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Are you in your first year of homeschooling a teen? Maybe you are starting to homeschool high schooler this year. It can be overwhelming and frightening and you most likely have questioned your ability to do it.
I have discovered that when you learn what you need to do and fill your tool belt with the proper resources, the fear quickly fades. Started gathering your tools and leave the fear behind.
There are so many tips that I could give you when it comes to homeschooling your teen. But these are the three I decided to talk about today.
It’s important to have a plan that helps you and your teen navigate the homeschool years. You will not hit the targets that are necessary to complete the high school years without intentionality. Have a good plan in place, and always allow for flexibility. Life happens!
I encourage you to plan out all four high school years. whether you have a 9th grader or are starting to homeschool the senior year. This plan is crucial. The further your teen is in the high school years the more important the task. Without a goal, you wont know if you are on target to hit it.
In the early parenting years, it is easy to rely of bribery. If you put away your toys, I’ll let go outside and play. Even though this is easy and will get results, I am not endorsing it as the best way to motivate.
Sometimes bribery will work with teens but not as well.
This is a hard one.
For me, I wouldn’t call it bribery, but I often told them that this needed to be done before they would be allowed do that. This idea goes along with tip #3 that I will share next
So how do you motivate a teenager?
As parents, our first task is to teach our children about Jesus and His love for them, that they are unique, created on purpose for a purpose.
Our second task is to help our child, our teen, find their passion and vision for their future. Find what they were created to do then connect school with life after high school, so they see a reason to do school. Help them find their purpose!
This can be done by listen to what they have to say, ask for their opinions and observe them in their daily lives.
Find out what your high schooler is interested in learning. What subjects do they love? Which curriculum would they prefer? What tasks do they simply despise? Knowing the answers to these questions can be a total game changer.
Plan to sit down with them this week and ask them these questions.
Five years after high school graduation.....
Where do you want your spiritual life to be?
What types of relationships will you have?
Will you have a family of your own?
What do you want your income to be?
How do you plan to make that income?
How about your lifestyle, your health?
What would be your dream job if money and time weren’t an issue to get you there?
Does your teen have a goal for their life after high school? Do they have a passion? Do you know what it is? Most importantly….. Have you ever asked them?
This vision provides them with a line of sight, an emotional connection to reaching that goal which will help them overcome the challenges of high school and help them continue when the tasks seem too difficult.
When your teen has a passion, a vision, a goal and is confident in working toward that goal, knowing that high school is a step toward making that goal a reality, will start transforming their thinking.
We both know that their passion now may be completely change before they even get to graduation. But whatever it is now, it will help motivate them during their high school years.
As adults, they’ll pursue learning when it interests and motivates them. Help them start that habit now and learn to succeed in it!
Let them be involved in the entire high school planning process
Find ways to help them develop a strong work ethic and teach them by your actions as well! They are watching!
Holding kids accountable for chores and other responsibilities early on teaches them that someone other than themselves is reliant on their actions. If they do not follow through with their responsibilities there will be consequences. If no one feeds the dog or takes her out for a walk, you’ll end up with a hungry overactive dog! If a child forgets to set the table for dinner. Dinner will not be very easy to eat!
Chores and responsibilities can be given to children as young as preschool. Of course, they may need your help, but this concept needs to start when they are young!
For example, cleaning up the messes they make. If they take it out, they have to put it away. (My grandchildren hear me say this often.) Your teen needs to be reminded of this responsibility as well!
They need to realize that every action has a consequence. It may be good or bad. Natural consequences are the best for learning, but sometimes we parents have to make the consequences happen.
Encourage your teen to get a job. One outside that home where they are accountable to someone other than a parent. Our son learned so much from busing tables and cleaning horse stalls!
How do you instill a good work ethic in your teen?
Before you leave,
grab The Four Styles of Learning FREEBIE!
Enjoying the journey,
~Michelle
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