If you have the time and energy, entertaining young kids isn’t hard during the summer. Take them to the pool or to the beach . . . to a rec center or an amusement park . . . or even a neighborhood park.
Teens can be a lot trickier, especially if you want “cool” stuff.
Someone on Threads put together a list of “15 summer traditions to start with a teenager.” (It’s a little more wholesome than “cool” . . . so maybe it skews YOUNG teen, pre-16. Unless your teen WANTS more time with you.)
They are:
1. The summer bucket list ritual . . . Write it on Day One, cross things off together, review it on the last day.
2. The weekly high and low . . . Every Sunday dinner, share your best and worst moment of the week. (From experience, this one is likely a tall order.)
3. The first-day-of-summer breakfast . . . Same diner, same booth, same order, year after year.
4. A special night drive . . . Same route, windows down, they control the music every single time.
5. One new recipe a week . . . Pick a dish neither of you has made, cook it together, rate it honestly. (And maybe put your reviews on TikTok.)
6. The end-of-week campfire (or candle) talk. Light something, sit down, no phones, just talk until it burns out. (The candle version is probably for people without access to campfires . . . but it feels a lot weirder.)
7. The thank you jar. Every week each of you drops in one note of something you appreciated about the other.
8. Ten-dollar challenge per week. Once a week, you each get $10 at a thrift store and hunt for the best find. (Or, for the young entrepreneur, you each get something at a thrift store, and have to be the first to re-sell it for a $10 profit.)
9. Backwards dinner night. Dessert first, mains last, once a week, no rules, no reason. (Stunts like these seem like they could be popular with teens.)
10. License plate hunt. Keep a running list all summer of every state plate you spot together. (This is also great for road trips.)
11. The summer soundtrack. Add one song each week to a shared playlist that tells the story of the summer.
12. Pancake art Sundays. Whoever flips the weirdest-shaped pancake wins bragging rights for the week.
13. The worst movie club. Hunt down the worst-rated film you can find each week and watch it together.
14. The summer dare jar. Write small dares on paper, pull one out each weekend, both have to do it. (This is definitely compelling. If you do this, you MUST follow-up with how it goes.)
15. The closing-night fire. On the last night of summer, build a fire and each share your favorite moment of the whole season.
