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What kinds of encounters besides for combat can I include in a game?

I'm looking at starting to DM a game in the near future, and I'm trying to prepare myself as best as possible (I've only played as a player one time, so I'm not the most experienced RPG player out there). One thing I'm looking at is encounters.

My players are fairly young (teenagers). I'm trying to think of interesting events where the players can interact, plan, strategize, that are _not_ combat scenarios. Combat is fun and interesting, but when it's the only type of encounter that the players have, the game isn't very interesting.

What other kinds of encounters, besides for combat, can I throw at my players to spice things up?