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Teens stuck inside? No big deal, right? After all, middle and high school kids can entertain themselves better than younger kids. It might be true. However, they often turn to electronics and lock themselves in their rooms. They need better options. Teens need other indoor activities to do.
I know it is easy to let teens retreat in their room, especially if you have younger kids you are dealing with. Is it good for them long term, though?
My teen and tween would easily hide in their rooms and read all day. Reading is great, but I want them to find some other things to do, too.
If you need ideas for your younger kid, you might like 10 Fun Indoor Activities for Days Kids Can’t Get Out.
Right now, kids all over the world aren’t living their normal lives because of the pandemic. Many are stuck inside or at least limited to areas away from other people. We have periods in regular times when kids are stuck inside for long stretches because of weather being too cold or too hot. Kids need ways to stay engaged and active.
So, here are some suggestions to help your older kids get out of their rooms and get engaged in some fun activities.
Activities for Teens
Hobbies
Now is a great time to get your teen to rekindle their interest in an old hobby or find a new one. There are many hobbies kids can do indoors or independently (meaning they don’t need all their buddies).
For example, my daughter has been wanting to learn the guitar. She started taking online lessons through SchoolhouseTeachers.com, but our busy schedule kept her from sitting down for long periods to do it. Now, she practices every day.
What are your kids interested in?
Do they like drawing? Maybe building models? Perhaps, they want to create online games? Find what interests them and encourage it. Heck, maybe you guys can do it together.
If you search the internet, I’m sure you can find a number of resources to help your kids with their hobby. There are YouTube videos and a bunch of sites out there which can help.
Here are a few sites that may help, besides YouTube videos and Pinterest.
Teen Hobby Sites
- Bluprint– If you have a crafty kid, this site may be a great fit. They offer classes in sewing, knitting, cake decorating, drawing, woodworking, jewelry making, and more. Bluprint offers a monthly or yearly subscription.
- Outschool– Many people use Outschool for academic classes, but they have so much more. You can find art classes, classes on making animated movies, learn a language, music lessons, card magic, photography, and more.
- DIY– I found this site while doing a search. DIY offers videos for a variety of hands-on projects. It is a subscription program. They offer drawing, photography, cooking, animation courses, and more. It’s another option for teens to do while stuck indoors.
- SchoolhouseTeachers.com– I put SchoolhouseTeachers.com, even though it is a complete homeschool curriculum because they offer so many electives that are great for new hobbies for kids. They have filmmaking classes, drama, art, music, and many more to choose from.
- Step By Step Painting– You will find a bunch of art classes. I am sharing this site because this is one of my FAVORITE acrylic painting sites. Your teen will find so many paintings they can make. The site gives step-by-step directions and videos that you can actually follow! It is great for teens and adults.
Games
Another activity for cooped up teens are games. If you find your teen hibernating or lounging around doing nothing, get them involved in a game. Card, board, and dice games can be a lot of fun.
Card Games and Board Games
Your teen will love games like:
- Catan
- Forbidden Island
- Abundant Harvest
- Exploding Kittens
- Carcassonne
- Phase 10
- Quiddler
- Scrabble
- Chess
- Pictionary or charades
- Farkle
- Tenzi
- Code Names
- Doodle Face
The list could go on and on. Families have their favorites. The point is to get your teen playing to keep them engaged with the family.
Create Games
What I really want to mention about games, though, is another option you may not have thought of. Another creative and engaging activity for teens would be for them to CREATE their own game.
Your teens will find it takes a lot of work to create their own game. Not only does it take some creativity but also some critical thinking skills. They need to consider the type of game, the objective, the format (board, card, dice, etc. ), design, and the rules. The teens in our Scout Troop are working on this right now. It is interesting to see what they are coming up with.
Escape Rooms
Teens love Escape Rooms. I know businesses have popped up that specialize in them because they are so popular.
You might be wondering, ”What is an Escape Room?”
An Escape Room is a game in which people work together finding clues in order to solve the mission of the game. The players must solve the game in a set amount of time or they lose. It is sort of a live Clue game. The whole family can get involved in the Escape Room.
So, how can you go about doing Escape Rooms at home?
You can purchase or download one. There are a number of Escape Room ideas you can find online. You can find some for science, language arts, history etc. People have some already designed on sites like Teachers Pay Teachers. All you have to do is type in Escape Rooms into Teacher Pay Teachers, or even in Google, and see what pops up that you like.
You can also design your own Escape Room. Over at Activity Mom, she has an easy example of an Escape Room. Hers was with younger kids, but it gives you a simple idea on how to go about creating one at home. You can adjust the concept to fit your kids’ ages.
Cooking Activities for Teens
Cooking can certainly fall under hobbies, but it can also be used as a fun activity for teens to do with you. My kids and I love getting in the kitchen. One enjoys cooking while one enjoys to bake. We have incorporated cooking in different ways that teens will love.
Cooking/Baking Challenges
Have your kids watched the different cooking and baking challenges on TV?! My kids love Nailed It! Contestants are given impossible desserts to recreate in a short period of time. It is hilarious.
Why not create your own kitchen challenge at home?
Find a meal or dessert your teen has to recreate. See if they can do it. You can have your teen and siblings compete against each other, too. If you want to see how we’ve gone about this, check out A Perfect Activity to See if Your Kids Can Really Cook. It’s also a good way to see what cooking skills your kids lack.
Cooking Together
Another cooking activity for teens would be to teach them how to plan and cook their favorite meal. They get their favorite meal AND learn some valuable skills. Learn more about basic cooking skills kids need here. You can also get your FREE checklist in that article.
If they are pretty good cooks, you and your teen could try a new skill together. Maybe you can try your hand at bread making, making yogurt (read how to here), or making recipes in the air fryer. The key is to make it a fun thing to do together.
STEM Challenges
If you are looking for more activities for teens, take a look at STEM activities and challenges. Your kids will be challenged and use critical thinking skills while having fun.
STEM activities are all over the internet. They get kids using science, technology, engineering, and math skills. Sometimes you can find activities with all four areas covered.
I love STEM activities so much that I have a whole Pinterest Board dedicated to ideas. You can check it out here.
You can also go under Projects and Activities at the top of this site and find things like a Lego STEM activity, STEM tower challenge, zip line challenge and more.
The Importance of Activities for Teens
So, why are activities for teen important? Shouldn’t they entertain themselves?
Teens can find ways to entertain themselves. However, when kids are in situations where they are stuck inside for long stretches of time, we don’t need our teens disengaging with others. It is important they connect with family.
I gave these suggestions for times our kids are stuck at home yet they can be used to connect with your teen anytime. If you find them hiding away, invite them to cook with you or play a game.
Do you feel your older kiddos are spending too much time on devices? Get your kid interested in a hobby or try a STEM challenge with you.
It is important to make sure our teens are engaged and connecting with their families especially in times they are not able to get out and interact with others on a daily basis.
So whether it be because of a pandemic, weather, or other circumstances, choose some of the activities for teens to keep them engaged.
