If you are a parent who is frustrated and at a loss as to what to do to connect with your teenager, you may want to consider a team-building activity that you can do together. 

Spending quality time together as a family is one of, if not the most important things you can do for your relationship with your children. According to Upstream Parent, five major benefits come from spending time together, which include:

1. An opportunity to provide support and guidance.
2. It can help prevent mental illnesses.
3. It can build a deep bond that can strengthen over time.
4. The potential for a chance to talk about difficult subjects.
5. It can influence your child to venture outside their comfort zone and try new activities they otherwise would not.

Spending time with your child is easy when they’re younger because they are more than happy to play games like Candy Land with you for hours on end. When they are teenagers, however, this can become more difficult as, most likely, they would rather spend their time with friends. To help maintain that essential quality time with your child, here are ten team-building activities you can do together as a family.

• Outdoor Excursion Day

Materials Needed: Snacks and water,  a vehicle,  sunscreen, a swimsuit (if you go somewhere aquatic), and your phone for picture-taking.

What this Teaches: The benefits of venturing somewhere new, like building the courage to try new things.

This is a versatile team-building activity to do with your teenager, as the options for excursions are open-ended. You may choose to hang out with some animals and book a visit to the local aquarium or zoo for the day. Or, if it’s summertime, you could choose to go on a hike at the local nature park or river and tick turns who gets to lead the way. This can be done any time of year – just remember to prepare for the outdoor elements.

• Trust Fall

Materials Needed: Step-stool or ladder.

What this Teaches: Trust and Accountability.

Although this activity is relatively simple, it can be a lot of fun. Start by having a family member stand on a step stool, facing away from everyone else. Then, ask the other family members to stand underneath them and hold onto each other’s arms. Once they have a strong bond, tell the member standing on the step stool to “fall” and catch them as they fall backward. Once you’ve mastered the step stool, this can be done from even higher heights.

• Escape Room at Home

Materials Needed: Props (such as a key and a padlock), a speaker to play music, decorations, a room to set up in, a notepad to write the rules and instructions on, and a prize.

What This Teaches: Creativity and how to work as a team.

For this team-building activity with your family, choose an escape room theme- an outer space one or a safari theme, etc. Next, you’ll want to design a storyline with the theme. Decide who will be which character and what the activity’s goals will be. You’ll want to organize the chosen room with the appropriate decorations and set the mood. In addition, jot down the rules and regulations on a sheet of paper so everyone is on the same page. Remember to celebrate at the end, and you might want to consider an incentive prize that your teen will love.

• Movie Night

Materials Needed: your favorite movies to watch as a family, a comfy couch, popcorn, snacks, and possibly your family pet(s).

What This Teaches: It’s possible to bond over shared experiences, and watching movies can be a source of inspiration and motivation.

Set up shop on the sofa with your favorite snacks, drinks, and a movie of your choice. You can arrange to watch a few back-to-back movies together and spend the whole day in relaxation mode.

Finally, you can discuss your favorite scenes with your teenager and the themes and values you learned from the movie.

There are options for making movie night more fun, too, if you want to go all out.

• Home Trivia

Materials Needed: 20-25 trivia questions about your home and family members. Purpose: Family Bonding

Come up with around 20-25 questions about your home and family, and have your family compete to see who can answer each question correctly, the fastest. These can be questions such as, “What is Mom’s favorite color?” or “How did Johnny break his collarbone?.” This activity will be a ton of fun and is a great way to strengthen your family bond as a team-building activity.

• Dessert Night

Materials Needed: Ingredients for your favorite dessert dishes, a kitchen, music, and empty bellies.

What This Teaches: Teamwork and life skills.

While you’re whippin’ it up in the kitchen with your teen, it can be a great time for storytelling and making jokes.

If your teen wants to know how to make their favorite dessert, this is an excellent time to teach them this life skill and bond at the same time. And, when you’re all done, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.

• Memory Wall

Materials Needed: Poster board, glue, family pictures, markers, and an empty wall. 

Purpose: Family Bonding and reminiscing on special moments.

On a big poster board, come up with phrases that can be illustrated through pictures, such as “birthdays,” “achievements,” “vacations,” and “memories,” and then, as a family, create a collage. Find a space in your home to hang this poster and continue adding to it over time.

• Spa Day

Materials Needed: Lotion, a robe, slippers, a face mask, essential oils, a foot bath, fresh cucumbers, candles, and nail polish.

What This Teaches: Self-care is important.

Having a spa day as a team-building activity with your teenager will make them feel nourished afterward. First, have everyone shower or a bath (depending on their preference), and instruct them to put on a cozy robe and slippers afterward. Yes, even if it’s your teenage boy. Guys love to be pampered, whether they admit it or not. With peaceful music playing in the background, organize an area to sit or lie and place sliced cucumbers on everyone’s eyes for eye hydration. If you have a teen girl, see if she wants to wear a face mask. Next, nail painting and foot baths are available for whoever wants to take one!

• Scavenger Hunt

Materials Needed: Camera, list of items. 

Purpose: Family bonding

No matter how old you get, scavenger hunts are always fun. Split into two teams and give each team a list of items they need to find. These can be household items, or go even bigger and take your scavenger hunt across the city. These should be fun and silly items such as, “go buy a Slurpee and drink it until you get a brain-freeze” or “go to a park and .” Ensure you get a picture or video of each item on the list so that you can all go through them together after completing this team-building activity.

• Amusement Park

Materials Needed: A vehicle, snacks, water, sunscreen, and a day pass to your amusement park of choice.

Purpose: Family Bonding.

Decide which amusement park you’ll want to enjoy the day as a family. This team-building activity will surely be one that everyone will love, as it’s the definition of pure fun. Make sure everyone gets a map upon arrival so you can more easily decide which rides you want. Remember, you can use the buddy system to avoid anyone getting lost in the crowds. Drink plenty of water as you’ll likely be walking around all day.

Through these fun and simple team-building activities, you will notice your family come closer together. You may even notice your teenager wanting to spend more time at home. Make a designated time each week for your family to do one of these activities, and you will be pleasantly surprised by its impact on your home. There’s no time like the present, so go ahead and start planning your first activity if you feel so inclined!

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