After-school activities for your teen can be, and many times should be, more than just fun. Teens can spend their after-school hours with activities that can inspire and give them direction. They can increase their self-esteem, build social skills and connections and learn life skills. Just make sure what you choose, you choose together, allowing them input into finding an activity that aligns with their goals and desires. Here are some tips from Alyssa Strickland of millennial-parents.com to help you get started.
Science and Technology Camps
These camps are sometimes specialized in certain areas of interest, so find one that best suits your teen. Many of them offer hands-on activities like building robots, conducting experiments, and programming in ways that make it exciting and fun.
They may even learn to code, which is basically the act of teaching a computer to think. Learning to code also teaches logic and problem-solving skills. You can help them follow up with their coding instruction at Code Profs; click here to access a free resource for developers and people looking to learn how to code. Their experts help troubleshoot specific coding and error messages to help highlight great resources for learning to code.
Outdoor Adventure Programs
If you’re interested in having your teen unplug from technology, then outdoor adventure can provide that. It gets your teen outdoors, which can help them get out of their school-and-home rut into a whole new environment.
Outdoor adventures challenge your teen to learn new skills and promote camaraderie since many of those activities involve having each person depend on others for success. And, of course, it helps teach your teen to respect and appreciate the natural world.
Cultural Programs
This can be an excellent way for your teen to learn about different cultures, languages, and customs. This will broaden their horizons by giving them insight into how the rest of the world lives. It can also be a great way for them to enhance any foreign language skills they’re learning. And they may make connections that can last a lifetime, opening doors to people and places around the world.
Entrepreneurial Preparation
If your teen appears to have a knack for business, entrepreneurial programs can help them develop the skills and information they can use to become successful business owners themselves. Many of these programs are also geared toward students in underserved areas. This can be critical to helping those students and their communities.
Entrepreneurship, besides all the skills and knowledge that are needed for success, requires strong communication and people skills that many of these programs cover. One way you can model these skills is by following your own dream to go back to school! By taking advantage of the challenge that goes along with different types of business degrees while still benefiting from the flexibility of online learning, you can bolster your own career while simultaneously modeling the kind of drive it takes to improve yourself and succeed.
Help Them Start Their Own Business
The first conversation you want to have with your teen is what piques their interest the most. It should also be within the realm of possibility for them with the skills and resources they have available.
This can be tutoring, lawn care, social media management, or an online store like a drop store (purchasing an item from a third party and shipping them to a customer) or even selling their own products like t-shirts or crafts. Then, the two of you can sit and write a business plan. It’s ok if you’ve never written one; there are online resources like templates you can use to write one.
If you’re concerned about protecting your child’s assets like their automobile or a college saving account, then have them register their business as an LLC. This business structure keeps the business owner’s personal and business assets separate. You can create this structure yourself by following the steps like these for an LLC. Since the rules vary state-to-state, check with your own state to make sure you’re covering all the bases.
By finding activities that inspire and keep them engaged, like outdoor adventures, science camps, learning to code online, or starting and managing their own business, you can help your teen to grow and thrive as they navigate their teen years in a way that leads to success in multiple areas of their lives.