How to help your teen become an independent student and learner

Every parent can agree: watching your baby boy or girl grow up is never easy.

Infants and children alike are dependent on their parents to help guide them and teach them about every new environment and experience they will face in an ever changing world. But, as they grow up and become more independent, especially when it comes to their education during their teenage years, it is important for every parent to know how to handle any situation that might arise during these new and scary yet exciting years.

 

Here are a few steps on how to help your teen become more independent with their education:

 

1)    Let them learn from their mistakes

Mistakes are bound to happen. Whether it’s getting a bad grade on an important test or being late for a class, mistakes are an important aspect in every person’s life. Mistakes are a great opportunity to learn and benefit from, if they are handled correctly. If your teen makes a mistake, don’t punish them. Instead, ask them things like “what could you have done to avoid this?” or “what will you do to make things better?”. Get your teens thinking about what is right, what is wrong and how they can correct their mistakes in order to learn from them and avoid the same situation in the future.

 

2)    Help them find a routine

Establishing a routine right from the start can make a huge difference in your child’s education. Having them realise that work and play must be prioritized can help them to set the pace for their studies ahead. Sit down with your child and explain to them how their time can be allocated in different ways. Don’t create a schedule for them. Allow them to think about what takes more time and what needs more attention. Maybe your son or daughter is a born mathematician, but perhaps their language skills are lacking a bit. Allow them to see what their strong and weak points are and help them to understand how their time must be allocated so that they can become an amazing all-rounder student.

 

3)    Give them space while being supportive

Independence means doing your own thing at our own time. Yet, every teen needs to know that what they are doing will be supported no matter what. Have a chat with your teen about giving them more space to do what they want, and that you will always support them even when you are not there. This will teach teens that being on your own is not necessarily a bad thing and that no matter what they will always have a supportive parent to fall back on when things get tough.

 

4)    Teach them that asking for help does not mean failure

Every parent and teen will sit down one day and have a discussion about how hard work, passion and dedication are the things that will get you to where you want to be one day. Yet, after hours and hours spent on homework and studying, some teens might just need a little extra help to reach their goals. It is important for teens to know that getting outside help does not mean that they failed. Whether it's getting help from your parents, teacher or even a qualified tutor, every teen will need that extra little push to help them move forward and past the point where they feel stuck.

 

The point is, it’s okay to let go! You can’t prevent your child from growing up, no matter how badly you want to keep them little. Your prince or princess will one day grow into a strong and independent adult, and so it’s important to be there and help your child every step of the way.