Image: MomJunction Design Team
Keeping your teenager and their friends engaged may not be easy.
So, if you are planning a party or an event, we have various group activities and sports for teenagers that will not only entertain them but also teach them important skills such as collaboration, communication, and leadership. Since it’s hard to keep a teenager’s attention for long, you can make them participate in interesting and unique group activities to keep them entertained. The last thing a parent wants to deal with is some sulky teens; so these group activities can help. They are competitive and safe, allowing your teen to bond with their peers. We’ve listed some fun and entertaining group activities for teenagers to indulge in. So, read on to know more.
Key Pointers
- To improve your teen’s social skills, engage them in exciting group activities.
- These activities, such as apple tag, soccer, and obstacle courses, will also keep them active and strengthen their bond with peers.
- Bucket swimming relay, chair racing, slippery limbo, and living sculpture are activities are ideal team building activities.
- Ensure you establish boundaries beforehand to minimize the risk of mishaps.
Why Are Team Building Activities Important For Teens?
When a team works together, even the toughest challenge becomes easier to complete (1):
- Team building activities allow teenagers to communicate with their peers. Thus, enhancing their communication skills.
- They learn problem-solving, leadership skills, and creative thinking ability.
- These activities foster self-confidence, and self-esteem, and instill values of compassion and empathy among children.
- These also promote the exchange of ideas among children and allow them to work with different groups.
Engaging in team-building activities paves the way for cooperation rather than competition. Learning at a younger age lays a good foundation.
12 Fun Group Activities For Teens
Here are fun group activities that boost teamwork and interpersonal skills among teenagers.
1. Who am I?
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This is a great way to break the ice. If you are looking for a group activity among teenagers who don’t know each other that well, this one will fit the bill. Get all the members in the group to write down a few things about themselves. Now read out the list and have the crowd guess the writer. Do encourage the teens to get creative and list things that are fun. It makes something simple a more interactive and interesting activity.
2. Team architect
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A fun game to bring forth and display their creativity. Divide the group into teams and give them offbeat materials to build something creative. Material suggestion: sticky tape, newspaper, string, eggs, blocks, etc. The most creative design wins the game!
3. Apple tag
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You’ll need two volunteers for this game. These teenagers will need to tip everyone else by touching them with an apple. The catch here is that they must do this without lifting one leg off the ground. If they need to move, they have to take a bite of the apple. The tippers can throw the apple between themselves to tip people. If the apple is all eaten before everyone in the group is tipped, the volunteers lose. A fun activity that promotes bonding.
4. Speed dating with a twist
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This is a dating game but with a twist! Set up chairs facing each other. Now start speed dating! Every teenager needs to sit across from another. The fun part is the conversation! Give them a set of questions or tasks that will totally gross them out. Question/task suggestions:
- Smell the other person’s shoes
- Tell the grossest thing you have done
- Ask the other person to pick their nose
- Share a poop story
The options are endless. Get creative and start socializing!
5. Ultimate soccer
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Divide the group into two teams. Each team will need to select a goalie. Next, set up two platforms that the goalies will stand on. Now, it is up to the teenagers to get the ball to the goalie. The catch? The ball can only be moved by passing, dribbling, or kicking. At no point must the teams run or walk with the ball in their hand. You can make rules, or you can just leave it as it is.
This game can hone teenagers’ decision-making skills.
Did you know?6. Slippery limbo
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Who doesn’t love to limbo? But here’s a limbo idea that’s a little slippery, literally! All you need to do is lay a tarp down on the floor. Now pour some soapy water on it. You have the stage set for some hilarious limbo moves!
7. Living sculpture
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Here’s one of the group projects that will get your group of teenagers going! Fun yet creative – this idea is sure to be a hit. Provide the group with fun materials like toilet paper, aluminum wrap, leafs, rags, etc., and ask them to get creative. The task is to turn one person from each team into a living sculpture using these fun materials.
