50+ Fun Summer Activities for Teens (Screen-Free!)
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If your teen has already said “I’m bored” and it’s not even July yet…I feel you! Never fear, I’ve got your back with this post filled to the brim with over 50 fun summer activities for teens—all completely screen free!
Keeping teenagers entertained over summer break is its own special challenge. They’re too old for the usual kid stuff, too young to just fend for themselves all day, and approximately 100% likely to default to their phone if you don’t give them something better to do.
The good news? There are a ton of summer activities for teens that are actually fun — not just “educational” in a way that makes them roll their eyes.
This list has 50+ ideas broken down by category, so you can find the right fit for your teen’s personality and your family’s summer vibe.
Table of contents
👉 Looking for ideas for younger kids too? Check out the full 130+ Summer Activities for the Whole Family list!
Make a Summer Bucket List!
Okay, first things first – before you do anything else, have your teen create a “summer bucket list”!
Simply have them write down a list of everything they would like to accomplish this summer…along with a plan for how to do it!
Need some ideas? Here’s a post filled with 101 summer bucket list ideas!
Creative + DIY Projects
Teens who like making things are so easy to entertain — they just need supplies and a little inspiration.
These are also great options if you want to encourage some screen-free creativity without it feeling like a chore.
- Make a tie-dye kit happen — shirts, socks, tote bags, even old white sneakers. A good tie dye kit makes this genuinely easy and the results are always a hit.
- Make homemade bath bombs — this easy DIY is completely customizable! Create batches in different colors, scents, and shapes with my failproof DIY bath bomb tutorial!
- Repurpose old clothes — cut-offs, painted denim jackets, iron-on patches. Give them a pile of old clothes and let them go wild.
- Start a summer scrapbook or memory journal — one photo or memory per day. Great for teens who love documenting their lives anyway.
- Redecorate their bedroom — try this with using only what they already have like rearranging furniture. Or, let them go bold with color drenching—all they need is paint!
- Create a vision board — old magazines, scissors, a poster board. Great for teens who are starting to think about their future.
- Paint wooden picture frames and fill them with their favorite photos — a sweet keepsake that also looks great in their room.
- Try a “Pinterest craft challenge” — everyone picks one project and you see who actually pulls it off.
- Start a DIY “upcycle” project — thrift a plain item and transform it into something they’d actually wear or use.
- Make a DIY candle – it’s super easy to do and they can easily create different scents using non-toxic essential oils. Find my full tutorial on how to make candles with essential oils here!
Things to Do With Friends
Let’s be real — most teens just want to hang out with their friends. These ideas give them something to do while they’re together, which usually means better memories than just scrolling.
- Host a backyard movie night — projector or laptop + a sheet, blankets on the ground, popcorn, their pick of movie. Let them own the whole setup.
- Organize a glow-in-the-dark capture the flag game — glow bracelets, dark backyard, a little strategy. Older teens especially love this one.
- Make friendship bracelets — the bead kits are back and honestly teens love them again. This is a good option to do with a group of friends or as a mom-daughter activity.
- Have a bake-off — everyone makes the same thing (cupcakes, cookies, brownies) and you judge them. Winner gets bragging rights.
- Host a backyard talent show — singing, comedy, a skit, whatever. String lights + a “stage” area = surprisingly memorable and totally wholesome!
- Host a backyard BBQ or picnic — let the teens plan the menu and handle the food. Good life skills, good hang.
- Do a group tie-dye session — everyone brings a white shirt and you dye them together. Great group activity with a tangible takeaway.
- Play board games that are actually fun — we are avid (board) gamers, so I have tons of suggestions here! Some of our favorites are Codenames, The Chameleon, Wavelength (great for a group!), Wingspan, and Hues and Clues.
- Organize a neighborhood scavenger hunt — they can make it for younger siblings OR just do it themselves with their friends.
- Have a backyard stargazing night — download a constellation app, bring blankets and snacks, stay up a little later than usual.
- Do a “mystery box” cooking challenge — give each team the same 4-5 ingredients and see what they create. Teens who like cooking shows will love this.
- Plan a themed movie marathon — Harry Potter, Marvel, Lord of the Rings, etc. Add themed snacks for bonus points! Check out some fun LOTR snack ideas in this LOTR birthday party post if you need some ideas.
Outdoor Adventures
Getting teens outside doesn’t have to be a battle — it just has to be their idea. Frame these as adventures, not activities.
- Discover a new bike trail every week — use an app like TrailLink to find local options. Make it a summer challenge.
- Go geocaching — download the app, find a starting point near you, and let them lead. It’s basically a real-life treasure hunt.
- Visit a local farmer’s market — give them a budget and let them pick ingredients for a meal they’ll cook that week.
- Try a new outdoor sport — tennis, disc golf, rock climbing at an indoor gym, or head to the water and kayak. Summer is the perfect low-stakes time to try something new.
- Have a sunset picnic — somewhere with a view, even if it’s just a local park hill. Bring good snacks and let them pick the playlist.
