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9 Subtle Ways to Make Your House a Teen-Friendly Hangout
Want to keep an eye on your teen? Make your house the fun place their friends want to spend their weekends
If adolescent angst is alive and well at your house, it’s time to step in and not only be the cool parent their friends feel comfortable around, but also to make sure your house is the house of preference when it comes to hanging out. If, on the other hand, you’d rather the tribe of teens gathered elsewhere, just do the opposite of what this article suggests!
If your teen is more musical than artistic, consider creating a wallpaper feature wall like this one. Wallpaper is an easy way to transform a room perfectly in line with your child’s style or interests.
More: 20 Fabulous Feature Wall Ideas
More: 20 Fabulous Feature Wall Ideas
If the room is a little too small for a sofa as well as a bed, a solution like this could be the way to go. Just fold the bed out of sight when friends are over and they need to room to move.
2. Add bedroom seating
Your teen’s room is no longer just for sleeping and playing, it’s a hangout haven for chillaxing to the max. Whether you’re adding a couple of beanbags, a sofa or a daybed like this one, the idea is to create a few different spots for kids to sit and lie so, if there’s a crowd, they can all be accommodated in comfort.
Your teen’s room is no longer just for sleeping and playing, it’s a hangout haven for chillaxing to the max. Whether you’re adding a couple of beanbags, a sofa or a daybed like this one, the idea is to create a few different spots for kids to sit and lie so, if there’s a crowd, they can all be accommodated in comfort.
3. Give them something to do
Whether it’s a pool table, table tennis, pinball machine or air hockey, your house will be like a magnet for bored teenagers looking for somewhere to hang out and have fun on the weekend. They’ll love it all the more if it’s in its own zone in the house, so they can talk freely without fear of parents (and little brothers or sisters) listening in.
Whether it’s a pool table, table tennis, pinball machine or air hockey, your house will be like a magnet for bored teenagers looking for somewhere to hang out and have fun on the weekend. They’ll love it all the more if it’s in its own zone in the house, so they can talk freely without fear of parents (and little brothers or sisters) listening in.
4. Have teen-friendly food at the ready
Whether boys or girls, the teenage years are hungry years, and your house won’t be too enticing if there’s nothing to eat but packet noodles in the cupboards (or worse still, nothing but salad greens!). Don’t despair, though – you don’t have to stock your house with junk food if that’s not what you’re into. The smell of freshly baked muffins, home-made pizza just out of the oven or just-made sausage rolls (complete with hidden vegies) will have them gathered around you like famished baby birds in the nest.
TIP: Keep ingredients on hand for snacks they can rustle up themselves, such as popcorn, chips and salsa, or nachos.
BONUS TIP: Don’t try too hard – teenagers will see straight through you. Make out like you’re glad to see them but not fussed if they’re there or not, and you’ll be the cool parent every teen wants to be around.
Whether boys or girls, the teenage years are hungry years, and your house won’t be too enticing if there’s nothing to eat but packet noodles in the cupboards (or worse still, nothing but salad greens!). Don’t despair, though – you don’t have to stock your house with junk food if that’s not what you’re into. The smell of freshly baked muffins, home-made pizza just out of the oven or just-made sausage rolls (complete with hidden vegies) will have them gathered around you like famished baby birds in the nest.
TIP: Keep ingredients on hand for snacks they can rustle up themselves, such as popcorn, chips and salsa, or nachos.
BONUS TIP: Don’t try too hard – teenagers will see straight through you. Make out like you’re glad to see them but not fussed if they’re there or not, and you’ll be the cool parent every teen wants to be around.
5. Create a private outdoor escape
An outdoor escape zone for teens (and you, when they’re not around) doesn’t have to be an expensive project. Nor does it have to take up a lot of room. Comfort and seclusion are the only prerequisites.
An outdoor escape zone for teens (and you, when they’re not around) doesn’t have to be an expensive project. Nor does it have to take up a lot of room. Comfort and seclusion are the only prerequisites.
