Our top suggestions for things your teen can do over the Easter holidays
- Apr 6, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 22
Recognise it’s the holidays
First, do try to create a holiday vibe at home, with a slightly different routine from term time. If you’re working from home, you’ll need 'quiet' areas so you can get on, but there should be a lighter feeling elsewhere in the house. You don’t need to change much in terms of getting-up and bed times (in fact, it’s good to keep these fairly consistent with term time), but what you’re all doing between those times should feel different: less sitting down and studying, more fun activities. Of course, older children should still do some study over the holidays, but there should be more non-study time for them too.
Don’t feel responsible for keeping your children entertained at all times. They should still learn to keep themselves occupied and not rely on you to provide all the answers. However, if they’re looking for inspiration, here are our top six suggestions for things to do away from the television.
1. Make the most of the outdoors
If you have a garden, make sure your children spend some time outside to enjoy the fresh air. If it’s a small garden without room to run around, sitting or pottering outside still provides a change of environment and is good for their health. If you don’t have a garden, get your children to take a walk or bike ride so they can enjoy some fresh air and exercise. Open curtains and windows wide to let in as much light and fresh air as you can. To get a good night’s sleep, the body needs to be physically tired as well as mentally, so it’s worth doing something physical every day.
2. Set a cooking challenge
Why not give your teenager the challenge of cooking dinner for the whole family? If they’re already an experienced cook, add to the challenge by choosing the ingredients for them and getting them to come up with their own recipe. If they’re less experienced, get them to cook along with an online chef or follow a recipe. Dinner too adventurous? How about preparing lunch for the family, or a special treat such as cakes or brownies?
3. Reading for pleasure
Get your teen to think of a theme and set a challenge to read one or more books over the holidays. This should explore an idea that’s interesting to them and not directly related to their studies (although it could be connected). Examples include biographies of people they admire, a historical novel set in a period that interests them, books on self-development, books about places of local interest, or books around things they’ve enjoyed (such as how a film or series was made, how to improve at gaming, or how to apply make-up). For those who don’t like to read, an audiobook or podcast could offer an alternative. This sort of activity also stands them in good stead when asked by universities or employers how they’ve used their time.
4. Go virtual travelling
Get them to take a round-the-world trip by visiting two or three virtual museums. They could either choose museums in places they’d like to visit, or work around things they enjoy, such as natural history, space, modern art, sculpture or a specific artist. If they’re not interested in art, why not enjoy a trip to the theatre? Some theatres stream productions online that you could watch together as a family.
5. Are they interested in the family?
They could make a family tree, with photos and personal stories of family members they know, going further back in history as they do more research. This doubles as a way of helping to create a sense of belonging and connection.
6. Attend a gig
They might be missing live music, so why not enjoy an online concert or gig? Lots of artists perform online sets, and your teen is probably already following their favourite artists on social media, so they’ll know when things are happening. A few places to look are below.
We hope you enjoy the holidays and create some wonderful memories together.
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