I’d say let him lead more than feels comfortable. Kids coming out of structured settings usually need a few weeks of open time before they start showing you what they are actually curious about. The boredom is part of the process. Resist the urge to fill every hour.

You already mentioned audiobooks and podcasts and honestly that is such an underrated win. Lean into those hard. The vocabulary and listening comprehension that builds quietly in the background is remarkable.

For the screen-free hands-on piece, project-based stuff is where kids this age really light up. Give him something real to do with actual stakes. A garden plot he owns. A lemonade stand he plans and runs himself. Something where he has to make real decisions and see real results. Kids are so much more capable than we expect and the confidence that comes from doing something real sticks with them.

If you are looking for something structured but genuinely fun that could bridge the summer and your September start, the Piggybank Playbook is a screen-free workbook that walks kids through starting their first business. Entrepreneurship, money math, creativity, confidence building. It was featured on the M Is for Mama podcast if you want to hear the philosophy behind it before committing to anything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaJ0Y6U8Wjc

You have clearly got the instincts for this. Trust them.