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Original poster

What family activities do you do with your teens?

115 replies

spudjulia · 19/03/2022 17:29

Thread about the cost of activities has spurred me into asking this question as I feel lost.

When my kids were little and primary aged, family activities, days/afternoons out were a breeze. I had a couple of passes to local attractions (like a farm thing and big soft play) and we'd either do that, or go to the forest, or go out on our bikes, or organise play dates. Or on occasions do the more expensive stuff: trampoline parks, clip n climb, go ape. Just going to the supermarket or garden centre or for a walk was a fun filled activity (for them, I found the supermarket stressful).

Now my eldest is a teen and the hormones have hit him hard. He doesn't want to go on walks, finds all our usual haunts boring and for babies (his words). He's very shy and doesn't have a huge number of friends, he doesn't arrange to go out with the ones he does.

So I'd love some ideas of things you do that your teens enjoy. It could be that he's in that phase where everything is boring (go ape for example, surely that's for all ages) and I'll never be able to please him. But I agree with him that my repertoire is dated and we need some new and exciting stuff to do. Doesn't have to be free/cheap stuff, although free/cheap stuff most welcome.

OP posts:

Toomanypeople · 19/03/2022 18:06

Things my teens will join me with coast walks with a camera, paddleboarding, cards against humanities and other variations, hot chocolate out, film night with snacks if they get to choose the film, box set with one of them

lancaster · 19/03/2022 18:09

Sounds a lot like my son. He likes karting but expensive. OK for occasional treat. Also likes an occasional trip out for food and cinema.

Silkierabbit · 19/03/2022 18:15

16 year old DD, quite independent and does things with friends, she is member of a gym, meets boyfriend / friends, they go shopping, skatepark etc, she will do rowing / canoeing with us.

DS is 15 and ASD, never contacts friends and would remain in permanent hibernation if left to own devices other than cuddling his indoor rabbit and both lying on sofa together. He will go out with us, we have done canoeing, going to beach, ziplines, climbing rocks, seeing animals like puffins/seals on coast or a zoo, boat trips, whitewater rafting, swimming though he has gone off that, hiring boat for day, llama / alpaca walking, meals out as long as buffets (asd thing). Anything with a risk of death is generally popular with both.

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Games

BigSandyBalls2015 · 19/03/2022 18:16

When mine were teens it was food that tempted them out with us. Cinema if something decent was on, the odd escape room but that’s quite expensive.

Justsaying22 · 19/03/2022 18:22

My 12 yr old son and myself did a couple of escape rooms together recently and absolutely loved them! Def give that a go..

caringcarer · 19/03/2022 18:25

Drive him to cricket nets and watch 2 hours 3 times a week. In summer drive him to cricket match, support him 5 hours plus picnic and takeaway on way hom if his team wins or he gets wickets. Go for aeal together, often breakfast.

Hermanfromguesswho · 19/03/2022 18:30

I’ve got a 16 yo and a 14yo. They will come on a walk if I sell it as geocaching or Pokémon hunting (Pokémon go). They’ll come for a wander in town if it involves a Costa. We often have film nights and always have a series on the go that we watch together in the evenings (always pegged at their tastes but I enjoy spending the time with them)
Board games (or rather card games) go down well.
They like a day out at the zoo every now snd then and bike rides…
They love bowling and the cinema but we don’t do it too often as it’s pricey!
We’ve been out together today. In to town and for lunch. I’ve been skating with the 14yo this afternoon (16 yo stayed home) and they both have plans with friends tomorrow

Christmas1988 · 19/03/2022 18:40

If you live near the seaside how about an arcade? my both my sons are younger but will do pretty much anything for a trip to the arcade to play the latest video games and have a go on the air hockey table.

Eating out

Game of pool in the pub?

MarvelMrs · 19/03/2022 18:42

Driving range and lunch - burger or Costa

Occasional trip to the seaside for chips on the beach/sometimes the slot machines.

Tbh I don’t always give my kids (all teens) choice about what we are doing. Probably once each school holiday week I will tell them that we are going out for lunch, to the beach, etc. Just once in the whole week it is non negotiable. On the whole they like it and partake in it. If they are having a really bad hormonal moody day they are just out and moody. It’s not a win but it’s not a fail because they aren’t in their room either.

