Challenge your teen’s brain over summer vacation

Matti Daniels
Family and Consumer Sciences

While many adolescents look forward to summer vacation, it is not uncommon for them to quickly grow bored.  Bored teens often turn to television and electronics. But, with a little encouragement, a teen can transform a bored brain into one that is healthy and active, and in turn, create a most memorable summer vacation.  Activities that can keep your teen happy, fit and healthy include:

Spend time as a family.  Go on vacation or create “stay-cations” and explore your own community or state.

Hold family/neighborhood Olympics.  Create a day or weekend of fun physical and mental activities that can played on teams.  Have contests and medals.

Go for a hike, bike ride or find other ways to be physically active.

Explore new trails, terrain or a nature center.

Hold a family board game or card night.

Plan an outdoor movie night in the backyard.

Make food fun.  Play “chopped” kitchen or “iron chef” or have each member of the family in charge of planning a menu and making dinner as a family.

Volunteer as a family and get involved in the community.  Soup kitchens, homeless shelters, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, libraries and humane societies are often looking for help and can provide a teen a sense of accomplishment and purpose.

Start a garden.  Use it for pizzas, salad or flowers. Gardens offer both nutritional and psychological benefits.

Plan an event.  Planning a party such as a back-to-school barbecue can teach a teen planning, budgeting and organizing.

For more ideas or information, call the Whitley County Cooperative Extension Office at (606) 549-1430 or follow us on Facebook at https://facebook.com/whitleyfcs/.