Clingy, bored and whiney

Actually writing this on behalf of my friend who is stepmum to four children. Her youngest boy - just turned 7 - is driving her mad as he is terribly clingy and seems to have no ability to entertain himself. As soon as he's up, he's asking "What are we going to do", "When are we going out" followed by "Thats boring", "Theres nothing to do" etc etc. It's a constant whine all day and suggestions, distractions and time out don't seem to have any effect. His siblings are growing up so he needs to learn how to do some things on his own or with other friends (which is a bit hit and miss). My friend does a great job with all four given that she is not really the maternal type. Any tips to help her out would be greatly appreciated (I just have a 2 month old myself so taking notes as to what to look out for in the future)