MarvelMrs · 19/03/2022 18:43

Ha - I didn’t mean the slot machines. I mean the 2p 10p tipping point type machines.

MrsPear · 19/03/2022 18:53

Ds age 12 so not quite there but I’m sensing a shift - we watch films together, eat together. Outside we go cinema and watch him at football. Big visiting family culture (husbands side - Albanian). We also like just to go for a coffee. The last time we had the big annual review at hospital I took him out for nice lunch after - he choose. It was actually lovely to just sit and put the world to rights - he even put his phone down 🤣 I’ve decided if I manage to just keep him talking then I’ve done well.

Twilightstarbright · 19/03/2022 18:54

Whereabouts do you live? We might be able to suggest some ideas?

Neolara · 19/03/2022 18:56

At the moment, we're playing quite a lot of table tennis on the kitchen table.

Tanfastic · 19/03/2022 19:02

My DS is nearly 14 and is the same.

We still occasionally go for a walk with the dog, go for coffee and cake, a trip to the cinema, a trip to McDonald's.

That's about it 😂

Blimecory · 19/03/2022 19:08

Indoors, but cooking together. This was quite a hit with my teens, and a useful life skill.

LoganberryJam · 19/03/2022 19:10

We have family poker nights occasionally. Sometimes we all watch a film together, or get into a series (DS likes Taskmaster). Occasionally I persuade them to come for a run or a bike ride with me. They play sports so I give them lifts to matches and we chat in the car.

Also - holidays are great for this. I find they'll do "fun days out" if we're away on holiday that they wouldn't be interested in doing at home.

AlwaysLatte · 19/03/2022 19:13

Cycling, river swimming, escape rooms, imperial war museum, dog walking, basketball are some ours like

AlwaysLatte · 19/03/2022 19:14

Oh yes tv, or cinema. We're watching stranger things again from the start.

Undecidedandtorn · 19/03/2022 19:22

Its a tricky age for sure. My 15 yo will go for a walk with his dad, the cinema if its something he's into (the batman is the next choice) , boxsets (taskmaster was mentioned and that was also a hit here) and the occasional game of exploding kittens. We have a ice cream parlour a 20 minutes walk away so go these sometimes.

MoiraNotRuby · 19/03/2022 19:22

Stuff with friends and is more popular than stuff as a family, but they need help organising it to begin with imo.

DD and I have been on a couple of days out to other cities with her friends and their mums. DS is on a football team so the drive there and back is our best time together.

Also - PGL family holiday weekends are brilliant - when we tried it there were quite a few families where the eldest was a teenager and it was fascinating seeing their dynamics, having permission to still 'play' is really important especially after the lockdowns.

axolotlfloof · 19/03/2022 19:24

Bowling, go karting, meals out.
Walks (but 1 on 1 not whole family).
Cinema
Bouldering wall
DS1 wants to go to Old Trafford but we haven't managed it yet.
Hoping to go to snow dome soon.

Ettie · 19/03/2022 19:24

The way to a teenager's heart is through their stomach

Original poster

spudjulia · 19/03/2022 19:49

@SFisnotsimple

OP - it was lockdown gave him the socialising bug! Nothing quite like not being able to...!

OP posts:

Thistooshallpsss · 19/03/2022 20:01

I made mine get up at an insanely early hour to see the Severn bore- best bit breakfast at the motorway service station on the way home. Also mystery trip to Stonehenge where I scandalised them by climbing over the rope walkway. They are very tolerant of my ways!

Original poster

spudjulia · 19/03/2022 20:04

@Christmas1988

Eating out

Game of pool in the pub?

I think he might love a game of pool!

Thanks for all these suggestions and glimpses into your lives with teens.

I've been a bit blasé in my OP but I am a bit worried about his apparent lack of interest in anything and no desire to be around people/friends. I worry about it because I was the total opposite as a teenager - I always wanted to be doing things and going out with mates. My husband says he was like our son, though, bit introvert, happy in his own company and very interested in computers. So maybe that's just his personality? I'm also concerned that it's not healthy because he used to have so many hobbies and interests and he's dumped them all one by one. Is that normal teenager behaviour?

I'm hoping that I can find some common ground and I can find some stuff that he likes now he feels older. I think he'd like pool, and I looked at escape rooms yesterday, I think he'd like them (though today he said NO). He does like theme parks, but obviously that's not something that we can do often.

OP posts:

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