5 Strategies to Help Your Teenager Be More Successful at School
The teenage years are filled with physical, emotional, and mental growth. At the same time, your teen is trying to determine their identity - all while being faced with new influences at school, work, and within their social circle.
For many teens, dealing with so many life changes at once can make succeeding at school a challenge. As a parent, you’ll undoubtedly want to help your child succeed, especially as the skills they learn now can determine their path in the future.
It can be a tough line to walk, as any push too hard in one direction can cause a moody teenager to feel alienated or rebellious. That said, there are ways to provide direction and guide your child toward success without being pushy or controlling.
1. Get Involved
When you get involved with any aspect of your child’s life, it shows them that you care about that particular thing - school is no exception. Your teen will take these cues and learn to place value in the same areas. Studies confirm that when families are engaged in school, there’s a positive effect on student achievement. Plus, engaging with school officials allows you to get feedback that your teen may not choose to share.
Here are a few ways to engage with your child’s schooling:
Attend student-teacher conferences.
Check the school website for event calendars, parent resources, and volunteer opportunities.
Network with other parents and teachers when opportunities arise.
Learn about your teen’s teachers and role models, which could allow you to help them find a mentor in the future.
2. Curate a Distraction-Free Environment
Your teen will have a steady load of homework and required studying during high school years. They might think they can do their homework while watching YouTube or texting friends, but recovering from constant distractions can feel impossible. One study reported that it can take up to 23 minutes after each interruption.
Create an environment that is conducive to studying by:
Removing unnecessary screens, like phones, tablets, and TVs.
Setting device limits to help your teen avoid browsing unnecessary websites or apps.
Providing supplies, like scratch paper, a calculator, and snacks.
Offering techniques, like the Pomodoro method, to aid in focus.
3. Introduce a Growth Mindset
Your teen’s schoolwork will challenge them. It can be difficult to face failure and keep going. When your teen struggles to understand new concepts or earns a poor grade on an assignment, their natural reaction may be to quit. A growth mindset ensures that they believe and understand that they’ll improve over time as they dedicate more energy and effort.
This mindset can help your teen focus on the growth stage rather than the ultimate destination. It teaches them to enjoy the journey’s ups and downs, which can lead to better grades and less stress.
To instill this mindset, you can:
Help your teen reframe mistakes or hardships as opportunities to grow.
Teach your child that being a beginner is a positive thing, as there are no expectations for perfection and plenty of room to explore and learn during this time.
Praise your teen for their hard work, dedication, and effort instead of just their accomplishments.
4. Teach Time Management and Organization
Obligations tend to build up during the teen years. Between school, sports, part-time work, social events, and family time, your teen has likely never been pulled in so many directions. You can teach them the necessary skills to manage their time and remain organized so they can be successful in each area.
Here are a few ways to accomplish this:
Ask your teen how they currently organize their lives, which they may not have thought about before. Ask them to assess how these systems are working and how they may be improved.
Provide your teen with supplies to support their organization system, which might include color-coded notebooks, computer folder systems, and an orderly desk study area.
Help your teen choose a method to manage their schedule, like a paper planner or digital app.
Find a way to help your teen manage their time, whether that means setting reminders on their phone, using timers, or using habit-stacking.
5. Talk to Your Teen
Many of the above strategies require conversation with your teen. Your encouragement and interest will set the tone for their attitude toward school. Use these conversations to set expectations, create structure, build positive attitudes about school, and forge self-esteem.
It’s also important to simply ask them about their day in detail. Are they able to focus during the day? What are they learning right now? How do past lessons apply? Is their lunch helping them refocus, or do they need to pack something different tomorrow?
You can help them think more deeply and reflect on school and success. Here are a few examples:
Talk to me about a time when you felt really confident with school. What went well? Can you repeat that process with future classes or projects?
What class do you want to do better in? Why do you feel you haven’t reached your potential with that subject, and what do you want to do differently?
What mindset do you have right now about school? How does that affect you, and what can you do to feel better about school?
If you’re struggling to talk to your teen about school, speaking with a therapist can help. Whether you want to get guidance from a therapist on your own or book a family session, Bloom Practice has a therapist who can help you get on the right path.
Our therapists offer adolescent, family, and individual therapy, with specialties in adolescents, family conflict, self-esteem, and more. Learn more about our services and book a session today to get started.
Sources:
Dr. Zairys Feliz, Ph.D., LCSW is a clinical psychotherapist. Zairys provides individual, couples and sex therapy using evidence-based approaches. She specializes in treating individuals and couples who have relationship or sexual concerns. Read full bio