Hobbies And Interests
Exercise or Sports
Many teenagers love to play sports. Through their school or through local recreation centers and junior sports leagues, they can join teams for everything from soccer to ice hockey to lacrosse to archery. If your teen is not competitive, you can encourage her to get involved in rock climbing, canoeing, hiking or swimming. If those don't interest her, suggest something different such as dance lessons, martial arts or horse riding. Exercise is good for their brains and their bodies and it builds self-esteem.
Drama Club
If there are no appropriate drama clubs around, organize one. Many teens love to act and a self-organized play has plenty of work to keep everyone busy. Between writing or choosing a script, rehearsing, making costumes, painting back grounds and building sets, teens can involve themselves in everything from literature to carpentry. Help your kids gather like-minded friends for some old-fashioned self-entertainment.
Making Things
There are few things as exciting as seeing the completed product of your own hands. Whatever your teenager's interest, help her to figure out how to turn it into a productive hobby. If your daughter loves clothes, show her how to use the sewing machine. If your son loves airplanes, buy him a scale model kit of his favorite plane to build. Suggest painting or photography lessons for artistic kids; let your mechanically minded children take apart and rewire old electronics.
Summer Jobs
While a job may not sound like a hobby, for a teenager it can be just as intriguing and exciting as one, especially when it involves making money. Suggest that your teenager find some kind of work during the empty summer months, preferably related to something he likes. For a teen who enjoys swimming, lifeguarding is an ideal summer job, for instance. It will keep him busy, teach him responsibility and help him develop useful skills. As an alternative, teens can mow grass, walk dogs or babysit for money.