Help! Entertaining an 11-year old girl...on a budget!

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prolifewife

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My elven year old niece is coming to stay with us and we are SO not used to having children around. We’ve been living on a strict budget lately, and will still be having to the 2 weeks she’s here. What can we DO with an 11 year old that’s free or nearly free? Also, we live in the south so we’ll need plenty of indoor activities. We won’t always have the car either, so we might be “trapped” at home several days until hubby gets home (around dinner time on a good week.) Our apartment complex does have a pool, so that is a big plus. But I’m sure she’ll not want to swim ALL the time. :o

Oh, and of course budgeting for three instead of two in the grocery department. She’s growing and eats constantly. :o

Thanks ahead of time! 👍
 
Do you have a Nintendo Wii? Can you borrow or rent one? I think alot of 11 year olds would love to play with that! There are many clean and decent games as well. If it’s not too expensive, it might be a good idea!
 
Check some of the movie theaters. Some have free morning movies (movies from last summer) for kids or reduced rate movies on certain days. Also check out any natural history meseums, they often have reduced rate days as do zoos. You might also want to check out any art museums in the area, they sometimes have special kids’ programs.
 
Rascalking said:
Do you have a Nintendo Wii? Can you borrow or rent one? I think alot of 11 year olds would love to play with that! There are many clean and decent games as well. If it’s not too expensive, it might be a good idea!
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No, unfortunately, totally unaffordable for us. :o But we do have a Nintendo DS with some games she might enjoy. Here’s hoping! :o
 
If it’s not too hot one day you can go on a lovely picnic.
Bake.
Rent some funny movies. 🍿
Or Twilight.
In house spa night.
Some sort of craft perhaps? Maybe those child jewelry making kits.
Do you have a zoo, museum or aquarium nearby? If so, they may have discounted tickets.
Or, try asking her what she would like to do.
 
Obviously you have a computer with internet. Do you have Netflix? You can even get a free trial membership. As its been super hot here right now, my 10 &12 yo girls are always watching something on Netflix, if they are not swimming. Just make sure you keep the log in info for yourself, so you can oversee what she is watching.

Also, if you could squeeze a few dollars for some fun treats she could make with your help.

A deck of cards and your time to talk to her while playing a fun game.

Letting her try on your “nice” clothes and any fun jewelry you may have, doing each others hair and nails.

Teach her to sew or cross stich (you can get a kids cross stitch kit for as little as $2 at Michaels).

Hmm, I will ask my girls when they get out of the pool and see if they have any ideas 👍
 
prolifewife said:
No, unfortunately, totally unaffordable for us. :o But we do have a Nintendo DS with some games she might enjoy. Here’s hoping! :o
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I have a DS I use more than I should. My sister (she is 26) has one as well, and she LOVES those “simulation” games like Nintendo dogs, and games like “imagine cook”, “imagine Ice Skater”, etc. Maybe you can get some cheap at Gamestop? Just a thought.

Also try-library visits. Free books? How in the world an you go wrong? 😉
 
At 11 she will probably want to swim a lot. 😃

Otherwise, take her to the library the first day or so she is there and let her check out some books. Get some coloring books and crayons or water color paints.

Do you know how to croquette? You could teach her. Making a pot holder with single croquette is easy. Or you could have her make an easy embroidered dish towel. Something crafty like that.

Make cookies or banana bread. I also second the picnic thing.

My guess is that she will bring some of her favorite toys to entertain herself anyways, when she is not swimming or helping you make dinner. Hope you have fun.
 
Sometimes museums have free days, like first Tuesday of the month, etc. Also some attractions offer heavily discounted admission after a certain time of the day. One way to find a lot of what’s out there is to google “things to do with children in…” whatever the metropolitan area you live in.

Are there any girls her age in the neighborhood?
 
Teach her how to bake bread and make pizza. It saves with the food budget, helps with the cooking, all kids like pizza, it’s creative and healthy, and it’s a lifetime skill that will make her the most popular kid on the block. I had 2 kids for 2 weeks and by the end of the 2 weeks they were showing their mother how to bake bread and make pizzas.

Teach her how to sew. The last time I had to babysit an 11 year old girl and her sister, by the time Mom & Dad got back, we had a made summer dresses and hairbows and swim bags together and had a fashion show for them of what we had made.

Oh yes, and be sure to avoid sunburn… do not let her swim between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m… that’s the worst part of the day for sunburn, and once she gets a sunburn, she’ll be miserable for the rest of the visit…
and 11 year olds will go out there in the worst part of the day and get burned without even thinking and before you even notice if you don’t stick to the 10-to-2 rule.
 
I don’t have any real ideas just things for you to consider.

…kids love to learn by example…are you really good at a certian craft? Are you the next iron chef? Are you a dancer? Do you like physics? If she’s not an only child she’ll probably love the one-on-one attention no matter what.

Also, keep in mind she’s a kid…so she may make friends with children in your apartment complex and that could change things.

I’d also call up her mom and ask her what she likes…if she’s into horses then check out county fairs for instance. If she’s into vampires then go to the library and find books.

The library should be an excellent resource, too, for cheap summer fun. Most know good places to go.

