The teen years can be challenging; from mood swings and big emotions to wanting to experience a bit of freedom, it can be an exciting transition as these young adults become their own people. If you’re looking for fun ways to interact with your teenager, look no further than your own outdoors!

Benefits of Exercise

According to the CDC, you want your teenagers to get at least an hour of exercise each day. While this will look different for each family, the variety of physical activities you can do to meet that goal (and keep your kiddo happy and healthy) is wide. Not only can they improve their sleep quality, boost confidence and mood, maintain a healthy weight, and decrease their risk of anxiety or depression, but these benefits also translate to the entire family.

Sure, they might whine a bit if you remove the element of tablets or phones…but once they’re outside, your kids might enjoy the activity that you all picked out – and bonus, you get to spend some quality time with them! Let’s look at some activities you can do as a family that will help reduce time in front of a screen while boosting health.

Family Fun Activities

Visit a theme park

If you have a local park you can visit, it’s a wonderful way to spend some one-on-one time with your kiddo – especially if they’re into roller coasters and high thrill rides! Bonus points for being able to walk around the park and knocking out your step goal for the day.

White water rafting

While you might have to travel a bit to find a reputable company to raft with, this is an excellent way to get your child outside and possibly try something new. There are multiple rafting levels to choose from, so don’t think it’s all ginormous white water (although some rivers are!).

You’ll get quality time with your teen in the raft and be able to spend the day soaking up some sunshine while getting an excellent upper body workout!

Plant a garden

If your teen likes to eat fresh fruits and veggies, try your hand at planting a garden. Many different produce options are available regardless of how much space you have to make a garden. Give your child a shovel and some gloves, and teach them to take care of food from seeds – they might be more receptive than you think!

Do a family race

Throughout the year, there are one-mile, 5k, and 10k races promoted throughout local neighborhoods; if you’re feeling motivated and your kiddo likes to walk or run, sign up for a training program and prepare to finish a race together!

Not only does this help establish accountability and following through, but completing a race can boost confidence and help encourage physical activity to continue.

Bottom Line

This is only a small list of the many things you can do with your teen. Regardless of what you choose to do with your family, try and aim for quality over quantity. Discuss what brings them joy when you’re out and about – and then get ready to make some fun family memories! You might be pleasantly surprised at what your teen enjoys doing once they put down their phone.

If you notice that your teen is still struggling or there are some challenges you’re having trouble facing as a family, don’t hesitate to contact the team at Help Your Teen Now. With a dedicated team on board, you can help your child get on the right path to improving their quality of life–all while being right there with them.