Teenagers in this day in age spend most of their lives online, and it can be hard as a parent to engage them in exciting activities. However, all is not lost, here are some simple tricks to help your teenagers experience new things.
Surprise
The first thing to try is to surprise your kids! Usually, when being surprised, kids don’t have a lot of time to think before acting. This is great for teenagers because teens are very self-conscious, as it’s due to their brain development. So, in using the element of surprise, it allows them to just be in the moment.
Share your interests
As a child growing up you can’t always be involved in the fun activities that your parents are doing. By the time you’re a teenager, you may have the idea that you will never do the fun things your parents do. So why not introduce them to more grown-up activities? For example, fishing trips or snowboarding. There’s nothing more exhilarating for parents and kids than just packing the car picking up your ski helmet or fishing gear and heading out to have fun. It can be a real bonding experience for parents and kids when teaching them new skills and activities. You don’t have to be the best to have the most fun and share memories when learning new skills.
It may become a regular occurrence for you and your teens to do this new activity together. Teenagers remember more than kids in early childhood, so these memories building the skills together will be something that your teenagers remember forever.
Turn off the Wi-Fi
Sometimes engaging with your teenagers can be simple as turning the Wi-Fi off. If talking to them or engagement them becomes hard remove the barrier. Encourage them to emerge from the dark hole of a teenage bedroom and try something new. Sometimes the activities don’t have to involve a lot of money and physical exertion. Something as simple as a new craft or learning a new instrument that can be done at home is enough. It’s also a new way to show your kids something you enjoy.
Involve them
Get your teens excited by getting involved in fun activities. Try throwing a theme night at your house. Get them involved in the planning, the cooking, and the decorating. There doesn’t always have to be an occasion to have a theme night at home, and that is the joy about them. Make sure to try themes like game night or film nights. Allow your teens to lead how the nights going to go. Allow them a budget to plan and buy the bits that they want for the evening.
You don’t have to spend megabucks for kids to engage with you or try new things. Activities at home work just as well. Also, remember teenagers need just as much guidance as younger kids because they’re still developing. It’s never too late to teach reengage your kids.
