10 Ideas for Developing a 10-Year-Old Boy

At 10, boys are actively exploring the world and developing their interests and skills. Here are some ideas to help your son grow, develop, and thrive.

🤸 1. Get Moving

Sports aren’t just about staying healthy—it’s also a great way to teach confidence, discipline, and the ability to lose graciously but without giving up. The key is not to force your son into a sport you like. Let him try different things: team games, martial arts, skateboarding, or even parkour. If his eyes light up and he is eager to participate routinely, you’ve found the one!

🎨 2. Express Emotions Through Creativity

Drawing comics, drumming on anything that makes noise, sculpting with clay, or building car models—all these activities are more than just fun; they’re ways to express feelings. Sometimes, it’s easier to draw something than explain it in words. Plus, even adults love getting creative after a long day, so why shouldn’t your son do the same? Let him explore anything that helps him release emotions and recharge his positivity!

🦸 3. Develop Thinking Without Boredom

Puzzles, chess, books—they’re all classics. But there are unexpected ways to boost intellectual skills, too: let your son try designing games in Roblox or building complex structures in Minecraft. Or have him solve logic puzzles that seem like magic (like how to crack a code without a key).

🧑‍🔬 4. Explore Science Through Experiments

Create a volcano with baking soda and vinegar, grow crystals, or make a potato lamp—science doesn’t have to be boring. If possible, take him to a science museum or sign him up for a young scientist club. Experiments are great for teaching cause-and-effect, a lesson that can be applied across many aspects of life!

⚽ 5. Spend More Time Outdoors

Nature is the best free stress reliever. Bike rides, fishing, forest navigation, or just running with the dog in the park—all these are great ways to build endurance and learn to enjoy the real world, not just the virtual one.

🤖 6. Build Things with His Hands

Building a birdhouse, a simple electrical circuit, or a robot from a kit—the feeling of “I did this myself” is priceless. Sometimes, creating something with his own hands will give him more confidence than thousands of words of encouragement.

🎲 7. Play (Even Video Games!)

Games can be positive, especially when approached mindfully. Many games improve reaction time, logic, and strategic thinking, and some even teach teamwork. Just don’t let gaming turn into an uncontrolled marathon. Setting boundaries together and sticking to them can keep things in balance; particularly important around technology.

Let your son try games that make him think, such as:

• The Witness (logic and spatial thinking)
• Portal 2 (physics and teamwork)
• Cities: Skylines (planning and resource management)
• Civilization VI (strategy and history basics)
• Minecraft (Education Edition) (creativity and programming)

🧠 8. Analyze Information

One of the most valuable skills today is the ability to efficiently search for and, most importantly, verify information–also known as media literacy. Turn this into a game and train your son: ask any question (e.g., “Why does the moon change shape?”) and have him find the answer, checking sources and separating facts from opinions.

📚 9. Learn About the World Through Movies and Books

Back to the Future, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or The Jungle Book—let him watch and read age-appropriate stories about adventure, friendship, resourcefulness, and solving tough situations. This is also a great opportunity to then have conversations with your son about the lessons contained in movies and books.

🏕️ 10. Try Something “Adult”

Real fishing, hiking, volunteering for a community project, or even taking a trip to a new city without parents—your son needs to feel like he’s not just a child but becoming a young adult, too. It will be important to be sure he understands that such activities mean he needs to be more aware to stay safe, so be sure to talk through these aspects—without being too overprotective or ‘bossy’.

Support is Key

Growing up and developing isn’t a competition to see whose child is “cooler.” Let your son choose what interests him, and your role is to support him and not criticize his mistakes. After all, it’s through those mistakes that he’ll learn the most important lesson—understanding himself and the world around him.

References:

1. Your Child’s Development From 6 to 12 Years. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2. Activities For 7 To 11 Years Old: Engaging And Educational Fun. Healthy Young Minds
3. How to Promote Cognitive Development: 23 Activities & Games. Positive Psychology
4. Bulimwengu, A. S., & Cartmel, J. (2022). The tween years: A systematic literature review for services for children aged 10–13 years. Heliyon, 8 (1).
5. Janssen, I., Ferrao, T., & King, N. (2016). Individual, family, and neighborhood correlates of independent mobility among 7 to 11-year-olds. Preventive Medicine Reports, 3, 98–102.

Cover image: Pavel L Photo and Video/Shutterstock