How to Have a Good Summer if You Have No Friends (for Teens)

Planning Fun Activities

Visit the library if you love to read. Reading for pleasure can help to alleviate symptoms of depression and promote a sense of well-being. Summer is a great time to read for pleasure, so pick up a book from your local library for a free activity. Then, spend some time reading in your bedroom, at a coffee shop, or under a shady tree on a nice day. You can check out a fiction novel for a fun escape, read a biography to learn about a person you admire, or check out a book on a subject that interests you! If you prefer ebooks, see if your library has an app for checking out digital copies.

Beat a video game if you are into gaming. If you have a video game that you have never had time to finish or if there’s a new game you’re dying to try, now is your chance! Set yourself up with something to drink and an easy-to-grab snack so that you can play for a few hours without interruptions. Then, pop in the game and get started! If you start to lose focus, take a quick break. This may help you to get past a challenging part of the game. You may also want to try turning off the music and turning down the volume to help you stay focused. Watching someone else beat a boss, such as on Youtube or Twitch, may also help you to overcome a challenging point in the game.

Make a scrapbook if you're crafty. Scrapbooking is a fun way to get creative with printed photos, and it can also help you to feel happy and relaxed. Get a blank scrapbook and fill it with pictures of your school year. Add colorful background paper and stickers to accent the pictures. Then, write on the pages to indicate what is going on in the photos. Another option is to make a collage using a big piece of posterboard or cardboard. Glue pictures directly onto the board and add stickers for accents throughout.

Go to the beach to relax. Spending a day at the beach is a relaxing way to spend a summer day and it is a great solo activity. Put on your swimsuit and a coverup. Then, pack some sunscreen, a towel, water, and snacks. You might also want to load your phone with music, a podcast, or an audiobook before you head out. Find a comfortable spot on the beach, and relax! Make sure that you put on an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen at least 15 minutes before you head out in the sun. Reapply it every 2 hours to protect your skin.

See a movie on a hot or rainy day. Summer is known for blockbuster hits at the movies, and heading to the movies is a great way to spend a day when the weather is rainy or hot. Check out the latest action adventure flick, horror movie, or romantic drama. Choose something that appeals to you. You might even want to treat yourself to some popcorn and a drink! Check to see if there is a bargain day at your local movie theater for a low-cost option. Many movie theaters feature matinee prices and half-price popcorn and drinks on a certain day of the week, such as a Tuesday or Wednesday. Some cities also have free outdoor movies in the summer, so check your local community events guide to find out about these events. If you don’t want to spend money on a trip to the movies, choose a new movie to watch on a streaming service. Make a bag of microwave popcorn for a movie theater style snack!

Using Your Time for Self-Development

Set a goal to accomplish over the summer. Setting goals is a great way to keep yourself focused. Working towards the goal and eventually accomplishing the goal will also give you a sense of satisfaction and pride. Think about what you would like to accomplish with a portion of your time over the summer, and then turn this into a SMART goal, which means that it is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based. For example, if you would like to learn how to skateboard over the summer, then you might write a SMART goal that reads, “I will practice skateboarding for 20 minutes on at least 3 days per week for the next 6 weeks.” To lose weight, you might write a smart goal that reads, “I will lose 5 pounds over the next 30 days by taking daily 30-minute walks and keeping my calories under 1,800 per day.”

Get 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days per week. Getting regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. It can help you to control your weight, sleep better, improve your mood, reduce your risk of a variety of diseases, and improve your thinking skills. Aim for 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity on 5 or more days per week, or a total of 150 minutes of cardiovascular activity per week. Some examples of cardiovascular exercise include: Running Swimming Walking Hiking Biking Dancing Climbing stairs

Experiment with a new style if you want to change your look. Summer is the perfect time to experiment with your style. Try out new clothes, hair, makeup, and/or accessories to find what makes you feel confident and comfortable. For example, you could try: Getting a new haircut and color. Try out bangs if you’ve never had them before, or dye your hair a shade darker than your natural color, or try something even more daring! (Be sure to check with your parents before cutting or dyeing your hair.) Opt for a new style of clothing. If your usual style is preppy, such as khakis and polo shirts, then you might opt for a rocker look by sporting a pair of ripped jeans and a band t-shirt. Look into makeup that will work well with your features. For example, if you are fair-skinned with blue eyes, then you might try a copper eyeshadow to make your eye color pop.

Teach yourself a new skill if you want to learn something. Summer is a great time to learn something new! Think about what you would like to learn and find a way to teach yourself. Even if you only spend a small part of each day on learning this new skill, you will have another fun way to spend your time. For example, maybe you want to learn how to speak French. Download an app, such as Duolingo, and commit to practicing for 10 minutes every day during the summer. If you want to learn how to cook, try asking a family member if they would help you learn, or get a beginner’s cookbook and use it to help you learn. Look at your interests, if you like music, you could learn to play a musical instrument like a guitar.

Working on Your Relationships

Ask an acquaintance to join you on an outing or activity. If you don’t want to do an activity alone, then think about who you could ask to join you. You can ask someone you met at the gym, someone from school who you would like to get to know better, or another acquaintance. Whoever you ask, they will likely appreciate the invitation and you might even make a new friend in the process, since making friends is often a matter of putting in the time and effort to get to know someone better. Try saying something like, “Hi Gina! I am planning to go to the movies at 2:00 on Saturday. Would you like to join me?” Another option is, “I want to try to beat Dark Souls this summer and I know you play too, so maybe we should team up!”

Spend quality time with your family. Summer is a great time to bond with your parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, and other relatives who you don’t get to see very often during the school year. Plan some outings with individual family members or make plans with your family as a group. For example, you could arrange to have a beach day with 1 of your cousins, find an age-appropriate concert to attend with a sibling, or plan a family game night with your parents and/or grandparents.

Join a club or special interest group. Look into local special interest groups you could join, such as a soccer club, a knitting circle, or a live action role playing (LARPing) group. You may be able to find a club by checking on Facebook or on a site like Meetup. Be safe when planning to meet with people online. Make sure to talk to your parents about it first and only meet with people in a public place until you know them better.

Look into a summer camp. Attending a summer camp is a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, and have fun! Look into a camp that interests you and talk to your parents about the possibility of attending. For example, you could try a science camp if you are interested in science, an art camp if you like to do art, or a religious camp if you want to deepen your spiritual life. You may also be able to find a day camp if attending a camp out of town is not something you want or are able to do.