If you’re stressed about what to do with your teen this summer, you’re not alone. Traditional day camp options and local programs seem to drop off after middle school, just when you really want your adolescent to do something engaging, productive and supervised (even when they’d prefer anything but). Sure, your teen swears they’d be fine just, you know, “chillin’” with friends and “relaxing” at home but come on—brain drain is real, college is looming, and getting out of the house during daylight is good all around. So what can they do? Read on.
ESCAPE TO OVERNIGHT CAMP
Traditional overnight camps host teens well into high school, though attendees tend to start very young. If your kid is new to the sleepaway thing (or just wants a change), there are plenty of just-for-teens camps where they won’t feel like a newbie, with many catering to passions they might not have had when they were younger. “Sports camps, drama/arts camps, academic programs and camps that combine travel with a camp program could be of great interest to many kids,” says Renee Flax, director of camper placement at the American Camp Association, NY and NJ. Teens may balk about leaving friends and fun behind, but leaving their comfort zone (whether for one week or seven) confers real benefits. “At camp, you’re staying active, enjoying the outdoors, learning leadership skills, all while gaining confidence and independence,” Flax says, along with the possibility of meeting teens from other parts of the country and the world.
BECOME A CIT
Counselor-in-Training programs can be a win for everyone. Teens enjoy the benefits of fresh air, friendship and fun (and hopefully tips), while developing leadership skills, initiative, empathy and responsibility in a safe and social environment. CIT programs offer activities and educational programming plus field trips, socials, workshops and service opportunities. Many CIT programs charge tuition while also benefiting from extra counselors. Another bonus: CITs often make the short list of candidates ready to be a full-on counselor.
SEE THE WORLD
Teen tours are always in demand and now start at younger and younger ages, says Tracy Levine, director of One Happy Camper NJ, a free, expert resource that connects families with summer camps and teen programs. Travel throughout North America (whether hiking national parks or exploring the wilds of Alaska) is popular with 13- to 14-year olds, while older teens get to explore the globe from Central and South America to Europe, with options now expanding into Africa, Asia and Australia, according to Levine. Many are themed, as well.
“Specialty programs are also booming, from culinary, surfing and farming to STEM, art, sports and more. Teens are also exploring their heritage, for example, through combined trips to Europe, and many have community service, advocacy and leadership components around a cause such as climate change or health and housing accessibility,” says Flax.
GET A JOB
From scooping ice cream to caddying at country clubs, the summer job is a classic way for teens to sharpen social and life skills (such as working on punctuality or managing difficult people), keep them off their screens, or fund an expensive Sephora habit. (Or so we’ve heard.) Who’s hiring? Camps, always, and it’s a great gig for teens.
“Working at camp, which has already been proven to provide an excellent foundation of 21st century skills, is being elevated with professional development opportunities, mental health training and support, and sometimes even opportunities for earning college credit,” says Levine. It’s also highly social. Along with obvious employers like retail and restaurants, check out your local recreation department; they hire everyone from tennis instructors to town pool staff.
DO SOME GOOD
Whether a requirement or just for the feels, summer is an obvious time to clock in volunteer hours without interfering with school-year academics or extracurriculars. The list of options is as big as their hearts, with possibilities ranging from serving as a museum docent (think Liberty Science Center) to promoting pristine beaches (check out Clean Ocean Action in Long Branch) to helping out at any of NJ’s bursting animal shelters—the need is real.
Service travel and missions let kids break out of their bubble—and if they’re lucky, they’ll come home with more than memories. This past summer, Milloni Shah’s 16-year-old son, a high school junior in Watchung, attended a leadership program in Lima, Peru, hosted by Operation Smile, which treats kids with cleft conditions. This in turn inspired him to become an EMT (teens 16 and older are eligible) and look to the future. “The experience has definitely been influential in gearing him toward the science path,” says Shah.
EXPERIENCE CAMPUS LIFE
Pre-college programs give teens a chance to live, learn and have fun in a campus setting, while meeting like-minded teens and role models and mentors, says Levine. Her son attended a pre-college engineering summer program at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, which helped lay the foundation for a STEM-based future. “He is about to graduate from Case Western Reserve University [in Cleveland, OH] with a Mechanical and Electrical Engineering degree and will be starting a full-time position as a drive systems engineer at Tesla in February.” Options range from week-long workshops at local colleges to on-campus programs at elite universities in the U.S. and abroad.
They can also….
SCORE A FREELANCE GIG
Does your teen have a fierce entrepreneurial streak? The self-employed life can be lucrative for motivated teens, whether that means walking dogs, feeding cats, watering plants, mowing lawns, baking cakes, or taking care of younger kids by babysitting and doing camp pickups.
GET AHEAD
Rising juniors can test prep for the SATs and ACTs now, so they can take the test in early fall, allowing plenty of time for retakes, while all students can take summer classes (if offered) to knock out prerequisites or general requirements (like Drivers Ed), leaving space for AP classes or simply interesting courses of study senior year. There may even be options for taking college-level classes for credit.
HELP AROUND THE HOUSE
Have a million home projects waiting to be tackled? Put your child to work and pay them for their time (cleaning out the garage can be a great bonding experience, too). If you have valuable clutter and collectibles to clear out, have your teen host a garage sale or post stuff for sale on eBay, Depop, Poshmark or Facebook Marketplace and offer to split the profits.
LEARN A SKILL
If your child has always wanted to cook, code, play guitar, design clothing, speak Italian, take photos, become an EMT, DJ, yodel … seriously, whatever they’re interested in, there’s a tutor or class with your teen’s name on it. It’s also a great time to schedule their required driving lessons so they can get their special learner’s permit before the new school year starts.
— Jennifer Kantor is an education, parenting and lifestyle writer and a Maplewood mom of two.
Get the latest on the best things to do with your family in and around New Jersey by signing up for our newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram!