5 Tips For A Summer Vacation With Your Teenager.

5 Tips For A Summer Vacation With Your Teenager.

The summer vacation: six weeks without school, no homework stress, no schedule. For your child in secondary school it is great, for parents sometimes a challenge. How do you make sure the holiday is not just sleeping in and getting bored? With these five tips, both your child and you have a fun summer vacation.

Discuss expectations

Start the holiday with an open talk: what do you expect from each other? Think of things like getting up on time, helping around the house, planning trips, or screen time. Make agreements together, but also be flexible. Your child will appreciate it if you take them seriously and give them some freedom.

Encourage independence

The holiday is the perfect time for teenagers to arrange things themselves:

• Find a part-time job
• Go to a sports or holiday camp
• Start a personal project (music, writing, or a business)

Plan (a little) structure

Total freedom does not work for everyone. Sometimes it is nice to keep a daily rhythm during the summer vacation. You can do this like this:

• Help your child get up at fixed times on weekdays. For example at 10:00 am
• Encourage your child to exercise (outside) or do something creative
• Alternate lazy days with active days or trips

Let your child organize a day

Give your child the chance to plan a day for the family or themselves. For example:

• Suggest: “You choose today what we do, eat, and watch”
• Organize an activity with brothers or sisters
• Think of and carry out a ‘low budget’ outing

Accept that boredom comes with it

Not every moment has to be useful, fun, or educational. Children who are bored often start moving on their own. Sometimes something creative happens, sometimes it leads to a good talk. And sometimes it leads to even more couch time. That is fine too. It is holiday!

Have a nice summer vacation!