I have two teenagers in my house and they have only been out of school less than a week. I have already heard the “im bored” statement a few times. This drives me completely crazy considering there is a ton of things around the house that they can do on a daily basis to occupy their time and enjoy their summer. So today, I figured that I would share a few things that I can think of to keep your preteens and teenagers occupied this summer.
Cleaning Up the House
Are there chores that need to be done around the house? Put your teenagers to work and have them help knock out some of the family chores so that you can plan something fun for them to do with the family. For example, you can take them to their favorite amusement park, water park, or let them do something else that they don’t normally get to do.
Play Video Games
My kids always enjoy playing video games. I was browsing the Internet a few days ago looking for some fun online games for my teenagers to play on the computer. I found some fun games at Poki.com. They have a wide variety of games that you can play online for free. You can find action, sports, games for girls, racing games, movie games, and so much more.
My kids also have several game consoles that they can play too. They have a wide variety of games that can keep them occupied for several hours.
Play Board Games
Last night my teenagers, pulled out the board games. They sat down at the kitchen table and played several different board games for about an hour. My youngest son also joined in the fun.
Go Swimming
Depending on where you live, you could send your teenagers to the swimming pool to cool off and burn off some energy. We have a community pool in our neighborhood but it doesn’t have a lifeguard on duty so I personally won’t send my kids up there by themselves. I would drop them off at the swimming pool in town where there is a life guard on duty. Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Drop Them off at the Skating Rink for the Afternoon
I remember when I was growing up, I spent a ton of time at the skating rink. I loved the exercise and it was something that I really enjoyed. Plus, my friends were often there too. My mom would come home from lunch and drop me off at the skating rink and she would pick me up when she got off work.
Get a Summer Job
Depending how old your teenager is this summer, chances are they can get a summer job. There are plenty of places that will hire teenage students to work during the summer. It is a great way for your teen to learn some responsibility and earn some spending money.
Send Them to Summer Camp
I remember going off to summer camp when I was a preteen and enjoyed it very much. It was a great way to meet some new friends and create lasting memories. If you want to send them off to summer camp, you need to book their reservation now or you might miss out on the opportunity this summer. Camps usually fill up rather quickly because parents don’t want their preteenagers at home alone all summer long.
Download a Variety of Books for them to Read
My daughter enjoyed reading a bunch of different types of books last summer. Not only was reading fun for her but it also helped her academically when she returned to school last fall. There are a ton of free e-books that you can download on Amazon, Nook, and Kobo. You can also take them to the library to pick up some new books to read too.
Watch Movies
I subscribe to Netflix so that my kids have an endless supply of movies and television shows that they can watch on the television. I allow my teenagers to watch anything PG or PG-13. The good thing, Netflix does track what they watch so you can browse their selections at a later day. Also, check your local movie theater for discount days. During the summer, our movie theater offers shows for a $1.00 or less. They might be older but it is something for them to do for several hours.
Play Outside
Send them outside to play with their friends if it isn’t too hot. There are lots of games that they could play outside too. Just make sure that they stay hydrated and spend time indoors to cool off often. They should refrain from playing outside from noon to 4pm, which is the hottest part of the day unless they are at the swimming pool.
Hang Out with Their Friends
Allow them to hang out with their friends during the day. Just make sure that you set the ground rules first.
Teenagers are often stuck at home during the summer while most parents are at work. If you aren’t home, you may or may not know what your teenagers are doing all day long so I wanted to come up with a list of activities that they can do. I hope that this list is helpful and keeps your teenagers safe this summer.
Photo Credit: Flickr via Creative Commons
Comments
31 responses to “11 Ways to Keep Your Preteen and Teenagers Occupied This Summer”
Interesting tips, Christy. While growing up, I also enjoyed the skating rink a lot.
Those are all great ideas. We will be spending most of our summer at the beach and pool, but I think we can squeeze in a few other things!
My kids alternate their summer time between video games and tromping around the woods where we live. I think it’s a nice balance.
My daughter will be occupying herself with her friends almost exclusively this summer. She’s headed off to college after that.
This is a great list you’ve put together, Christy. They all promote and encourage teens to spend their time ( summer break in particular ) wisely. It’s not just about fun but I think these activities will also help them develop their personalities especially when they learn something new from let’s say, a summer job or summer camp.
Cleaning up the house is the best tip ever lol!! I really need some help here, thanks for the great post ^_^
I remember volunteering with the city at a local day kids camp when I was a teen. It was super fun, occupied my time … while gettin’ a tan haha.
These are all great ideas. It’s important to keep the kids occupied during the summer. That way they stay out of trouble!
haha, I wish…chores and summer job LOL!! Video games have mine occupied constantly or texting their friends. Can’t really get them interested in anything else without fight. Great list now to try and put it to action is the hard part.
My kids are all grown, but the grandkids and I love to play outside. They really like to help me weed my flower beds. They think it’s fun. They are not allowed to play video games for long periods of time, but they do play occasionally.
My son and his friends try to go fishing a lot during the summer. It might not be something all teens enjoy, but I know he does! My daughter turned 20 this year! Agh! But she’s out of school for the summer. We watch Netflix and read a lot!
my daughter is grown now but when she was younger a lot of those tips pertained to her. She loved the skating rink, but she also had a summer job.
We bought a lot of books for the kids. We also love DVD marathons during summer.
I remember how my brother and I used to look forward to summer when we were little. Summer for us, at that time, meant that we could play video games all we want. Our Mom gives that to us because we only get to play video games on Sats whenever there’s school.
These are all great activities to keep young people busy. My personal favorite is for them to get a job!
These are great! These are great! My preteen is always bored and always needs ideas to keep busy
We can’t wait to go swimming this summer and our son is really excited about it. We’ll be visiting the library more often too. And of course, we watch a lot of movies during the weekends. Gotta love summer!
As much as possible, we stay away from gadgets/computers during summer. We prefer going out, walking and exploring the beauty of nature.
These are great ideas for keeping the kids busy this summer. Both of my Teenagers drive now so i do not see a lot of them. I am hoping they will be inviting their friends over for some swimming now that the pool is open.
You’ve pretty much summed up all the ideas I had for all my kids to enjoy this summer! We’ll be doing math, reading, playing outside, going to the park, etc. I can’t afford summer camp, but I wish I could!
these are some great ideas!!! Swimming was always my favorite when I was a teen and it still is to this day!
We have been playing a lot of board games lately. My son is really into racing games too. These are great ideas!
My kids still have a few days left and I’m not looking forward to the “I’m bored” statements. Thanks for this list. I’ll be sure to do plenty of these. =)
If your kids like games, I suggest you send them our way for a few ideas! Board games are also a great way to bond and spend time together.
These are all great suggestions. I know that when I was a preteen and teen, I attended summer camps, and as I got older, I voluntarily went to summer school to strengthen subjects that I was weak in. I wish that I would have had a chance to have gone to an art camp.
I love these ideas, because I personally don’t think that they are just for teens! And they are easy as well as financially sound so you aren’t shelling out a lot of money trying to entertain your kids.
All these things are good bit I believe that they cannot do these all days in summer.
Thanks really been a great article .. I like it when people come together and share opinions. Great website.
These are all great ideas. Great list now to try and put it to action is the hard part. thanks alot…
very good post,thanks for information….
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