Summary/Overview

Navigating through your child’s transition from childhood to adulthood can be rough for parents. Finding activities that would catch a hold of their attention for longer than 30 minutes could be a bit of a challenge. Now that summer has started, your kids are going to be home for longer. If only you had someone to help you with a list of summer activities for 13 year-olds. Ah well! You’re now in the right spot. 

Even though school season has its own impact on you, your teens are in a routine that is monotonous and everything pretty much takes care of itself. Now, your teens might be hit with summer boredom if they’re spending the whole day on the couch glued to a screen. 

You might be wondering if you could find engaging activities that would not bore them. Whether you’re a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, we’ve got you covered. Let us lighten your shoulders by helping you with a list of the best summer activities for teens. But before that, let’s give you some context to work around your current situation.

Structure The Day: How To Get Your 13 Year-Old Off Screens?

A teenager without a screen in this day and age? That’s basically a miracle. But, we will have to admit, mental wellness is spreading and the kids are slowly picking up on it. It’s best to incorporate good habits from when they’re teenagers so that they monitor themselves as they grow. 

To be completely honest, it has become hard to stay away from the phone when your whole life revolves around it – daily alarm clocks, social media notifications, and most importantly Netflix. But the facts remain the same, it can be damaging in the long run. Here are some ways you could decrease screen-time to make space for the fun summer activities for 13 year-olds.

Allowable Device Hours

Cutting screen time altogether would be unreasonable in today’s world. Have a discussion with your 13 year-old on how many hours of phone usage or television would be reasonable. Make them understand the impact of too much screen time on their development and mental health. It is time to include these topics for teens and have informative conversations with them. 

Oftentimes, if you ask a determined teenager for their opinion on such rules and restrictions, they suggest stricter limits than what you would generally expect. So if you involve your 13 year-old, chances are you could come to a common ground when it comes to screen time.

Household Chores: “Work First”

Now that it’s summer break, your kids will be free from any homework or schoolwork. Yes, there will be study sessions but they will not have the same willpower to sit in front of a book. What would be the next but important option to help your teens’ development? The answer would be household chores. 

You can make your kids understand that when school was in session, schoolwork took “priority”. But now, housework should take “priority”. Yes, entertainment is also important. But, a better routine would be to finish the chores first and then relax and enjoy some television. 

Making a list would be helpful. Parents with teens who are fickle and restless usually assign weekly chore schedules to their kids to help them engage in something new each day. Thinking of something to get done in the moment would not result in something fruitful and your kids might just end up glued to their screens again. We recommend a specific summer schedule for teens to help their development. 

Moving On To The ”Fun”: Summer Activities for 13 Year-Olds

Summer is a great time to inculcate co curricular activities in your teens’ routines. The weather calls for more outdoor activities rather than staying outside. Let’s go over some of the activities you could do with your 13 year old over the summer break.

1. Bike Rides 

Outdoor active hobbies are the best thing you could add to your teen’s routine. One of the most fun summer activities for 13 year-olds is bike riding. Get them excited about biking by making it a reward system. Here are some biking ideas parents are including in their summer schedule for teens.

1. DIY Bike Wash: You may just be awarded the “cool” mom award for hosting this. You could construct a DIY bike wash with just a PVC pipe and some colorful swimming tubes. You can take your kid for a long bike ride and keep this ready for when you come back. 
2. DIY Bike Ramp: If your neighbourhood has a local skating or biking ramp, you could take them but if your kid isn’t that good with a bike yet then you could make a DIY bike ramp at home. You would need some wood to construct one but even if it’s two inches off the ground, it counts for something. 
3. Family Biking Vacations: You and your family could take a biking vacation. These vacations really count as fruitful trips for teens as it helps in exercising and other life skills as well. You could look up your city’s biking tours depending on where you’re looking to travel via bikes.

2. Outside Sports

There is no doubt that your kid would benefit from being outside in the summer. Outside activities like playing volleyball on the beach, or playing kickball in the backyard help your 13 year-old in every aspect of their development – be it physically, mentally, or socially. With a dose of fun, your kid could gain improved focus and learning ability. Some of the outside games you could play are:

1. Capture The Flag: You’ll need six or more players for this game and two flags. You don’t need actual flags; you could make some with a fabric or pieces of paper. You’ll divide the outdoor space in 2 sections or courts. Make two teams and basically, the game’s rule is that each team has to try to steal the other team’s flag. If they get tagged on their way back to base, they’re out.
2. Memory Game, But On The Go: Place 9 numbered cones in a random sequence. One of the members would have a stack of numbered cards which they call. The other member has to remember the initial sequence of the cones and basically tag it and run back. If they tag the wrong cone, they’re out.
3. Disco Golf: You could also make gold fun by playing the disco or frisbee version. You could head to a wooded area and play this game. This game helps in hand-eye coordination and your 13 year-old could also get some cardiovascular exercise. All your kid has to do is to throw a frisbee towards a set up target. 

