1- Join a sports team. Joining a sports team, whether it's a team at your school or in your community, is a great way to stay out of trouble. Whether you're playing soccer, basketball, or baseball, team sports are a great way to meet interesting, athletic, and driven people and to find something to do other than get into trouble. You don't have to be the next LeBron to join a sports team and start making some meaningful connections with people.

• You can even focus on becoming a leader on the team so you can use even more of your energy that way.
• Joining a sports team will also provide you with weekly exercise, which can help you calm down and will keep you from using your energy the wrong way.

2- Join a club. If sports aren't your thing, you can always join a club, whether it's through regular school, or another community organization. You can join an art club, chess club, French club, cooking club, debating club, or really all sorts of clubs that can help you focus on something you care about that doesn't have to do with annoying your teachers or not doing your homework.

• You can join a few clubs at first to get a feel of what would appeal to you the most.

3- Go volunteering. Volunteering is another great way to stay out of trouble and to put things in perspective. You may not be as tempted to cause a ruckus in school or in your neighborhood after you spend some time with people who are truly in need. If you're too young to do it on your own, go with a parent to a volunteering event, whether you're helping people learn to read, cleaning up a local park, or working in a soup kitchen. Find something that is meaningful to you and commit to it at least once a week.

• Though your schedule doesn't have to be absolutely jam packed for you to stay out of trouble, doing a few things that matter to you each week can help you focus on what's important.

4- Be an active student. You don't have to get the highest grades to stay out of trouble -- but it certainly won't hurt you. Being an active student means showing up on time, not skipping class, raising your hand when you have questions, and doing the work in advance so you can participate. If you focus on being a good student, then you can stop thinking about ways to annoy your teachers or your parents.

• Find a few subjects that you really care about and work on knowing as much as you can about them. You don't have to find absolutely everything interesting, but picking at least one or two subjects that mean something to you can make a difference.
• Set goals for improving your grades. You don't have to get perfect scores on every test, but you can aim to go from a B to a B+ average in Math, for example.

5- Read as much as you can. Reading can help you improve your vocabulary and comprehension skills, become more knowledgeable and intelligent, and to see the world in a whole new way. What's more, if you're reading, then you're not getting into trouble. Getting truly immersed in a story or stories can help you forget the hours passing by and to be transported to a whole new world -- a world where you're just an observer. Starting by reading for just 20 minutes before bedtime every night can help you develop an addicting lifelong habit.

• Read a variety of books, from science fiction to fantasy, to see what genres you like the most.

6- Create something. Getting creative is another great way to stay out of trouble. You can write a play and perform it with your friends, write a story, draw something, make a ceramic pot, decorate your room as if it were a rainforest, and accomplish a number of other creative tasks. Using your mind to create something completely new and original is a great use of your energy and will keep you from getting creative when it comes to following the rules.

• You can even sign up for an art class after school, or ask your art teacher if she has any extra projects in store for you.