The holiday season can be tough once kids come home for the holidays. When you have young kids you can easily find activities to keep them busy and entertained but when it comes to teenagers, things can be a bit difficult.
As much as it’s important for your teen to rest and catch up with their favorite shows for a minute, they still need to find something else to keep them occupied. The teen age is a very challenging stage since many of them can be up to no good and it’s better if they’re not left with too much idle time in their hands.
Aside from doing the homework and studying, these are some of the things you can encourage your teen to do whenever they’re on holiday break.
ChoresHouse chores aren’t always fun to do, let’s be honest. But the most important thing about them is that you learn how to take care of yourself and that’s something your teen can benefit from as they move towards leaving the nest one day.
They might not enjoy cleaning their room and washing the dishes but in future, they will realize that you were trying to teach them some valuable life lessons.
Incentivize it to make it more appealing and also as a way of them making some extra cash because chances are they will be broke with no more break or lunch money coming in like it would if they were going to school.
Volunteer workIt’s always important for them to understand how different life can be for others. Teenagers don’t have a full understanding of life so they can really learn a lot by getting involved with volunteer work like charity.
They can even decide to take part in these activities with their friends and at least they will learn a lot while doing something constructive.
Your teen might have a specific sport which they’re passionate about. It could be that they love playing basketball or soccer, and this is the perfect opportunity to nurture their interests.
You can help them identify a local group that meets up for these activities weekly, so that they can interact with their peer mates or take them for fun activities like swimming often.
This is important for their development and their physical fitness as well.
Art projectsIf you have an artsy teen, they will enjoy doing some projects while they’re on holiday. This is a great way for them to de-stress after a long term full of school work and it’s just something productive they might enjoy doing.
You can get them some supplies and encourage them to try different projects that they can work on throughout the holidays. Maybe you can even work on a project together as a way of bonding.
Short classesIt would also be great for them to go for short courses like first aid training which will equip them with essential life skills.
You can even sign them up for short classes where they can learn a new language or encourage them to use free apps where they can have fun lessons daily.
There are many free and paid courses you can also sign them up for that will motivate them to try something new.