As more and more teenagers find comfort and entertainment in their screens, it can be harder to convince them that they should consider other activities as well. However, there are good reasons to put down the devices. Encourage your teen to consider participating in these fun screen-free activities during summer vacation.
Socializing with Friends
Socializing with friend’s in-person, whether going out to lunch, hanging out at each other’s houses, getting a cup of coffee or playing sports is very healthy for adolescents. They grow, mature and learn key social skills by interacting with their peer group. These connections can pay off later in life, such as when your teen needs support or someone to confide in.
Playing Sports
Participating in sports offers numerous benefits to teens. They get to exercise, have fun, develop social bonds and let out competitive energy. Many teens participate in sports through school, though most of those do not continue through the entire summer. Fortunately, city rec departments often facilitate community youth sports teams that play against each other or travel to play against neighboring communities. This will also give them a schedule to keep occupied and social interaction.
Swimming
There is hardly any activity that conjures up endless memories of summer fun like swimming. Swimming is a fun, healthy activity for teens that they can do at local community pools or local apartments or organizations. In some cases, you may even want to consider getting a swimming pool installed in your own backyard. If you do, be sure to properly prepare and budget for swimming pool maintenance. This is a great investment that will end up raising the value of your home.
Going on Vacation
Summer vacations provide an excellent opportunity for families to spend time together and give teens some unforgettable experiences. This can be in the form of a road trip, an international vacation or even just a day trip to somewhere nearby. There are countless amazing places to discover, both at home and abroad. If you do take your teen on a trip, be sure to incorporate his or her interests into your travel itinerary.
Reading
Reading provides significant cognitive benefits for anyone. Teens who read are more empathetic, do better in school and have stronger critical thinking ability. Most public libraries have summer reading programs for children and teens. These are usually free to participate in and offer prizes for teens who finish some books over their summer vacation. Ask them if their favorite Youtuber has a book out, you’ll be surprised how a reluctant reader may suddenly be interested in a visit to the book store.
While technology undeniably provides many benefits to teenagers, there are also benefits for going screen-free some of the time. Help your teenager balance screen time with fun screen-free activities over summer vacation. They’ll thank you later.
