It can be difficult for grandparents to come up with an activity to do with tween and teenage grandchildren. Are there actually any fun activities for teens? Will the grandkids think the activity is too juvenile? Will they be bored with it? Will they turn up their nose and not participate?
One way to grab their interest is to base your activity around something that they are very connected to–…their cell phone. Kids spend a lot of time talking, texting, and doing social media on them. Use that interest as a springboard for activities to do with them. Because of their strong interest in their phones, they will automatically be interested in participating in these fun activities for teens, that require them to use it.
Fun Activities For Teens That Require A Cell Phone
Mission Possible
Remember the television program Mission Impossible from the 1960s? This activity is loosely based on that show. This is an activity for a group of grandchildren. The idea is to put them in teams, give each team a list of items, and challenge them to find the items. Your grandchildren have to take pictures of the items and be the first team to return back to ‘headquarters’ (Grandma’’s house).
Here’s how to play:
- Before your grandkids come, create a list of items for your grandkids to photograph. You will need a list for each team. Have different items on the lists so that the teams are not photographing the same things.
- Decide where your grandchildren will go to take their pictures. Will they be at your home and in the yard? Will you take them to the mall? Will they go to a park? Create your list according to the location.
- Depending on where your grandkids will go, each group might need a driver. You could have Grandpa help drive a team around.
- When your grandchildren first arrive, divide them into teams. Give each team a piece of paper with the following message:
“Good morning Special Agents ______________ (insert your grandchildren’s’ names). Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take a picture of every item on this list and be the first team to return back to headquarters (Grandma’’s house). As always, should you or any member of your team of secret government agents be caught, the Secretary of State will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This piece of paper will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck.”
Read More: Fun Indoor Activities For Kids Over The Holiday Break
Besides having fun together, one purpose of this game is to see how clever and creative your grandchildren can be. In addition to things such as a dog, a car, or a flower, have words that are abstract. You could use words like elegant, bright, generous, or brave.
Tell your grandchildren to think out of the box and to think creatively. For example, if the word “hard” was on the list, your grandkids could write a difficult math problem on a piece of paper and take a picture of it. For “cold”, they could take a picture of someone giving another person the cold shoulder.
- After giving them the directions, tell them they have one hour and give each team their list of items to photograph.
- Once the teams return back to headquarters, have them share their list of words and the pictures that they took.
- Give a prize to the team that returned first with pictures of every item on their list and a prize to the team that had the most creative pictures.
Alphabet Hunt
Pair off your grandchildren. Give them a piece of paper with the alphabet written on it. Explain that they are to take pictures of things that form letters from the alphabet.
For example, where a branch of a tree connects to a tree trunk forms the letter “V” or “Y”. A car’ tire could represent the letter “O”. The lines of mortar between bricks could be the letter “H”.
Tell your grandchildren that they have only one hour to take pictures and then return back to your home. The first team to return within the hour with pictures taken for every letter of the alphabet is the winner. Have your grandchildren share the pictures they took.
Read More: Great Gifts For Teens And Tweens
If you feel that your home or yard would not provide your grandchildren with enough options for pictures, have your grandkids go out into your neighborhood or take them to an interesting part of your city or to a mall.
Photo Scavenger Hunt
You’ are probably familiar with a scavenger hunt where kids have to collect miscellaneous items on a list. A photo scavenger hunt has the same principle. But instead of collecting items, your grandchildren simply takes pictures of them.
There is a twist! Within the list are items relating to family history. A picture of Grandma’s wedding dress? A picture of Grandpa’s favorite painting? A picture of their parent from high school? The ideas are endless and unique to each family. This is one of the only fun activities for teens that will keep your grandchildren occupied after the game. They will love hearing about all the stories behind the items they find.
Read More: 4 Tips For Getting Your Teen Excited About A Family Vacation
- Pair your grandchildren into teams.
- Give them a list of items to find. Each team should have different items on their list.
- At the end of an hour, everyone is to report to Grandma. Their goal is to be the first team back with a picture of every item on the list.
When you are finished with your fun activities for teens, serve your grandchildren a yummy treat. Isn’t that what being a grandparent is all about?
WANT TO READ MORE?
Looking for something fun activities for teens in the kitchen? Here are “5 Delicious Treats To Make With Yellow Pound Cake”.
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