Activities for Troubled Teens

Troubled teens may display aggressive behavior, depression or substance abuse. These teenagers need love and attention from people who care. School counselors, camp advisers and peer groups provide activities to help troubled teens redirect their lives. Teens learn to communicate, trust and make behavioral changes that will benefit them for life.

  1. Trust Falls

    • Teens struggle with trust issues because they may feel disconnected from parents and friends. During this time in life, teens begin to experience betrayal in friendships, rejection in dating and misunderstanding from parents. Teens with behavioral issues such as drug abuse and academic failure often feel misunderstood and unable to confide in others. Troubled teens can participate in trust-building activities to help them understand how to depend on others. A trust fall exemplifies a teen's ability to trust those around to support them when they need help. One teenager stands on a table or platform and a group gathers below. The group stands in two lines, facing each other. They reach out to the opposite line and hold hands tightly. The teen on the platform announces when he will fall. He closes his eyes and falls backward into the group. The teen will understand the importance of trusting others during difficult times in life.

    Team Sports

    • Abundant Life Academy is a boarding school for troubled teens from ages 14 to 17. This teen center offers programs throughout the United States with year-round enrollment for youths seeking change. The academy has a substance abuse program and an academic building program. One of the activities the academy uses to help troubled teens is team sports. Athletics help teens build self-confidence. Participating in team sports also helps teens learn to work with peers. Teens take part in basketball, baseball and football games as they learn to communicate and compromise with others. Team sports help troubled teens to build relationships while learning a new skill.

    Wilderness Therapy

    • Wilderness-therapy programs offer troubled teens a chance to reflect on their lives. Alternative Summer Camps states that teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) benefit from wilderness programs. This activity gives teens the chance to focus their attention and challenge themselves in a controlled group setting. Teens with attention deficit disorder (ADD) improve their concentration and social skills. The group experience of a wilderness therapy program allows teens to work with counselors and peers on constructive criticism and interpreting feedback. They learn to manage their behavior and take control of their lives.

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