Amazing Ways to Connect With Your Teens This Summer

Thank you to my guest Jen Dodrill for sharing some fun ways you can connect with your teens this summer. You can find her blog and curriculum over at History at Home.

As a mom of teens, it is easy to think their summer should be spent working – either a job or schoolwork. Often teens have no interest in either of those, or they roll their eyes when you suggest getting out and trying something new.

Honestly, as moms we need to ignore those eyerolls (possibly they learned them from us?) and check out these amazing summer ideas for teens that go beyond the traditional!

One thing I did when I had teens at home still was have them create a list of things to do during summer break. They loved making the list – anything goes – and then seeing how many ideas we could make happen. We even put weekly things like taco night or movie night.

We never did take that trip to Hawaii…. 😉

Fun Summer Ideas to Connect With Your Teens

Summer is a great time to try new things:

• Geocaching – fun for all ages – check out this Geocaching 101 Guide
• Learn a new sport (skateboarding, volleyball, golf, tennis, etc.)
• Lifeguard lessons 
• Camping

Summer Camps

If your family is involved in church, the youth group will often have a summer camp or even a missions trip. 

My son and I went on a missions trip together when he was sixteen and those are precious memories for both of us. He worked at different houses doing repairs and clean up. The experiences definitely impacted his worldview and brought out more compassion and gentleness in him.

Scouting troops often have summer camps. Also check with your town to see if they have teen camps – arts, CPR, babysitting. Many sports offer summer camps too. You can also check with your local YMCA for camps.

Volunteer Opportunities

Besides the “typical” summer volunteer opportunities of VBS or backyard Bible clubs, teenagers can volunteer at the animal shelter, nursing/retirement home, or a homeless shelter. Another idea is to help at the library during their summer reading program. Even shy teens enjoy that!

Keep in mind – volunteering hours look great on college transcripts and are often needed for college scholarships. Keep track of where they volunteer, how many hours they served, and a name or contact information of the person in charge.

Work or Job Shadowing

Besides the usual fast food jobs, teens can lifeguard or help coach younger sports teams. Summer is also a great time to do some job shadowing! This is where your teen hangs out with someone at their job for the day. It gives them a better idea of what they might want to do – or not do – when they grow up. 

Make Time for College Tours

If summer is your only time for college tours, that works! You will see more of typical college life if you go during the regular school year, but I’ve done several summer tours with my kids. One plus for checking out colleges in the summer is you might be the only group on the tour, so you’ll have more one-on-one time with the tour guide and any instructors you meet.

Just so you know, I started college tours in the spring of 10^th grade with my kids. That way they have a pretty good idea where they want to go when they start applying to college in the spring/summer of 11^th grade.

And, last but not least…

Make Summer Memories

Definitely make sure your teen has some fun during the summer break! It doesn’t have to be a trip; even just a planned break or an outing to a local waterpark or zoo is tons of fun. Be creative and ask for their input. You might be surprised what they come up with!

No matter what, these last few summers will fly by. We can’t stop time, but we can purposefully make the most of it. Enjoy your teen, have fun together, and you will never regret his/her high school summers!

This guest post is part of the Homeschool Summer Fun Series. Make sure to check out the series landing page to learn more about the series and find all of the posts in one place!