Point to consider8. Obstacle courses
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This is one of the outdoor activities that needs space, right? No! You can set up an obstacle course in your living room. Yes, you’ll have a messy house to deal with but the group will have the time of their lives. You don’t need to follow the classic obstacle course format. Think out of the box and create obstacles out of your sofa, lampshade, etc. Tip: Make sure there’s nothing too expensive lying around! If you have a garden, you can set up an obstacle course outside too.
9. Bucket swimming relay
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You do need space for this activity. Chair racing is one of the most popular fun activities for teens which is challenging as well. Divide the group into teams of two. Now head to the swimming pool! The point of this activity is to collect things from the other end. Don’t forget to make them swim with a bucket. As the water enters the bucket, it will become heavier and make swimming more difficult. Just the challenge your teenagers need!
10. Chair racing
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You do need space for this activity. Chair racing is fun as well as challenging. Divide the group into teams of two. Now ask one member of the team to sit on a chair while the other carries it to the finish line! This game promotes teamwork, peer support, and trust-building amongst the team players.
11. Hula hoop pass
Circle up for the hula hoop pass activity. Create multiple circles for larger groups. Participants connect by holding hands, and a hula hoop is positioned between two individuals. The task is to smoothly pass the hoop around the circle without breaking hand contact. For competitive play with multiple teams, the objective is to be the fastest team to circulate the hula hoop around the entire circle.
12. Relay race
Organize a relay race for your group by dividing them into teams with equal members. Team size can vary, accommodating groups of two or more. Establish a designated race course, incorporating obstacles or challenges like crawling under a table, jumping over cones, or solving puzzles before passing the baton. Each team requires a baton, which can be a stick, foam relay baton, or any easily held object, passed sequentially from one participant to the next.
Group activities for teenagers are a lot more than just passing time. It is a great time to interact, and learn through these social skills activities for teens. It is also an interesting medium of self-expression and cultural exchange. And today, when obesity among the young has become a real health issue, these activities can keep them healthy too (2).
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What type of group activities are suitable for teenagers?
Group activities that promote social skills, enhance team-building skills, and challenge teenagers mentally and physically are most suited for them.
2. How can group activities help teenagers learn to work together?
In a group activity, the players face a common problem, and everyone gives their input to help solve it. Each player learns how to coordinate their efforts to develop the best solution. Thus, teen team building activities will teach them teamwork.
3. How can group activities help teenagers improve problem-solving skills?
When solving a problem in a group, teens learn to view a problem from different perspectives. They learn various ways to approach and solve problems. The potential solutions may not work for the issue but may be helpful in another situation. All this enhances a child’s problem-solving skills.
Teenagers love engaging in interesting games and ideas for fun. If you are planning to host your teen’s friends at your place, keep this list of fun group activities for teens handy. This list of productive activities for teenagers will give them a day to remember and have a good bonding time. Apart from these, there are activities, such as community service and volunteering, that they can participate in. However, it is advised to set some boundaries beforehand as teenagers like to explore things and try different activities. So choose a few activities you think the children will enjoy and start the party!
Infographic: Interesting Group Activities For Teens
Group activities are an excellent way for teenagers to interact with one another and form meaningful bonds. We included a few entertaining activities in this infographic that you can arrange for your teen and their friends. These games can be played on birthdays, at dinner parties, or during the summer break.
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Illustration: Creative And Fun Group Activities For Teenagers
Image: Dall·E/MomJunction Design Team
References
- Why is team building important?
https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/content-areas/environment-curriculum/activities/all-activities/let2019s-work-together - Jordan J. Smith et al.; (2014); Rationale and study protocol for the ‘Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time’ (ATLAS) group randomized controlled trial: An obesity prevention intervention for adolescent boys from schools in low-income communities.
https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1470&context=sspapers - Soccer – health benefits; Department of Health, State Government of Victoria
Australia
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