August is the time to start preparing for a new school year.
August is the time to start preparing for a new school year. But before you dive headfirst into schedules and routines, here are some fun things to do with your teenager to help end the summer on a high note:
- Spend time in or on the water. Go canoeing or kayaking, bodyboarding, or rafting and if you are less adventurous, spend one on one time with your teen at the neighborhood pool or waterpark.
- Have a movie marathon. You can even choose a theme. Harry Potter or Harrison Ford. Have a lazy, chore-free, homework-free day.
- Visit a driving range.
- Tour a local college or a college or university of their choice. This is a terrific way to make your teen feel special.
- Take a cooking class with your teen. This can be fun but productive as well. The more confident your teen feels in the kitchen, the more likely they are to help with dinner.
- Go to a concert together. Try to find a performer you both enjoy.
- Volunteer together. Choose a cause that is meaningful to you both.
- Try a new restaurant together. Be adventurous and try something neither of you have tried before but you’ve both wanted to.
- Tie-dye a t-shirt. This can be messy but fun.
- Challenge your teen to a thrift store war. Both of you take the same amount of money and at the end of your shopping spree, decide who found the best buys. Allow outside votes for this one if you feel so inclined.
Whatever you do, remember to enjoy the last lazy days of summer. There will be plenty of time for structure and routine in September, but in the meantime, ENJOY each other’s company. Your teenager will not be a teenager forever.
