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You are here: Home / Parenting / 30 Ideas to Connect with Your Teen

30 Ideas to Connect with Your Teen

By Shannen Espelien 3 Comments

connect teen

The teen years are a time when our child is trying to find their identity, and normally they start pulling away from Mom and Dad. It’s hard as a parent to let them walk away! We want to hold on to our child that we’ve watched grow over the years, and we don’t want to stop being a positive influence on their lives.

Care Bear is 14 now, and while friends definitely take an important role in her life, I try to hang on in a few ways where in sha Allah, I’ll always have a special place in her heart.

Go on a date

Okay, don’t think I’m getting weird, but seriously, go out with your teen once in a while! Care Bear’s favorite restaurant is one we went to together. The food was fabulous, but I have to think part of it is that I took the time to just go out with her and no one else. I picked the restaurant because I thought she would like it and made sure to tell her that I thought she would like it. (Well, and because there was a Groupon.) It wasn’t just about her tagging along to my favorite place.

Get pictures together

Another group coupon deal! Right before Mother’s Day there was a great deal on a mother/daughter photo shoot at Glamour Shots. Care Bear was 12 at the time, and I knew she’d love someone doing makeup and having her picture taken. It was a special activity we got to share, and we have a picture to commemorate it!

Do something exciting!

Sure, dinner is nice. You can talk and enjoy being served, but it isn’t very exciting. Especially if you’re feeling a bit disconnected with your teen, it can even be a bit awkward. Go do something fun! We’ve gone rock climbing together, which was great! Of course, Care Bear totally smoked me when it came to rock climbing, but it was all about having fun and cheering each other on. Hubby and Care Bear have gone kayaking together, too. Since we have little ones, in order to do some of these more mature activities, only one of us can go. It’s not a bad deal though. It saves money, and lends to some special one-on-one time together.

Create something

Pottery painting is fun, and relaxing. Again if you’re feeling disconnected, it gives you something to talk about (the colors, what item to pick out, complementing on a job well done, etc.), and it’s quiet enough to give you time to talk. There’s always a sense of accomplishment when you’ve finished something you can take with you, and the item is a special memory for you both! Not big on painting? Go to a class of some sort, like: sushi making, photography, quilting, wood working, glass blowing, etc. Our community education department with the school district has really fun offerings each term.

Volunteer

Some kids are more into this than others. Find an issue they may be interested in, or may spark and interest in and volunteer. Start sowing the seeds of charity in your child when they have the ambition and vigor to do great things, in sha Allah!

So, to give you an easy to scan list, here’s the ideas I already listed, plus some more:

  1. Go to dinner
  2. Get pictures together
  3. Go to a play together
  4. Go to a stand up comedy show
  5. Rock climbing
  6. Kayaking
  7. Kick boxing
  8. Paint ball
  9. Yoga
  10. Hiking
  11. Workout
  12. Bicycle trip in a nature center
  13. Laser tag
  14. Go kart racing
  15. Batting cages
  16. Afternoon at a waterpark
  17. Amusement park
  18. Pottery painting
  19. Sushi making class
  20. Photography outing/class
  21. Quilting/Sewing class
  22. Wood working workshop
  23. Glass blowing class
  24. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
  25. Pack meals for hungry families overseas
  26. Volunteer at a nursing home
  27. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
  28. Make bag lunches and pass them out to homeless people
  29. Make care packages for the homeless and pass them out or donate them
  30. Scan Groupon/Living Social for ideas

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Filed Under: Parenting, Teens Tagged With: teen

Comments

  1. Adrienne Bolton (@TheMommyMess) says

    February 28, 2014 at 10:12 pm

    All great ideas! We have to be intentional at this age to make time with them!

    Reply
    • Shannen Espelien says

      March 2, 2014 at 8:44 pm

      Yes, you’re right! Our time with them is ticking down so we must make the most out of it.

      Reply
  2. susanhomeschooling says

    November 22, 2014 at 10:33 am

    These are really good ideas! Fun!

    Reply

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