How to Make Your Teenage Years Less Boring

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

If you are a teenager, life can be pretty challenging sometimes. Oftentimes, you will feel jealous of other people who might have more interesting events in their lives than you do. You may be stuck in the house a lot or not have many friends, which can make your youth seem to drag on forever. However, you don't always have to be stuck in a rut. Here are some ways to make your teenage years more memorable!

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Gaining More Independence

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Join a club at your school. Most schools have a variety of clubs that students can join. Some are less strict and are more flexible, whereas other clubs may require you to attend every single meeting. Join a few clubs to explore what you enjoy. You can also meet similar people who share the same interests you do! Don't be afraid to join several to find others like you. [1] Additionally, if you cannot find a suitable club, you can probably make one yourself.
    • If you are an aspiring chef, you could join a cooking club or a world cuisines club.
    • If you enjoy problem-solving and riddles, you could join a math competition club, a chess club, a Rubik's cube club, or a science club.
    • If you want to code software and websites, a coding club is a great choice!
    • If you like to draw and doodle, a relaxing art club is a great idea!
  2. 2
    Start a club at your school. If you want to bond with like-minded people about your hobby, it's a great idea to start a club! It shows that you are responsible enough to manage the logistics of an event. It also demonstrates your leadership skills! Think about what your club will be focused on. Is it a specific club for those wanting to express their talents, or a broad club, open to everyone even without experience? Next, schedule how often your club will meet. You can host club meetings as often as you'd like; you can work around your schedule to do this. Set up rules and regulations for your club. Lastly, register your club with your school, and you're done! [2]
    Advertisement
  3. 3
    Get some volunteering experience. Most schools offer volunteering opportunities for their students. Volunteering helps you contribute to your community. [3] Additionally, you can gain experience which may be useful for your future career. Many colleges encourage students to volunteer in order to gain important experience. Some volunteering jobs that you can find include: [4]
    • Online or in-person tutoring
    • Walking dogs
    • Pet babysitter
    • Child babysitter
    • Attending an honor society
    • Cleaning up a park/beach
    • Caretaker for the elderly or disabled
    • Helping out at an animal shelter
    • Making small crafts to donate them
  4. 4
    Finish your schoolwork on time. In order to have more free time for yourself and friends, it is important to get all of your work done. Have a set time you do your homework to avoid procrastinating on it. Set aside all distractions, such as your phone or video games. You can install browser extensions on your PC to block certain distracting or non-educational websites for a set amount of time so you can focus on online schoolwork. Next, decide which homework to do first. You might decide to set aside the longer homework for last, or do a certain subject first. [5]
    • If there is extra time after class, you may decide to do homework there as well.
    • Additionally, study hall is also a good place to start homework.
    • Schoolwork may seem useless, but it is beneficial for you in the long-term, especially if you want to get good grades to attend a college.
  5. 5
    Guide younger students around during orientation. Near the beginning of the next school year, your school administrators may ask for a few older students to take the new students on a tour around the school. For example, juniors and seniors can lead the incoming freshmen on the high school tour. This can also show you are independent and responsible. You know enough about your school to help guide younger or new students, which is a good thing.
  6. 6
    Get a part-time job. If you are old enough to get a part-time job, you can consider searching for one. This experience teaches you how to budget your own money wisely. [6] Instead of using your parents' money or an allowance they give you, money from your part-time job is yours. You will have to decide how much to save and how much to spend on necessities. In addition, having a job might make you more motivated to work hard in order to earn wages.
    • Search up the city you live in followed by "teenage jobs" and you will get numerous results. Narrow these down based on your interests.
  7. 7
    Understand how to use common household appliances. Since you will become an adult in a few short years, it is crucial to learn some important life skills. You don't want your parents to tell you how to use your dorm's washing machine, right? Set aside some time on the weekends to learn a few skills. Summer and winter break are also suitable times to learn these skills.
  8. 8
    Learn how to cook a few simple dishes with a microwave. You don't need to learn anything overly complicated, but learning how to cook a few simple dishes can increase the variety of food you eat while living outside of your home. You can also eat healthier instead of only grabbing a cream cheese sandwich or takeout. Many colleges and universities don't allow students to bring electric cooking devices (e.g. rice cookers, crockpots, toasters). So, you will need to use the microwave to heat up most of your foods.
  9. 9
    Learn how to cook a few simple dishes without a microwave. If you're not attending a college (or are attending one without a cooking device restriction), you can learn how to cook a few yummy dishes beforehand. These skills will be very useful to you when you're living on your own.
    10. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Having a Social Life

