Tips for homeschooling teens
It’s the start of week 7 in lock down here in the UK and it feels like for many of us the novelty of homeschooling our kids has well and truly worn off! So I thought I would share tips that will hopefully bring some ease the task of educating your kids at home whilst trying to juggle all the other things.
Establish a rhythm
Just as you would with younger children. Teenagers also like to know how their day will look and what to expect. Rhythm and structure, however that looks for your family, helps young people feel safe.
The key pillars of learning
If you are worried that your kids aren’t strictly following the work their teacher has set and you are enjoying doing other things, remind yourself of the key pillars of learning:
communication
recall
observation
research
implementation
Check that you are covering these 5 areas at some point over this time, and rest easy knowing that your teen is still learning. These skills are essential and as long as your kids are being provided with opportunities to practice them, they will be able to transfer them to any topics and subjects when they eventually return to school.
You don’t have to stick to the curriculum
…not all the time anyway. Don’t be afraid to deviate from the work set by school if your teen is showing an interest in something in particular. This is a one-off time for them to really explore and research topics they are inspired by so let them go for it!
Community
This will be one of the key aspects of school life that your teen is missing right now. Have a think about how you can bring that into your son/daughter’s week in a way that sticks to the rules of social distancing. An extended family quiz on Zoom? Helping you to safely deliver shopping to the vulnerable people on your street? Coming outside on Thursday evenings to clap the NHS? Remind them that the even the act of staying at home is connecting them with people. Never before has it been easier to illustrate that everyone making a change can create a huge impact, despite being isolated from each other.
Opportunities to succeed
Another aspect of school life that your child will be missing. How can you provide them with opportunities to succeed at home? This can be something quite small such as chores around the house, to something more challenging such as preparing a meal for the family on a regular basis. This is excellent for boosting self esteem, as well as teaching teens important life skills.
Celebrate Success
Kids will also be missing being praised and rewarded at school. View this as an opportunity to introduce a fun reward system at home. This could also provide good incentives for keeping your teens focused on their work during your learning time, enabling you to get on with your work too.
Allow the tech and social media presence-without guilt!
Research has shown that young people who have no access to smartphones are more unhappy than those who spend a small amount of time online each day. Set the boundaries together, do all the things you need to do to keep them safe such as following them on their social media platforms. Connection with friends has never been more important, so if you need to allow more screen-time than usual then so be it-and do not feel guilty about that!
Unfollow and mute
Comparison is rife among parents right now. Everyone else seems to be doing an incredible job at teaching their kids at home except you and now that means your kids are going to suffer and be behind their classmates when they finally go back to school. Right? Wrong! Remember all is not what it seems on social media. Yes, some parents may be smashing it-good for them! If following these accounts are making you doubt yourself and what you know is working best for your family right now then mute or unfollow.