5 Tips to Help Parents Create a Supportive Environment for Teens

Teenagers can be hard work, but it is (mainly) not their fault. If you consider the hormonal shifts they experience throughout puberty, the challenging social dynamics in the school environment, and the pressure to achieve high marks in their end of year exams, it’s no wonder they can be a bit moody.

As a parent, it can be a challenge to figure out how to help. Sometimes, the best approach can be to create as supportive an environment as possible around them. With this in mind, we have five tips to help you help them in their stressful final years of school:

Give Them the Tools

Different students work in different ways. Some may make flashcards, some may type notes on the computer, and some may use fancy colored highlighters. Whatever your child’s preferred study method, you can help them out by having the right tools on hand.

This may include external support like online VCE tutoring, setting up a specific workstation in the spare room or a quiet corner of the house, or simply taking them on a quick trip to Officeworks to stock up on stationary.

Noise Control

Speaking of a quiet corner, studying can be hard in a noisy environment. If you have other children at home, you might like to talk to your school finisher and work out a study schedule where they can have complete peace and quiet at certain times of the day. If that is challenging, they could consider studying at the library to see if this helps them concentrate.

Studies have shown that access to a quiet area helps children of all ages develop self-awareness and self-regulation – two skills that come in handy when studying for end of school exams.

Nourishment

You can also support your child by nourishing their body and mind with healthy meals and snacks. Good nutrition is a fundamental requirement for healthy brain function, with vitamin deficiencies inhibiting mental concentration and cognitive abilities.

Now is a good time to pop down to the supermarket and stock up on nuts, blueberries, and fatty fish like salmon and sardines – all proven to support strong cognitive function.

Life/Study Balance

You can’t study all the time, and nor should you. Taking some time out to get some exercise or catch up with friends is equally important. Make sure that you support and facilitate these breaks for your teenager’s emotional well-being. Pressuring them to be slaving away at their desk won’t improve their results, but it may damage your relationship with them and negatively impact their stress levels and well-being.

Emotional Support

Sometimes, the last thing teenagers want to do is talk to their parents. I mean, how embarrassing – they are only the people who brought them into the world, loved them, and raised them.

Sarcasm aside, no matter how moody or uncommunicative they are, they need to know you’re there for them. This support may be as simple as checking in to see how they are feeling, giving them some positive encouragement, or making a bad dad joke to lighten the mood.

Exam time won’t last forever, but it is a highly stressful and emotional time for your teenager and, by extension, for the whole family. By creating a supportive environment around them, you can not only help them get through a difficult year but also ensure you have a good relationship with them at the end of it all!