Tweenagers spend a lot of time on screen nowadays so anything that gets them interested and active in doing other projects is a good thing. Of course some of these projects do require a bit of online time, but generally these are things that can be done without a laptop or device.

Do you have a budding artist, photographer, writer, dancer, baker, flower arranger, crafter or scientist at home? Encourage them to enter a contest to show the world their talent.

It is so important to keep kids active as they leave the tween years behind and head into the teenage years. By trying out new sports during the tween years your child may just hit upon one that they love and will keep up for years to come.

Get our best content direct to your inbox! You’ll receive quick and easy recipes, fun ideas to entertain the kids, parenting tips, great competitions, as well as offers from brands we trust.

It is a great idea to get your tweens helping out in the kitchen and teaching them a few simple recipes that they can use all through their lives. Here are 25 Tasty Ideas For Cooking Ideas With Kids, and visit our food and recipes section for everything from breakfast recipe ideas to snack, dinner and sweet treat ideas.

Help organise a fishing expedition for your tween to have a go at fishing in your local lake, river or the sea. And if they catch one that looks good to eat, they can learn how to prepare it for dinner too!

Grandparents are full of wise advice and stories of the past. How about making up a questionnaire and interviewing them on video? Your child could ask them about family history, or any remedies or tales they have to share, and videoing it will make a nice memory for future viewing.

There are so many different instruments from the tin whistle to the guitar. You can self teach using books or online music tuition sites, or arrange for your tween to try some taster lessons with a music teacher, which is always a good idea before investing money in an expensive instrument.

The nice thing about learning to play an instrument is that it also opens up a diverse social network as your child grows.

How fun do these little guys look? I found this idea on Red Ted Art and it is a fun project I will definitely be getting my tweens working on.

There are a few tricky steps involved so your child may need a bit of help with this fun project.

A bit like a treasure hunt, help your child to discover things about their city or town that they may not know. For instance, here in Galway, we have poetry on the prom and many of the buildings have plaques that show what they were used for or who lived there in the past.

Start with your local museum or library or if there are any bookshops or businesses that have been in your town for years, they may be able to help with your research. This can be a fun project for kids and adults alike.

Whether your child is a boy or girl, getting to grips with knitting is a fun learning experience. And they can create funky gifts for friends and family. We have some fun knitting projects to get your child started.

Look locally for bushcraft or survival skills camps or classes, they are a great way for your child to meet new people and make friends as well as trying skills that are fun to learn and can come in useful too.

Your tween may dismiss the idea of playdough or bubbles as being too babyish for themselves but creating your very own play dough or bubble mix at home is actually a fun science project! If they don’t have a smaller sister or brother that would use the end product, maybe you could suggest that they create the play dough for neighbours’ kids, cousins or even a local crêche or playschool. You just need some simple ingredients.

If your child hasn’t kept a diary or journal up to now how about encouraging them starting one? It is so much fun to look back at them as they grow older.

And for parents how about keeping a diary or journal for your child that you give to them on their 18th birthday? You will be surprised how much you forget as they grow. Keeping a diary of milestones and achievements that you gift to them later on is really special.

Gather up all those old toys, games and bric-a-brac and have your tween organise a yard sale. Your tween could also make and sell baked goods and lemonade, and then use the money they earn to buy something they really want.

Depending on the age of your child, it is good to instill a sense of independence. You could start by getting your child to buy some items you need in the local grocery store. You can wait outside if they are too young to walk there with siblings or friends. But let them go in, choose the items and pay for them.

This may require some help from you, both financially and/or practically. But if you set a budget and let your child do the research, it can be a really fun project that makes them feel a sense of pride.

You never know, it may even result in them keeping their room tidy! And you might discover you have a future interior designer on your hands.

I love this idea of using old cardboard boxes to create a fun maze to play in. It can be as big or as small as you like and I bet the family would also enjoy it!

I love this fun project from Frugal Fun For Boys. Using some copper wire, magnets and a battery you can create a train that passes through the wire on its own.

If you have an outside wall or fence, painting a mural is a fun project for older kids to do during the summer months.

And if you are not quite ready for their own designs or feel confident enough to draw up one yourself for them to paint, you could get them painting a single colour instead. Or alternatively let them create it in chalk, which will wash off easily. Remember to take a picture before it disappears!

Putting together and performing a show will give your child a real confidence boost. They could learn some jokes, songs, magic tricks or card tricks to impress family and friends.

(And remember to record it to look back on in years to come!)

Giving space to your child in the garden is a fun project for kids to learn about where food comes from and take pride in planting, nurturing and using the produce that they grow.

If vegetables are not for them consider planting fruit or flowers that they can enjoy during the summer months.

3D printing continues to grow in popularity. There are some great free apps that allow you to create images on your iOS and Android devices that can then be sent to companies for 3D printing and delivered to your home. Try experimenting with 3D design with the fun free app Tinkercard that requires no experience.