How to keep your bored tween or teen occupied this summer

5 ways to go about curing summer boredom blues for your kid

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It really is the toughest age group in the summer, isnā€™t it, parents?

While summer vacation is a time students wait for all throughout the school year -- and it's perhaps the best source of family fun and memories, it can also be a stressful time as parents for one reason: What do you do with aĀ bored tweenĀ orĀ teenager?

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The tween and early teenage years range from 9 to 15 years old, and it can be dicey for parents in the summer, given kids in that age range are in no manā€™s land, so to speak.

They often are too old to go to summer camps or getĀ involved in other activities, or maybe it's just harder for themĀ to get enjoyment out of the things they did as younger kids.

Heck, the idea of the traditional family vacation in the summer might not excite them as much as it used to.Ā 

But they also arenā€™t old enough to driveĀ or, in many cases, get an ā€œofficialā€ job.

This leads to understandable worry from parents about how they canĀ keep their kids out of trouble and make sure their summer isnā€™t spent holed up in their room.Ā 

Here are some ways to make sure your tween or teen can cure the boredom blues over the summer:

Try and get a jump start on the next school year

Now, this doesnā€™t necessarily mean have them spend their entire summer studying and not having any fun or relaxation time.

But itā€™s never a bad idea to have your kid allot one or two hours a day in the summer to reading or doingĀ math problems just to keep the mind sharp and the information they learned the previous school year fully processed. This is particularly a good idea if a kid has been placed in an advanced placement class for the upcoming school year.

Electronics can also be used in a healthy way, such as building a website or doing graphic design projects, according toĀ verywellfamily.com.

Find odd jobs to do

One of the top desired destinations might be someplace like the mall, until they realize they have no money to spend.

This is where itā€™s nice to find jobs such as lawn cutting, babysitting kids or pets or doing simple household chores to not only keep them active, but provide them with spending money to make all the free time they have in the summer more enjoyable.

Volunteer work

While this might not provide monetaryĀ opportunities, helping out at places such as church, summer camps, senior citizen centers or charities will not only help your kid be active, but instill in them a good feeling of what itā€™s like to give back to others.

Also, some school districts require volunteer hours as a graduation requirement, so this is a great time to fulfill those hoursĀ instead of on weekends during the busier school year.Ā 

Get them out of their room as much as possible

It can be just about anything, whether itā€™s joining a pool (or a gym that has one) for the summer, getting involved in athletics, going putt-putt golfingĀ or just doing simple crafts around the house.

Suburban Simplicity lists 100 fun activities for bored teens that are great for summer vacation.

Let your kids be creative on their own

Some parents might think all their kids want to do in summer is sit in a room, play video games and not be bothered.Ā 

In truth, that is not necessarily the case. Many kids acknowledge the same boredom challenges over the summer their parents do.

Psychologists say itā€™s actually good forĀ kids to be bored in the summer because it helps them become more self-reliant and creative on how to fill their time, according to Quarts.

Lyn Fry, a child psychologist in London, saysĀ in the article that tweens and teenagers learning how to fill their free time in the summer is good preparation for adulthood.

ā€œIf parents spend all their time filling up their childā€™s spare time, then the childā€™s never going to learn to do this for themselves,ā€ Fry said.

Are there any other tips you can offer to help with bored tweens andĀ teenagers during summer vacation? Let us know in the comments below.


About the Author:

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.