We’ve all been there. The dreaded moment when you somehow are supposed to magically conjure up months of weekly activities that will uplift, inspire, engage, and dazzle a group teen girls with diverse backgrounds and interests for Young Women’s. 

Let’s start with the goodness. We’ve polled thousands of former young women and young women leaders and compiled the most extensive modern list of ideas for Young Women’s activities available. 

Before we dive in, we do need to have a little heart to heart. In the past, it wasn't uncommon for a majority of activities to center on motherhood and being a wife. While these are important things they may not always be age appropriate or even universally applicable to all young women. 

It is important to remember that young women are children. Encouraging children to focus on marriage, weddings, and childbearing puts unhealthy pressure on girls, can be limiting, exclusionary, and can give off weird child-bride vibes. There is not a girl in the church who doesn’t understand the important role marriage and children play in the Church and the Gospel. We would argue that there are far more girls who lack understanding of how to value themselves as individuals without the relationships of wife and mother.

The truth is, more and more of our young women will grow up and not marry right out of the gate. Not only is that ok, it’s actually really healthy. Many will not be able to or choose not to have children.  A good portion of them will experience divorce. What we don’t want is for these young women to be scrambling to understand their worth as individuals because we only prepared them for how to live the gospel within one specific life experience context.

What’s the solution? Focus more on principles and less on specific applications. Our young women are very smart. If we focus on helping them learn the principles of the gospel, they will be able to figure out how to apply it to their own lives,  progress, and growth. No matter what their lives may look like. 

Our goal here is to help prepare young women for whatever their Heavenly Parent’s unique plan has in store for them. This list is packed full of activity ideas that will stretch, educated, prepare, inspire, engage, and strengthen young women. Not to mention, have some fun. Above all, remember that young women are still kids. Having fun is not only incredibly healthy, but crucial to their development. 

Life Skills:

• Stock market 101: The key here is to help girls understand why this is important for their future. Understanding investing basics are key to being a financially independent adult. 
• Credit and credit scores 101: Teach the importance of having and managing a credit card. It’s common for LDS youth to fear any type of debit or credit card. Help them understand how to use and pay off a credit card each month so they can make important future purchases like cars and homes. 
• Learn about 401Ks and savings
• Understanding or communicating boundaries: Have a trusted local therapist teach the girls the importance of respecting their own boundaries. 
• Cars 101: How to change a tire, check the oil, and change a cabin air filter. Help them understand what each of these things should typically cost and how often they should do them.
• How to create and follow a basic budget to reach financial goals. 
• Get first aid and get CPR certified. Don’t forget to review baby and pet CPR.
• Learn how to start a fire, set up a tent, and make a simple camping meal. Camping is such a fun hobby for many young adults, but the first adventure can be intimidating. Practicing in a safe environment helps make future adventures so much easier. 
• Easy recipes and cooking basics. Remember the goal here is useful life training. Not how to be a future mommy or wife. All young women will need to know how to healthy feed themselves. Not all young women will be wives and/or moms. 
• Learn about self defense and safety tips. A routine review of basic self defense and personal safety precautions can be a matter of life and death. 
• Learn about preparedness and 72 hour kits

• Scavenger hunt around the neighborhood
• Go swimming
• Go camping and learn to set up a tent
• Rock climbing / Rappelling
• Go on a bike ride
• Gardening. How to create and grow a small herb garden. Then maybe learn how to use those herbs to make fun drinks or treats.
• Nature walk
• Go paddle boarding
• Picnic at a park
• Have a backyard BBQ + s'mores
• White water rafting or tubing
• Snow tubing
• Ice skating 

• Karaoke night
• Sodalicious + game night
• Go bowling
• Pizza night
• Lazer tag
• Outdoor movie night
• Talent show
• Board game night
• Go to a local play
• Go roller skating

• Arrange a floral bouquet & deliver it to an elderly women in the neighborhood
• Book club
• Cupcake wars
• Drawing / paint class
• Wood working intro
• Poetry writing class
• Photography class
• Make an art collage
• Tie dye shirts
• Paint a mural
• Shrinky Dinks
• Decorate canvas totes

• Volleyball
• Yoga
• Pickleball
• Batting cages
• Kickball
• Nerf war
• Zumba
• Golf
• Spin class

• Make fleece blankets for local refugees 
• Go to the local food bank
• Yard work
• Serve food at a local shelter
• Write letters to people in the ward
• Service scavenger hunt
• Visit a retirement home
• Decorate cookies and give them to families in the ward

• Tour a local college
• Tour a local business. Learn what it is like to work there. What do they look for in employees? How did they get started? What is it like to run a business?
• Visit a local art museum
• Bring your HW and get some help!
• Heathy study habits
• Career night (learn from women who have careers in what the girls are interested in)
• How to write a resume
• Stargazing and learning about astronomy
• Learn the basics of coding
• Language and culture night
• Go to the capital during legislation
• Learn about entrepreneurship
• College scholarships

• Attending the YW’s extracurricular activities
• Learn about how to have healthy relationships with friends and family
• Spa night
• Learn about personal hygiene
• How to meditate
• Learn ways to manage anxiety
• Learning about body neutrality
• Dating safety and consent
• Learn about setting goals
• Spa night / self care / self love
• Personality quiz night

• Paint flowers at the temple grounds
• Learn about the temple endowment
• Charades with Book of Mormon stories
• Finding ancestor names to take to the temple
• Temple tour and picnic
• Have poetry night and talk about Heavenly Mother. You can find great resources here.