If you have the space – and the budget – a seating area that can be enjoyed into the night will win you major brownie points. Better yet, you and your friends get first dibs.
6. Keep mealtimes relaxed
A formal table setting and classical music playing softly in the background just isn’t going to cut it if you teen has their friends over. It doesn’t mean you can’t eat with them – just aim for a casual barbecue where you can all eat outside, rather than an inside affair that makes them feel uptight.
A formal table setting and classical music playing softly in the background just isn’t going to cut it if you teen has their friends over. It doesn’t mean you can’t eat with them – just aim for a casual barbecue where you can all eat outside, rather than an inside affair that makes them feel uptight.
7. Build a granny flat or convert the garage
Kids tend not to fly the coop the minute they turn 18 anymore, so some forward planning now will pay off for years to come. This pool house is on the other side of the main house, and doubles as a guest house/teen party zone whenever the need arises. What teen wouldn’t love an escape like this one?
More: See inside this pool house
Kids tend not to fly the coop the minute they turn 18 anymore, so some forward planning now will pay off for years to come. This pool house is on the other side of the main house, and doubles as a guest house/teen party zone whenever the need arises. What teen wouldn’t love an escape like this one?
More: See inside this pool house
8. Put in a pool (dream option)
Ask anyone whose house they most liked going to as a teen and they’re likely to say it’s the friend who had a pool. Now that they’re growing up, there’s less need for your backyard to have lawn space for them to run around or kick a ball. A pool, on the other hand, is sure to get the big thumbs up, no matter how much of the backyard it consumes.
Ask anyone whose house they most liked going to as a teen and they’re likely to say it’s the friend who had a pool. Now that they’re growing up, there’s less need for your backyard to have lawn space for them to run around or kick a ball. A pool, on the other hand, is sure to get the big thumbs up, no matter how much of the backyard it consumes.
(… or the more budget- and space-friendly option)
If a pool is beyond your budget, or you just don’t fancy the upkeep, a mini-version in the form of a spa could be the way to go. Better yet, your kids and their friends will be able to enjoy it all through the year.
TIP: Teens like having their own space so the farther away the spa is from the house, the more they’re likely to use it.
If a pool is beyond your budget, or you just don’t fancy the upkeep, a mini-version in the form of a spa could be the way to go. Better yet, your kids and their friends will be able to enjoy it all through the year.
TIP: Teens like having their own space so the farther away the spa is from the house, the more they’re likely to use it.
9. Give them room to unleash their talents
Got a budding musician in the family? Let your house be the one the band comes to for rehearsals.
TIP: Soundproof the room if you can. If you’re not keen on lining the room with acoustic foam, even soft furnishings will make a difference – think thick rugs, curtains and cushions. Otherwise, earplugs might be in order.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
How do you make your house teen-friendly? Share your ideas in the comments section.
MORE
Teenage Girls’ Bedrooms to Suit Every Personality
10 Thumbs-Up Study Nooks for Teens
Teenage Boys’ Bedrooms That Celebrate Who They Really Are
Got a budding musician in the family? Let your house be the one the band comes to for rehearsals.
TIP: Soundproof the room if you can. If you’re not keen on lining the room with acoustic foam, even soft furnishings will make a difference – think thick rugs, curtains and cushions. Otherwise, earplugs might be in order.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
How do you make your house teen-friendly? Share your ideas in the comments section.
MORE
Teenage Girls’ Bedrooms to Suit Every Personality
10 Thumbs-Up Study Nooks for Teens
Teenage Boys’ Bedrooms That Celebrate Who They Really Are
If your teen’s bedroom is where friends tend to hang out, it might be time for a makeover. Get rid of the babyish doona cover, cute curtains and picture books and inject a little sophistication into the room instead – your child is unlikely to resist.
TIP: If your teen has an artistic streak, frame and hang some of their artwork and let their personality shine.