50 must-try activities before your child reaches their teens

Remember when your child was a toddler and wanted to explore everything? Now they're approaching their teens, they might need a bit of help regaining a sense of adventure. Check out this bucket list of awesome activities, perfect for pre-teens. (Just check current restrictions in your area allow for them). How many will you tick off?

1 Den building

For a great outdoor adventure, gather up some sticks and leaves and build a den in the woods … no parents allowed in!

2 Canal boating

Have fun on the water with a canal boat trip . Not only is it super relaxing, your child can learn all about the ancient waterways – great for her secondary school projects.

3 Star gazing

Camp out under the stars with your child and see if you can spot The Plough, The Bear … or even a shooting star.

4 Roll down a big hill

What better way for your child to regain a sense of adventure than by rolling down a grassy hill.

(There will be grass stains – sorry!)

5 Raft building

Time to get wet! Help your child develop her teamwork skills by trying raft building.

A brilliant family activity but will you sink or will you swim?

6 Camping

Go back to nature with a family camping trip. There are loads of family-friendly campsites to choose from so why not go ‘off the grid’ and pick one with no Wi-Fi. Gulp.

7 Eat fruit straight from the tree

One to pencil in for summer. Whether it’s berries straight from the brambles at a PYO fruit picking farm or an eating apple straight from a tree in your garden, enjoy stuffing yourself silly on fresh fruit. Bake something delicious with any leftovers. Yum.

8 Fossil hunting

It might be a while since your child was obsessed with dinosaurs. But she’ll still love going on a fossil hunt – and who knows what you might find!

9 Make mud pies

You’re never too old to get muddy!

Head to a park and let your child get creative making mud pies. Messy but GREAT fun.

10 Ziplining

What better way to have a pre-teen adventure than by whizzing through the treetops on a zipline.

Are you brave enough to have a go?

11 Go on a bat walk

Take a walk at dusk and see how many bats you can spot. You can either go on an organised bat walk or head to your local park. And even if you can’t see the bats, you’ll certainly hear them!

12 Ride a cable car

Help your child develop her head for heights by taking a cable car ride. Your nearly-teen can’t fail to be impressed by the spectacular views … a great backdrop for her selfies!

13 Chase butterflies

Remember chasing butterflies when you were little? Encourage your child to make her own memories by running round your garden after butterflies – just make sure you don’t touch them or you’ll damage their wings.

Or, get a closer view to these fluttering insects at a butterfly farm.

14 Treetop walking

If you child hasn’t already tried treetop walking, make sure you add this to her pre-teen bucket list.

Swing, climb and balance on the walkways high up in the trees.

15 Play mini golf

Head to a mini golf course and try your hand at putting. Will you – or you child – get a hole in one?

16 Get lost in a maze

Help your child develop her sense of direction by exploring a maze. And don’t be surprised if she finds her way out well before you do!

17 Walk through bluebells

There’s nothing more beautiful than walking through fields full of bluebells. The best time to see them is in the spring, so make a note on your calendar!

18 Make chocolate

Okay, so your child loves eating chocolate no matter what her age. But why not take her to see how chocolate is made and let her have a go at creating her own. Yum.

19 Hold a bird of prey

This activity will test your child’s nerve …

Take a walk on the wildside and get up close to a bird of prey. At some bird sanctuaries, your child can even hold everything from eagles to owls.

20 Find frogspawn

Hands up if you remember collecting frogspawn when you were a child? Yep, us too.

Frogspawn starts to appear in ponds and streams from February and your child will love seeing them transform into tadpoles.

21 Eat a new food

Your child is growing up fast so why not encourage her to develop her sense of adventure with food. Head to a food festival and she can try anything from Thai to Mexican. Delicious.

22 Milk a cow

Chances are you had a go milking a cow on a school trip when you were little. And now it’s your child’s turn!

Lots of farm parks let children have a go at milking – it’s an experience your child will never forget.

23 Make and fly a kite

Make the most of windy days by helping your child make and fly a kite. Head to a hill or open park and have a go. Although just make sure it’s not *too* windy or your kite might not last long …

24 Go orienteering

All you need is a map and a compass and you’re ready for an orienteering adventure.

Head to your nearest country park and test your navigation skills. Good luck!

25 Ride a steam train

Remember when your child was a train-obsessed toddler? Why not help her regain her excitement about trains by riding a steam train.

26 Dress up as a superhero …

… or whichever character your child likes. The sillier the costume, the better!

Either pick clothes from your dressing up box at home or lots of museums have their own dressing up boxes your child can go through.

27 Blow bubbles

What could be more fun than blowing – and popping – bubbles. You can do this in your garden or head to a park and make as many bubbles as you can.

