50 Fun Things For Teens to Do Summer

Volunteers planting a tree together
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Don't have any big vacation plans this summer? Then treat yourself to this list. Whenever you're feeling bored, give it a look and pick something fun to do.

  1. Make ice cream sandwiches.
  2. Sell your old stuff at a garage sale. You'll clean out your room and make a little cash at the same time.
  3. See one of those big blockbuster summer movies. Bonus points if it's in 3-D.
  4. Build sandcastles on the beach.
  5. Get a job.
  6. Go for a walk (or a jog, or a run) in the park.
  7. Make a bird feeder and wait for someone to stop by and check it out. (It'll probably be a bird.)
  8. Get some sidewalk chalk. Play hopscotch and foursquare.
  9. Fill up some of your community service hours.
  10. Help out in your parents' garden. Or start a little garden of your own. (How about growing some blueberries?)
  11. Participate in a charity walk.
  12. Lay out by the public pool (with plenty of sunscreen on, of course).
  13. Get together with some friends and make a movie. Don't forget to write a script, make costumes, and pick the best location. Or if you're flying solo, go to a local event and make a documentary about it.
  14. Set up your sprinkler in the backyard (or the front yard, if you dare) and run through it.
  15. Go to an outdoor concert.
  16. Make popsicles in fancy flavors. Eat them all yourself, or set up a stand and sell them to passersby.
  17. Go fly a kite. Here's how to make your own.
  18. Go boogie boarding at the beach.
  19. Read a good book in a hammock (which everyone knows is the best place to read good books).
  20. Make your own Slip 'n' Slide on your lawn out of a plastic tarp and a hose. Then slip. And slide.
  21. Go on a nature hike.
  22. Play some tennis. If you don't have access to the court, just play in your driveway, or against your garage door (with your parents' permission, of course).
  23. Take your dog on a walk.
  24. Throw a softball around in the backyard.
  25. Learn how to breakdance.
  26. Go to a farmers' market. Buy at least one weird thing you've never eaten before.
  27. Have a water balloon toss. Or, if you're not that civil, a water balloon fight.
  28. Go to an outdoor yoga class.
  29. Start a band.
  30. Play lawn bowling while drinking lemonade, all fancy-like.
  31. Collect pretty seashells at the beach. Turn them into a sandcastle.
  32. Play putt-putt golf. 
  33. Get on your bike and ride (destination: ice cream cones).
  34. Take photos of all the pretty summer flowers around your town. Turn it into a photo collage.
  35. Go to the amusement park. Ride all the scary rides you were afraid to ride as a kid.
  36. Get some embroidery floss and make friendship bracelets for all of your closest friends.
  37. Make a fun playlist and take it for a jog.
  38. Go to a baseball game. If there are no major league teams near you, go to a minor league game - the tickets are cheaper, and the games are just as exciting.
  39. Make a zine. It's a lot more fun than making a blog, and you can actually hold it.
  40. Go to the zoo. Wave at all the monkeys.
  41. Learn how to skateboard. If you know how to skateboard, learn how to rollerskate. If you know how to rollerskate, learn how to ride a unicycle.
  42. Contribute a true story to Teen Advice.
  43. Fire up the barbecue and grill a pizza.
  44. Go on a walking tour of your town's historical district. Or if there aren't any tours offered, just walk around and make stuff up.
  45. Make a tasty mocktail and sip it outside on a hot day.
  46. Make plans with a friendly acquaintance from school whom you like but never really hang out with.
  47. Go bird watching. Don't forget to bring a camera.
  48. See how many laps you can swim in a row. Keep practicing. Then see how many you can do by the end of the summer.
  49. Teach yourself the dance routine from Michael Jackson's Thriller. It's like "Single Ladies" but more terrifying.
  50. Send long letters to your out-of-town friends. But first, do some of the stuff on this list so you have something to brag about.