Ways to Connect with Your Tween & Teen This Summer
School is out for summer and we don’t know about you, but here it’s a mix of relief and reconfiguring schedules and plans as we adjust for more relaxed days ahead. There are camps to carpool to, bucket list items to check off, pool days, and road trips out of town. For those of us with older kids, summer priorities revolve around seeing friends as much as possible. If you’re in the latter group, it can get harder and harder to carve out one on one time with your older kids. Today we’re sharing some fun ways to keep those connections strong this summer. Simple gestures go a long way. Keep these ideas handy and use them all year round!
Family Book Club
Start a family book club for the summer. Each family member can choose a book. Take turns rotating the books around the group so everyone can get a chance to read. Pick an evening to chat about each pick. Here are a few suggested books or series to try!
Surprise Evening Outing
The night might be winding down at your house. Everyone is settling in for the night. When they aren’t expecting it, surprise your tween or teen with a nighttime outing. Hop in the car and let you kiddo play their favorite music. Blast it loud with the windows down and stop for a drink or snack at their favorite spot. This could be a late night diner slice of pie, a milkshake run, or picking up pints of ice cream at the grocery store.
Favorite Drink
Surprising your kid with their favorite icy drink might be the simplest gesture that goes a long way. Grab their favorite on your way to pick them up or go together after activities finish for the day.
Playlist
If you have a music obsessed kid, ask them to make a playlist of their favorite songs. Put the playlist on while preparing meals together or when you’re driving to activities.
Learn From Them
Give yourself over to their passions and try one of their favorite activities together. If your kid participates in a sport or activity, join them and have them give you lessons in their activity. If your kid loves video games, sit down and try playing with them. They will feel empowered when they succeed at something that might be harder for you! Expressing curiosity about their interests will help you feel more connected to each other!
Try Something New
Choose a class or activity you can try together, something neither of you have done before. It could be an art class, tennis lesson, archery class, or an outing to a place you haven’t been before like a comedy club or museum.
Get Out in Nature
Pick a morning or evening to get outside together for a hike. Bonus points if you can be near water. Bring a frisbee and some snacks and connect with each other away from devices.
Surprise Lunch
Surprising your kid with lunch is a great tradition during the school year. Show up at school on an unexpected day and take them to lunch. Surprise lunch is fun in the summer too. Pick a day to grab lunch at their favorite spot or take it with you to the pool or their favorite park.
Pajama Day
If you’ve got a rainy day and your schedule allows, take a rain check on plans and stay cozy in pajamas for the day. Let your tween or teen pick their favorite comfort movie or tv show and cozy in together. Make some popcorn, play a favorite board game, and if your teen enjoys baking, pick a recipe to bake together.
Device-Free Days
Choose a day as a family and make it a device-free day. Put the phones, tablets, and computers away for the day (parents too!) and focus on family time. Get outside, find a place to go swimming, or try a challenge together like an escape room or scavenger hunt. Modeling good technology habits as an adult will help your teen understand the challenges and importance of setting good boundaries early on for themselves.
We’d love to hear from you! How are you carving out time for your big kids this summer? What are your favorite activities to do with your kid? Tell us in the comments below!