‘Tis the season to bond with your teen! The holiday spirit is in full swing and it’s time to engage in some festive family fun, and because young adults’ identities are shaped by the memories they share with their family, getting in that quality time has never been more important. At TLC, we advocate for family bonding activities as means to connect with your teen, and for your teen to connect with trusted adults. This time of year brings the opportunity to set the tone as an ally for your son or daughter for the months, and even years, to come. Whether your teen loves rainy days in watching Netflix, or is obsessed with social media, here are some creative ways to pull their attention to some quality family time.

Challenge Them

If your teen is stubborn about joining in on the holiday fun, spark their competitive spirit with a challenge! Offer up a bake off, push up contest, or speed wrapping round. Teens enjoy the game and the chance to succeed! This is a great way to get them an Instagram worthy moment while spending time engaging in family bonding activities.

Offer to Help

Whatever your teen is excited about this season, offer your support. If they love decorating the tree, offer to help them find the spots that could use an extra ornament or some more lights. If your teen is artistic and looks forward to making sugar cookies or gingerbread houses each year, offer to help hold the house up or monitor the sprinkles. Even just your presence and encouragement during these holiday activities will help you bond with your teen.

Watch Movies

Suggest a nostalgic holiday activity that is hard to pass up — movies! Christmas classics like Elf and the Grinch are difficult to refuse and a great way to get the family laughing together in the same room. After the movie is over, you have an opportunity to segue into discussion about how your teen is doing and feeling right now.

Organize a Gift Exchange

Put your teen in charge of organizing a fun family gift exchange! Holiday activities like secret santa, secret snowman, or white elephant are great opportunities to work together to plan a fun experience as a family. You and your teen can bond while deciding themes, budgets, and rules. Planning a small event allows you to connect while shopping with your teen and secures a time for an evening together for family bonding.

The memories you make during the holidays can last a lifetime! Be sure to spark meaningful conversations with your teen to check in with how they are feeling and provide support for anything that might be on their mind this holiday season. At TLC, we know how important it is to empower your teen. That’s why we offer virtual workshops to help your teen develop valuable social and emotional learning skills. To learn more visit https://tillyslifecenter.org/ Happy Holidays from TLC!