Getting some fun out of the Easter holidays

Turn a walk into an adventure

1. Turn a walk into an adventure

Turn a family walk into an adventure by finding a treasure trail near you. Crack clues along the route, unlock local stories and solve the mystery at the end. It’s a great way to turn a walk into something different. Or get the geo-caching app and become part of the world’s largest treasure hunt.

2. Set a cooking challenge

Why not give your teenager the challenge of cooking dinner for the entire family? If they are already an experienced cook, you might want to add to the challenge by choosing the ingredients for them and then getting them to come up with their own recipe based on these ingredients; if they’re less experienced, get them to cook along with an online chef or follow a recipe. Dinner too adventurous? How about getting them to prepare lunch or a special treat, such as cakes or brownies.

Escape in a book

3. Escape in a book

Get your teen to think of a theme and set a challenge for them to read one or more books over the holiday. It’s better if this is exploring an idea that's interesting to them and not directly related to their studies (although it could be connected). Need inspiration? Examples include: biographies of celebrities they admire; a historical novel set in a period of history that interests them; books on self-development; books about places of local interest; books around things they've enjoyed (such as how a film/series was filmed, how to improve at gaming; how to apply make-up). For those that don't like to read, listening to an audiobook or podcast could offer an alternative.

• Audible

• Many books (free eBooks)

• All you can book

Visit an online museum

4. Visit a museum

The museums may be closed but they can still take a virtual tour in twelve of the world’s most famous museums online – and it means they can travel across the world without leaving the house!

• Virtual tours of world class museums

5. Attend a gig

We still can’t go to a gig in person yet, but there are lots of online gigs to enjoy from home.

• Get to the front

• Ticketmaster – live streaming

6. Get competitive

There are lots of competitions online, writing, creating videos, designing clothes, STEM projects. Some may require a little effort, others may require lots. Working to a specification, creating something that meets that specification and working to a deadline (in this case a competition close date) illustrates terrific transferable skills.

Snap a winner

7. Make a film

Shoot a film of less than 15 minutes for entry into the Wimbledon Shorts and aim to nab the Best Young Filmmaker title (age under 25). Entry deadline 19 July 2021, but there are discounts for early bird entries. Find out more.

8. Snap a winner

If your teen loves a photo, get them to switch taking selfies for capturing wildlife. The RSPCA photography competition opens for entries on 4 May 2021. They’re looking for photos of animals (including pets) either at rest or on the go, quirky and interesting, beautiful or funny. Images that tell a story about an animal and show their characteristics, are simply unusual or maybe just catch your eye in a split second. There’s a category for photos taken on phones and entry is for 12-15 or 16-18.

More ideas

If you’re looking for other things your teen can do over the next few months and beyond that they’ll enjoy and that could also help them stand out during interviews, take a look at: The Parents’ Guide to Standing Out from the crowd.