THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR TEEN (or Tween)

Now, here's a challenge! Things to do with your teen (or tween) for FREE!!! It is not so much doing them, but getting them to enjoy themselves while doing it! 

Things to do with your teen

When your kids are 12 – 16 years old, it’s more important than ever to stay connected. How can you know what’s going on in their lives if you’re never together? Luckily, there are lots of activities that foster warmth, laughter, and conversation with your teen.  Best of all, they’re free. Go ahead and have some warm-weather fun!

• wash the car together and let your teen get you drenched.
• invite your teen to sit in the driver’s seat and find the windshield wipers, the horn, and the lights.
• walk around the neighborhood when it’s dark outside. Spooky! (Bring a flashlight!)
• build a small campfire and make smores or roast hot dogs.
• pack a picnic, go to the local baseball field, and eat while you watch a game.
• a few minutes before bedtime, grab a deck of cards, plop on their bed, and play cards.
• page through a catalog together and see what catches your teen’s eye.
• go outside and have a catch together. How many tosses before you drop one?
• play tennis at the park.
• challenge your teen’s buddy and their parent to a game (basketball, tennis, cards, or whatever).
• lend your teen a camera, ask them to take some pictures, and then look at the results together.
• if you have a girl who loves fashion, ask her to give you a makeover.
• make different types of popcorn (caramel, buttered, cheese) and watch a movie together.
• swap your “most embarrassing moments” stories.
• bring a beach ball to a pool and bat it back and forth while you swim.
• try to throw a ball so that your teen can catch it as they jump off a diving board.
• ask to read your teen’s favorite book.  When you are finished, talk about it over ice cream.
• get a wad of bubble gum and see who can blow the biggest bubble.
• put on old sneakers and wade in a stream. What will you find?
• ask if you can listen to your teen’s favorite song. Let them listen to one of your songs.
• challenge your teen to a kick, punt, and throw contest.
• while your teen is in her room, ask if you sit on her floor and read a book.
• find out when there will be a meteorite shower, then go look for shooting stars.
• play frisbee golf. Start at one spot and see how many throws it takes to get to another spot.
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• try a video game, preferably one neither of you have played before.
• play chess.  If you don’t finish the game, save it for later.
• watch your teen’s favorite TV show together.
• ask you teen to teach you something.
• try something totally new together.
• do both of you play instruments? Have a jam session, play a duet, sing harmony.
• set out a jigsaw puzzle and ask your teen to help you for a few minutes.
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• recreate your teen’s favorite restaurant food in your kitchen.
• just for laughs, draw portraits of one another (in pencil) and giggle at the results.
• team up and do something nice for a family member or neighbor.
• look at baby pictures from the family photo album.
• if you can sew, teach your kid how to make drawstring pants to lounge in.
• go fishing at a local pond.

I’d love to hear the activities that you and your teen enjoy together!