20 Best Teen Activities to Keep in Mind Next Time They're Bored
From creative outings to projects that are secretly about skill building, these teen activities will keep them occupied.
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Teens are notoriously difficult to please, but stereotypes of them living robotic, passionless lives while glued to their phone screens are often exaggerated. In reality, teenagers feel deeply about their passions and interests, and they just need a little nudging to take those interests offline and into the real world. That can even include friendships; since teens live so much of their lives online, that's where their social lives have migrated, too, and they might be at a loss for fun things to do when they meet up IRL.
These teen activities get them to indulge in their passions, stave off boredom, and have a good time. Some are better for groups of friends, for the next time you have a gaggle of teens in your basement who seem at a loss for what to do with themselves. Others are better as family activities, where you can involve yourselves and even little siblings. All of them are meant to be fun, but some also sneak in learning components that will look good on a future resumé or serve them well when they finally leave the nest. Either way, you'll never hear them complaining about boredom again.
Find a Next-Level Board Game
As they get older, Sorry! and other board games that rely solely on luck aren't going to cut it anymore. Test out board games that involve a little more brain power and critical thinking skills. You can find cooperative games like Pandemic, The Mind, or Wonder Woman: Challenge of the Amazons; strategy games like Brass, Ticket to Ride, Dungeons and Dragons, or Settlers of Catan; or party games like Codenames or Double Ditto. Chances are, they'll settle on one game that works for their group of friends and will make it a go-to for whenever they've got downtime.
RELATED: 15 Best Board Games to Play With the Whole Family Right Now
Go Retro
Treat them to an activity that reminds you of your summers past: bowling, mini-golf, arcades, even lasertag. You'd be surprised at how little these places have changed, and yet how easy it is for teens today to still get into them. (If your teens refuse to go for it, you can go for the 21st-century equivalent — an escape room.)
Design a Garden
The great thing about this project is that you can make it as involved or as simple as you like. You can do a simple window box and pick up a few pretty, blooming flowers, or go big and try to plan a backyard vegetable garden. You can let your teen decide how hard they want to hit the throttle.
RELATED: 40 Ways to Maximize a Small Garden
Restaurant Wars
Take a page out of the Top Chef book and add a little competitive spirit into the kitchen. Split the teens into teams, and see if they can come up with a menu that includes an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert, then vote for the best meal. Or, you can make it more Iron Chef than Top Chef and put the teams in a head-to-head competition making a crowd-pleaser like guacamole or French toast.
Start a Business
There are plenty of side-hustles available to teens, from dog-walking, babysitting, and tutoring all the way up to making and selling things on Etsy or social-media consulting for local businesses. Not only will a business bring some money into your teen's spending account, it'll teach them about leadership, responsibility, and managing a budget. (But really, it'll be nice to not have them asking you for cash all the time.)
RELATED: The 10 Best Summer Jobs for Teens That Make Great Money
Plan a Family Trip
Give your teen (near) total control over a weekend getaway: Give them a driving radius and let them choose a destination, along with that major activities you'll do each day. Not only will you get a vacay that you don't have to arrange yourself, you'll let them flex their planning muscles, which will serve them well after they leave the nest.
Room Re-Do
It just might be time to give that room a more mature look. Your teen will love deciding furniture placement, wall color, and new bedding — and you get bonus points if you can incorporate their passion or their hobby into the décor.
Make a Movie
It's amazing how little equipment you need to make a pretty good-looking movie these days — you pretty much just need a phone and some editing software. And yet making a movie involves so many different creative facets, from scripting a story to visually designing the shots to working with pacing and structure while editing. If your kids are somehow camera shy, they can use household items or pick up a Stikbots set and try their hand at stop-motion animation.
Go Camping
Hiking, fishing, s'more-making, telling stories around a campfire — a camping outing comes with a ton of great teen activities automatically baked into it. When the sun goes down, try your hand at some amateur astronomy, too.
RELATED: Best Camping Activities for Families to Try This Summer
Learn to Sew
Learning to sew unlocks an entire avenue for creativity — they can make their own custom tote bags and other accessories to start, and then move on to whole outfits as their skill improves. And if the hobby doesn't stick, they'll still be able to sew a button or fix a hole in a shirt, which will serve them well into adulthood.
Host a Garage Sale
There are so many wins in hosting a garage sale: Your teen is occupied for a few days going through their stuff and finding things to sell. You get to clear out some space. They get some money in their pockets. And the stuff that's sold goes to (hopefully) a home where it'll be used, and not in a landfill somewhere. Plus, this might inspire you to clear out some of your old items to sell, too.
RELATED: A Family Garage Sale Taught Me That It's OK to Say Goodbye to My Past
Volunteer
The best thing about teenagers is that they're so passionate about the causes that matter to them. Indulge it — take them to join a community service organization, volunteer for a local group, or plan a fundraiser for a topic that interests them. You might instill a spirit of volunteerism that lasts their whole lives.
Try a TikTok Challenge
Let's be frank: A lot of TikTok challenges are silly, and some of them are actually dangerous. But most of them are harmless, or even fun, and ones that get parents or whole families to participate can be downright charming. Swallow your pride and learn the moves.
RELATED: The Full Story Behind the “Flip the Switch” Challenge on TikTok
Adulting 101
Okay, "fun" might not be as apt a word to describe this as "satisfying" an "necessary." But if you dropped your teen off on their own right now, how well could they be able to function? Do they have what it takes to take care of themselves? Can they make an easy meal? Do they know how to do laundry, iron a shirt, or fold a fitted sheet? Can they write a check, or make a budget? Now's the time to sweep the corners and get them practicing all these life skills — otherwise you an expect a lot more middle-of-the-night phone calls when they leave home.
Go to a Music Festival
For the price of one ticket — okay, probably an expensive ticket — teens can see some of their favorite bands, sample some tasty food vendors, play outdoor lawn games, and experience the ineffable energy of a music festival. Even if Coachella isn't in the cards, most cities host their own at outdoor venues throughout the country.
Learn to Code
There are plenty of places online where teens can learn to code, including serious courses at Codecademy or Udacity — or even free, volunteer-led sessions at sites like CoderDojo. Even if your teens don't become the next big app developers — though they might — they'll still pick up a skill that'll come in handy in the long run, as technology runs more and more of our lives.
Visit an Amusement Park
It's fun to take little kids to an amusement park, but they're too small for the most thrilling rides. Remember to take a family outing again when they get bigger and (depending on their constitution) are willing to go on all the roller coasters and stomach-dropping spinning rides with you.
Karaoke
Whether you have an at-home machine or have to head out and rent a room in an establishment, karaoke gives teens a chance to step up to the mic and let loose. Once they get a taste of the spotlight, though, they might get bit by the karaoke bug, and you'll have to make it a regular event.
Visit a Historic Site
Be it the Civil War or the Civil Rights Movement, every teen has a period of American History that is of particular interest to them. Visiting a related historic site takes the stories out of textbooks and into the real world. If you need to get inspired, the National Parks Service has a list of national historic landmarks by state to get you started.
Take an Online Class
The idea of taking more online classes might be a hard sell to your teen — until you explain the kinds of just-for-fun classes there are out there. They can take Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology at an online version of Hogwarts. Disney has a self-paced Imagineering course through Khan Academy. Fender gives lessons in guitar, bass, and ukulele over the internet. MoMA gives a free course in fashion design through Coursera. If your teen has a particular interest that isn't explored at the local high school, there's sure to be a class offered online that your teen can do at home.
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