Having Fun Out of the House
Do karaoke. Sometimes, nothing can be more fun than doing karaoke with your best friends. Sing your lungs out and have your friends videotape it or record on another recording device. Make up crazy dance moves and just act goofy. Don’t be self-conscious about it—the worse you are, the more fun it will be. If you’re nervous about singing on your own, make sure you get a singing partner or two. Pick old songs from when you were in elementary school and have fun belting them out at the top of your lungs. If you really want to get fancy, you can even get a karaoke machine for you and your friends to use at home, so you’re less self-conscious. But remember that part of the fun of karaoke is embarrassing yourself in front of strangers.
Spend an evening making friendship bracelets and bowling. You don't have to be good to have fun bowling. Bring a bracelet-making set and a group of friends to the bowling alley and bowl your hearts out. While the others are bowling everyone else makes friendship bracelets, so there’s never a dull moment. This can be a fun way to bring together friends who like bowling and jewelry making too. Bowling can get a little boring if you’re with a big group and have to wait forever for your turn. Making bracelets while you wait can make it so you always have something fun to do.
Make a slip 'n' slide. If the weather is hot and humid outside, what better way to have fun than to get wet? Invite your friends over for a watery day. Make a slip 'n' slide by putting a plastic tarp on a hill. Make sure you pin it into place so it doesn't blow away! Then get the hose and pour water onto it while you and your girls slide down. Have a friendly water balloon fight afterward and dry off with towels, lemonade, and brownies. Don’t think you’re ever too old for a slip ‘n’ slide! This can be a cool way to channel your inner-child. You can also get all fancy and buy a slip ‘n’ slide, but that’s not as fun as making your own.
Play softball. Have a group of nine or ten friends head to the park with you for some softball! Nobody has to be very good at it, and the game doesn’t need to be very competitive at all, though you can add a fun bonus, like having the losers buy pizza for the winners. Plan to play for just an hour or two and make sure not to take yourselves too seriously. Playing a team sport together can help you bond with your friends while getting some activity, too. If people get bored but you want to stay outside, then you can do cartwheels, play kickball, or try to make a human pyramid.
Have a picnic. Picnics don’t have to be just for you and your family. Pick a nice weekend afternoon and invite your friends out to a picnic at a park, by a lake, or even in your backyard. All you need is a blanket and some simple foods, such as sandwiches, cheese and a baguette, grapes, or some hummus and pita chips. You can also bring along a pizza or even some sushi if you want to be a bit creative about it. The important thing is that you and your friends have fun sitting and relaxing and eating the tasty treats you’ve brought. You can have each friend bring something different, so everyone is contributing. You can also bring some fun activities to play outside after you’re done with the picnic, such as ring toss, badminton or frisbee.
Have a retro playground day. Sure, you may think the playground is for kids in elementary school, but there’s nothing stopping you from having a fun retro playground day with your friends. Have fun hitting up your local playground for a few hours, going on the swings, the merry-go-round, running up the slide, or even playing tetherball or lava tag. Let go of your self-consciousness and just enjoy the moment. If you’re with your true friends, then you’ve got nothing to prove. Knowing how to have fun and let loose is more important than acting all mature anyway. If you want to have the playground to yourself, go closer to dusk so it’s less likely that there are little kids there.
Play manhunt. Manhunt is another underrated outdoor activity that is perfect for teenagers. Manhunt is just a version of hide-and-seek played outside, normally in the dark. You can play in the dusk and stick close to home if you want to feel safer. The bottom line is that someone is “it,” and the rest of the people scatter within a given area and find a good hiding spot. The darkness and outdoor element adds an extra bit of fun and excitement to the game. If the person spots you, then you can still run away, as you would in tag. Just make sure you’re being safe, and this will be a fun way to spend a few hours.
Go to the beach. If one of your friends has her license, take a fun day trip to the beach over the weekend. Enjoy soaking up the sun, reading gossip magazines, splashing in the waves, or even building a sandcastle. If you’re at a beach near a boardwalk, have fun strolling around it, playing carnival games, and maybe even hit up a ride or too. Remember that you’re never too old to go to the beach. Everyone has that one friend who hates going to the beach because she’s afraid of getting burned. Make sure you get her to come along and bring an umbrella, or rent one, to keep her happy.
