April 17, 2020
We all need some family activities during quarantine, because let’s face it, we’re all…
Bored in the house cause I’m in the house bored…bored in the house….bored in the house…bored!
Okay, no seriously!! Let’s be honest: unless you are homeschooling your teenager, you may get a very short period of time to really connect with them. Mornings are a blur. They spend the afternoons at school. Evenings are for extracurricular activities, and then home for dinner and homework. By the time they are done with their day there is often nothing left in the tank for you, and visa versa.
Connecting with my son, Todd, has been one of the most enjoyable things in life, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, if you’re looking for family activities during quarantine, here are five ways you can connect with your teen!
I LOVE family movie night with my son, but we have a few rules! First, I let him choose the movie. This lets me get to know him and his interests better. We also avoid talking to other people and texting. That two hour movie time is our sacred, protected time and we don’t let anyone else interrupt.
As a photographer, I’m naturally all about preserving memories. Some of my favorite memories with Todd are the simple times we’ve spent together listening to music, singing, and dancing. Recently, we’ve started making hilarious Tik Tok videos together, which has been a lot of fun and will definitely be some great memories for us! Todd may have died a little inside when I signed up for Tik Tok, but you’re dang right we’re loving making videos together now!
This is a great way to stay fit AND connect with your teen! We like to go to parks to workout together, so we have a nice drive together to talk and connect. Then, while we’re working out, we encourage and push each other. Getting sweaty and doing something outside of our comfort zones is a great way to connect.
Family dinner time is our sacred connection time as a family, personally and spiritually. We always talk about our day, check in with each other, and take some time to slow down together. We also pull up our daily verse from our Bible app and break it down together to apply it to our spiritual journeys.
This one is one of my favs because it always catches Todd by surprise. This usually consists of me bursting through his door, putting him in a headlock, and firing away with questions. They can be questions about his day or just silly random questions. Whatever feels natural and generates a few minutes of chatting.
Ok, so I know some teens may be resistant to this, or even think it’s lame. I recognize that teens think about these things differently than us adults. So, here are a few tips from us to help keep things easy and enjoyable.
-Don’t be afraid to grab a controller and play video games with us.
-Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty by working out, playing sports, etc. with us.
-Keep an open heart and mind and understand that our “nagging” is out of love not meanness.
-Remember that parents are just trying to enjoy your presence before you leave for college/life.
I hope you all enjoyed these family activities during quarantine! If you have other ideas or have questions about connecting with your teen, leave a comment below!