As a parent, you want to see your child do well in school, but it might often feel like you are at a loss when it comes to where to start. Many kids are not that enthusiastic about doing their homework, so as a parent it’s often up to you to help and guide your child through their workload – whether it’s helping your child get into a good homework routine, focusing on creating healthy habits, or providing them with more resources. Here are some strategies you may want to consider when it comes to helping your teen with their schoolwork.
Invest in the Right Tech
These days, kids often need their own device to complete their homework successfully and be more productive at school. This has become especially obvious after the COVID-19 pandemic when kids that didn’t have their own laptop or at least a tablet struggled during online learning. Investing in a good laptop for middle school for your teen is a great idea, especially if they are currently working on an older device that might be going slowly or crashing a lot, which might be frustrating. Around middle school is the perfect time to invest in a new device for your teen to work on and for personal use too.
Create a Distraction-Free Study Space
Creating somewhere in your home where your teen can go to study without any distractions is a good way to help them get more done. For some teens, a quiet corner of their room with a desk and comfortable chair is an ideal place to study. But if your teen often gets distracted when they are in their room, then it might be worth considering allowing them to use your home office space if you have one or setting up another room in your home to make it ideal for studying.
Stick to a Schedule
Another helpful thing that you can do to support your child when it comes to getting their homework done and improving their grades at school is to work with them to create a schedule that suits everyone. Some kids are not that good at time management yet and might leave their work until the last minute causing unnecessary stress. You might want to look for time management apps or software that you can help your child set up to keep them to a schedule and make it easier to manage the workload.
Create a Good Bedtime Routine
Homework, exams and other school work can be stressful for teens, so it’s important for parents to get their teens into a good bedtime routine for their health and wellbeing. Teens tend to need more sleep than adults, so it’s a good idea to talk with your teen about the importance of getting enough sleep. Set a deadline at night for when homework should be finished by and encourage your teen to avoid screen time before bed and do something relaxing instead like listening to music or taking a bath.
While it’s ultimately down to your teen to get their homework done, as a parent there are several things you can do to help them manage the workload and get good results.