Keeping Teenagers From Being Bored in the Summer

As a teacher and a mother of two teenagers, one in high school and one who has just completed her first year of college, I know how hard the summer can be with bored teenagers.  Short of kicking them out and telling them to get a job, what can you do to keep your teens from sleeping late, playing video games, and eating junk food all day?  Well, I don't have the definitive answer; if I did, they would've made me Queen of Teens a long time ago.

Here are some ideas that I've used in the past few years and still pull out occasionally if I see some yucky teen habits forming:

When my children were little people and out for the summer, I made sure that they had a few scheduled activities each week to keep them busy.  We'd visit the city park early in the morning and walk the hiking trails.  We'd go to story time at the local library at least once a week, and the local science museum (not free, but we purchased an inexpensive family pass for the summer) was a wonderful excursion. I'd always pack a special picnic lunch for those days with little shaped crackers, fruit, cookies and iced water.  My two teens will occasionally talk about those special times.

Even though my teens now have part-time jobs, they still seem to be hanging around the house quite a bit over the summer.  So on those weeks when they're home more than at work, I plan at least one out-of-the-house activity.  One of my daughter's favorites is the local thrift store.  We start off the morning by gathering up several items of "clutter" that we want to get rid of then haul it off to the thrift store. Afterwards, we go in and visit the thrift store to replace the "clutter" with some new-to-us items.  I know, it's not really completely getting rid of the clutter, but we have a good time looking at the clothes and dishes in the store and maybe finding that one item that we've been wanting our entire lives.

The Discovery Science Museum doesn't hold much interest for my kids anymore, but the last few summers I've purchased an educator's family pass to the local botanical gardens.  Members can enjoy gardening, yoga, and art classes.  We take a picnic lunch and stroll the gardens and take photos.  My kids are old enough to appreciate the beauty of the gardens.

Our town offers several farmers' markets throughout the week and on the weekends. We love to go and just see what the vendors have to offer each week.  We purchase fruits and vegetables then head home to create something special for supper.  In fact, my kids have to help with some meals during the week.  They help shuck the corn and cook on the grill.  My daughter is often in charge of dessert for the day.

Do we ever watch television?  Yes, we sometimes will do a movie day at home.  Since we're Prime members on Amazon.com, we have access to hundreds of movies and television shows.  We recently watched "Band of Brothers" and "Captain Phillips."  We make popcorn and drink soft drinks and relax for a couple of hours; it's a great way to spend a rainy day.

My kids also have chores...each teen is responsible for his and her own laundry and on sunny days, laundry has to be hung outside.  My son is responsible for taking care of the dogs each afternoon...picking up poop in the yard, refreshing water buckets, that sort of thing.  Today, he's helping his grandmother with her plants and carrying off the garbage.

Do my kids ever say, "I'm bored?"  Yes, but much less than they used to.  I'm fortunate that I get to be at home with my kids during the summer.  But, with a little forethought and expectations, teenagers should have a meaningful and relaxing summer.

Melissa