Are you finding it harder to connect with your adolescent child as he or she grows older? It can be challenging to keep up with what is going on in their lives and to stay close to them. So, as a parent, what can you do to ensure that you stay in touch with their teenagers as they walk out into the great wide world? It can need you to be a little more inventive, or perhaps to test your own limits.
Here are 50 Ways to Spend Quality Time With Your Teenagers:
- Take a vacation
A weekend excursion to a nearby city or town can be the ideal way for you to connect with each other.
- Have a slumber party
Arrange a mattress on the floor for children, enjoy few movies alongside, and pick up a book, you’ll feel like old friends again during the morning.
- Take their friends along with you
Meet the people who they hang out with, have dinner with them and their pals, and you’ll gain valuable insight into their world almost immediately.
- Take a painting class together
Even if they don’t want to spend an afternoon at home crafting papier-mâché, a painting class might be a great way for the two of you to spend some quality time together.
- Journal together
Instead of peeking through your teen’s diary, make journaling a joint endeavour. While you shouldn’t expect them to tell you everything they write down, the process of writing down their feelings may encourage them to open up to you as well.
- Clean up your yard
Turn on some music, get some rakes, and undertake an autumn clean-up with your friends for a great way to bond without spending any money.
- Take a road trip together
Just getting out on the road with your adolescent might be good to your relationship.
- Take a self-defense class
A self-defense class could be the ideal way to give your child the gift of self-defense while also providing some quality bonding time.
- Watch the sunrise together
Cook up some brownies, turn on to some horror flicks, and watch the sunrise together !
- Turn off the Electronics
Set screen time limitations for the entire family. Also, make a home rule that technology must be turned off at particular times.
- Take a Ride Together
Car journeys can be a great way to strike up a discussion. This can make it easier for many teenagers to bring up difficult topics.
- Go to the mall
What a better way to bond is to just head to the nearby mall with the youngster! Visit some stores, eat a bit, walk around and spend some quality time together.
- Watch TV
While watching TV with your child, it may not seem like quality time, it may be if you express an interest in what they enjoy.
- Attend their school functions
Youngsters may feel that you are interested in their activities if you cheer them up not only back stage but from the audience as well while they are performing on the stage.
- Choose their favourite activities.
You don’t have to accompany them every time they go to see a movie or attend a sporting event, but delighting in their favourite pastime and doing it with them once a fortnight or once a month can be a great bonding experience.
- Ask about learning something new from them
Most teenagers despise being treated like children. So, instead of treating them like children, approach them like grownups and encourage them to offer you something new? It could be a dish, a sport, or a musical instrument. Just try to let them go at their own pace rather than pressuring them.
- Explore the wide outdoors.
Camping is a favourite pastime of teenagers. Hiking and other activities are available, but the greatest part is the campfire.
- Go to a coffee shop
Sometimes all you need is to go to a nearby coffee shop ,and just sit and talk.
- Findshapes in the clouds together
Cloud watching can be done virtually anyplace and for as long as your creativity and that of your child allows.
- Have dinner together
Make family meals a non-negotiable part of your schedule if you’re seeking for a simple approach to spend time with your adolescent. This is not only a great opportunity to connect with your children about their life, but it also benefits their physical and emotional well-being.
- Schedule a weekly movie date
Make a movie date with them on a regular basis. This is not only a pleasant break for you, but it also gives you the perfect opportunity to spend time together without feeling obligated to chat the entire time.
- Catch a concert together
Go to a concert, festival, or other event where music is being played and spend quality time with your teen while listening to good music.
- Do work together
Even though bringing home homework doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, working on after-school projects as your kids finish theirs can be a great bonding experience.
- Prepare meals as a team
Cooking with your teen will provide you with more benefits than just a delicious meal. Cooking not only allows you to work together on a pleasant project, but it also allows you to spend valuable time with your child.
- Plant a garden together
What better way to get to know your child than to go back to one of their favourite toddler activities: digging in the dirt? Even if you don’t have enough space at home to create a garden, you can spend some quality time together at a public park.
