Discuss with each other what you learned last time
What did you learn during the previous lockdown about homeschooling and combining it with working from home and household chores? What went well and what would you like to do differently this time? What solutions can your teenager come up with themselves?
Provide structure during the school and working day
When transitioning from vacation back to education and work, it helps if everyone resumes the normal rhythm of a school or working day at the same time. So get up at the usual time and have breakfast together. Also make sure to get enough exercise and relaxation in between. What does your teenager enjoy doing afterward or during a break? For example, agree on a time when you can all go outside for a game of soccer or a walk. Pay attention to healthy meals and snacks at set times. Also read the pages Structure and daily schedules and Staying healthy.
Ensure contact with peers
Contact with peers is very important for teenagers. Ask your child to make a plan with friends for staying in touch during the period of homeschooling. Would they like to do homework together digitally, play games or make music? How can they exercise and meet each other outdoors? Above all, let them come up with how best to do this themselves. They can also look at the page Meeting up with friends for this. Also talk about the times when they make plans with friends. What is possible and what is allowed at that time? And how can you fit it into your daily routine?
Motivating them to do schoolwork
Teenagers are not always easy to motivate to do schoolwork. Make sure you know when lessons begin and that the practical arrangements are in place: peace and quiet at home, the Wi-Fi working properly, and your child out of bed and dressed. Contact with peers is very important for teenagers. Encourage your teenager to come up with solutions together with their peers for the challenges they face during homeschooling. Perhaps they would much rather do their homework together (digitally). Teenagers often come up with very creative ideas and solutions when you challenge them to do so.
Discuss rules and set a good example
Agreements and rules help keep things pleasant at home. And a pleasant atmosphere is especially important now. Discuss your house rules: how do we treat each other, and who has which task in the household? Set a good example, approach your teenager positively and show understanding for their situation. Young people often respond better to positive feedback and learn more from it than from disapproving or negative reactions. Therefore, focus on what they are doing well and set boundaries. Show that you are involved with your child and that you have confidence in them.
Reflect and reward
Take a moment to reflect on this extraordinary time and situation. Look together at the positive aspects and what you can learn from them. In addition, come up with fun things to do together to celebrate that homeschooling and working from home are going well. Play games, make popcorn and have a movie night. This gives you fun things to do together as a reward for positive behavior and a pleasant atmosphere. For inspiration, see what you can do on the pages of Something fun every day.
Take good care of yourself and each other
As a parent, you have more roles to fulfill at home during this period than usual. You are a parent, work from home, run the household and support your child or children with homeschooling. That is no small task. Make sure you can keep up this demanding situation by consciously looking for relaxation and moments when you can occasionally let off steam. Everyone needs moments and activities for themselves. Talk about this with each other. Tell one another what is important and enjoyable for each of you. Then take this into account as much as possible when making plans and lists of activities. You can find more tips on the page Five tips for homeschooling.
Seek support
Motivating a teenager to homeschool after two weeks of vacation can be quite a challenge. It is also not always easy to devote attention to your child and their schoolwork while you are working from home. It is understandable that tensions and frustrations sometimes build up. Talk about it with other parents, friends and neighbors; support one another and learn from one another. Can't work it out on your own? Then ask a teacher or the neighborhood team for help. Also take a look at the page Parenting? Keep talking about it.
Offer support
If it fits your situation, also look out for your child's friends for whom homeschooling seems to be more difficult. Do you know a family where support or a listening ear cannot be taken for granted? Or where they feel ashamed to borrow a laptop from the school? Offer help, send a message or give them a call. Ask your children's teacher whether there is anything you can do for someone else. And ask your teenager to think about whether the two of you can do something for someone else together. This is a challenging time for everyone; it helps when we look out for one another.