The best activities for teens give them some control and a little challenge: cooking, game nights, hiking, sports, creative projects, volunteering and first-job skills, balanced with daily exercise and enough sleep.
Looking for activities for teens that they will actually say yes to? Here are 75 ideas for 13 to 18 year olds: indoor, outdoor, with friends, with family, creative, volunteering, first jobs and screen-free challenges.
Written for parents (teens welcome), it also covers free and summer ideas, the federal rules for working teens and how to balance it all with sleep, exercise and social media.
Key Takeaways
Let teens choose: offer two or three options and let them lead the plan.
Mix something active, social, creative and useful into each week.
The CDC recommends 60 minutes of physical activity daily for ages 6 to 17, and teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
Volunteering and first jobs like babysitting or pet sitting build real skills; check age rules first.
A family media plan and screen-free challenges make offline activities easier to stick with.
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Table of Contents
Activities for Teens: The Quick Answer
Quick Answer
Good activities for teens give them some control, a little challenge and time with people they like: cooking, game nights, hiking, pickup sports, creative projects, volunteering and first-job skills like babysitting. Mix something active (the CDC recommends 60 minutes of physical activity a day for ages 6 to 17), something social and something creative. Below are 75 ideas for home, outdoors, friends and family.
If your teen…
Start with
Is bored at home
Cooking dinner, a puzzle marathon, a home escape room
Needs to move
Ultimate frisbee, a new trail, a 5K plan
Wants friends over
Game night, a potluck, a short film
Wants to earn money
Babysitting course, pet sitting, tutoring
Wants to help
Food bank, animal shelter, library
Is glued to a screen
A no-phone afternoon, a reading challenge
Quick picks for activities for teens by mood and interest.
Indoor Activities for Teens
Indoor activities for teens work best when your teen owns something: the menu, the playlist or the rules.
1. Cook a full dinner: your teen plans the menu, shops and cooks for the family once a week.
2. Bake something hard: bread, a layered cake or fresh pasta. A few failed tries build patience.
3. Card or board game tournament: keep a running score sheet on the fridge. Fast card games work for two players or ten.
4. Jigsaw puzzle marathon: a 1,000 piece puzzle on a card table is a low-pressure place to talk.
5. Two-person book club: read the same novel and talk about it over a snack. They pick every other book.
6. Learn an instrument: a used guitar or keyboard plus free library or video lessons, 15 minutes a day.
7. Record a podcast episode: outline a topic they love and record it on a phone. Sharing is optional.
8. Home workout or yoga: bodyweight circuits, jump rope or a stretching flow on rainy days.
9. Redecorate their room: a new layout or a wall of their own photos, on a budget they control.
10. Escape room at home: one person writes a chain of clues and locked boxes; the rest race a timer. Our riddles page is full of clue ideas.
11. Code a simple game or website: free beginner tutorials can get a teen to a working project in a weekend.
12. Movie critic night: everyone scores the film and defends their rating.
13. Theme night: pick a country, cook one dish from it and build a matching playlist.
14. Learn a language: 15 minutes a day with one real goal, like ordering a meal.
Offer two choices instead of ten. “Cook tonight or plan Saturday’s hike?” gets a better answer than “Find something to do.”
Outdoor Activities for Teens
Outdoor time is the easiest way to fit movement into a teen’s week.
15. Hike a new trail: pack water and snacks and tell someone the route.
16. Bike rides: helmets on, a planned route and a time to be home.
17. Pickup basketball, soccer or volleyball: a ball and a public court fill an afternoon.
18. Ultimate frisbee: lots of running, easy rules, one disc.
19. Disc golf: many towns have free public courses.
20. Backyard camping: a tent, sleeping bags, a battery lantern and stargazing.
21. Grow a garden: containers of herbs, tomatoes or flowers they plant and harvest.
22. Lawn games night: cornhole, bocce or kubb under string lights. See our backyard games guide for rules.
23. Photography walk: pick one theme (doors, shadows, fall colors) and shoot it on a phone.
24. Train for a 5K: choose a local race a few months out and follow a walk-run plan.
25. Lake or pool day: only where a lifeguard or adult is watching, with life jackets for boating.
26. Map challenge: find landmarks around town with a map; the fastest team picks dinner.
Before they head out, agree on who they are with, where they are going and when they will check in.