- Go berry picking and then make something with the haul — jam, a pie, smoothies.
- Take a “photo walk” — give them a photography challenge (textures, shadows, colors, etc.) and see what they come back with.
- Camp in the backyard — even if it’s just one night. Fire pit, s’mores, sleeping bags, the whole thing. Teens act like it’s silly but always end up loving it. Plus, it’s easy to keep an eye on them through the window, haha!
- Do a sunrise or late-night walk — something slightly out of the ordinary that feels like an adventure.
- Visit somewhere new nearby — a state park, a lake, a town they’ve never been to. Doesn’t have to be far.
- Wash a car — hey, it’s a classic summer activity for a reason! They can do a chore (or get paid!) while cooling off too.
Solo + Quiet Activities
Not every teen is looking for constant stimulation — and honestly, some downtime is really good for them. These ideas are perfect for a slow summer morning or a hot afternoon inside.
- Join the summer reading challenge at your local library — they usually have one for teens specifically, with prizes.
- Start a summer journal — not a diary necessarily, just a place to write, sketch, or paste things into a dedicatd notebook. Not sure where to begin? Try a commonplace journal, which is basically a collection of things they find interesting like quotes, facts, etc. It’s low pressure and high reward.
- Learn to cook one new recipe per week — give them full kitchen ownership one night a week. Life skill + genuinely useful.
- Try calligraphy or hand lettering — there are great beginner kits and tutorials out there. It’s surprisngly meditative to learn and practice!
- Learn a few words in a new language — apps like Duolingo make this easy and low-commitment.
- Try origami — some square paper sheets and a tutorial book is all you need and the results are genuinely impressive.
- Work on a puzzle — big ones take days and are oddly meditative. Good for screen-free afternoons.
- Write something — a short story, a comic strip, song lyrics, poetry. Give them a blank notebook and see what happens.
- Interview a grandparent or older relative — ask about their childhood and record it. This is one of those things teens don’t want to do but always appreciate later.
- Explore a new music genre or artist — make a playlist of things they’ve never listened to before.
- Create a “summer playlist” — one new song added per day. A fun little musical journal of the season.
- Rediscover a hobby they dropped — drawing, an instrument, a sport. Summer is a good time to revisit things without the pressure of school.
- Try pressing flowers — this is one of my all-time favorite activities! Forage (or buy) blooms, then press them. Frame them or use the pressed flowers for decor, journaling, bath bombs, etc. Here’s my full tutorial for how to press flowers in just minutes!
Screen-Free Challenges
Want to make screen-free time feel like a game instead of a punishment? Try framing it as a challenge.
These work great as a family challenge or something teens can do with friends.
The 7-Day Screen-Free Summer Challenge:
- Day 1: Make something with your hands (craft, cook, build)
- Day 2: Go somewhere outside you’ve never been
- Day 3: Do something kind for someone else
- Day 4: Learn one new skill (no YouTube needed—have them ask someone to teach them or practice on their own!)
- Day 5: Spend time with someone older — a grandparent, neighbor, or family friend
- Day 6: Host something — movie night, game night, backyard hangout
- Day 7: Create something to keep — a scrapbook page, a recipe card, a photo album
You could even turn this into a summer-long bingo card with 25 different challenges — give them a small prize for filling a row!
Rainy Day + Indoor Ideas
Because Texas summers (hi 👋) are brutal, and sometimes you just need good indoor options.
- Try a new art medium — watercolor, acrylic, or coloring with alcohol markers are all fun and require just a few supplies. I love watercolor, and learned how to watercolor as a beginner 10 years ago—I haven’t stopped yet!
- Host a living room karaoke night — a Bluetooth speaker and a free app is all you need.
- Try a mystery dinner game — printable versions are easy to find and great for a group of friends.
- Do a room refresh — rearrange furniture, make a DIY gallery wall, add string lights. Free and surprisingly fun.
- Start a book club with a friend — even just one book, read at the same time, then talk about it.
- Organize their space — okay, this one might take some convincing. But a clean, personalized room genuinely improves their mood all summer.
- Learn card tricks or magic tricks — YouTube tutorials + a deck of cards = surprisingly absorbing afternoon.
- Have a “cook a meal from scratch” challenge — pick a country, find a recipe, make the whole thing. Delicious and educational.
- Have a baking marathon — cookies, bread, a cake, all in one day. Great with friends or a sibling.
A Note from One Mom to Another
You don’t have to orchestrate every single day of summer.
Some of the best memories come from the unplanned stuff — a spontaneous late-night drive for ice cream, an afternoon when they just wandered outside and ended up building something in the backyard.
This list is here for the moments when you need a little help getting things started. Pick a few favorites, stock up on supplies for the ones that need them, and then let them run with it.
Want to save this for later? Pin it to your summer planning board so you can come back whenever the “I’m bored” hits. ⬇️
More Summer Ideas
Looking for more summer ideas? You might love these:
