Welcome to part TWO of our two-part blog series – Staying Connected with your Teen this Summer ☀️I hear it every year – Dr. Jen, what is my teen going to do ALL summer?!
Last month, we touched on the Activity Bucket and giving your teen space to hang out with their friends. If you missed that post, you can read it here.
This month, I wanted to share some creative ways to connect with your teens and tweens without having to leave the house!
Summer can bring about some of the best weather, so let’s soak in those gorgeous late night sunsets and spend time together outside. Some of my family’s favorite ways to connect outside are:
- Projector movie nights: if you need any inspiration, just search “backyard projector” on Pinterest and you will get all kinds of fun ideas! 😍
- Camping in the backyard: whether or not you choose to actually sleep out there, it can be fun to set up chairs (or a tent if you have one), make s’mores and tell ghost stories in a no-phone zone for a few hours in the evening
- Backyard pool or slip-and-slide fun. Your teen won’t be able to resist the opportunity to relive their childhood summers sliding along the grass – especially if you join in, lol.
- And don’t be afraid to bring the connection inside with some video games or board/card games to beat the heat and meet your teen where they’re at!
Think about some of your teen’s favorite summer recipes….have you asked your teen to make them with you? Some teens LOVE cooking and for others cutting veggies and measuring ingredients is not their thing… but consider encouraging your teen to be the one to find the recipe AND invite their best friend’s family over for dinner to enjoy the creation!
Putting some extra responsibility on your teen to find the recipe, maybe even grocery shop for the items AND choose a close friend to come to dinner may give them that boost of motivation and excitement to make the night just right! Now something that seemed so boring and ordinary will be a unique experience they get to enjoy with a friend.
Keep in mind, every teen is different and the key this summer is to lay out the options and let your teen choose. If they don’t like any of your ideas (or mine!) – ask them what they would like to do! It’s less about the WHAT and more about creating the space and time to spend with your teen. Be sure to respect any plans they have already made with friends and lay out some options for family time.
Enjoy the summer, parents! We’d love to hear about your favorite activity with your family – be sure to join and share inside of our Facebook Group!