3. Volunteering

Volunteering doesn’t necessarily have to be outside your neighbourhood. You could help out an elderly with their groceries. If your neighbourhood has a community library or garden, your teen could find it fun to volunteer there for some hours. Lending a helping hand never goes out of fashion. Here are some other ideas for volunteering activities.

1. Food Joint/Bank: In struggling times, food can become a crisis for many underprivileged people. Food banks are organizations that help out these helpless people and families in need. This could be a good fit for your teen because apart from giving back to the community, it also helps your teen gain organizational and problem-solving skills. It could help them while applying for their first job.
2. Animal Shelter: If your kid is an animal magnet and loves to be around them, then you could make this a fun as well as educational activity. Depending on the shelter, your teen could be involved in animal care, or an admin job, or even feeding or grooming the animals.
3. Library: If you have a bookworm for a kid, then this might be beneficial for them. They can help the elderly visitors with their queries or help the younger ones find their section. Look up for volunteering programs at your nearest libraries.

4. Learn Cooking

You could host a grilled cheese/pasta night at your home. Invite some of your kids’ friends over and gather them in the kitchen to create a fun and competitive environment. Why not turn everything into a game if that’s what keeps your kid off the screen. You could time them and make the tomato soup yourself. Here are some of the other ways you could indulge your 13 year old in cooking:

1. Discuss Meal Planning: It does not really depend on whether your kid has cooking skills or not. You could get them interested by sitting them down with you to plan out the week’s meals. It could help them learn how to make a grocery list depending on what ingredients you have listed for the dishes in the meal plan. 
2. Helping With Meals: Even if it is just setting out the plates, your 13 year old could gradually help with meals. If you’re making a lasagna, your teen could help with the layering. They could also help with tossing the vegetables in the pan while you take care of something else. They could even stand and observe which would eventually be helpful.
3. Granting Responsibility for 1 Meal: Once you feel like your teen has got it in him to take care of a whole meal, you can assign a fun dish to make which you will obviously be around to supervise. Help your kids feel the satisfaction of getting something right and learning in the process. 

5. Educational Workshops And Tours

Why not encourage your kid for fun educational trips? Some museums even host educational games for teens, and sometimes have a segment in their tour where kids sit down and watch historical movies. These really will help your kid in the long run. Who knows? There might be a hidden Indiana Jones in your 13 year-old. Here are some ideas for educational workshops you could enroll your kid in:

1. Online Creative Writing Workshops: There are a number of online workshops where teenagers participate in a healthy discussion and share their writings. In these workshops, your kid could learn from renowned writers and authors. It activates the creative module of the brain and helps in writing skills.
2. Museum Tours: You could visit your nearest museum and take a tour. Your kid will get the opportunity to learn so much. Some museums even offer free tickets in the summer. Your kid and his or her friends could take a trip down to the museum and make it a fun day.
3. Art Workshops: There are online art communities which you could join to know about the nearby art pop-ups and the artists that display their art for the world to see.  If this is something you think your teen would find interesting then go ahead and take them on a short trip to the nearest art pop-up shop.

6. Summer Camps

You could enroll your kid in a summer camp as well. Depending on what your kid likes, you could help them join a sports summer camp, a science summer camp, or even an art camp.

Here are some of the benefits of a summer camp for your 13 year-old:

1. Independence: Your teen is in a phase where they will start to expect more freedom and opportunities to make decisions for themselves. Summer camps provide teens a safe environment to help your kids handle situations by themselves. They can explore new passions and interests.
2. Social Skills: If your kid is a shy one in school, enrolling them in a summer camp could be the best choice. If your kid is a science enthusiast, you could enroll them in science camps where the discussions on experiments could act as perfect icebreakers for teens. 
3. Exploration of New Interests: Summer camps are the perfect place if your kid doesn’t have an area of interest or passion. If you opt for a renowned summer camp, then there would be counselors to help your kid find a new hobby and interest.

