Activities to do with your teenager during the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has brought sudden changes in all our lives and routines, and can be an anxious time for you and your family.

Spending time doing a positive activity with your teenager can help bring you closer together and provide a space for them to talk through their concerns, without having a "big chat".

Here are eight activity ideas that you can try with your teenager during the pandemic.

Baking is a great way to have fun together indoors and there are so many bakes to choose from. Keep it simple with fairy cakes, scones, traybakes or energy balls. Then sit back and enjoy your bakes together while they’re still warm.

Experiment with new types and styles of cooking, or teach your kids a couple of the family favourites – and then enjoy eating what you make together.

If you want to heat up the competition, try a family ‘Come Dine With Me’ where each person takes a turn to cook and entertain the family for an evening, and is given a mark out of ten for their efforts.

Try an online yoga or pilates class, go for a run or walk together, or join your children on a dog walk. With us all spending so much time indoors at the moment, it can be really helpful to get some fresh air and a bit of exercise if possible.

This can be as simple as doing a paint-by-numbers or jigsaw, or you could try something new like painting your own T-shirt designs.

Getting seasonal, you could try making some new Christmas decorations, or take photos of a wintery walk.

You could learn a new game like chess or cards together, choose a video game to play, or even try a family poker night.

Have a go at reading each other’s favourite books, and then talk about them together. This is a great way to learn more about each other and discover common ground.

Getting into a gripping series is a great way to spend time together, and you can talk about all the twists and turns through the week!

Create playlists together for the different parts of your day – what do you both like to listen to when you wake up, exercise, wind down or cook dinner? You may surprise each other with your choices and even introduce each other to something new.