Activities for Teens With Friends
Hosting gives teens a place to gather and lets you get to know their friends.
27. Game night: snacks, two or three group games and phones away for an hour.
28. Sleepover or late-over: our sleepover ideas guide has a full plan and the questions to ask host parents.
29. Potluck dinner: each friend brings a dish; your teen hosts.
30. Talent show: music, stand-up, a dance or a magic trick, with paper ballots.
31. Neighborhood scavenger hunt: teams, a list and a time limit. No private yards, no streets after dark.
32. Movie marathon: a series or theme, a snack bar and a group vote on the order.
33. Mini tournament: three-on-three basketball or table tennis with a bracket on poster board.
34. Make a short film: a two-page script, phone cameras and a screening night.
35. Trivia night: teams of three, five rounds, a small prize.
36. Bake sale or car wash for a cause: friends plan it; an adult checks in on the money.
Teens still want family time; let them lead more of it. Short, regular rituals beat a packed weekend.
37. One-on-one outing: breakfast or a walk with one parent, teen’s choice.
38. Family hike or bike ride: short enough to be fun, with a food stop at the end.
39. Teen-led game night: your teen picks the game and teaches the rules.
40. Cook-off: two teams, one mystery ingredient, family judges.
41. Teen-planned day trip: give a budget and a radius; they plan the route and the food.
42. Family volunteer shift: sort donations at a food bank or join a community cleanup.
43. Driving practice: for permit holders only, with a licensed adult who meets your state’s supervising-driver rules, starting in empty parking lots.
44. Road trip games: long drives get better with our road trip games and a teen-picked playlist.
Side-by-side activities like driving, cooking and walking often spark better conversations than sitting face to face. A note from our quotes for teens in a lunch bag can help too.
Creative Activities for Teens
Creative projects give teens a way to express themselves and something finished to show for it.
45. Sketchbook challenge: one drawing a day for 30 days.
46. Upcycle clothes: hem jeans, add patches or turn old T-shirts into a tote.
47. Write a story or comic: a page a day for two weeks.
48. Keep a journal: one good thing, one hard thing, one plan for tomorrow.
49. Make a photo book: a year in photos, laid out by your teen.
50. Take a beginner class: pottery, painting or woodworking at a community or recreation center.
51. Build something real: a birdhouse or bookshelf, with an adult supervising power tools.
52. Edit video or make music: free software turns a phone or laptop into a studio.
Volunteering Ideas for Teens
Volunteering builds real skills and can count toward school service hours. Check with the organization first: many set a minimum age, need a parent’s signature or ask younger teens to come with an adult.
53. Food bank or pantry: sorting, packing and stocking shelves.
54. Animal shelter: walking dogs, cleaning and socializing animals.
55. Public library: shelving, reading buddies or summer reading events.
56. Help a neighbor: mowing, raking or carrying groceries for an older neighbor.
57. Park or beach cleanup: gloves, bags and a few hours outdoors with a group.
58. Tutor younger kids: reading or math help at a school or community center.
Skill-Building and First-Job Activities for Teens
A first job teaches responsibility, time management and how to talk with adults. Neighborhood jobs are the easiest start.
59. Take a babysitting course: the American Red Cross says its Babysitting Basics online course is designed primarily for youth 11 and older, and its in-person Babysitter’s Training is for ages 11 to 16. Topics include basic care for infants and children, basic first aid, behavior management and emergency response.
60. Pet sitting and dog walking: start with neighbors you know and write down each pet’s routine.
61. Paid tutoring: help younger students in a subject your teen is strong in.
62. Yard work and odd jobs: mowing, raking, washing cars, helping on moving day.
63. Learn to budget: track a month of spending and set one savings goal.
64. Learn home basics: laundry, five dinners, simple repairs, reading a bill.
65. Take a first aid or CPR class: useful for babysitting, sports and life.
66. Shadow someone at work: spend a day with an adult in a job your teen is curious about.
Know the rules. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, casual babysitting and minor chores around private homes are not covered by federal child labor law. For other jobs, 14 and 15 year olds may work outside school hours in certain non-hazardous jobs, no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day). When state law is stricter, the stricter rule applies, and many states require work permits.
