When teens step into middle and high-school years, grades start to matter and their homework becomes more intense.

During the same time period, teens also undergo a number of other huge changes in their lives. Since they’re hitting puberty, they are already in the process of adapting to the physical and emotional effects of adulthood. Their social lives become important to them. They began spending more of their time by engaging with friends, hanging out with them, getting involved in extracurricular activities, etc. Some of them even take part-time jobs if their parents are not supporting them financially.

In the midst of so much tension where their academic and social demands go way up, most of the teens usually rush through their homework in school time. When they try to finish up their homework and assignments quickly without actually paying attention to them, they secure low marks. As a result, their grades start dropping.

In such situations, parents can play a crucial role in helping out their teens handle the homework challenges and create a balance in their academic and social life by offering support, help, and guidance. They must know when their kids demand help regarding homework and how they can effectively help them overcome their problems.

Here are some strategies parents can adopt to help their teens with homework.

Set Up a Routine

Parents can set up a routine for their kids when it comes to their studies and homework. They must tell them to prioritize their schoolwork by setting a regular time for homework. During that specific time, ask your teen to stay away from using their cellphone, laptop, playing video games or even watching TV. Once they are done with the homework, they cannot indulge themselves in any other activity.

Always Plan Ahead

Parents should sit down regularly with their teens to go over their class loads and see if they’re properly balanced. In case a teen is facing a huge workload from his/her class, parents may want to see if they can somehow shuffle the daily schedule so that they can spend more time on that particular class or subject. Teachers can tell parents in advance about the classes that are going to require more or less work.

Inculcate Organizational Skills

It’s a well-known fact that no child is born with extraordinary organizational skills. These skills are always learned and practiced over time. Parents can always help their teens by inculcating these skills in them. They can hand over a calendar or a personal planner to help them get organized and keep a check on their daily routine goals.

Explain with Examples

In an attempt to finish the homework quickly, most of the teens leave out some crucial steps needed to complete the homework. If they break down the assignment into steps, they can learn what goes into every step of the assignment. Parents can help break down the homework for their teens so they can understand each step and finish the homework easily. On the other hand, to make homework easy and understandable, parents can always give them practical examples from real life. When a math problem is explained with the help of a practical example, it becomes slightly less complicated for the teen and they’re able to understand it sooner.

Encourage to Check Homework

Most of the times, teens forget to check their homework in their rush to finish. Parents should help them find ways to check their homework before submission. They can suggest different strategies to help them reduce their errors. Proofreading homework always works. On the other hand, when a piece of an essay is read out loud, it sounds different and comes up with some errors. Teens can be encouraged to read out aloud their pieces before submitting to the teachers.

Keep Digital Devices Away

Teens should be encouraged not to use their digital devices such as mobile phones, tablets, or even laptops while they’re doing homework. These devices cause distraction and do not let a child completely focus on the homework. Parents should let their teens know that they can perform better when they’re not interrupted by any digital device. If a teen insists on using the cellphone, suggest them that they can take short breaks during homework to check their phone.