Dear Teen and Parent,
I get so many parents asking me for ideas on what to do to get their teen to get homework or studying done. My first response is…do they have structured time at home set aside to complete school work? What I mean is that when you come home from school, you take a short break, 30 to 60 minutes, then sit down and get to work for 30-60 minutes at a time. This can vary depending on your ability to stay focused. Then take another break, then get back to work. You create 30-60 minute time blocks where you are committed to doing your school work, whether it is regular homework, a project, or studying for a test. You need to figure it around your other commitments at home, like chores and dinner, etc. If you, the teen, set this up for yourself you have a higher chance of it working. Now you need to have a place set aside for you to do your work. It can be a desk in your room, in the family room, or any where away from other distractions. During your structured homework time you absolutely cannot have your phone anywhere near you and certainly not turned on. It is way too much of a distraction. In your break time you can check your phone. If you need to use a computer/internet to do your homework the commitment is not to start communicating with friends. If you need to ask someone something and need to text them, make sure it is always about school. Then get off. Most teens need at least an hour of homework time, so start there. If you find you need more, add some more time in. If the time you need varies from day to day, that’s OK too. Just take your time, don’t rush through it. If you find you have a little extra time left maybe you could be preparing for an upcoming test or getting ahead on a project. The key is commitment. Then when you find you are sticking to the structured plan and getting your work done be super proud of yourself!!! Try it. Maybe you can prove to your parents that you’ve got it handled. Then they just might stop bugging you about getting your homework done! Sounds like it’s worth a try!