Having your teen help out with DIY projects around the house is a great way to awaken their inner artist and set them down a responsible path. Read on to see five DIY projects that your teen can help you with so you both enjoy while getting something done.

1. Caulking the Windows

The heat gained and lost through your windows is responsible for 25% to 30% of the energy used for residential heating and cooling. This makes it extremely important to keep your doors and windows sealed so you can see some amazing energy savings. For this activity, you can seal your doors and windows easily by getting some caulk from your local hardware. It’s something easy and straightforward to do so you can have your teen help you with a few windows while you do the rest.

2. Painting

When you follow the right steps, painting can be a fun DIY activity for you and your teen. Make the necessary preparations beforehand to ensure that everything is covered and what should be moved is safely out of the way. To make the experience more immersive for them, you could even have them help you choose the color to paint the walls. Going through the whole process with them can help them learn a valuable life lesson that will come in handy for them when they’re adults themselves.

3. Changing the Lights in Your Home

While searching for DIYs to do, it’s important to know which ones are out of your league, and most electrical projects are. In the United States, there are currently over 465,873 electricians employed, so you should have an easy time finding one if you need some electrical assistance. All the same, there are some things you can do without putting yourself at risk, such as changing the bulbs around the house. This may be because it’s bad, or you’ve simply decided to go green and save energy around your home by switching to LED bulbs.

4. Landscaping

Landscaping your home’s yard to improve the curb appeal or simply make it more functional is another activity you can do alongside your teen. They will enjoy working outdoors, from starting a garden to mowing the lawn and pruning trees. This will be a great activity to bond over when the weather’s great, and you can also teach them a thing or two about maintaining the outdoors. As they get better at it, they can even start to take on these tasks successfully by themselves, spending some time away from screens and perfecting these life skills. While at it, you can share with them facts such as that the U.S. Forest Service says that there were 119% more hardwood trees in 2007 than there were in 1953, having a ratio of growth-to-removal of 2:0.

5. Picking Decorative Elements

If you want to decorate your home and give it a fresh new look, you can enlist your teenagers to help you with this. From getting potted plants and art to rearranging the house to accommodate new furniture, there’s a lot you can do with them. Look for ideas online and have them do the same, then share the best ones to brainstorm on which will work for you. If they enjoy this kind of thing, having them help you out can give them a clearer vision and help them decide whether they want to follow a career path along this line in the future. They can also provide a fresh perspective that your house will benefit from.

If you’re taking on any of the five DIY projects above, you can have your teen help you with them. You will not only bond with them but also teach them skills they may need in the future.