7. Family Camping

Camping as a family could be a good summer activity for your kid.  Whether you’re going camping with a local trekking group or driving to a new location to camp with just your family, it will be memorable for your teen. Here are some fun summer activities for teens while you’re out camping:

1. Build A Campfire: You could appoint your teen to be in charge of collecting small twigs and branches along with some logs for the fire while you work on the firepit. 
2. Sing Campfire Songs: If you’re a musical family, then you could take out the guitar and play some tunes. If you’re not so good with strings then you could play karaoke to some of your family jams.
3. Star Gazing: Star gazing is particularly popular among teenagers so make sure to add it to your list. You could bring a telescope and spot out some of the constellations.

8. Swim Week

You could organise a swim week where you could use each day to visit maybe a pool or a beach or even a lake nearby. You and your family could enjoy a nice escape from the heat for a week straight. Here are some ideas you could use to help plan out your swim week.

1. Pool Party: Host a pool party for the teens and invite the whole neighbourhood. Take out the barbecue and roast some meat while the kids are splashing around in the water.
2. Road Trip To The Nearest Lake: If you own a family van, go ahead and take a drive down to the nearest freshwater lake. Take a couple of pool noodles with you and jump into the cold freshwater for a refreshing escape.
3. Swim Classes: If your 13 year-old is interested in swimming and competing, you could use the summer break to enroll your kid in swimming classes. If you don’t want to go for a stretched duration, there are weekly swim classes available almost everywhere. It could also turn into one of the best afterschool activities for teens once they’re a little brushed up on the basics.

9. Game Nights

Game Night is a very popular concept among families. It is finally summer break and you’re constantly worrying about fun summer activities for your 13 year-olds. Game Nights are an easy saviour. Here are some games you could play after dinner. 

1. Photo Scavenger Hunt: You could mix pictionary and scavenger hunt in one game and entertain your kids with a fun night of running around searching for the next clue. You can even bribe your kids with rewards for winning.
2. Dance Games: You could download a dance game on your smart TV, if you own one. If you don’t have a smart TV then bring up a similar video or app on your laptop and get your kids moving and grooving to some sick beats.
3. Sing The Lyrics: You could split into teams and play against each other. All you have to do is sing the lyrics of the song assigned by the opponent group or player. It could easily turn into a night of laughter when you fumble because time’s running out.

10. Lemonade Stand: For A Cause

You could dedicate a day to making some lemonade and sitting outside. Maybe gather a few bucks from thirsty strangers driving down the road. Your teen could engage in social conversations and the plus point about this is that the money made can be used to feed the people in need. 

Take the day’s earnings into a local food joint and buy a couple of pizzas or burgers. Hand them out to the homeless people you see or give it away to a charity nearby. This could really help your child see the effort of showing kindness to people who haven’t had a good life.

11. Learn A New Language

Your kids could really benefit from learning a new language. You could help them study by making it fun too. You can come up with a game system too. Q and A questions for teens have proven to be fun when it comes to studying. Get some flashcards and make this a fun summer activity to do. Some languages that your 13 year-old could learn are:

1. Spanish: Spanish is often taught in most schools but if it is not being taught to your teen, then it’s best to get them to learn Spanish.
2. French: French, like Spanish, is a popularly opted language in school curriculum. If it is, however, something of interest to your kid, you could enroll for French online classes over the summer.
3. German: Most of the teens start planning for their career in Germany pretty early along the path of career development. Germany holds many opportunities for the youth of today. It would be good for your teen to learn some German over the summer.

12. Learn a Software Language

While learning about different cultures and languages over the world can be benefitting for your 13 year-old, software is also a vast culture in itself. If your teen seems to be inclined towards technology and the latest updates in the software industry, then, by all means, let those brain cells be put to good work.

There are different online camps you could enroll your kid in. One of the best being, SummerTech Coding Camps, where we personally guide and track your kid’s progress. We have a number of courses available on our website depending on whatever your child is passionate for.

13. Gardening

If you have a streak of passion for gardening and planting beautiful plants, you could team up with your 13 year old to start a community garden. If you don’t want to go to a large scale yet , then just start a home garden with your kid. 

Start small by taking the seeds from an apple or banana consumed that day. Plant them in soil-filled containers. Maybe you could line them up in the sunlight to decorate your house with greenery. 

Family Time Is The Most Important

At the end of the day, family time is important for your teenager when they are going through a transitioning from childhood to adulthood. They might want the attention of their parents so try to be as present as much as possible. 

Make it a point to balance out the serious career conversations with some fun game nights and outings. You could combine everything and even play some educational games with your teens. Spending time with loved ones could help your teen feel safe and secure to share any problems they may be facing in this phase of life. 

How Can We Help?

If your child is interested in learning software and various computer languages, then feel free to contact us. We offer various courses that your kid could benefit from. We design specially curated camps for different fields and interests. Go through our website and reach out to us if you’re interested.