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From creative outings to projects that are secretly about skill building, these teen activities will keep them occupied. Teens are notoriously difficult to please, but stereotypes of them living robotic, passionless lives while glued to their phone screens are often exaggerated. These teen activities get them to indulge in their passions, stave off boredom, and have a good time. Some are better for groups of friends, for the next time you have a gaggle of teens in your basement who seem at a loss for what to do with themselves. Others are better as family activities, where you can involve yourselves and even little siblings. Test out board games that involve a little more brain power and critical thinking skills. Treat them to an activity that reminds you of your summers past: bowling, mini-golf, arcades, even lasertag.

You’d be surprised at how little these places have changed, and yet how easy it is for teens today to still get into them. If your teens refuse to go for it, you can go for the 21st-century equivalent — an escape room. The great thing about this project is that you can make it as involved or as simple as you like. Take a page out of the Top Chef book and add a little competitive spirit into the kitchen. Split the teens into teams, and see if they can come up with a menu that includes an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert, then vote for the best meal.

There are plenty of side-hustles available to teens, from dog-walking, babysitting, and tutoring all the way up to making and selling things on Etsy or social-media consulting for local businesses. Not only will a business bring some money into your teen’s spending account, it’ll teach them about leadership, responsibility, and managing a budget. But really, it’ll be nice to not have them asking you for cash all the time. Give them a driving radius and let them choose a destination, along with that major activities you’ll do each day. Not only will you get a vacay that you don’t have to arrange yourself, you’ll let them flex their planning muscles, which will serve them well after they leave the nest. It just might be time to give that room a more mature look. It’s amazing how little equipment you need to make a pretty good-looking movie these days — you pretty much just need a phone and some editing software.

And yet making a movie involves so many different creative facets, from scripting a story to visually designing the shots to working with pacing and structure while editing. Hiking, fishing, s’more-making, telling stories around a campfire — a camping outing comes with a ton of great teen activities automatically baked into it. When the sun goes down, try your hand at some amateur astronomy, too. There are so many wins in hosting a garage sale: Your teen is occupied for a few days going through their stuff and finding things to sell. You get to clear out some space. They get some money in their pockets. Plus, this might inspire you to clear out some of your old items to sell, too.