Keeping Older Kids and Teens Busy This Summer

Keeping Older Kids and Teens Busy During the Summer - SavvyMom

If they don’t want or can’t find a full-time job, here’s how to keep teens and older kids busy during the summer

Summer with little kids can feel like a scheduling puzzle with different daycare and camp pick up locations and times. And summer with teens and older kids can feel like a big mystery.

If they’re not actually too old for many camps, they definitely think and feel like they are. And it is not easy these days for teens to find a full-time summer job. And while they are fully capable of sleeping until past noon and declaring there is “nothing to do” we really want our teens and older kids to have productive, active, social, and fun summers. And they can have that even without a packed schedule or formal employment.

The key is helping teens create just enough structure to keep them moving, motivated, and connected, and also still giving them the downtime they’ve been waiting for all school year.

Here are some smart ways to keep your teens and older kids busy this summer:

Help Create Them a Loose Weekly Routine

Teens don’t necessarily need a colour-coded summer schedule or a rigid routine, but they do benefit from some rhythm. A simple weekly plan can help prevent the days from blurring into one long summer scroll. The plan doesn’t have to be super intense. It just helps to give their weeks off a little shape.

Help them build their weeks around a few anchors:

one fitness or movement goal
one household responsibility
one social plan
one outdoor activity
one skill-building activity
one thing that helps someone else

Take Advantage of Free Gym Access

For teens who are missing school sports, phys-ed class, or myriad after-school activities, summer can register as a big drop in movement. That matters, especially when so much teen socializing and downtime happens on screens.

Planet Fitness Canada has brought back its annual High School Summer Pass program, inviting high school teens ages 14–19 to work out for free at participating Planet Fitness locations in Canada from June 1 through August 31. Teens can register at PlanetFitness.ca/SummerPass.

The initiative is especially timely: according to a new Planet Fitness study, 90% of Canadian teens say physical activity helps them feel better mentally, but only 41% say they turn to exercise when they’re feeling stressed or down. A free gym pass can be a low-pressure way for teens to build confidence, stay active, and create a healthy summer routine.

For parents, it’s also a practical option on hot, rainy, or the ever-popular “I’m bored” days and especially for older teens who want a bit more independence.

Encourage a Part-Time or Occasional Job

Not every teen will land (or even want) a full-time summer job, and that’s okay. Smaller work opportunities can still teach responsibility, confidence, and money management.

Even a few hours a week can give teens purpose and spending money. Here are some ideas:

babysitting
dog walking
lawn mowing
tutoring younger kids
helping neighbours with errands
working a few shifts at a local business
refereeing or coaching younger sports teams
helping family friends with cottage or yard work

Suggest Volunteering

Volunteering is a great option for teens who need experience but can’t find paid work yet and can help with high school volunteer hour requirements. Volunteering can also help teens discover what they enjoy, or what they definitely don’t.

Places to look for work as a volunteer:

libraries
food banks
animal shelters
summer festivals
community centres
day camps
seniors’ residences
local charities
sports organizations

Let Them Build a Skill

Summer is a great time for teens to try something that doesn’t come with marks, tests, or pressure. The goal isn’t to turn summer into school. It’s to help them feel capable and expand their knowledge.

They could:

learn to cook five real meals
take a first aid or babysitting course
practice driving
learn basic budgeting
start strength training
try photography
learn video editing
take an online course
improve swimming skills
build a simple website or portfolio

Give Them Real Responsibilities at Home

If they’re old enough to have strong opinions about dinner, they’re old enough to help make it. That isn’t a punishment. Cooking is an essential life skill, and summer is a great time to hand over more household responsibility:

cooking one dinner a week
doing their own laundry
walking the dog
grocery shopping for a meal
cleaning bathrooms
mowing the lawn
helping with younger siblings
packing for family trips

Plan Low-Key Adventures They Won’t Immediately Reject

Older kids may roll their eyes at “family fun,” but many still like doing things with their family especially if snacks are involved. Sometimes the trick is not overselling it.

You can suggest:

night swimming
mini golf
beach days
outdoor movies
food truck festivals
hikes with a good lookout
thrift store challenges
amusement parks
escape rooms
baseball games
late-night ice cream runs

Encourage Screen-Free Blocks of time (Not Entirely Screen-Free Summers)

A completely screen-free summer is probably not realistic for most families with teens. But screen-free blocks can help manage the rot. Framing it around balance is likely to work much better than turning it into a battle.

Try suggesting:

no phones before breakfast
a daily walk before gaming
phone-free family dinners
one outdoor activity before screens
charging phones outside bedrooms overnight

Help Them Make Social Plans

Some teens are great at organizing themselves. Others need a nudge. Summer can get lonely for teens when school routines disappear, so helping them stay connected is important.

Encourage them to:

invite a friend to the gym
plan a movie night
meet up for basketball or tennis
go swimming
host a backyard hangout
volunteer with a friend
take transit somewhere safe together
plan a low-cost day out

Leave Room for Boredom

This may be the hardest one for teens and parents.

Not every hour needs to be filled. Boredom can lead to creativity, rest, and independence… eventually. After the complaining phase.

A good summer for teens doesn’t have to be packed with camps, jobs, and enrichment. It can include movement, friends, chores, sleep, volunteering, snacks, and a little bit of figuring themselves out.

If they can come out of summer with stronger habits, a few new skills, and slightly less time spent horizontal with a phone six inches from their face? That’s a win.