Hit up a thrift shop. Spending an afternoon in a thrift shop is one of the most fun things you can do with your friends. Pick a thrift shop in your area and have fun exploring all of the cool clothes and other unpredictable items you may find there. Make a goal of having everyone purchase just one item and wearing it out that night. Try on all of the funky clothes you find and even take some photos to see how cool or ridiculous you look. The key is not to take yourself too seriously. You’re not shopping for your prom dress; you’re just trying to have some fun.
Having Fun at Home
Cook a gourmet meal together. Invite the girls over for the evening and cook a delicious three-course meal. Decide on the appetizer, main course, and desserts in advance, and make sure you have all of the ingredients you need when everyone gets there. Then, follow the recipes to make delicious treats for yourself, whether you make a watermelon salad or mushroom risotto. Try to pick recipes that are pretty easy and which don’t take too long, so you can enjoy your meal without exerting too much effort. When everyone gets there, blast some fun music and assign everyone to a certain task such as “Elizabeth does the chopping,” “Veronica cleans the veggies,” “Maria boils the rice,” and so on. Talk and have a good time! You can also play some music in the background to make things more fun. If one of your friends really hates cooking, you don’t need to force her to do it, but you can put her on clean-up duty.
Dance your hearts out. Blast your stereo and sing and dance your hearts out to popular songs on the radio, or play your favorite CDs or songs from your iPod to get people grooving. Have fun just dancing like fools while you dance, or even make up a coordinated song to the beat of the song that you’re dancing to. The most important thing is that you don’t care what you look like and that you’re committed to swinging your hair and looking like a goofball. You can even teach each other coordinated dances, such as “The Wobble” or “The Cupid Shuffle,” and have fun goofing off or even performing them for your other friends or siblings.
Play with your pet. Another fun thing you can do at home with your friends is to play with your pet. Take your dog out in the yard or to a park and throw a frisbee to him, or take turns letting people hold or pet your pet hamster, Nibbles. If you have a kitty who likes playing with his feather toy, then let your friends take a turn playing with him, as long as he doesn’t get overwhelmed. You may think that playing with pets is for kids, but this can actually be a nice change of pace for teenage girls, too. If your dog needs to be walked, all of you can go take him for a walk together. This will let you bond with your pet and get some physical exercises. Besides, you never know what cute boys you might find when you’re walking around.
Make ice cream sundaes together. Go to the store with a few of your friends and get all of the necessary ingredients for ice cream sundaes: ice cream, bananas, chocolate syrup, maraschino cherries, and crushed peanuts or anything else you like to add to your favorite treat. You can even get some waffle cones to crush up and place on the bottom for an added flavor. Then, throw an ice cream sundae making party in your kitchen, and have some soda or milk along with that sundae to boot. You can also add some sprinkles to your favorite dessert. If you have some friends who are opposed to ice cream, you can use frozen yogurt, instead. Caramel sauce can be just as tasty as chocolate sauce.
Play old games from your childhood. You may think you’ve outgrown board games and that you’re too old to really enjoy them. However, you can actually end up having a fun, silly night playing old games with your friends, whether you’re playing Sorry!, Twister, or charades or another game you haven’t played in a while. Don’t worry so much about looking cool or mature and focus on having a good time instead. If you have old board games from your childhood, such as Pretty Pretty Princess, then you and your friends can have a blast playing them.
Prank call the boys you know. Okay, so making prank calls may not be the most advisable thing you can do as a rule, and it can lead you to even get in trouble with the law, but calling up a boy you know and teasing him a bit or throwing him off guard can be a fun way to pass the time. Call up your crush, your boyfriend, or a guy one of your friends likes, and have fun disguising your voice and asking him if he ordered a pizza or asking him to report to the principal’s office as soon as he can. Call from the phone of a person whose number he doesn’t have, or dial *67, if relevant, if you call from home so that your number is not identified. It can be more fun to call from home because then multiple girls can get on multiple phones to hear the funny conversation.
