Activities to Help You Connect with your Teen/Tween
By Kelly Hines (updated by Sarah Blackwell)
The teen and tween years can be tough for so many different reasons. One of the most difficult parts is figuring out how to communicate with your child at this age. If you can connect with them while participating in activities, chances are that the lines of communication can open up a little easier. Plus, you both may thoroughly enjoy yourselves!
By using my own experience and some recommendations from friends, I have compiled a list of activities for you to experience with your tween or teen. This list can always be found by clicking on our Directories Tab at the top of the website. As always, please comment below if you have ideas to add!
AT HOME
~Board Games:
Mancala, Othello, Electronic Battleship, Curses, Telestrations, Headbanz, Apples to Apples, Pictionary, Jenga, Sorry, Operation, Trouble, Clue, Life, Quirkle, Quelf, Cranium, Parcheesi, Gloom, Forbidden Island, Settlers of Cataan, Cribbage, Farkle, Yahtzee, Trivial Pursuit, Checkers, UNO, Skip Bo, Suspend, Pie Face, card games
~Cooking, jigsaw puzzles, video games, game shows, TV shows, home improvement projects, vacation planning
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
~Concerts:
~Movies
www.fandango.com
Winston-Salem: a/perture cinema – www.aperturecinema.com
Greensboro: Red Cinemas – http://www.redcinemas.com
~Play musical instruments together, or learn!
Greensboro: The Music Center – www.greensboro-nc.gov; The Music Academy of NC – www.musicacademync.org
Winston-Salem: Community Music School – www.uncsa.edu
~Start or join a book club, even if it’s just you and your child!
~Museums
(Beyond the children’s museums)
Greensboro: Greensboro Historical Museum – greensborohistory.org, Greensboro Science Center & SciQuarium –www.greensboroscience.org, International Civil Rights Center & Museum – www.sitinmovement.org, Weatherspoon Art Museum – weatherspoon.uncg.edu
Winston-Salem: Reynolda House Museum of American Art – www.reynoldahouse.org, Old Salem Museum & Gardens –www.oldsalem.org, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) – secca.org, New Winston Museum –newwinston.org
High Point: High Point Museum –highpointmuseum.org , Rosetta C. Baldwin Museum –www.rosettacbaldwinfoundation.com
Kernersville: Korner’s Folly – www.kornersfolly.org
Raleigh Day Trip – Enjoy over 40 free attractions, including the NC Museums of Art, History, and Natural Science –www.visitraleigh.com/things-to-do/museums
~Live theater
Piedmont Triad Theatre Guide – www.piedmonttriadtheatre.com
Greensboro: Triad Stage – triadstage.org, Community Theater of Greensboro – ctgso.org, The Carolina Theatre –www.carolinatheatre.com, The Barn Dinner Theater – www.barndinner.com
High Point: High Point Community Theater – www.hpct.net, High Point Theatre – www.highpointtheatre.com
Winston-Salem: Twin City Stage – twincitystage.org, Theatre Alliance – www.wstheatrealliance.org, Hanesbrands Theater (featuring performances by Triad Stage, Paper Lantern Theater and various other professional performing arts entities) –www.rhodesartscenter.org, Stevens Center for the Performing Arts (featuring music, dance, theater and film from UNCSA) – www.uncsa.edu/stevenscenter
Kernersville: Kernersville Little Theatre – kltheatre.com
~Festivals, Cons, Historic Fun., & Miscellany
The Society for Creative Anachronism – www.sca.org
NC Comicon – nccomicon.com
Carolina Renaissance Festival – www.royalfaires.com/carolina
Festival Listings – festivalnews.info/index
Bethabara Park – re-enactments, Highland Games, concerts and more – www.cityofws.org/departments/recreation-parks/historic-bethabara
Triad Events – /triadmomsonmain.com/events.html
FOODIES
~Restaurants
~Cooking Classes
Williams-Sonoma – williams-sonoma.com
The Stocked Pot – www.thestockedpot.com/index.php
The Edible Schoolyard at GSO Children’s Museum – gsoedibleschoolyard.wordpress.com/classes/
Southern Home and Kitchen –www.shopsohonc.com
~Explore world cuisine
SPORTS / EXERCISE
~Tennis, Golf, Biking, Walking or Running, Water or Snow Skiing, Yoga, Exercise Classes
~Greensboro Spectator Sports:
Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball – greensboro.grasshoppers.milb.com/index
Carolina Dynamo professional soccer – www.carolinadynamo.com/site
UNCG Athletics – www.uncgspartans.com
~Winston-Salem Spectator Sports:
Winston-Salem Dash baseball- www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t580
Wake Forest Demon Deacons – wakeforestsports.com
Winston-Salem State Rams – www.wssurams.com
Bowman Gray Racing – www.bowmangrayracing.com
Farmington Dragway – www.farmingtondragway.com
~High Point Spectator Sports:
High Point University Panthers – www.highpointpanthers.com/sports
~Horseback riding at Tanglewood Park
www.forsyth.cc/parks/tanglewood
~Bowling at AMF Major League Lanes
~Trampoline Parks
CRAFTS
~Letterboxing
~Scrapbooking
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Scrapbook
~Painting, Sculpting, and other visual arts
Greensboro: Art Alliance of Greensboro – www.artalliancegso.com, Center for Visual Art – www.greensboroart.org, Wine & Design – www.wineanddesignus.com/
Winston-Salem: Sawtooth School for Visual Arts – www.sawtooth.org, Merlot & Van Gogh – merlotandvangoghnc.com
ADVENTURE / NATURE
~General Ideas
Check out this blog from Trip Outside for some great ideas!
~Geocaching
~Zipline at Kersey Valley Zipline
~Whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking
Various outdoor facilities, and the all inclusive U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte – usnwc.org
~Arboretums:
Reynolda Gardens – reynoldagardens.org
Tanglewood Park – www.forsyth.cc/parks/tanglewood/gardens.aspx
Greensboro Aboretum – www.greensborobeautiful.org/gardens/greensboro_arboretum.php
~Fishing, Camping, Pets, Scouting
~Zoos
NC Zoo – nczoo.org
Zootastic – www.zootasticpark.com
Lazy 5 Ranch – www.lazy5ranch.com
Greensboro Science Center / SciQuarium – www.greensboroscience.org/attractions/zoo
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Directory – triadmomsonmain.com/my-blog/non-profts-volunteering
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We at The Wright Stuff in Kernersville, offer an opportunity for teens and parents to have fun together using flight, and racing simulations. We also offer Virtual Reality Experiences too.