Must-do summer activities for teens

Fun holiday activities for teens in 2025

Quick summary

• Summer is a great time to bond with your teen through outdoor adventures, creative projects, and cultural experiences
• If they need solo activities, suggest volunteering, learning a new skill, or exploring educational apps for a productive break
• The key is balance – giving them fun, screen-free options while allowing downtime to recharge over the holidays

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If you’ve been finding it tough to connect with your teen lately, the summer holidays offer the perfect opportunity to strengthen that bond.

Whether you're looking for ways to spend meaningful time together or simply need activities to keep your teen engaged and productive, the summer holidays come with plenty of options. 

With the insights from our teen community, we’ve put together a list of summer activities that both you and your teen can enjoy. 

So, let’s go through some ideas to help you and your teen make the most of the season ahead.

8 best summer activities for teens

Summer is the perfect time for teens to step away from their usual routines, explore new hobbies, break free from phone addiction, and spend quality time with family and friends.

Whether you're looking for activities to do together or ideas to keep them engaged while you work, here are some suggestions that your teen will love. 

1. Outdoor activities for teens

Explore the countryside or local beauty spots by doing a family hike, enjoy a camping trip, visit a city farm nearby, pop to the local park for a picnic, or spend a day by the sea if you have a beach near you.

There’s lot of evidence now suggesting that a greater connection to nature can reduce a person’s levels of stress and anxiety, so this can be a great wellness exercise too for your teen if they are showing signs of low-self esteem.

2. Craft ideas for teenagers 

If your teen loves getting hands-on and making things, summer is the perfect time for some creative projects together.

You could sign them up (or join them!) for a pottery workshop, where they can make their own mugs, bowls, or just have fun experimenting.

Another great idea is a family painting session, maybe painting landscapes or even funny portraits of each other.

If your teen loves photography, you could set up a mini photo tour around your local area and encourage them to capture the world through their lens.

3. Staying active

Keeping teens physically active over the summer can be a real challenge, especially since there are no school activities.

According to the NHS, young people aged 5 to 18 should aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day to stay healthy.

But here’s the good news: you can make it fun this summer. 

Go for a scenic bike ride together, try paddleboarding or kayaking at a local lake, or book a session at a trampoline park or climbing center.

Need some extra ideas? Check out our guide on motivating teens to exercise here for more tips on making movement part of your summer.

4. Explore culture

Visiting a museum, checking out a historic site, attending a food festival, or even just wandering through a local market can open up conversations and give your teen a deeper connection to the world around them.

Sometimes the best summer memories come from discovering new places together. It’s also a great way to sneak in some learning without it feeling like schoolwork!

5. Inspire them to do social and voluntary work 

If your teen is looking to meet new people or build confidence, volunteering can be a brilliant way to do it.

You might suggest helping out at a charity shop, joining a beach clean-up, or working in a community garden.

At luna, we hear from so many teens through our anonymous Q&A feature who are hoping to make new friends, and doing activities together in person can be a lot more fulfilling than just chatting online.

Check out our guide on how you can help your teen make friends. 

6. Encourage your teen to learn something new

Summer is the perfect time for your teen to try something they’ve always been curious about. 

Whether it’s a cooking class, a beginner’s coding workshop, or a filmmaking course, there are tons of options out there.

You can check your local libraries, community centers, or even online listings; they’re often packed with flyers about classes and camps that might just spark a new passion.

7. Summer jobs and internships

If your teen is a little older (14 and up, depending on your local laws), getting a summer job or internship can be a brilliant way for them to gain confidence, independence, and new skills.

Even something small, like babysitting, pet sitting, helping out at a local shop, or a short internship program, can teach responsibility.

Teens often love earning a little of their own spending money too!

8. Make tech time more meaningful

Let’s be honest – there’s going to be some screen time over the summer, and that’s okay.

You can gently guide your teen toward using tech in ways that feel productive and positive.

There are many great apps available that teach new skills, such as illustration, coding, or learning a new language – so not all screen time has to be mindless scrolling.

If you want to recommend luna, it’s “we are luna” in app stores. The luna app helps teens manage their health and wellbeing with a teen-tailored period tracker and medically-verified content. 

There are often challenges, exercises, and quizzes in there too, which can improve your teen’s mental health – and can keep them busy over the summer holidays.

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