's hospital or children's/domestic violence/homeless shelter - a lot of these kinds of places need a regular infusion of stuff that's really easy to make like small size blankets made from fleece; small stuffed animals made by sewing two pieces of flannel together and stuffing; stuffing Christmas stockings with clean socks and sample size items like toothpaste, deodorant, etc; food closets often need large bags of beans and rice broken down into smaller amounts like a 50# bag into 3-5# ziploc bags; send birthday cards each month to the folks with a birthday that month who are in a nearby long term care facility or to kids housed at the local children's home/orphanage; big leap here - send them to all the kids in juvenile hall or to prisoners at the county jail.

 

[Mattsmom277]

If they are at all competitive (but in a good way) and like strategy, Risk is a great game. It can be played in a short version or a full version, a game for us typically takes all night. It isn't what I'd have thought would be fun but we ended up loving playing. difficult child, S/O and I have Risk weekends where we keep the board set up and play games (with breaks) all weekend long, in our pjs and eating crock pot comfort foods (chicken or beef stew, crockpot lasagna, chilli etc) that can be thrown together easily and everyone eats when hungry with no agenda. Its great fun and my former step daughter enjoys it so maybe your daughter and her friends would too.

If you enjoy poker, maybe its not a bad plan! It is a great way to learn strategy and can be alot of fun trying to bluff etc. My difficult child plays online poker at 16 years old. He doesn't play for real money. He has a poker strategy book that he reads for new ideas of ways to play. He does have poker nights with friends, he does NOT use money then either. He doesn't play for the money, he plays for the game and you won't necessarily breed gamblers (haha). Maybe have a girly secret prize for the winner of so many hands at the end of the night (a gift bag with some inexpensive hair things or body gels, soap etc). That would probably contribute to their fun and be a challenge.

I am like you. I'd much prefer my kids bring friends home to hang out (even if the noise drives me nutty and they eat me out of house and home!) than to have them aimlessly wandering around (TROUBLE!). I love that you are putting such thought into what the girls will find fun.