Finding The Hidden Joy As A Foster Family
June 26, 2020
How To Encourage Foster Kids And Teens To Be Themselves
July 24, 2020
The start of summer brings sunshine, soaring temperatures and more free time for your bored foster teenager at home. Whether you are leaving the house to work or struggling to work from home, there are challenges that may prevent you from pulling kids from their digital devices. While no solution is perfect, here are a few screen-free summer activities to keep your foster teen off of their devices and engaged.
Be a tourist in your own town.
When you have a day off, consider taking your foster teen out to do something fun in town. While the global pandemic puts a stop to some events, if you do your homework, you can find plenty of touristy things to do — many of them outdoors. Perhaps you can visit a historical site you never had the chance to see. Maybe there is a drive-in movie theater you always wanted to try. With Google at your fingertips and local Facebook groups to ask questions, you can discover what is best for you and your foster teen to visit right now.
Embrace the great outdoors.
Maybe you were too busy in the past to check out all the hiking trails in your area. Now that public activities are limited, hiking trails are a great alternative. Download the app AllTrails to search for trails near you based on skill level, length, and star rating. Read reviews from other hikers to learn which trails are the best for you and your family.
Relive your childhood.
Other ways to help your foster teenager engage include allowing them to relive fun childhood experiences. See if they are interested in drawing with sidewalk chalk, playing in the water sprinkler or taking family bike rides. Sometimes your foster child needs a little taste of a positive memory to help motivate them to put the device down, let go and have a little fun.
Make dinner as a family.
Invite your foster teen to look at recipes with you on Pinterest, then implement a dinner plan together. If a full meal intimidates your foster teen, see if you can get them to help you make brownies or another dessert together after dinner. You may also consider baking a treat for your neighbors, or planning a picnic with your foster teen to bring to the park.
Start a project together.
Maybe your foster teen is bored by their bedroom and would like a change of scenery. Think of ways you could personalize the space with a new wall color or new decor. Other project ideas include: starting a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, making tie-dyed shirts or building a model airplane or car. Talk to your foster teen to gauge their interests and go from there.
While it’s nearly impossible to keep your foster teenager off of their screen devices all summer, there are things you can do to help strengthen your bond and help them discover new things about themselves. Even if you get some push-back, work with your foster teen to see what sparks their attention, and go from there. Even if summer isn’t the same this year, there are still moments to enjoy new experiences together. Use these tips to help you start the conversation with your foster teenager today.
Every child needs and deserves to grow up safe and protected from abuse and neglect, and caring foster parents offer children support and stability when they need it most. At Camelot Care Centers, we specialize in higher-level foster care for children and adolescents that need extra support. We partner with our foster parents/homes to provide trauma informed care and additional services, including in-home counseling, parent support and training, tele-psychiatry, and therapeutic mentoring, to maintain children at the least restrictive, yet most appropriate level of care. Camelot Care Centers (“Camelot”) is a Child Welfare Agency.
