Parents often joke that bonding with their children can be challenging at times. But not anymore! With these ten activities, you guys can hang out, learn together, and grow together, which will be great for your relationship. Explore our list of activities you can enjoy anytime, or start this summer!
Let Them Teach You
There’s a good chance your teen excels in an area where you struggle, and the great thing is, you can let them teach you. It’s a great way to learn a new skill and get closer to your teen. For instance, can they knit, and you can’t keep the yarn on the knitting needles? Ask if they’d like to collaborate with you on creating a blanket or cardigan together.
Take A Class Together
Taking a class is another fun way to get closer. Pick something you both like, or that sounds interesting, and go together. You could be brave and attend a martial arts class, bougie and take a fancy cooking class, or even practical and go to exercise classes together. If you both love baking, sweets classes would be a great idea!
Concerts
So maybe your teen is into hard rock and you’re more classical, or perhaps you’re more country and they can’t stand ‘Chicken Fried.’ Bond with them and put up with the music, or try to find common ground. They may be at an age where the last thing they want to do is attend a concert with their ‘old folks,’ but great seats and a great time will probably change their mind.
Road Trip
Family road trips fall into one of two categories. It’s the best time ever, or your children fight and yell at each other until one of them is threatening to never talk to anyone again, while the other is trying to annoy them. Still, taking your family out for a road trip can keep the bonding strong, and it can be a great time. Even if they fight, years later, they’ll look back on that and laugh or get a funny story out of it.
Cooking
Cooking is a life skill everyone should have, and it’s a great way to ensure that when your teens go off to college, they’re not eating out of the vending machines because they can’t cook. Let them choose some recipes they want to try, or if they love a particular television show or book, see if they have a cookbook about it. For example, Friends, Pokémon, and other media forms now have their cookbooks.
Game Night
Have a family game night where you guys get competitive over who’s going to have the most kids in Life or get Park Place in Monopoly. Have fun guessing who the murderer is in Clue and see if you can out Sherlock, your kid. It’s a great way to create memories and start a lasting tradition of doing this every week.
Outdoors
Being outdoors as a family is a great way to bond with your kids. Go hiking or swimming at the lake, and you’ll have a wonderful time laughing and having fun. If you’re feeling adventurous, try something you’ve never done before, like learning to surf or ziplining through the mountains. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to cost money; it’s just about creating new experiences and having fun.
Room Makeover
Every teen wants to feel like they have their own space. Giving them the chance to makeover their room with your help is a fun way for you all to engage and have fun together. Imagine the paint splashes, the moving furniture, and telling stories. One tip is to ensure that if you’re using wallpaper, it’s straight and even. If there are bubbles, it’s all you’ll ever see, and it will live rent-free in your head.
Festivals
Festivals can be fun, and going to one together not only offers a better chance to build a connection but also creates lasting memories and encourages your child to be more independent. You can support a shared passion, learn a new culture or art form, and potentially make new friends. It’s a great way to bond with each other.
Learn A Language
Learning a language is fun, and honestly, it’s kind of cool to know one when no one else does, because then it’s like a secret. That could be something you and your teen share. Learn sign language or Spanish and use it to become closer and talk to each other. It will be something you share and develop together, allowing you to grow together.
Have Fun
The best part about all of these things is that you experience the things your teen can be interested in doing in a whole new way. You’ll learn things about them that you didn’t know, and that can be an excellent way for you to not only be their parent but also develop a friendship for later on.
