Ask the Experts

Helping Older Kids

How to encourage your middle or high school student to assume greater responsibility for his take-home assignments.

  • Check with teachers and friends to make sure that he accurately records assignments and due dates.
  • Develop work plans on a daily and weekly basis to include study times and deadlines for projects and papers.
  • Identify places that promote good study habits. Depending on how your child works, it could be a noisy coffee shop or a quiet library.
  • Name his own goals and rewards – hanging out with friends, time on the Internet, or video games.