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Meet some new people and talk to them. If you want to step outside of your comfort zone, a good way is to find some new people. Join some interesting clubs at school, or approach someone who looks lonely at a lunch table! You could also join a sports team or any extracurriculars at school to meet new faces. Additionally, you could also ask your friends to introduce you to other potential friends! Introduce yourself to friendly people you haven't talked to before. Approach someone who seems to be open to conversation (they have open body language, a relaxed facial expression, etc.) and introduce yourself. Have a few conversation starters that may come in handy. Say something like: [7]
    • "Hey, I'm new to this school! Do you know where Room 43 is?"
    • "Hi, I'm Sally! What introduced you to gardening?"
    • "Hello there! Do you know anyone at this party?"
    • Hi there! I'm Trent. Which sports teams are you big fans of?"
  2. 2
    Be the first to approach new people. If you see new kids joining your class, be the first to meet them. Doing so establishes that you have a friendly demeanor, and people will be more likely to befriend you this way. Additionally, if you see someone being left out, try to include them in the activity you are doing. Wear a smile on your face when you are happy to make yourself more approachable.
    • Have a few conversation starters handy. Steer away from awkward or controversial topics for your first conversation. Stick to casual topics such as favorite media, food, hobbies, school, and the current news. [8]
  3. 3
    Find a few hobbies to share with other people. If you find that you have difficulty relating to other people, you might want to pick up a few common hobbies. Hobbies such as reading science fiction, writing stories, creating music, playing a certain video game, or playing chess could help you befriend more people. You also have more topics to talk about! Plus, there are often many clubs relating to these hobbies in school, making it easier for you to make friends.
    • Likewise, don't try to abandon some niche hobbies you love. Keep those as your main focus but put some common hobbies on the side.
  4. 4
    Offer help to people who need it. Offering help is actually a great way to make friends. Doing favors for others is a kind thing to do, and people will trust you to help them when they need it. When you have the time, help someone in need who could be a potential friend. You don't have to do a monumental thing- small tasks such as giving a classmate one of your spare pencils could make their day when they're having a bad one. You could... [9] [10]
    • Offer an umbrella to someone who doesn't have one when it's raining.
    • Teach someone how to do something.
    • Help someone reach an object on a high shelf.
    • Find something that someone is looking for.
    • Send cards to someone who is sick or mentally unwell.
    • Send positive messages to your friends in times of difficulty to encourage them.
    • Give a larger tip than usual at a restaurant.
    • Treat your loved ones and friends to something special, like a restaurant date or a trip to the zoo.
    • Give thanks to everyone around you by gifting them something.
  5. 5
    Invite your friends out. Instead of waiting idly for others to invite you to an event, you can invite others to an event you're hosting instead! You could host small get-togethers or large gatherings depending on the number of friends you have. Have frequent get-togethers with your friends to catch up on their lives, especially if you haven't seen each other in a while. These can be casual events such as going to the mall, the park, the movie theater, or a restaurant. Large gatherings can be held to celebrate important events, such as graduation, finding a job, job promotion, a marriage, expecting children, etc.
    • Here is a list of places you can invite your friends to hang out in!
  6. 6
    Join online communities. If you want to hang out with some different people, try joining different clubs and events online. You could join different online communities to make friends all over the world on the internet. The wikiHow community is an example of this! You can find other communities by searching on social media (such as Reddit) for groups to join. You can also join a private chat, such as Discord or WhatsApp to bond with other people.
    • Make sure to follow online etiquette and safety rules while socializing with other people on the internet!
    7. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Developing Your Personal Style

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Find out what your personal fashion style is. Experiment with mixing and matching different items of clothing to understand your fashion sense. Everyone has a unique style that may be influenced by fashion trends or other people. However, don't be shy to wear something completely different than the norm. You may discover that warm colors or cool colors suit you better, or that V-neck sweaters are fitting for you. You can also figure out what your body shape is to find out what types of clothing flatter you the most. [11]
    • Have a few items of clothing in your wardrobe that you can wear to nearly any event, such as a button-down shirt and a skirt or trousers.
  2. 2
    Experiment with different makeup styles if you want. Not every girl needs to wear makeup, so if you don't want to, you don't have to! Likewise, people of other genders can also wear it as a form of self-expression. Find out what makeup complements your skin tone and facial features. To do this, you will likely need to find your skin's tone (or complexion) and undertone (described as warm or cool). [12]
  3. 3
    Figure out if you identify with a certain subculture. Subcultures can be an integral part of your personal identity. You can experiment with different ones to see if you want to be a part of them. There are many subcultures built around music, such as punk [13] , emo [14] , and hip-hop [15] . These can increase your sense of belonging, and you can find like-minded people in these subcultures as well.
  4. 4
    Listen to different types of music. If your music tastes aren't well-developed, try taking the time to listen to a few minutes of music every day. Experiment with different genres such as rap, rock, pop, blues, and country. You can then delve deeper into different subgenres of each genre to find out what you actually enjoy listening to. You can ask a friend or a sibling to find out what music they listen to if you want some music recommendations!
    • For example, there are many types of EDM, such as trance, techno, progressive house, electro, and dubstep. [16]
    • Likewise, there are many types of rock music, like alternative rock, metal, punk rock, pop rock, soft rock, glam rock, garage rock, new wave, psychedelic rock, and indie rock! [17]
    5. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Having a Peaceful Family Life

