Warmer weather brings the school holiday. That means your kids will be home for the next few weeks, wreaking havoc and causing child-sized troubles. You sit there and think to yourself, “they’ll be calmer when they’re older”.
A few years pass, and you are now raising teenagers. They aren’t as energetic, but you soon find yourself getting annoyed at seeing them sit around the house and do nothing because they are bored.
What to do this school holiday?
Unlike when they were younger, teenagers know what they want to do, and you can’t distract them with crayons and cartoons. But you can talk to them and offer suggestions on how to use their free time. So, here are a few school holiday activities for your teens to do:
Make them hang out with a friend at their house
For teenagers, their friends are always one instant message away. Because of this, most don’t see the point of needing to go out of the house.
Encourage them to make plans even if it’s just staying over at a friend’s house for the night. It can strengthen their friendships and get them out of the house.
Camping Trips
Whether it’s with friends or with the family, there’s nothing like roughing it out in the woods, learning how to tie a knot, light a fire, and even how to fish. Bonus points if you can get them to go hiking with you and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells that only nature can offer.
Learn a new skill
It’s only a few more years before your teen will be going off to college to try and figure out for themselves what they want to do with their lives. This is an excellent time to ask them if there’s something they want to learn or have expressed interest in and help them in any way you can to encourage them learning that new skill.
Let them learn a practical skill like learning how to make wooden crafts and making simple repairs around the house, or even basic coding, and video editing. It’s nice to use the two weeks off school to do something productive with their time.
Explore the city
Another way to make use of this time is to take them into the city and let them plan where they want to go. Doing this teaches them to make decisions for themselves, time management, and encourages curiosity all while having you to guide them when they need it.
If you can, take them to wherever area they plan to go to college. Help give them a better idea on what to expect when they move there and be independent.
Make them do chores around the house
It’s never too early to teach them responsibility. Get your teens to do a job around the houser. That includes mowing lawns, cleaning the gutters, or even the garage. Keep them moving, and pay them for their troubles. Allow them to learn the joy of hard work and earning their own money. A bonus is that chores around the house are always done.
Making your teenager leave the house is an excellent way for them to enjoy their school holiday. In fact, they will be more keen to go with their parents’ support. Drive them around town with a car hire service in Brisbane that will allow you to chauffer your kids and your friends safe from one place to another.