If you want to play your teens into YA going to University is great, though can be tedious if you want A's.
Strangerville has a quaint town with a lot of charm and the build/buy/cas is great. Story is a bit short but if you mix the story up with your sim's normal routines it can last longer.
I personally love Realm of Magic but I like the idea of having a sim who looks "normal" but knows magic, and many of the spells can be helpful around the house etc. The build/buy for that pack also is stunning.
For family stuff I also suggest Backyard stuff pack as it has a water slide and a few other items that are cute and fun.
Also Kids room stuff, especially the void critter game!