My 10-year-old recently discovered a quintessential preteen pastime that I recall thoroughly enjoying when I was a tween and teenager in the ‘90s: Personality quizzes. Of course, in the ‘90s, you had to wait for the latest issue of Tigerbeat, Sassy, Seventeen, or Cosmogirl to arrive in the mailbox to get your quiz fix—and even then, they were largely age-inappropriate. (What kind of kisser are you? Are you stuck in the “friend zone” with your crush? Are you boy-obsessed?) We’d pore over these quizzes anyway, passing them among ourselves and taking turns analyzing our results.
Now, though, there are countless personality quizzes available online. And as my 10-year-old does not yet need to ponder kissing techniques, happily plenty of them are far tamer quizzes you and your tween can enjoy taking together. Once a week or so, my son and I pull out our laptops and sit down to hunt for quizzes to take together—and if you’ve got a preteen at home, I suggest you do the same. Here are some we have enjoyed so far:
You can probably tell what he’s into based on these topics, but whatever your child’s interests are, there is sure to be an online personality quiz to match it. What’s fun about taking these quizzes in tandem is that it’s a perfect, low-key way to spend time together, especially in the evening or if it’s raining outside and we’re bored.
We make sure to take a few minutes to discuss our results and whether or not we agree with whatever the other person got, which can create a bit of a bonding moment. (“You got an ‘electric-type’ Pokémon? Huh, I’d have pegged you as a ‘water-type.’” “I know, right? I’m such a water-type.”) Plus, it was a proud moment for me when he was pleasantly surprised at the depth of my Among Us knowledge.
If you’re not sure which quiz topics to explore with your tween, Kidzworld is a good place to start. They’ve got everything from science and animal quizzes to career predictions and movie trivia tests.
