10 Inspirational Ways To Get Your Teens To Do Homework

If you are the parent of teens, I can guarantee one of the topics of discussion with your friends, or one worry you will have is how to get your teen to do their homework. This is a question I am often asked from other parents and clients, and as a parent of 4 children, who are all different, has often been a concern of mine.

“I could be locked in a room with no internet access, tv or phone, and I would still probably not do my homework! ”

So I had a chat to our parenting guru's, Sonya and Sacha, and came up with these 10 tips that we are sure will help you and your child through the troublesome high school years.

1. If your teen is reading a novel at school, you read it too. That way when they have homework on it, you can help them and can stimulate discussion and communitcation between you both. This is exceptionally important in year 12. They are most often pulling away from you, so this shows them how interested you really are in them, and shows you support them.

2. Give them a place in the house they can study and leave there books out. A space to call their own. This is a difficult one, as they can become extremely messy, but if they are studying, who cares?

3. If they are a visual learner. Create a study wall. Encourage them to use a mirror in their room as a whiteboard so they write notes up there and then have the staring at them so it makes it easier to study.

4. Encourage them to watch you tube clips teaching them the topic they are learning. It gives them another way of hearing the learning, sometimes it only takes another voice to explain it and they get it!

5. Encourage them to be creative with their study. We best concentrate when we study for 50mins and have a ten minute break. Remind them every 50mins to take a 10 min break! Exercise is said to increase memory. So at 50 mins interrupt them and suggest a quick walk together, or maybe a few push ups?

6. Have healthy snacks ready for them and reward then with yummy stuff! Brain foods are best. A pot of soup on the stove, or some hearty casseroles, so they have something warm and healthy to enjoy. Or have a healthy juice handy, or a simple banana for energy.

7. If they find a particular subject difficult, encourage them to only study this subject in an obscure and different part of the house. Eg kitchen floor. Think of how often we sit on the kitchen floor to study? Well, never really. So if you sit on the kitchen floor you look at the kitchen different. By doing your homework there forces your brain to see things differently and can help you see things clearer.

8. Reward effort not just results, especially if they are working hard. Encouragement and rewards are often a winner when it comes to homework motivation.

9. Remind them that we all need a day off. This is especially important during senior years. If they see that you are on their side, they will work harder. So encourage time away from study, so when they do set aside study time, they will work harder for shorter periods, knowing they will have a day off.

““”I’ll do my homework soon” I say as I watch Netflix, get food, check the internet, check any notifications etc””

10. Don't nag. At the start of each term set up some guide lines together, some goals, so they know what is expected from them each term. Then let it go! I know that's hard to do but they actually do need to be responsible for themselves. Also say if you don't nag and they do put in effort at the end of each term there will be a reward. Set up the reward between the two of you, especially when you review the goals at terms end.

Maybe put a picture of this reward up on a wall to remind them what the goal is. Now parents you need to stick to this. So once the deal has been made, do an Elsa and Arna from the Frozen movie, and Let It Go!

Sacha and I hope this helps you survive the high school years of your child, and you can enjoy being friends, rather than enemies. Your child needs you during this time, and they need to know you are a team. They will test you constantly, as we always test the ones we love, but with these tips above, we know you will survive the tests, and hopefully receive an A .

Here is a great article for your teens, if you can get them to read!

7 Tricks To Stay Focussed While Studying

Learn more about Sonya and Sacha and their teen expos, radio and tv shows here.

If you have any questions about your teenagers homework, or anything else you would like to know more of, please leave a comment or contact me [email protected].

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