Make a scrapbook. Don’t think that scrapbooking is just for your mom and her friends. Get together with a few of your close friends that you’ve known for a long time, and compile a basket of old photos, old notes, and old trinkets and keepsakes that remind you of your friendship. These days, people actually print their photos less and less, and it can be nice to create a physical record of your friendship. This can also be a fun way to go down memory lane together. Just make sure that all of the girls you’re with have known each other for a while, so that someone who is newer to the group doesn’t feel left out.
Have a classic movie night. Invite your friends over to watch your favorite Audrey Hepburn or Hitchcock film, get the popcorn popping, and enjoy snuggling up and watching your favorite films together. Not only will you be immersing yourself in culture, but you’ll be having fun in the process. If the classics are too much for you, you can pair a more classic film with something more contemporary or mainstream. A movie night can be a great part of a sleepover. Consider adding a sleepover into the mix. It can be the just the thing you need after watching a movie with your friends.
Having Fashion and Beauty-Oriented Fun
Go window shopping. Hit up the mall with the goal of not buying a single thing. Instead of feeling pressure to buy something or to find the perfect outfit, just stroll through the mall with your friends and have fun looking at all the fun clothes or funky designs you see in the windows of different stores. Point out your favorite or least favorite clothes and just have fun browsing together. Instead of separating and going to your own favorite stores, stick together and even link arms as you have a different experience walking through the mall. Tell yourselves that the only thing you can buy is some ice cream, a pretzel, or some chocolate chip cookies, so you’re not too worried about finding the perfect outfit.
Have a photoshoot. Put on your favorite clothes and have fun taking pictures of each other going about your day. Aim to have at least 100 pictures taken for that day, and then pick the best ones to make a photo album with. You can also just have fun taking photos of yourself jumping, making silly faces, or dancing with your hair flying in your face. A lot of people complain that they don’t have enough photos with their friends, so you can work on adding some photos to your collection. You can even take pictures against different backgrounds, from the mall to the woods behind your house. Play around. Don’t take it too seriously.
Strut down the catwalk. Act like you’re a model strutting her stuff and put on ridiculous clothes, high heels, and wear your hair in elaborate styles. Get a super-serious look on your face, put on some intense music, and walk down a fake catwalk without cracking a smile. Have your friends sit in the audience looking serious and fanning themselves with fashion magazines for an added effect. The more ridiculous you look, the more fun it will be. Wear a trash bag and say it’s the latest futuristic trend. Glue some leaves to a white t-shirt and say it’s the hottest fall fashion.
Put makeup on each other while blindfolded. Blindfold yourself and have fun putting makeup on your friends’ faces. When you’re done, take off your blindfold and see how crazy your friends look! You can take turns applying makeup to each other like this, and will giggle at the result. You can even take some photographic evidence, if you want! Just make sure you’re safe and careful and don’t poke your friends in the eye or hurt them. For added fun, you can pretend like you all look beautiful and act like you’re ready for a night out with makeup smeared all over your faces.
Do a clothes swap. Have everyone bring a trash bag of clothes they no longer want. Then, take turns showing what you’re giving away and have friends raise their hands to claim items. This can be a fun way to put your old clothes to good use and to have a fun evening in with your friends. Even if not all the clothes are claimed, you can also just have fun trying on some of the most ridiculous items. If two people claim the same item, create a rule for how to obtain it. They can have a dance-off, play rock-paper-scissors, or have a staring contest. This will add an even more fun element to the clothes swap.
Have a jewelry making party. If you don’t already have a friend who is an expert at beading and making jewelry, just hit up your local craft store and get some beads, nylon string for bracelets and necklaces, earring hooks, and any other tools you would need to tie it all together. Then, get together with your friends and have fun making your own creations together. Getting beads and everything else you need to make jewelry can be a bit expensive, so make sure you share the costs with your friends in advance. You can also look online for inspiration or just make whatever comes to mind.
Do each other’s nails. Instead of getting an expensive mani-pedi at the mall, you and your friends can take turns doing each other’s finger and toenails, or you can just paint your own nails while chatting with your friends. You can get decals, fake nails, or paint lightning bolts or other fun patterns on your nails, too. If you want to get all fancy, you can all even soak your feet in hot water or make a lavender bath for your feet and hands first. Not only is this cheaper than going to the salon, but you’ll also be able to talk to each other more this way.
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