Summer Activities for Teenagers

There are lots of different summer activities for teenagers which can keep them from getting bored and you getting frustrated!

The Joy Of Reading

One of the things I remember as a teenager (yes more years ago than I am going to say!) was the time it gave me to spend reading. 

How I wish we had been able to use Kindles back then!  So if you want to encourage your teenager to read or have a keen reader in the family why not look at buying them a Kindle.  You can read more about the benefits of a Kindle for your teenager at Why Buy a Kindle?

Summer Jobs

As your kids gets older, you might want to encourage them to try some summer jobs. You can talk to them about what they are looking for and look at ones which include as much or as little responsibility as they feel they want.

If they want to keep things reasonably flexible then they might consider acting as a babysitter for friends and family. If they want a little more routine then they could go out and try to find a job where they have to be available for a set number of days each week. Bearing in mind some of the challenges with Teenage Job Search you might also suggest that they take a look at some of the benefits of a short Unpaid Internship during the summer months.

They may not want to work, but if they can find a Summer Job that pays money then they are going tolove earning money. They will also learn some very valuable lessons along the way!

As we have already noted when your kids are getting older, they might not be as interested as they once were in traditional summer activities for kids, such as playing outside.

However, this could be the perfect time to encourage them to develop their skills and interests.

Perhaps they might be interested in teaching at a camp where others are looking to learn new skills or sports.

If they are interested in a musical instrument maybe you could encourage them to take lessons.  If they are a budding artist perhaps you could buy them some materials to let them explore their creativity.

Most teenagers will already be developing skills in certain areas, and having time away from the pressures of school, could be the perfect time to improve and develop them.

You might also want to think about encouraging your teenagers to consider volunteering. It's a great way for them to meet new people, to learn new skills and also keep themselves occupied.

Some ideas they could consider include:

• Helping local charity campaigns;
• Spending time with the elderly neighbours;
• Helping out at a homeless shelter;
• Helping to clean up your local streets;
• Working on local conservation projects.

One of the advantages for teenagers and you of volunteer placements is that they tend to be very flexible. You may even find that some volunteer schemes will offer volunteers a qualification once someone has worked for them successfully for a period of time.

Whatever you and your kids decide make this summer one of fun activities that they will remember!