Free, Summer and Weekend Activities for Teens
Libraries, parks and recreation departments often run free or low-cost teen programs, especially in summer.
Type
Ideas
Free at home
Cook dinner, a puzzle, journaling, a home workout
Free in town
Library programs, public courts, trails, park cleanups
Summer projects
Learn a skill, garden, train for a 5K, a first job
Weekend plans
A teen-planned day trip, a new trail, a local festival
Free and cheap activities for teens, plus summer and weekend ideas.
A simple summer plan: your teen picks one thing to learn, one way to earn or help, one active goal and one fun goal. It gives the summer shape without scheduling every hour. For weekday ideas, see our after school activities guide.
Activities for Bored Teens at Home and Screen-Free Challenges
A little boredom is how teens discover what they like. When it turns into hours of scrolling, a playful challenge helps, especially if parents join in.
67. No-phone afternoon: phones in a basket from 2 to 6 PM on a weekend, with a real plan for the time.
68. 30-day reading challenge: one chapter a night, logged on a calendar.
69. A new skill each week: juggling, a card shuffle, a puzzle cube or a knot.
70. Puzzle week: crosswords, logic puzzles and word games every evening.
71. Cookbook project: make five recipes from one library cookbook in a month.
72. Earbud-free walk: 20 minutes a day of just noticing the neighborhood.
73. Handwritten letters: to a grandparent, a friend who moved or a future self.
74. Reading nook: a corner with a lamp, cushions and a stack of books.
75. Learn a complex board game: read the rulebook, then teach the family.
Balancing Activities With Sleep, Exercise and Social Media
What teens need
Recommendation
Source
Physical activity
60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily for ages 6 to 17, with vigorous, muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activity each on at least 3 days a week
CDC
Sleep
8 to 10 hours per day for teens
CDC, citing the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Screens at bedtime
Turn screens off at least an hour before bed and keep them out of bedrooms at night
AAP
Social media
A family media plan, tech-free zones and in-person friendships
U.S. Surgeon General
Health recommendations that shape a teen’s activity week.
Late practices and jobs can crowd out sleep fast; our guide to how much sleep teenagers need explains how to protect it.
The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on social media reports that up to 95% of young people ages 13 to 17 use a social media platform, and that kids who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a free online Family Media Plan to fill out together.
Keep it safe: no risky viral challenges, no alcohol or drugs, agreed check-in times and a promised no-questions ride home if things turn unsafe.
The best activities for teens are the ones they help choose. Offer a few options, let them lead, and mix something active, social, creative and useful into each week. Most of these 75 ideas cost little or nothing.
Protect the basics: about an hour of activity a day, 8 to 10 hours of sleep and screens off before bed. Then step back and let them try things.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are fun activities for teens?
Fun activities for teens include cooking a family dinner, game and trivia nights, hiking, biking, ultimate frisbee, pickup sports, backyard camping, creative projects, volunteering and first jobs such as babysitting or pet sitting. Let your teen pick from a short list.
What do teenagers like to do in their free time?
Many teenagers like spending time with friends, listening to or making music, sports, gaming, cooking, making art and earning their own money. Interests vary widely, so ask your teen directly, offer a few new options and let them do the choosing.
What can a bored teenager do at home?
A bored teenager can cook or bake something challenging, do a jigsaw puzzle, learn an instrument, start a journal, set up a home escape room, learn to code or take on a screen-free challenge like a no-phone afternoon or a 30-day reading goal.
What are free activities for teens?
Free activities for teens include library programs, hiking local trails, pickup games at public courts, park cleanups, volunteering, journaling, home workouts, backyard camping and game nights with cards you already own. Many recreation departments also run free or low-cost teen programs in summer.
How much screen time should a teenager have?
There is no single number for teens. The AAP recommends turning screens off at least an hour before bed and keeping them out of bedrooms at night. The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory notes that more than 3 hours a day on social media is linked to double the risk of mental health problems.
What jobs can a 14 year old do?
Under federal law, 14 and 15 year olds may work certain non-hazardous jobs outside school hours, up to 3 hours on a school day. Casual babysitting and chores around private homes are not covered by federal child labor law. Check your state’s rules too.
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