28 Toast marshmallows round a campfire

This is an activity your child is guaranteed to love … toasting marshmallows round a campfire.

Lots of family-friendly campsites have evening campfires so all you need to do is bring the sweet treats!

29 Watch the sunset

Head to a park with a picnic and snuggle up with your child to watch the sunset.

Just make sure you take blankets to wrap up warm (especially in winter) and a torch to get back to your car.

It’s a great excuse for your child to stay up late, meaning it’s one she’ll love!

30 Take a boat trip down the Thames

Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Shard … treat your child to a cultural overload by taking a boat trip down the Thames.

You can either do a lunch cruise or jump on a Thames Clipper and hop on and off at different points along the river.

31 Go crabbing

Looking for an activity to keep your child entertained for hours? Give crabbing a go.

All you need is a bucket, a net and some bacon (as bait) and you’re good to go. There are lots of great harbours and lakes to go crabbing around the UK. Just be sure to throw the crabs back in the water … and watch out for their pincers.

32 Go sledging

Because you're never too old for sledging. Head to the biggest hill you can find!

33 Make slime

Yuck, what is it about kids and slime?

If your child has forgotten about all the fun you can have with goo, then why not make some homemade slime or book in for a slime making workshop.

34 Build something out of a cardboard box

It’s probably years since your child was obsessed with Mister Maker on TV. So why not remind her of the fun you can have with craft by making something together.

All you need is cardboard boxes, glue, scissors - and imagination.

35 Whizz down a water slide

Every child loves a water park so help your child rediscover her sense of adventure by heading to the tallest water slide you can find. Don't forget your goggles!

36 Build sandcastles

When your child was little, chances are you spent hours on the beach building sandcastles. So why not grab your buckets and spade, head to the beach and remind your child how much fun digging in the sand is at any age.

37 Do cartwheels

Would your child rather play on the tablet than play in the garden? Boost her activity levels by doing cartwheels and gymnastics routines in the garden.

And if your child is feeling really energetic, she could even try a circus skills class.

38 See where the Queen lives

It might be years since your child daydreamed of being a Prince or Princess. But she’s never too old to be reminded how much fun it could have been!

Why not go on a family day trip to Windsor Castle. Who knows, you might even see the Queen!

39 Find conkers

Playing conkers is practically a childhood rite of passage. So when next autumn arrives remind your child how much fun it is by heading to the woods to collect conkers.

40 Go on a nature trail

All kids love creepy crawlies. So take your child on a nature trail and look under rocks and leaves for beetles, slugs and spiders. Eek.

41 Run through a sprinkler

This is one summer activity sure to remind your child how much fun it is to be young!

Set up your sprinkler and then let your child run through it as fast as she can.  Or why not head to a park where your child can play in the water fountains.

42 Make perfume from flower petals

Why not collect flower petals from the ground and help your child turn it into perfume. Simply add a bit of water and mash the petals down.

Or you could visit a botanical garden for more exotic petals. (Again, make sure you only collect petals that have already fallen off the flower).

43 Play poohsticks

Your child may think she’s too old to play poohsticks, but it won’t take long for her to remember how much fun it is.

Head to a park and gather up some sticks, stand on a bridge and then have a family competition to see whose stick floats the fastest.

44 Go horse riding

Did your child go pony trekking when she was younger? Now she's all grown up why not give horse riding a go?

Head to your local riding school where your child can have lessons or you could all go for a family ride.

45 Feed the ducks

Grab a loaf of bread and head to your nearest lake or pond to feed the ducks. If you’re lucky, and it's the right time of year, you might even see some ducklings. Awwww.

46 Make some pottery

For a really fun – and messy – activity, why not head to a pottery workshop.

Your child will love having a go on a pottery wheel and can even decorate her creation before taking it home to display in her room.

47 Have fun with a wave machine

Remind your child that going swimming doesn’t just mean doing widths or lengths. Instead, why not head to a pool that has a wave machine and ride the enormous waves!

48 Go on a safari

Get up close to some wild animals on a family safari trip. You might see monkeys, elephants and even lions. A day trip your child is sure to love, no matter what her age.

49 Have a midnight feast

Let your child invite some of her friends over for a sleepover … and a midnight feast. (Although you might want to make it a bit earlier if you want the kids to get ANY sleep.)

We’ve got loads of fun snack ideas, including this great cake pops recipe.

50 Climb a tree

One of the BEST things about being a big kid is being able to climb a tree.

Help your child rediscover her sense of adventure by heading to the woods and letting her try out her climbing skills.

ALL kids love hunting bugs, so why not invest in this handy kit to help them capture and identify different types of creepy crawlies (before releasing them back in the wild, natch). See more details here at Amazon.