How Adults can Support these Skills at Home

It is important to remember that most of these learning skills and strategies do not come naturally for many people, especially teens! Although they may push you away, below are some tips and strategies for you to remember when trying to help your student at home. 

Create a learning space:

Just like adults who work from home, teens also need a specific space within the house to productively work. But if you are like most families right now, you are definitely starting to run out of space in your house! This is why it is so important to get creative and help your child set up a space to learn. Transform spaces like the kitchen table. Use a basket or caddy to hold academic supplies for easy clean up at the end of the day. Have a space nearby to place these items when finished and charge the computer overnight. 

Make a Schedule and Follow it:

Schools naturally keep students on a predictable schedule throughout the entire day, whether they like it or not! This all goes out the window at home. Starting and finishing work assignments seems like such a simple concept, but it can be much more difficult than you might expect. It is also harder for some than others. 

• Look at your current family schedule and work around that 

• Be flexible with work times, as the afternoon and early evening may be best for many teens 

• Build in time for breaks

• Does your student need more help getting started? If so, try to make sure someone is available to help them when their schedule starts. 

• Reduce distractions 

• Make the schedule visual and easy to understand 

• Stick to it! 

Manage Time and Organize: 

• Use color coded calendars and 

• Use visual organizers to break down large assignments into smaller chunks; discuss specific strategies needed to complete each part 

• Don’t multitask - start one assignment and stick with it until it is done or until you cannot go further without extra help 

• Make a list at the start of each day and prioritize what needs to be done first 

• Set goals, but be realistic about how long tasks will take you 

• Disconnect from other technology (like your phone and social media!) while completing schoolwork 

• Reward yourself when you finish a task or meet your goal! 

Use Backwards Planning: 

Students with EF deficits struggle to make plans and envision what the future looks like. Have these students imagine what a finished assignment looks like, then look backwards, thinking of the steps needed to get the task done. If there is a printer available, be sure to have your student print off the rubric (if given) and they can use this as a checklist for completing each step. It is also worth asking the teacher for an example of the finished product. 

Use Supports Readily Available: 

Remember to use built in assistive technology features on your laptop like Google Read and Write for text to speech and speech to text.