6 Summer Activities for Kids & Teens
1. Feeling Fit
Challenge your teens to stay active and fit this summer! Thanks to Planet Fitness teens age 15-18 workout free ALL SUMMER LONG, through September 1 for the Teen Summer Challenge. Regular exercise supports physical and mental wellbeing, and it can help your teen feel stronger and more confident. Head to your local Planet Fitness with your teen for more information. Teenagers under 18 must sign up with a parent/guardian at a Planet Fitness location. For more information, visit PlanetFitness.com/TeenSummerChallenge.
2. Be a Bookworm
According to research, children who read four or more books over the summer fare better on reading-comprehension tests in the fall, than their peers who read less over the summer. Here is a list of summer reading to get your child started: Summer reading list for kids at any age. Consider taking your child to your local library and letting them choose! Remember, any kind of reading gives educational benefits- even comics and audiobooks.
3. Cooking, Crafts and Coding, Oh My!
Encourage curiosity and ignite a passion in your child by signing them up for a camp or going to a museum dedicated to a subject area, art or trade. In the summer, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito in California offers a Farmer’s Market Camp at its Center for a Healthy Lifestyle where Club members learn to harvest ingredients, cook, bake and prepare to sell food each week.
4. Team Up
Learning the benefits of working with others in a team can build positive skills in young people like problem solving, communication and conflict-resolution. There are lots of different activities you and your child (and a group of friends!) can do this summer to build these skills. Unicef’s Kid Power has a great resource with plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to choose from.
5. Just Keep Swimming (Safely)
It’s no secret that the leading cause of accidental death among children is drowning. Signing your child up for a swim class could save their life. Boys & Girls Clubs across the country work with The ZAC Foundation to teach the importance of pool and open water safety. Week-long camps are composed of three primary educational stations: classroom instruction, swimming lessons, and interaction with first responders who work together to teach children the ABC and Ds of water safety – adult supervision, barriers around water, water safety classes, and educating children about drain safety. Find a Club near you to see if your local Club offers swim classes.
6. The Internship of a Lifetime
For teens, the summer can drag on without a steady routine of activities. Teens can jumpstart their career path with an internship or summer job. Boys & Girls Clubs’ unique approach to workforce readiness prepares youth for success in their first jobs and helps them develop a plan to achieve their chosen careers. Flint, Mich., Club member Jawanza B., found a rewarding internship in an unlikely place – salmon fishing in the waters of Alaska!
