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How to Help Your Teen Like Studying

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Teenagers today are coping with a lot of distractions, which can make it all the more challenging to motivate teens into studying, let alone wanting to study.

Parents want their kids to do their best in school. We live in a society that puts a lot of weight on education, so this desire is perfectly natural. However, good grades in school don’t necessarily equate to success in life.

And, some parents will be dealing with teenagers who absolutely detest study.

Rather than use punishments and threats as motivation, many parents have more success by teaching their children how to enjoy studying and appreciate the learning process.

Why Do Teens Not Enjoy Studying?

Before we delve into how you can get your teen to enjoy studying, this article will make more sense when you understand more about why children often do their best to avoid studying, especially when exam time is looming. When you understand why you can more easily navigate around the objections they will have.

They say there is no point in studying – Many children fail to see how getting good grades has any real-world applications so feel like they are wasting time. You can help motivate these children by showing how what they are learning can be applied in the real world.

They feel like they are too far behind – Students who consistently score at the bottom of the class will feel discouraged and are likely to give up. It will take some exploring to get to the root of the problem, but it is important not to resort to punishments and threats.

They feel like they are always forced to hit the books – Teenagers are developing a sense of independence and many are extremely resistant to being forced into studying. Letting out the reigns and giving these kids some independence can be inspirational.

Once you have a grasp of what the problem is, you can then adjust your strategy to one that you think will deliver the most motivation. Here are a few ideas.

1. Study Together

The strategy you adopt here will depend a lot on the age of your child. Younger children will appreciate interactive learning experiences with their parents like visiting museums, historical locations, and art galleries. Instilling a love of learning at a young age will make motivating them when they are older a lot easier.

You can study with children who are older, even though the subjects they are doing may be technical and something with which you are not familiar. For example, your algebra skills are probably a little rusty, so sitting down with your teenager and getting them to explain it to you will help you both learn.

2. Be Honest and Empathize with Your Kids

Trying to tell your kids that studying is fun won’t be very convincing, so an honest approach is always best.

Admit to your kids that you also struggled to stay motivated with study when you were their age, and that’s it not always fun.

The lesson is that it’s impossible and unproductive to enjoy everything you do all the time but to have the best life you sometimes have to do the things you don’t enjoy.

3. Don’t Punish Your Kids for Getting a Bad Grade

When your child comes home with a less than flattering report card, don’t respond by scolding or punishing them.

Instead, have a civilized discussion without them. Ask them how they feel about the grade and what they think might have gone wrong.

Don’t put it all on their shoulders and demand they do better next time. They may already think they did their best and will get defensive and push you away.

Sit down with your child and come up with a plan, such as new boundaries or study schedules.

Conclusion

If your child is resistant to studying, try the above tips, but only after you have discovered why they don’t like it. When you understand where their lack of motivation is coming from, it will help you work with your child to come up with the best solution that will work for them.

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Schedule a private phone consultation with Dr. RJ’s life coach coordinator below.