Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Cynthia Knowlton

Regional Extension Agent

4-H & Youth Development

May 19, 2009

Keep Your Teen From Getting Bored

Teens are always on the go in the fast paced setting of the school year.  Taking a break over the summer to many teens may mean slacking off and sleeping in.  When a teen goes from this go, go, go pace to nothing, it’s okay for a day or two.  Teens need to know that while summer is great for some down time, it’s never healthy to shut down and become bored.  The easiest way to stop your teen from getting bored is to schedule out his/her summer days so that he/she knows what is going to happen and can pick and choose what he/she wants to do by learning to make choices

To start, schedule your entire summer out monthly.  Put in your family summer vacation, your teen’s camp times and any day trips that have already been set.  If you find that there are big gaps of free weeks, help your teen find things to fill them up.  Look for a babysitting opportunity, summer employment, volunteer at a nursing home or look for a weeklong camp for your teen to attend.  Breaking up large blocks of time will help your teen not settle into the routine of sleeping late everyday, getting up and doing nothing special.

Create a weekly schedule.  Write this one out in pencil as it is the schedule that will change the most.  Write in opportunities to do things as well as things that are planned.  If your teen finds they have the time to do the extras, they will know when these things are happening.  For example, have them read to learn something new and for fun.  Reading serves more than one purpose.  Have he/she solve problems.  Your teen needs to logically think through problems, such as puzzles, on a regular basis.  This keeps the critical thinking skills that your teen uses to think through a problem in check.

Make a daily routine with your teen.  Plan things that need to be done like making their bed or doing any household and outside chores.  While these things may seem simple for your teen to remember, having things written down helps keep stress levels low.  Be sure to leave some free time, but have a list of suggested activities in case your teen isn’t looking for downtime.  For instance, going to a movie, listening to music, hanging out with friends, writing a letter, swimming, biking, etc.  Schedule in television and video game times so that these activities do not take up your teen’s free time or encompasses his/her whole day.  Create alternate daily routines for camp days, vacation and other special times.

This creative scheduling and time organization will keep your teen from getting bored and give him/her plenty of free time with some practice at making choices.  It will also help him/her get their responsibilities completed with very little if any stress which is positive for the whole family.

Email address: cknowlto@aces.edu

Phone number: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.