6 Fun Ideas To Bond With Your Teen
Ah, teenage years, a time of rapid change. Some parents may see their teenagers’ formative years as a rather challenging and confusing life stage to navigate. You may find these adolescent years unpredictable – your children may seem to prefer hanging out with friends, start to push boundaries, or simply want to try new things you may not understand. As they try to establish their own identities, it might sometimes seem like they are drifting away from you. However, you also need to recognise that your children are becoming young adults and are probably just trying to find themselves.
What you can do is to try to understand what they are going through and stay connected with them. Here are some ways – fun ones – to spend quality time with them, and perhaps even discover something new about yourself!
1. Organise a Teen Chef Night
Let your teens be a chef for the night! This is the time where you can let them take charge and make their own decisions. From coming up with the dinner menu to shopping for ingredients and cooking up a storm in the kitchen, let them thrive in the freedom of doing what they want to! Try not to hover too much, and just stick around to render help only if they really need it – you may be surprised at how innovative, resourceful, and self-sufficient young minds can get. Who knows, you might just find out that that you have a talented MasterChef in the making under your roof. In time to come, you may even get some dinner duties off your shoulders – now, that would be a great bonus, wouldn’t it?
2. Show Interest in Their Hobbies and Get Involved
Another great way to bond with your teens is to do what they love, together. Make an effort to understand their interests by observing what they like to do. Do they spend their free time on photography, videography, or do they love playing sports with their friends? Whether it's learning TikTok dances, sweating it out on the tennis court or watching a play, experience the things your teens have fun doing. Plus, exploring new interests may spark off new hobbies that you never expected to have – we all need something to help us work off the stress from daily life, after all. Best of all, you’ll find something that you and your children can enjoy doing together!
3. Organise Regular Family Adventures
Enjoying the great outdoors is another great way to bond – you get to immerse yourself in nature, breathe in fresh air, let your active teenagers work off all that pent-up energy, and encourage an active living lifestyle that’s key to their development! Try exploring different parts of Singapore weekly or fortnightly – you can organise bike rides or hikes to interesting nature spots in Singapore, such as the Southern Islands, Henderson Waves Bridge, Bukit Timah Hill, or have an adventure at one of the many nature trails that Singapore has to offer.
4. Go Head-to-head in Family Challenges
When it comes to having fun, the more the merrier. Here’s something you can do with your family and friends to multiply the fun! Get together with another family with teenagers – challenge them to something, whether it’s a physical challenge such as battling it out at the Nerf Action Xperience (NAX) arena, or something that stimulates the mind like trivia games. Be sure to check the latest safe-distancing measures before planning any get-togethers!
5. Give Back to the Community
Many of us today are fortunate enough to live comfortable lives but there are some in our midst who need our help. We have so much to offer – our time, talents, and passions. Give back to the community by volunteering your time as a family – it could be to clean up the beach, help the needy, or even extend small gestures of kindness such as writing cards or gifting small surprises to your neighbours. You can also let your teens decide and plan what they would like to do – this gives them a sense of independence they need, and also helps in moulding a sense of ownership and responsibility. You may just discover things you never knew about them!
6. Indulge in a Family Staycation
Overseas vacations are out of the question for now, but you can go on a staycation in a nice hotel right here in Singapore! Now, you can enjoy hotel amenities as much as you want, without trying to squeeze into a “we need to see and do as much as we can” itinerary, like many of us tend to do when we are overseas. Just relax and savour this time – order room service, lounge by the pool, watch a movie and maybe even hit the spa.
While you are having fun, don’t forget about the importance of protecting your family as well and one way you can do so is with Income’s PA Secure. It includes coverage against medical expenses arising from accidents or when you catch an infectious disease1. On top of that, safeguard your Singapoliday with its Event and Staycay expenses optional benefit, which provides reimbursement of non-refundable expenses due to hospitalisation2. You can also opt for the family plan to enjoy greater savings as it covers an unlimited number of dependent children at no additional cost. Now, you can have peace of mind and focus on enjoying yourselves as a family!
Bonding with your teenage children isn’t so difficult. You just need to find ways to engage them on their level. Do remember that quality always trumps quantity – you don’t have to spend every single day with them or spend a lot on them. A day or two per week to do something together should be good enough – take this chance to enjoy some me-time, and who knows, you may even find a new passion or two for yourself. Have fun, and stay safe!
1 This plan covers 7 infectious diseases, Hand, foot and mouth disease, Dengue fever, Mumps, Rubella, Measles, Zika virus and Varicella (Chicken pox). It does not cover infectious disease diagnosed within 14 days from the policy start date as well as any infectious disease which has been announced as:
(a) an epidemic by the health authority in Singapore or the Government of the Republic of Singapore; or
(b) a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in the affected countries, from the date of announcement until the epidemic or pandemic ends.
2 The event and staycation expenses that we will reimburse is the non-refundable deposit or ticket fees incurred by the insured person. We will not pay for claims that are less than $50.
This article is meant purely for informational purposes and should not be relied upon as financial advice. The precise terms, conditions and exclusions of any Income Insurance products mentioned are specified in their respective policy contracts. For customised advice to suit your specific needs, consult an Income Insurance advisor. This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
These policies are protected under the Policy Owners’ Protection Scheme which is administered by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation (SDIC). Coverage for your policy is automatic and no further action is required from you. For more information on the types of benefits that are covered under the scheme as well as the limits of coverage, where applicable, please contact Income Insurance or visit the GIA/LIA or SDIC websites (www.gia.org.sg or www.lia.org.sg or www.sdic.org. sg).
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