Ready for School? Looking Beyond Pencils and Notebooks
Is your teen ready for school?
When my teen son was five or six, he did NOT like to go to school (he still doesn't but he doesn't complain as much). One day he sobbed out, "Who invented school anyway...people who don't like their families?!?"
While it’s easy to pick up some extra pencils and composition notebooks while we are at the store, teens need a lot more than physical supplies if they are going to do well in school. In the instance above, my son was needing extra love and emotional support as he had to head off to school. A new shiny folder was not going to help him. :)
A lot of challenging emotions rise up when teens feel like they don't have what they need to succeed (it often looks like a lack of motivation), so it’s important to look at the other things your teen might need during the school year.
Here are a few ideas:
Physical needs:
A good workspace for homework/online work
Supplies that are organized and where they need them
Exercise, sleep, a healthy diet, breaks from school
Time off from screens
Mental needs:
Breaks to do something fun/silly/mindless
Positive thoughts about school and their abilities
Help organizing their school work (particularly younger teens) so their brains can focus on the actual work
Social needs:
Time with friends and family
Fun social activities to look forward to
Help with bullying and/or other relationships at school
Emotional needs:
Someone to listen and understand
A list of things they can do to help when they are stressed (and help with stress management)
Help naming and processing emotions
Check out the handout on Maslow's Hierarchy of needs in the files section of Raising Inspired Teens for more information on needs.