Are you good at makeup? Mary Kay has an excellent program where they teach girls how to gracefully wear makeup and to keep their skin clean for upcoming puberty. It’s usually free and even if you buy the entire resupply kit it’s usually under $20. I’ve seen it done and the girls look SPECTACULAR. Clean and fresh and soooo cute. Teaching her how to wear makeup with grace could be something that helps her out through her entire life.
 
When I was 11, I could entertain myself literally all day at the pool for the entire summer. Mom just had to “stock” us–lots of snacks, towels, pool toys (diving sticks, floating noodles) and a book for when I wanted to dry out and lay in the sun for awhile. 🙂
 
Give her some chores to do, my niece always liked to cook with grandma
 
Do you have a digital camera? Make sure to take lots of pictures and then y’all can spend time making a scrapbook. Dollar Tree has cheap scrapbooking stuff.

If you don’t know how to craft, as some of the other posters suggested, how about going to the library for instructions and the two of you learning something together?

Do you have pictures of ancestors as young people? Share them and work on a family tree together.
 
Like others have said, do not underestimate the pool–as kids, my brothers and sisters and I would spend HOURS in a plain old, no fuss swimming pool. Even our tiny little blow up pool kept us interested for hours.

Board games can be fun and funny if she’s that type of kid–my cousins and I used to play TONS of board games on rainy days at my aunt’s cabin in the summers.

Another suggestion–one time, my parents went out of town for a few days, leaving me in charge of my little brothers and sisters. I had NO money AT ALL, but we found LOTS of stuff to do. For instance, we came up with a “theme” for each day, and did activities based on that. (We had a “summer camp” day, a fine arts day, a sports day, etc.) So on, say, the “summer camp” day, we went on a nature walk, then pressed flowers and made art by using leaves as stencils. We had “healthy” snacks like granola bars, and made microwave hot dogs and s’mores that night.

Granted, it was only for four days, not two weeks, so it wasn’t as hard to keep them entertained. Good luck!

Consider making a list of things that YOU like to do that an 11-year-old can also do, and then have her pick.
 
prolifewife said:
My elven year old niece is coming to stay with us and we are SO not used to having children around. We’ve been living on a strict budget lately, and will still be having to the 2 weeks she’s here. What can we DO with an 11 year old that’s free or nearly free? Also, we live in the south so we’ll need plenty of indoor activities. We won’t always have the car either, so we might be “trapped” at home several days until hubby gets home (around dinner time on a good week.) Our apartment complex does have a pool, so that is a big plus. But I’m sure she’ll not want to swim ALL the time. :o

Oh, and of course budgeting for three instead of two in the grocery department. She’s growing and eats constantly. :o

Thanks ahead of time! 👍
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If your library has DVD’s to rent, they are free. And if you have a park with a picnic area near, you could always have a little picnic. Kids still love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the way, and maybe you could bake some cupcakes or even jello.
 
To second what others have said, definitely check out the library, Even in the small community in which I reside, they have many books, CDs of music, and DVDs to rent for free. They are also constantly posting free events for families.

Also, I love to grocery shop. Why not make a game out of finding the best bargains when you go grocery shopping? Cutting coupons together, comparing prices and value, using a calculator. This can be both fun and a math lesson if you approach it that way.

Don’t forget the Salvation Army and other second hand stores for buying games or perhaps a “new-to-you” clothes shopping experience. Many stores have an even deeper discounted day during the week.

Enjoy your time together. I’m sure just having your attention will be great for your niece. 🙂
 
prolifewife said:
My elven year old niece is coming to stay with us and we are SO not used to having children around. We’ve been living on a strict budget lately, and will still be having to the 2 weeks she’s here. What can we DO with an 11 year old that’s free or nearly free? Also, we live in the south so we’ll need plenty of indoor activities. We won’t always have the car either, so we might be “trapped” at home several days until hubby gets home (around dinner time on a good week.) Our apartment complex does have a pool, so that is a big plus. But I’m sure she’ll not want to swim ALL the time. :o

Oh, and of course budgeting for three instead of two in the grocery department. She’s growing and eats constantly. :o

Thanks ahead of time! 👍
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Everyone has good ideas. BUT, I’m a lttle confused why you think an 11 year old girl should be eating constantly? Your food budget should not be that different if you choose healthy food choices. An 11 year old girl should be eating pretty much the same as you do with healthy snacks such as fruits and veggies.
 
Our library also rents DVD’s.

Card games, board games and the like are cheap entertainment and can become quite addictive. Garage sales can be fun and provide ideas. If you are on a budget, cook your meals at home and enlist her help. I would think an eleven year old would enjoy learning to cook. It is a craft project you can eat.
 
PatriceA said:
Everyone has good ideas. BUT, I’m a lttle confused why you think an 11 year old girl should be eating constantly? Your food budget should not be that different if you choose healthy food choices. An 11 year old girl should be eating pretty much the same as you do with healthy snacks such as fruits and veggies.
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the OP just said budgeting for 2 not three. And depending on the 11 yo girl or boy may be eating much more than a normal adult. I’m 120lbs and 5’4" and have never been a big eater but I’ve had friends smaller than me when I was young who’d eat 4 or 5 times what I ate. Also, adults typically have a bit more refined tastes…adults are fairly polite and will eat what they’re given. Kids often have problems eating certain veggies, onions, fish, eggs, mushrooms…or liking things very or less spicy. And since this is vacation and not parenting there’s no reason to push the dinner issue.
 
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