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Avoid lying to your parents. If your home life is very boring, you may want to sneak out of the house sometimes or do other fun activities behind your parents' backs. However, this is a risky move to make, because your parents are likely to grow suspicious and find out you are lying. They won't be likely to trust you after that. So, have open communication between you and your family to make sure everyone is on the same page. Ask for permission for things you haven't done before, such as meeting a new friend at their house for the first time. If they are strict parents, take the time to chat with them about what boundaries you would like to enforce and a compromise if necessary.
    • For example, you may allow your parents to monitor your phone's screen time when you are doing homework (if your phone was the reason for previous bad grades).
    • Likewise, you may agree to do a variety of chores and get a part-time job to pay for a broken car. [18]
  2. 2
    Show gratitude to your parents. After all, your parents have raised you for more than a decade! You may feel that friends and schoolwork are more important, but it is still crucial to hang out with your parents in your teenage years. Make sure to not take your parents for granted! Make sure to use manners around the house and to help out your parents when they need it. Also, you can also say "I love you". This may seem like a childish phrase to say as a teenager, but anyone can say it at any age. It is a sign that you truly appreciate your parents!
    • If you did something to upset your parents, make sure you apologize to them. Say something like, "I am sorry for (the action you did). I realized that what I did was very irresponsible. I will make sure not to repeat the same action again." [19]
    • Don't try to talk back at your parents or ignore them. This will just anger them more and cause an argument.
  3. 3
    Gain some independence. By showing your parents that you are capable of being responsible, your parents will likely give you more freedoms. Do all of your homework and remember to turn it in on time. Learn a few valuable life skills (such as the ones listed in the previous sections). You might as well learn how to manage your money and budget. You should set aside some time to discuss with your parents how you want to become more independent. Try to negotiate with your parents about how you will gain independence.
    • An example of what you could say is, "I'd like to learn how to drive a car because it is more efficient for me to go to places like school and my friend's house."
    • You can address any concerns your parents have.
    4. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • If you have a lot of homework to complete, or if you want to have a long studying session, take frequent breaks. Your brain does not absorb information easily when you cram a lot of information at once. Studying is most effective for your brain when you take breaks. [20] Get up, stretch, and eat a healthy snack for a few minutes before you continue again.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • Date only if you want to and if you feel that you are responsible enough. Dating in high school isn't for everyone, and you shouldn't be pressured into dating because everyone around you is.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Have a Healthy Sex Life (Teens)
      How to
      Run Away From Home
      How to
      Run Away from Home As a Teen
      How to
      Run Away Intelligently
      Crying for No Reason: 8 Possible Causes & How to Cope
      How to
      Be a Good Boy
      How to
      Run Away from an Abusive Home
      How to
      Help an Emotionally Unstable Person & What to Say When Someone Is Struggling
      How to
      Cope With a Controlling Parent
      How to
      Survive when You Run Away
      How to
      Come to Terms with Being Transgender As a Teen
      How to
      Run Away from Home and Live in the Woods
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://prepwellacademy.com/blog/21-high-school-clubs-to-consider/
      2. ↑ https://www.commandeducation.com/resource/start-a-club/
      3. ↑ https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/why-high-school-students-should-consider-volunteer-opportunities
      4. ↑ https://www.ymca.org/ystories/youth-teen-development/24-volunteer-ideas-for-teens
      5. ↑ https://www.apu.apus.edu/area-of-study/education/resources/how-to-focus-on-homework-to-get-it-done-on-time/
      6. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/parenting/benefits-of-a-teenager-getting-a-job
      7. ↑ https://www.verywellmind.com/conversation-starters-that-can-lead-to-new-friendships-8676291
      8. ↑ https://skillpath.com/blog/how-to-start-conversations-with-new-people
      9. ↑ https://www.kindnessiseverything.com/acts-of-kindness-ideas/list-of-acts-of-kindness-ideas-for-strangers/
      1. ↑ https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-kindness-blog/2943-50-kindness-ideas-for-random-acts-of-kindness-day
      2. ↑ https://www.stylerises.com/post/7-top-tips-for-developing-a-great-sense-of-personal-style#:~:text=Discover%20what%20shapes%2C%20styles%20and%20fabrics%20are,and%20out%20with%20your%20curves%20will%20flatter .
      3. ↑ https://www.milanicosmetics.com/blogs/blog/how-to-find-the-best-makeup-look-for-you
      4. ↑ https://www.museumofyouthculture.com/punk/
      5. ↑ https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/emo-wave-guide-evolution-2302802
      6. ↑ https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/hip-hop/hip-hop-a-culture-of-vision-and-voice/
      7. ↑ https://www.complex.com/music/a/androids/an-idiots-guide-to-edm-genres
      8. ↑ https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/news/142079/
      9. ↑ https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/restoring-families/why-do-teenagers-lie/
      10. ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/apologies.html
      11. ↑ https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/study-shows-how-taking-short-breaks-may-help-our-brains-learn-new-skills

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 27 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement