How to Engage Your Teens This Long Vacation


Another end of school year is here again – the long vacation, the children are on holidays after going through so many ‘stressful’ weeks and the examination period,  the holidays is going to last for two months or more.  This is quite a long time and we can not afford to leave these pre-adults idle because of the saying that “an idle mind is a devil’s workshop.  The question now is how we are going to manage them this period so that they will not fall into trouble.

Some parents will rather quickly enroll their children in lesson classes – either privately organized or school lessons.  While this practice may seem good to some extent, it however contradicts the purpose of vacations.  School vacations are periods children need to relax their brains, recover from stress and learn new things aside classroom works.

Engaging your teens in extra curricular activities during the long vacations will help them mature into serious minded adults, prepare them for the future and open avenues that they can explore, but to allow them play away the time may lead them into troubles.

Let Them Learn a Skill:  Turn the vacation into a period of learning a skill.  There are different skills they can learn – bead making, hair making, carpentry, house painting, catering, computer etc.  Who knows they may be earning money from these skills to argument your efforts.


Engage Them in Vacation Jobs:  It is time to talk to friends, family members and colleagues who have companies, shops, supermarkets to engage them in vacation jobs.  This will serve as training grounds and give them an idea of the working world.

Let Them Display Their Creativity:  This can be the best period for them to explore the creative sides of their lives.  They can write books, make drawings and paintings, do music, act dramas etc.  They may end up becoming reputable celebrities and stars even before finishing their education.

Allow Them Serve God:  The reason they have not been fully engaged in Church activities has been that of going to school, now is the time to make up for such periods.  They should engage in religious activities that will allow them serve God, this will enable them receive God’s blessings to have a better and brighter future.

And lastly, Let Them Socialize:  Let them visit their friends and family members.  They will learn one thing or more that will better their lives.  Let me give you an example:

My eight year old boy called me after the break and said he wants to go on holidays to my Elder Sister’s house.  I did not take him serious because:  I had it in mind that he cannot stay there without me as he had never stayed away from me before; secondly I was afraid because he bed wets whenever he was not waken at night at least twice.  I knew only me can manage him.

To my greatest surprise he insisted on going for the holidays and when I reminded him that he cannot stay in someone else’s house because he bed wets, he replied that he will manage himself.  So I decided to give him the chance. 

Everyday, I will call my sister to enquire about my son, expecting to hear some ugly news but to my greatest surprise I will be told that he is doing fine and has never bed wet and that no one wakes him at night.  My son has changed and at the same time proved me wrong.


I am happy for him even though I miss him a lot.