Help! I'm a bad aunt. What do 9 year old girls like to do?

[Coventina]

I'm supposed to take my niece out for a fun activity on Monday, Presidents' Day.

I don't want to take her to the zoo or science center because they will probably be mobbed with holiday-goers.

Any ideas?

:shrug:

[nini]

1. do you like to bake or do crafts?

or something like that you can do together and you can teach her?



If not, a movie, one of those ceramic making places - if you have them by you.

[childslibrarian]

2. The Mall

They love to shop...

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. They LOVE to clean ovens, scrub garage floors, clean up cat poop,

fix the sink, wash the car, wax it, and buff it, and they especially love sending large amounts of money to Rabrrrrrr.

Anything gross and disgusting - that's what they want to do.

Seriously, though, do a variety of things - make breakfast, take her out to get your hair done, or have a massage, or a manicure/pedicure, out for lunch and perhaps later an afternoon tea, do a bit of shopping, though perhaps not much, a nice dinner.

But I'm only guessing - it really depends on your niece. Most girls would like the above, especially to do with an aunt, but my niece would have killed me if I did that. Even at age nine, she only wanted to golf, go to science-fiction movies, and eat pizza and ice-cream.

[Atman]

4. Watch Auntie post on DU

Or watch Crossfire. Is she a democrat?

[Coventina]

5. She's very opinionated, but not political yet.

I have high hopes, though.

:evilgrin:

[alittlelark]

22. I have a 9 year old daughter - she hates *

Kids understand right from wrong better than many adults....chat w/ her. You could let her check out the animations on Toostupidtobepresident.com My kids love those.

But if you're gettin' out of the house think about a drive, funky restaurant, and just chatting. 9 is a wonderful age, they are so intelligent and insightful, not shallow or aloof yet (hope my daughter never gets that way!). They have so much to say, and soooooo many questions!

Good Luck

[TNDemo]

6. Movies.

They are always up for one of those. Or bowling. Believe it or not, kids like to bowl.

[Coventina]

8. Hi there!

:hi:

I hate bowling, so that's out.

I'm thinking a movie, except that there doesn't seem to be any kid-friendly movies out right now, except maybe "Catch That Kid".
:shrug:

[TXDemGal]

20. Cheaper by the Dozen

with Steve Martin is out now. Not that I would want to sit through it, but....

[DuctapeFatwa]

7. Take her to get glamour shots

Or take them yourself. Have her dress up in Hollywood starlet wear with lots of sequins, make her up like a drag queen, and give her big hair. Then have her strike cheesy fashion model poses and pouts.

If you're into photography, you can show her how to develop the pics, or if you are a nerd, take them with a digital camera and show her how to photoshop herself standing next to her favorite pop star at an awards show.

[scarlet_owl]

9. Do you have a natural area in your city?

Take her for a hike in the woods. The forest is surprisingly alive and beautiful in the winter. Then make some cocoa!

[Coventina]

10. Unfortunately we're in the middle of the Sonoron Desert

I hate the desert!
x(

[Insider]

11. well...

call me twisted, but around that age i let nieces bring another 9 year old. don't get me wrong, we had fun and stuff. but around 9 to 11 if they didn't have a sister/cousin with them, we'd bring along one friend. just my two cents.

[Coventina]

12. Sadly

She has no cousins her age & no real close friends either.

She has a younger brother that is no companion for her (they are really oil & water and going through intense sibling rivalry right now).

She is friendly with the other girls in her class, but with no one in the neighborhood, she doesn't have close ties to any of them.

[cally]

13. Minature golf

jumping in mud puddles if you have them, sliding down a hill on cardboard, messy crafts, messy cookies, batting cages, dancing to music, swimming, skating, etc. Anything that's seen as slighty risky and rebellious. Maybe a rock climbing gym or aerobics class. Some love beading. Most of the local craft and bead stores will have make it take it clinics during holidays.

Don't totally avoid the stuff that's crowded. If you go early, then the crowds are not too bad.

[latebloomer]

14. do you have an indoor ice skating rink

in the desert?

My girl loves to skate. Roller skating is good too.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. Check out your local craft store

You could make jewelry together, or plant some seeds, or bake brownies. Shopping's always a good bet.

If she's into science, you might consider buying a microscope and looking at various things you have around the house...salt, spices, hair, blood, urine, makeup, dust, etc...

[K8-EEE]

16. Win A Date With Tad movie is fun....or Bowling, & A Crazy Manicure!

One thing my 9 y/o likes to do is paint her finger and toe nails all different colors. You might have to tell her it's only for that one day and she has to take it off before mom picks her up...but that just makes it more fun!

Also browsing at the bookstore is always a good time!

[put out]

17. She would like to do anything with you.

You are exotic. You are a grown-up woman. You are not her mother. Everything you do or suggest will be fine. Don't bother scheduling the day to the minutes. Learn some jokes (but don't get them here). Ask her for suggestions, but have a few tricks up your sleeve because she might be too reticent to suggest something. Give her a few things to reject, and that way she will have some options she likes.

Don't get too hung up. She really wants to be with you.

[fishnfla]

18. Do anything with her, she'll love it

Are there any Indian archelogical sites nearby? I'm serious, I took my kids, 2 girls and a boy, to some ancient shell middens here and they loved it. We went back four times now! Kids love indians.

[Florida_Geek]

25. that what is nice about that age

almost anything you do they will like....

[Hogarth]

19. It's been my experience ...

... that nine-year-old girls like to bug you while you're doing the dishes to say they're bored and have nothing to do. Let her mop the floor and clean the oven.

[burrowowl]

21. Ask her what she

would like to do.
And if it is the zoo or science center either go or do an equivalent. Like take her to the forest or desert and identify some stuff or get a science experiment thing and do it with her.

[Dogmudgeon]

23. Sank heavens ...

... for lee-tull gurls ...

So, what do little girls want? Well, I'll tell you. They like to get together with the other girls when nobody's listening in and talk about how awful their boyfriends are at making out. They like to get falling-down drunk on Countrytime Ice Teas and ask Little League athletes to take them home for the night. They like to dress up like hookers and smoke foreign cigarettes and snort cocaine with Frankie Muniz and have beery lesbian grope sessions in the Girls' Room. They are very caught up in the "Tadpole" phenomenon, having read about Demi and Ashton; they want to be seen in public, even photographed, with a second grader. Preferably a second-grade hip-hop grandmaster fulfilling a recording contract with Death Row Records.

Scripture says that "Evil is in the heart of the Child; the Rod of Discipline will drive it far from her." Except if she's a Dominant, in which case, you'll have to help her hook up her Magic Blue Wand at playtime, since it's electric, and her Daddy and Mommy told her not to fool around with that stuff.

And then little girls grow up to be big girls and break men's hearts.

--bkl
No, I don't have a daughter.
Why do you ask?

[Nile]

24. Take them fishing.

Believe it or not girls do enjoy it.

[jmowreader]

26. Take her to Home Depot

Nine year olds' favorite departments: paint, blinds & wallpaper, and the shelving aisle in Lumber. Choose three products at random from each area. Then go home and make a crafts project out of them.

If it was a nine-year-old boy, the answer would be even simpler: Take nine-year-old boys to the power tools department and let them play with the routers.

[SmileyBoy]

27. Take her to one of those shitty boy band concerts???

:shrug: