Home / Plans by age / Ages 13+
Things to do with a teenager
Teens rarely want an activity. They do want to be good at things, and they'll talk in the car. These plans use both.
Good to know at this age
- CDC says children and teens 6 to 17 need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. CDC, Child Activity: An Overview Checked Oct 15, 2026
- CDC recommends 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night for teens 13 to 17. CDC, About Sleep Checked Oct 15, 2026
Quick: 30 minutes or less 26
- Tie a square knot and a bowline30 min · $0 · Ages 5+ · Indoor & Rainy Day
- Find north with a stick and the sun30 min · $0 · Ages 5+ · Outdoors
- A chore chart you'll actually keep30 min · $0 · Ages 5–14 · Chores
- A two-person book club with your teen30 min · $0 · Ages 12+ · Reading
- The car-ride talk: hard topics, side by side20 min · $0 · Ages 10+ · Emotions & Hard Conversations
- Talking with your kid about scary news20 min · $0 · Ages 6–14 · Emotions & Hard Conversations
- Repair after you lose your temper10 min · $0 · Ages 3+ · Discipline
- The after-dinner family walk30 min · $0 · Ages Any · Dad Health
- A 20-minute family workout in the living room20 min · $0 · Ages 4–14 · Dad Health
- Park the phones outside the bedrooms30 min to set up · $0–$25 · Ages 8–17 · Screens
- The first-week-of-school check-in15 min · $0 · Ages 5–14 · Emotions & Hard Conversations
- Tie a clove hitch and two half hitches30 min · $0 · Ages 6+ · Classic Field Skills
- Join two ropes with a sheet bend30 min · $0 · Ages 7+ · Classic Field Skills
- Send secret words with the wig-wag code30 min · $0 · Ages 7+ · Classic Field Skills
- Make a family whistle and hand-signal code25 min · $0 to $5 · Ages 5+ · Classic Field Skills
- Play Kim's game: remember the tray20 min · $0 · Ages 5+ · Classic Field Skills
- Find the North Star with the Big Dipper30 min · $0 · Ages 5+ · Classic Field Skills
- Find south with an analog watch20 min · $0 · Ages 7+ · Classic Field Skills
- First aid: press, cover, call30 min · About $10 · Ages 6+ · Classic Field Skills
- Find Orion, the winter hunter30 min · $0 · Ages 5+ · Classic Field Skills
- Whip a rope end and tie a timber hitch30 min · $0 · Ages 7+ · Classic Field Skills
- The nightly question journal10 min a night · About $5 · Ages 4–14 · Emotions & Hard Conversations
- Just be there: low-key time with your teen20 min, a few times a week · $0 · Ages 13+ · Teens
- Telling your kid someone has died20 min · $0 · Ages 3+ · Emotions & Hard Conversations
- The puberty talk, dad's version15 min · About $20 · Ages 8–14 · Emotions & Hard Conversations
- The online safety talk: photos, secrets and sextortion20 min · $0 · Ages 9–17 · Emotions & Hard Conversations
An hour or two 21
- Skip a stone five times45 min · $0 · Ages 5+ · Outdoors
- Build a backyard lean-to2 hrs · $0 · Ages 6+ · Outdoors
- A no-flashlight moon walk40 min · $0 · Ages 4+ · Outdoors
- Your kid plans a $20 family outing60 min to plan · $20 · Ages 10–14 · Money
- Read a first pay stub together45 min · $0 · Ages 14+ · Money
- Check tire pressure and oil with your teen45 min · About $10 · Ages 14+ · Chores
- Your teen cooks dinner: one-pan chicken90 min · About $20 · Ages 13+ · Cooking
- Make a family media plan together45 min · $0 · Ages 5–17 · Screens
- The first-phone talk and agreement45 min · $0 · Ages 11–16 · Screens
- Set a holiday gift budget with your kids45 min · $0 to plan · Ages 6–14 · Money
- Play their video game with them45 min · $0 · Ages 6–14 · Screens
- Build a family emergency kit together60 min · $20–$40 · Ages 6–14 · Chores
- Spell your name in semaphore flags40 min · $0 · Ages 7+ · Classic Field Skills
- Measure a tree with its shadow45 min · $0 · Ages 8+ · Classic Field Skills
- Build and put out a small campfire90 min · About $5 · Ages 8+ · Classic Field Skills
- Read tracks in mud, sand or snow60 min · $0 · Ages 5+ · Classic Field Skills
- Extra jobs, a 24-hour wait and a dad bank45 min · $0 · Ages 10–13 · Money
- Plan your teen's first real job45 min · $0 · Ages 14–18 · Money
- Lay a trail with 1911 trail signs45 min · $0 · Ages 5+ · Classic Field Skills
- Measure across a creek without crossing it45 min · $0 · Ages 8+ · Classic Field Skills
- Make a sundial and mark the hours1 hr, spread over a sunny day · $0 · Ages 6+ · Classic Field Skills
Half a day or more 1
Co-parenting? The plans for two homes are on the co-parenting hub. Plans for you, not the kids (health, money, marriage), are under Topics. Other ages: Under 1 · 1–2 · 3–5 · 6–9 · 10–12 · 13+.