Activities for Troubled Teens

All teens can have their moments when they do not listen and they argue with everything you say, but some teens can become more challenging than others. When your teen begins to engage in troubling and unwanted behaviors, it may be time for you to take action: Get her involved in positive, confidence-building activities and speak with you health care provider for support and further advise.

Benefits of Exercise

General routine exercise can be helpful for teens who demonstrate unwanted behaviors. According to HelpGuide.org, routine exercise will elevate a teen's endorphin levels in the brain, thus inducing a more positive mood. Also, exercise will allow your teen to gain confidence in herself and feel positive about what she has accomplished.

Getting Involved in Sports

Sports can be a fantastic way for troubled teens to become involved and refocus negative energies. The sport, whether individual or team, will help your teen to learn new skills, get in shape and build leadership skills, notes the Palo Alto Medical Foundation 2. Helping your teen participate in sports can help her gain self-esteem and confidence, which may redirect some of her unwanted behaviors. Also, involvement with a team sport, such as volleyball or soccer, will help your teen gain a close group of positive friends.

Chores at Home

Create household chores that your teen needs to accomplish on a regular basis. The benefit of the chore comes from the individual success and sense of pride from completing the task. Therefore, the chores must be relatively easy to begin with and can get more difficult as your teen achieves success.

Ropes Course

Another skill-building and confidence-building exercise is a ropes course. In these courses your teen will be pushed by trained instructors to participate in physically challenging activities that force him to trust others in order to complete. Ropes courses can help your troubled teen extend his comfort zone while gaining confidence in himself and trust in others.

Giving Back

Troubled teens can benefit from helping others and giving back to those in need. Teens who demonstrate behavior problems will benefit from the responsibility and respect it takes to help others. Allowing your teen to positively impact the lives of others can help him grow and learn life lessons he might never have a chance to learn otherwise. If you would like to find your troubled teen a volunteer opportunity, Volunteers of America and Volunteer Match are good resources.

Aggression Replacement Training

According to The United States Center for Aggression Replacement Training (USCART), this 10-week intervention program focuses on trouble teens who display aggressive and impulsive behaviors. In the aggression replacement training, teens learn how to respect the rights of others and use the anger management skills they learned. Research has shown that ART programs improve anger management and social skills, reports USCART.