Is your teenager even a teenager if they do not complain about being bored 20 times a day? Over the school holidays and just about any time the weather is bad teenagers and young adults may struggle to find constructive things to do with their time. Too old and too cool to “play out” too young to drive, nothing to do but social media. 

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) might be the answer. There are thousands of free courses available online and along with boosting your young persons CV, some of them may actually fascinate teenagers.

We have put together a list of some of the course available below –  this is just a sample of what is out there.

 

Budding  Writers

An Introduction to Screenwriting This online course explores the key concepts and fundamental principles involved in the process of screenwriting.

How to Write Your First Song Get a practical introduction to the mechanics of songwriting and meet established songwriters with this free online course.

Write your own rap verse Learn how to write a rap verse and finish it within an hour.

Start Writing Fiction Get started with your own fiction writing, focusing on the central skill of creating characters, with this hands-on course. Suitable for anyone over the age of 16.

Hollywood: History, Industry, Art Explore the history of Hollywood, from Edison and the birth of film to the rise of the internet.

 

Animation

How to Make an Animated Movie By the end of this course you will have a deep understanding of what it takes to make an animated short film.

Making Text Animated Short Videos will teach you how to create short viral videos for social media. Start Your Own Social Media Video Brand and become famous Like NAS Daily, AJ+

 

Computer Skills

Video Game Design and DevAI for Everyone Learn what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is by understanding its applications and key concepts including machine learning, deep learning and neural networks.

Computer Programming for Everyone What are computers good at and how can you get the best out of them? On this course, you’ll find out how and why people program computers. Using an introductory block-language for coding, you’ll discover the kinds of problems that computers can help you solve. You’ll also explore different types of coding languages and discover a variety of useful applications of code. At the end of the course, you’ll implement key principles you’ve learned by writing your first computer programs.

Video game development Discover the essentials of video game programming and learn how you can start your own programming career.

How to VLOG Students will be able to understand all the steps it takes to create a vlog from beginning to end.

 

Wellbeing

Nutrition and Wellbeing Demystify the complex and conflicting messages we hear about nutrition, health and lifestyle today, on this free nutrition course.

The Science of Well-Being In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.

 

Miscellaneous 

Football: More Than a Game Explore the role of football in the world today, including finances, clubs, nations and rivalries with this free online course.

Japanese for Beginners is a five-week course from Waseda University that covers basic Japanese expressions.

Free Members Junior Tennis Coaching (mailchi.mp) Join the radical change to junior tennis. At Salts we want to get as many juniors to enjoy the game in lessons and take their new skills to play outside lessons.