If you’re a parent to a teenager that finds pretty much everything boring, you already know how hard it is to connect through shared activities. They want to be left to do their own thing or they’re always on the phone to their friends or watching videos from influencers they follow, and you’re left with no attention from them at all! However, if you change tact and offer up some more ‘teen friendly’ things to do, you might just find they want to spend a lot more time with you. As such, here are some ideas for activities you should try out together.
Start a Big Art Project
A big art project could be anything. From a giant collage to painting a mural in the hallway to sculpting a big statue together, you can do whatever you like in whatever media you like. Ask your teen to start off with some ideas and then build on them as a family.
Dark colours, vague imagery, sparkles and glitter – whatever it is they suggest, be sure to include it and let them get some of their emotions out in the process! You can look back over it when you’re done and be proud of how much work you’ve done together.
Go Biking
Biking is a lot of fun if you’re an outdoorsy person, but it can also be a good gateway activity for anyone who feels they spend too much time indoors. And if your teen is glued to a computer screen or always has their door closed, suggesting buying some road bikes and going on a journey could do the trick. You can burn off energy, focus on building muscles, and explore new places together – it’s a good way to bond in the moment at any age.
Road Trip while Scavenger Hunting
Going on a road trip will always be the crowning glory of travel, but you can make it even more teen friendly by including a scavenger hunt. Sure, it’s going to take a lot more planning but this could be the thing you do over the summer together!
Lay out markers on your phone along the way, pick spots you need to jump out at, and make sure your teen has a list of things they need to either find, draw, or take a photo of. You could go 10 miles, you could go 100 miles – it’s up to you!
Get Involved in the Community
Finally, why not use some of that spare time they have to do some volunteering? There are plenty of community causes out there that could do with the extra hands, and if you do it as a family, there’s nothing to complain about! It’s not something you’re forcing them to do, it’s an activity you can do together and share in, and then talk all about why it’s so important.
If you’ve got a permanently bored teen on your hands, get them out of the house and try something new.
