Motivating Teens

Q. How can I keep my homeschool teen motivated?

A. Teens–both boys and girls—are motivated by the things they are interested in doing. Think about what your teen likes to do in his spare time. What he’s interested in doing is usually what he’s good at doing.

Try to incorporate a study of his interests in your curriculum. In composition, make his interest the topic of a compare-and-contrast paper or a term paper. In history, he can study the development of his favorite topic, or he can study the science behind its development. You also may be able to give him credit for an elective course that includes academic work around his interests.

It can also be effective let your teen work with you in making a four-year high school plan—a plan that includes the subjects he will be studying from grades 9 through 12. Working together to set goals makes him a stakeholder in his own education and is a key to moving forward. With a four-year subject plan, he will be able to see the big picture. He can then understand how each year fits into the whole plan and break it down into a semester goal, a monthly goal, a weekly goal, and a day’s work. Hopefully, that will make each day’s work more valuable.

To learn more about teaching during the high school years and developing a four-year plan, click here.