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Summer Activities for Teens and We Love Weekends

May 29, 2015 By Thaleia 7 Comments

 

While talking with a few other homeschool mom’s at Field Day, I discovered the LACK of Summer activities for kids over 12 years of age in my geographic area. There are plenty of art camps, nature camps, VBS, day camp opportunities for children ages 4-12, but hardly anything for older kids.
Summer Activities for Teens

Not really sure what the reasoning is besides that fact that public school kids have Football, Cheer, or Band Camp. But what if your child has no interest in those things? What will your teen do all Summer?  Summer activities for teens are pretty hard to find in our area unless you have money or send them away to camp. With that being said I racked my brain for some frugal ideas that I list below. I also wrote a post entirely dedicated to Ways Teens Can Earn Money. Be sure to check that out as well!

Keep your Tween or Teen Busy this #Summer with these ideas!

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Volunteering- becoming a volunteer is a great thing for resumes and college applications. If your teen has a special interest in the areas of elderly, children or animals then finding a local organization to volunteer with should be right up their alley. Maybe they are more interested in Art, History, or Science and should seek a docent position at a local museum.

 Jr. Camp Counselor- Week long camps still seem to be very popular for 4-H, scouts, and churches. Often times these camp programs need Junior Camp Counselors to help keep things running smoothly. Some may even offer a small stipend to students who attend a training program or a discounted camp rate in exchange for their leadership help.


VBS Leader- My children sometimes participate in 2-3 VBS programs per Summer depending on what other activities are scheduled. I like to choose churches similar to our religious belief as well as ones we know some of the adults or teen helpers. If you are apart of a church that hosts a VBS then you know full well the need for volunteers. Some churches allow teens and older elementary students help with craft prep, registration, and activity coordination. If your teen has skills that would be helpful for VBS then I would seek out the Children’s Minister or Youth Leader in your local church. Teens who are musically inclined or have a talent for improv are highly sought in our community for skits during VBS as well.
teen Historical Costume

Living History Reenactor- The major metro area south of us have an awesome metropark. One of the parks offers visitor’s the chance to experience life on the farm in the 1880’s. One super cool fact is the need for volunteer’s to “play the part” of one of the family member’s on the Farm by dressing in period costumes! Adults can be trained to do blacksmithing, farming, canning, etc. Older students are allowed to “host” an activity like old fashioned games, rope making, candle dipping, or wool felting. Another great opportunity to showcase your student’s skills on a resume or college application.

Summer Reading Club– I think we must be very blessed to live under 20 minutes from 4 different libraries each with their own programs! Half of these have Summer Reading Club for teens but all of them offer some sort of teen programming throughout the year. If you aren’t so lucky, then my suggestion is to ask. Some libraries (mostly bigger metro) even offer a TAB (teen advisory board).

How about audiobooks delivered right to your inbox? SYNC  offers 2 FREE audiobooks each week May 21 – Aug 13, 2015 a classic and a new novel. Sign up for email or text alerts that invite you to download the new titles as they become available. Available in the US, Philippines, UK and the British Commonwealth ONLY

Writing and Art Contests– Summer is the perfect time to work on entries for scholarship contests. Do a quick Google search for writing contest or art contest and you should find plenty of options to keep your teen busy all YEAR long. Here are a few links to get you started:

AdLit Writing Contests

Writing Contests For Kids

 Student Writing Contests and Publishing Opportunities

Publishing for Kids:  Magazines That Publish Children’s Writings and Artwork

Young Authors Guide

Writing Contests & Book Contests-A guide to magazine, book, and chapbook contests

Cheap Movies-How about watching on of the Summer Movie Express movies at Regal theaters for $1 per person? Showcase Cinema’s offers Bookworm Wednesdays in July, where reading a book earns a free movie.This could be a great way to beat the heat. Cinemark has their Summer Movie Clubhouse for 10 weeks. Most movies start between 9am-10am for $1 each!

More great Summer Sanity Saving Posts:

100 budget Friendly Summer Activities

Messy Projects Great for Summer

Summer Reading Tips

Loving Nature All Summer Long

Ice Play Ideas

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Filed Under: Budget Friendly Summer, We Love Weekends

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Comments

  1. Helen @ Peakle Pie says

    May 29, 2015 at 11:06 am

    Some great ideas here! Thank you for co-hosting and have a great weekend!

  2. Linda S says

    June 11, 2017 at 9:26 pm

    So many things to do! Summer will go by quickly with all these options. Thanks for sharing your list of ideas this week on Encouraging Hearts & Home blog hop.

  3. Thaleia says

    June 12, 2017 at 6:47 am

    Yes, some days and weeks do go by quickly while others are a little more relaxed!

  4. Cherryl says

    June 12, 2017 at 6:53 pm

    Great ideas! I have a 13-year-old, and way too much time is spent on screen time. I think we need to try some of these!

  5. Sherry says

    June 13, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    Awesome! Yes, love these ideas, I also have a tween! We have been know to take in a movie night at the drive-in theater! It is so fun! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

  6. Thaleia says

    June 14, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    Cherryl,

    My own kids are often on screens way too much when mom and dad have work to do,lol.

  7. Sherry says

    June 15, 2017 at 2:38 pm

    Will feature this today at Home Sweet Home!

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