Perpetual boredom and teenagers often go hand in hand. Even if your teen doesn’t get up until noon and is spending most of their days playing video games or laying out by the pool, there is a certain amount of boredom there that could be addressed, even if they won’t admit to it.
Now, we’re not saying that every teen needs to spend their summer working 40-hour weeks and cleaning the house from top to bottom every weekend, but since they are slowly making that meaningful transition into young adulthood, it’s a good idea to give them that little nudge they might need on how to spend their time wisely.
With that in mind, there are all sorts of ways in which your teenager could be productively spending their summer months. Whether it’s learning an important life skill or taking things to a new level with one of their passions, the world is their oyster. So, let’s dig into seven productive and educational ways to keep your teen busy this summer.
Have your teen volunteer their time at your local library or hospital to give back.
If your teen hasn’t spent much time outside of their own little comfortable bubble in their lifetime, volunteering their time to a community-minded organization or establishment can be brimming with life lessons.
TeenLife notes that not only does volunteer work look great on upcoming college applications, but giving their time to others can help to boost a teen’s self-confidence and give them a new sense of purpose.
Plus, whether they decide to volunteer their time at the local library or a care home for seniors, they may discover a career pursuit that they’re passionate about or even cross one off their list. Either way, volunteering can be a valuable learning experience for any teenager.
Starting their own small business like lawn-mowing or dog-walking keeps them in their community and helps them to learn about managing money.
In today’s entrepreneurial world, there’s certainly something to be said about starting your own business and what it can teach you about managing money and dealing with people from all walks of life.
If your teen has a few other things going on this summer or you’re going on vacation as a family and they want a job but need some flexibility, you could always help them start their own lawn-mowing or dog-walking business.
Jobs for Teens explains there are benefits to having your teen explore the world of dog walking because it makes a great choice for animal lovers who enjoy being active and getting outdoors. The same thing goes for lawn-mowing or light landscaping for those teenagers who love to bask in the sun and practically spend their entire summer outside.
And for those teens who are social media savvy — which, let’s face it, is most teens nowadays, they can decide on their rates and start their own online page or website to attract customers alongside putting up flyers in the community and word of mouth.
Learning to cook for the family helps them gain a skill that will last them a lifetime.
If your teen is all about making sandwiches or anything microwavable, we totally get that, but there is something so special and important about learning to cook for yourself and others.
Gundersen Health System notes that not only is it great for a teen’s overall health and wellness to learn how to cook their own meals, but it can also help to boost their creativity and self-esteem when they find recipes that appeal to them and they’re able to create something they worked for with their own hands into something delicious and nourishing.
Besides simply learning to cook for themselves, you could also set up a rough schedule for your teen to regularly contribute to family meals. Whether they’re excited about making brunch for everyone on a Sunday or want to make DIY pizzas every Friday, your teen will likely thank you when they’re older when they have those cooking skills already in place.
A part-time job or internship in a field that interests and excites them helps to prepare them for life after high school.
If your teen has spent the past 16 or 17 years having a great time and enjoying every spare leisurely moment they have, that’s awesome. But there usually comes a time, particularly when you’re trying to figure out how to afford four years of college or a car for them, when they can learn the importance of financial contributions and responsibility.
Penn State explains that encouraging your teenager to find part-time employment or a summer internship can also help them to “better identify [their] goals or interests,” which is always a productive thing when you have a teen who isn’t quite sure what field of work they want to enter after high school or college.
Penn State also notes that even the process of a job interview can be a great experience for most teens because it allows them to pick up important interview skills and make connections with people within industries that interest them.
Send them to a tech camp or STEM camp so they can spend an accelerated amount of time doing something they’re interested in.
As a parent, it can be a cool thing to discover that even though all you wanted to do during the summer as a teen was read great books or go swimming, your teen is all about that tech life and has developed a keen interest in science, math, or even engineering.
Tech camp company iD Tech notes that even if your teen has displayed a minor interest in the tech world, an accelerated summer camp in this field gives them the hands-on opportunity to learn and perhaps spark that interest in a STEM-related career.
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Plus, a lot of these camps are instructed by people who are at the top of their game and extremely interested in bringing young women into the STEM world, so they can really help your teen to meet all sorts of people at all different levels in their career who are inspirational and creative.
Start a book club to meet new people or take extra school classes in something they’re interested in.
If your teen is an avid reader or consistently heads online to discuss their latest read, you might want to suggest that they find or even start a book club with their friends to help bring a sense of community and dialogue to one of their greatest loves.
Book Riot explains that it’s actually fairly simple starting a book club for teenagers as the only two things that you need are some willing teens and great books.
A great place to start is by identifying a single book series that really inspired your teen or got them excited about reading and have them reach out to a couple of friends who they feel might also connect with the books.
If you have a particularly studious teen who loves to learn and take classes, it also never hurts for them to sign up for some online or in-person classes at their high school over the summer months. This can help them to get a little ahead on their learning and even free up some time come the fall and winter semesters.
Learn a new language as something cool and beneficial they can add to their resume.
Even if your teen is already taking French or Spanish in school, there’s a whole world out there of valuable languages that may excite them and may even come in handy in the workforce or while travelling.
National Geographic explains that not only is learning a new language great for brain development, but it can also be a fun project for the entire family. For example, if you’re planning on heading to Italy on a family vacation or the islands of Greece, you can all choose something that makes the most sense for the family and is beneficial to learn together.
Plus, when your teen enters the workforce or applies to college, it never hurts to put down all of the different languages they can speak and understand as it helps to show a diverse and well-rounded background.