- Start a book club
Starting a reading club for just the family is an excellent way to engage your children in a mentally stimulating pastime.
- Hit the gym together
In one fell swoop, you’ll have your hormones circulating, burn up sweat, and bond with your teen at the gym.
- Bury a time capsule
Store your favourite novels, family pictures, and maybe a few objects from the time period inside there, and you’ll be able to recreate those treasured times in a decade (or more).
- Do a community clean-up together
Not only will you contribute to the beautification of your neighbourhood, but you’ll also be teaching your children a valuable lesson about the power of their actions, even at a young age.
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Feeding others at a local soup kitchen with your teen will help them appreciate their own blessings while also doing a good deed that will be remembered by those who receive it.
- Take a cooking class
Not only is attempting to prepare something special together a fantastic way to bond, but it can also quickly brighten up family meals.
- Reminisce about their babyhood
Even the grumpy teens will grin at images of his or her parents in their throwback garb. Seeing pictures where the parent is attempting to give the little one a bath in the sink while they’re having a hard time bonding with their teenager.
- Have a spa day
Visit your local spa to indulge your teen and spend some quality time together. After a mud mask, massaging, and manicures, you’ll feel like old buddies again.
- Tackle chores as a group
You’ll not only be setting an example, but you might even be able to get your child to open up to you while you’re cleaning up.
- Go shopping together
Give them good back-to-school supplies, accompany them to their favourite comic shop, or simply go on a shopping spree together. The speed with which they open will astound you.
- Read magazines together
Get the stack of Vogues out and start reading with your kids. Even if your children aren’t interested in reading a novel in their spare time, reading magazines together provides you something to talk about.
- Plan a staycation
Plan a holiday when you leave your office and cellphones at home and spend time watching movies, catching up on work, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
- Carve out weekly family time
Make time for your family atleast once a week. You’ll be surprised how you would be able to peacefully enjoy each other’s company.
- Take some time for a one-on-one chat
Talk about them, listen to what they have to say, and don’t always just give advise. Its true that you’ve been there and done that before, but they are new to this world and we should let them explore on their own as well. They want to express their frustrations and chat about themselves.
- Paint a room together
Repaint one of your rooms if you haven’t already. This is not only a simple and enjoyable activity, but it’s also a terrific method to remodel your home without having to hire a costly contractor.
- Teach them to drive
While it may be frightening at first, coaching them while they’re driving is a terrific way to catch up while also teaching them a key life skill.
- Craft together
Crafting with your youngsters, whether that’s knitting, needlepoint, or crochet, might well be a surprisingly great bonding experience.
- Take a nightly walk after dinner
Jogging together is not only a terrific way to get some fitness and receive an endorphin rush, but it also provides a natural chance to talk as to what is going on in your lives.
- Redecorate their room
If you want to strengthen your bond with your child while also providing the opportunity to update their style, remodelling the room is a great way to do both.
- Raise money for charity
Whether your children are enthusiastic about animal welfare, refugee aid, or simply want to help collect funds for your local community centre, a crowdfunding initiative can connect you closer than ever before.
- Tackle a home improvement project
You’d be surprised how much a simple drywall patching or crown moulding can bring two people closer together, or how much it can teach your child the value of hard labour.
- Learn an instrument together
While piano classes may not have been your favourite pastime in elementary school, playing an instrument with your teen can be a wonderful opportunity to connect while developing a lifelong talent.
- Get involved in activism together
Participating in an adult activity such as attending a demonstration will not only make your teenager feel valued, but it will also provide them firsthand experience with the power of their voice.
- Make a weekly board game night
Take out the Board games and you’ve got yourself a lot of fun for you and your adolescent to enjoy together. Indeed, what better way to bring people together than a healthy competition?
- Play “Would You Rather?”
Just few rounds of “Would You Rather?” might help you gain some valuable insight into your child’s personality.
Take it in turns to choose the activities. These will not only help you strengthen your bond with them but give you more insights about their life and their personality!
