Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Activities

Bored on break? Some fun ideas for teens

Dawn Miller
By

Teens look forward to those school breaks. It’s a welcome respite from the daily stresses of school, homework, and extracurriculars. However, it doesn’t take long for boredom to creep in and teens to descend into the rabbit hole of smartphones, video games, and streaming services.

Parents navigate a slippery slope by trying to keep teenagers actively engaged on long breaks. While you want them to be able to kick back and chill, you don’t necessarily want them to spend the entire vacation texting, posting, gaming, and binging on their favorite shows. Of course, they are teens, so it will take a bit of creativity and patience to get them to disconnect, but it’s possible. There are many fun things to do on break with your teen that will bring smiles and laughs instead of eye rolls.

Recommended Videos

Roll the dice

Family game nights are not cliché. Playing games as a family is not an activity to engage in when kids are younger. Everyday life gets hectic when kids hit their teen years, which makes playing games during vacations ideal because you have the time. Board games are a perfect way to get teens talking and laughing. There also isn’t a shortage of fun games to play. Pictionary, Monopoly, Scrabble, and Trivial Pursuit are enduring classics, while Do You Really Know Your Family? and What Do You Meme? are newer ones to bring to the table.

Family playing board game in kitchen
Moneky Business Images/Shutterstock

Head outdoors

A good way to get teens to turn away from social media and put the game controllers down is to plan a day out. Most teens wouldn’t want to stroll around the neighborhood with the entire family even if the dog is in tow, which is why you should take them someplace new. Plan a family road trip and get them moving during scenic stops, or else head over to a hiking trail. A hike is a great activity to get teens outside and exercising. Hiking trails vary according to difficulty, and most states have plenty of beginner to intermediate trails that are inviting and picturesque. The quiet and scenery will help both parents and teens unwind a little on break. If the hike is a success, dust off the bikes, ensure the tires have enough air and take a ride on a path if the weather and temperature cooperate.

Related

Get cooking

When schedules get busy, dinners are typically rushed, but there is more time to experiment in the kitchen when break rolls around. Vacations are ideal to try new meals and desserts. Involve teens in meal prep, starting with the menu. Teens will usually be more attentive to an activity if they have a say in what’s going on. So, let your teen choose a dish they would like to cook. Head out on a shopping trip to purchase the ingredients and get cooking.

Not only is this a lively and tasty endeavor, knowing how to plan, shop for, and cook a meal is an important life skill your teen will need when college rolls around. Baking is another undertaking that can be fun for adults and teens. If you’ve never made a cake from scratch, invite your teen into the kitchen to get baking.

Teen girls making a meal with mom
michaeljung / Shutterstock

Puzzle time

Jigsaw puzzles are good for the brain and a stress reliever. If you’re looking for an engaging family activity to involve your teens in, try clearing off table space and opening up a jigsaw puzzle. Working on a jigsaw puzzle helps to beat break boredom and gets the whole family involved.

Get painting

Time off on break is a perfect opportunity to try something new. Sign up for a virtual or in-person painting session. Art studios let participants pick the design and take you through the process step by step. Supplies are included in the price. If your teen is more comfortable painting at home, go the virtual route, and clear some space. Links can typically be shared with multiple participants, so you can even get grandma involved and have a family-wide virtual painting party.

Everyone looks forward to breaks but having extra downtime sometimes leads to boredom, especially for teens. With these boredom busters on your agenda, you and your teen can take a step away from screen time, share laughs, and make new memories.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Dawn Miller
Dawn Miller
Contributor
Dawn Miller began her professional life as an elementary school teacher before returning to her first love, writing. In…
11 fun games kids can play with just pen and paper
Try something different and play paper games
A game of tic-tac-toe on a piece of paper

Engaged in the daily battle to get the kids to put down the smartphones? Then there's the video games and the iPad. Sure, technology is awesome, but kids and teens do spend entirely too much time on them. It's a challenge many parents face on a daily basis. Trying to get kids to power down gets even worse when the tween and teen years roll around.

If you're trying to think of ways to get kids to lift their headd up and do something that doesn't involve electronics, you aren't alone. Finding ways for kids to be creative and explore activities minus a device can be difficult, but sometimes, simpler really is better. There may not be a lot of technology involved in old-fashioned games to play on paper, but they can be just as much fun for younger children, tweens, and yes, even teens.

Read more
4-year-old birthday party ideas: 7 low-stress themes your child will love
Have a preschool party to remember with these cool birthday party ideas
Boy is excited for his fourth birthday

Birthdays are the best when your kids are in preschool. There's so much excitement wrapped up in their upcoming birthday. Of course, you will want to have a party to mark the special occasion. This is such a fun age. Preschoolers are curious, have a great deal of energy, and love to play. When putting together a fabulous fourth birthday party, you'll need to have an engaging theme, but you also don’t want to overload yourself with added stress. Thankfully, soon-to-be 4-year-olds have a wealth of interests to choose an engaging theme from. There also isn't a shortage of 4-year-old birthday party ideas that are absolutely amazing.

Whether you're hosting at home, outside, or holding the party at a venue, the theme sets the tone for the party’s decor, cake, and goodie bags. To avoid giving yourself extra anxiety, pick a theme that’s easy to implement, easy on the budget, and of course, one that kids will be thrilled about. So, let's get ready to celebrate because we have a list of 4-year-old birthday party ideas that are fantastic.

Read more
Healthy extracurricular activities kids and teens should explore
Turn off the screen and sign up your kids for healthier activities
Kids playing games outside

It's all about Fortnite, Roblox, and YouTube when it comes to what kids do with their free time. But certain activities aren't the best for their minds and bodies, are they? We want our kids to have hobbies that challenge them and help them be smarter than we ever will be. That means getting them involved in healthier extracurricular activities than gaming or staring at a screen, and we can help with that.

Why kids need extracurricular activities
Can't kids just sit and play video games all evening? Tetris is known to improve memory and could help reduce anxiety, so it can't be all bad. While it would be fine to spend a little time gaming, kids need other adventures to stimulate different parts of their brains and get their bodies moving. Kids and teens need to find out what they like, so they have healthy hobbies as adults.
There's no right age to start
Whether your child is 7 or 17, they could sign up for an activity. There are classes for newborns, toddlers, and grade-school age, and we know there are endless activities for high schoolers. Whenever your child shows an interest in something, that's the right time to get them involved.
Kids don't need to do all the things
But it doesn't mean your child should be in nonstop activities all year, every year. You like vacations and time off, and so will your children. Like you get burned out from time to time, a child put into too many activities will, as well. Have open communication with your kids on how they like what they are in, if they want to do more, and if they want to do less.

Read more