How to keep teens occupied over the summer holidays

[JustlookingNotbuying]

In some ways, I do quite like the summers holidays as it’s not such a mad rush in the mornings but I wonder if 6 weeks is too long for older kids.
How do your teens keep themselves occupied over these 6 weeks?
My 14 year old dd does have friends but they are either on holiday, visiting the other parent in different parts of the country or out with family on day outs etc.
When my dc were little they spent time with grandparents, at the park and played for hours in the garden but now dd is that bit older she’s just hanging around at home which will be particularly tough from now as our darling dog passed away on Monday and she would normally walk him and spend time with him whilst I was a work, she is really struggling with the grief.
I know there are summer camps etc but they all seem to be for younger kids.
What do your teens do over the 6 weeks?

DD speaks to/sees friend. They go to the park, go walking, have sleepovers, watch films, go out for coffee. They're all a bit scattered until later in the month so they've been having watch parties (all watching the same film and on a call to each other at the same time).

She also revises (going into y11), sews, draws/paints, reads, comes out with us for the day, bakes, plays Xbox. She's going to the theatre with a friend later today, went to Pride last week, came to a music festival last weekend.

My dd age 14 is with her friends all of the time. I hardly see her. We have been away for a week but she really just wants to be with her friends constantly.

If she didn't go out as much she would read, draw and we would have a few more days out. I almost wish she wasn't obsessed with her friends. I have had to limit the sleepovers as I feel it was getting too much.

Mine is not quite a teen but he is in a few sports camps that are ages 11-15, are you sure there are none in your area?
Seeing friends.
Family days out.
Staying away with cousins.
Longing around at home.

Out on bike with friends
goes to the trafford center to mooch round primark and do crazy golf or something similar
bounce between friends houses making tik toks and eating everyone out of house and home

does your dd like sports ? You could see if there’s a week long camp focusing on a a sport she likes ?

send her on a PGL for a few days - I’m sure there’s some with spaces for last few days of hols ?

do you know anyone with small kids ? Could she take them to the park/for sweets/to the cinema for some pocket money earnings ?

but I wonder if 6 weeks is too long for older kids

My teens would be horrified at that suggestion!

They have…
seen friends lots-at our house/their house
had a sleepover
been roller skating
been to the beach
been swimming
been too the woods
been to a trial day at the gym
seen grandparents
day trip to London
read several books each
been into town
baked cakes
sorted their bedrooms
watched films
stayed up late/slept in!

They love the freedom.

My dd is almost 13. She's done an activity week which was great. Otherwise she plays with her pets, draws and reads a bit Climbs and walks. Sees family friends. Sometimes sees friends from school, but they're away at the moment. Probably too much screen time, but she loves it. I'd definitely book her on another activity week - the one I found has courses for up to 17 year olds. Might yours be interested in a PGL residential? I think they do weekend ones too.

(from memory as Dc are now early twenties) It can get tricky and they do get bored if friends are all on holiday but we used to:

• book them a special interest summer camp - sport or music or drama - something they genuinely wanted to do for a week or two


• family holiday for a week or two .


• make a list of skills they wanted to achieve by the end of the summer e.g. do 12 pull up on the bar over their bedroom door/ swim a mile/learn the bass line of three favourite songs by hear/bake a cake/cook a family dinner/paint an abstract picture for their bedroom wall - then when they started mooching I'd suggest they did some work on one of the skills they wanted to achieve


• make a summer bucket list of nice things to do - this is actually dead easy but they feel like they've 'done' something if they tick stuff off the list e.g. making mocktails to drink in the garden/wild paddling or swimming/picking blackberries/making ice lollies or ice cream floats/boat trip down the river


• plan a few day trips during any long periods of quiet - a day in london to look at museums, a trip to the sea, a trip to a lido or outdoor cinema


• find out when friends are around and set up some sleepovers/garden camps, cinema visits


• don't rule out some of the childish stuff they used to like. My teens thought they were too cool for it but if i got out the water nerf guns or paddling pool, or gave them money when the ice cream van sounded they turned into children again. Same with local fairgrounds etc.


• summer is a good time for teens to reinvent themselves. Help them do a bedroom makeover or dye their hair in a colour that will wash out or try out new clothes styles and listen to new music.


• encourage them to earn a bit of money - my DS took on any paper rounds that the usual deliverers couldn't do because they were on holiday. They also fed pets when owners were on holiday.


• encourage them to read - buy or get from the library books that are really easy to get lost in - romances or thrillers or biographies of stars they love or graphic novels. once they get the reading habit they can move onto slightly more challenging material, but trashy beach reads get them in the mood for it.