Character-Building Activities for Teens

The teenage years are a time of self-discovery for most people, and that stage of life can be difficult to navigate for some people. Teenagers can be quite self-absorbed, so it is good to show them that there are other things in life that are important. Plan some character-building activities for the teenagers in your life, whether they are your children or your students, so that they can learn some important life lessons.

1. Scenario Game

   • Give the teenagers certain scenarios in which they would have to make a complicated decision, and have them talk the situation through with you. For example, the hypothetical situation could be something such as the teenager sees a friend stealing and has to decide whether to tell. Telling would rectify the wrong but could end the friendship. Stress to the teenager that doing the right thing is important even though it can sometimes have bad consequences and might not feel like the right thing.

   Character Inventory

   • Help the teenagers understand their own characters by doing a character inventory. Have the teens write down the strengths and weaknesses they have in their own character. For example, a strength might be that a teen helps babysit younger siblings without being asked. A weakness might be that a teenager sometimes talks back to his parents. Help the teenager understand that the positives of her character are wonderful and that she can easily work on the weaknesses.

   Volunteering

   • One way to help teenagers build character is to make them thankful for everything that they have and to understand that everyone is not so fortunate. Sign the teenagers up for helping out at a soup kitchen serving meals, helping an elderly neighbor with yard work or gathering clothing and toys to donate to less fortunate people.

   Empathy Game

   • The empathy game is a good character-building activity to do with a group of teens, whether it is a class or a church youth group. Write open-ended phrases onto slips of paper that the teens will have to finish. Choose phrases that have the teenagers saying how they feel about things. For example, write "when someone calls me a bad name, I feel..." or "when someone tells me I did a good job, I feel...." Choose all sorts of phrases that could elicit both good and bad feelings. Talking about how things make people feel will help the teens understand how their actions can hurt or help someone else.