Teens in the Summer Holidays

[kjaugust05]

I'm working 9-3pm daily most of the summer holidays so it's likely that my dd14 is going to be left to her own devices during this time. I've always organised childcare/summer camp for her in previous years with just the odd day at home alone but she's said she doesn't want to do anything this summer. I mentioned summer camps to her but she thinks it's a bit babyish and there'll be nobody there her age. Her best friend is staying away with extended family as her parents are in the forces and she doesn't really have any close friends near us. I've booked her a week at her local Theatre Summer School and I'm happy for her not to be "scheduled" the whole time but feel she could do with something for the rest of the summer holidays. What do your teens do during the summer? Are you happy to let them lounge around or do you find them stuff to do? Any ideas for fun things to do for a 14 year old that may be on her own?

I think she may feel out of place at a summer camp as, from my own experience with DD, she would definitely be one of the oldest.

My DD used to do a week of tennis lessons or multi sports at our local tennis club. This was either mornings, afternoons or all day, and there were lots of teens there (groups were done in order of age). She has also done water sports courses, such as kayaking or windsurfing at a local lake. I think these were 11+, but was definitely full of secondary age students.

Can she not do things like arrange to meet her friends in town, organise sleepovers etc? Some downtime to do nothing would be very cool for her too.

Oh, and she'll probably only been out of bed for a few hours by the time you finish work.

Do you have a local library?Do they run the Summer Reading Challenge? They take volunteers from age 14. My dd did this, it was suggested by someone on MN , and it was excellent, she was very glad she did it.
they set her up in the library with a desk, with activityy packs, information about the challenge, and she talked to kids and their parents as they came in. It was a great confidence booster, and she put it in her personal statement for sixth form college.
If your DD is not the type who'd like to talk to people, they may still have a role for her in the library, due to all the staff cuts they are grateful for any help!

Thank you for all your suggestions. I'm more than happy for her to have some down time and do nothing but just wanted to give her a reason to get up out of bed. :-). She has said shes having at least one pyjama day a week though. She's really taken with the idea of volunteering. She's sent an email to our local library and is popping into our local food bank to see if they need help over the summer. Thanks again.