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By Tiffany Young Rauschenberger
Young people are sponges for information, and they love learning, even when they don’t seem interested in their studies. In fact, these students will seek out information on topics they’re interested in. So, the best way to help tour teens learn is to find an engaging way to teach them. With the right approach and resources, any teenager will enjoy the learning process. Here are five unique ways to help your high schooler learn!
- Enroll in an Art Class: Art is a powerful way to strengthen a person’s mind and hand-eye coordination. It is also therapeutic and helps kids express themselves and their creativity. Some kids will want to become artists and others will simply enjoy casually creating art from time to time, but no matter how they approach art, try to encourage kids to find something they enjoy about being creative! There are many art forms to choose from. Help your teen explore creative writing, painting, crafting, or another type of art that they’re passionate about.
- Check Out Some Comic Books: Comics aren’t just about superheroes and silly stories nowadays. Digital comics tell interesting stories about different cultures, religions, and historical figures with emotional depth and brilliant plot structures. While textbooks can be dry or make students feel like they’re simply reading because they have to, graphic novels are written to grab and hold a reader’s attention, and they’re the perfect supplementary educational resources to help your teens learn. Comics use words and images to tell a story or share information. Plus, they are dynamically designed with exciting stories that grip readers.
- Give Your Teen a New Computer: Computers open up the world for them in incredible ways! Computers are excellent tools for learning how to find important or useful information. Teens can find videos and tutorials online to learn a number of valuable skills and facts. Some teens may want to learn to code and craft their own websites. Others may be interested in film, photography, or creative writing. If their computer is having difficulty running graphics-intensive applications like Adobe Photoshop and 3ds Max, this can impact your teen’s productivity. So, as a general rule of thumb, computers made for students should be upgraded or replaced every 4 or 5 years.
- Learn a New Language Together: Learning a new language has several benefits for developing minds. It helps teens improve their communication skills and expand their future career and travel prospects. Learning a new language with your teen will give you both something to learn and practice together. You can even plan a family trip to a foreign location to motivate yourselves. Teens can learn new languages from books, but they can also learn from apps, by listening to podcasts and music, or by watching television in another language. Find a TV show in the language of your choice and watch with your teen! They’ll get lots of listening practice, and they’ll learn how native speakers use the language!
- Cosplay with Your Teen: Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a book, movie, or TV series. Cosplayers make their own costumes. The act of creating a costume is a great way to learn how to sew, knit, design, and improve one’s attention to detail. Encourage your teen to make a costume of their favorite character and watch them get creative throughout the process. Make it fun by holding a photoshoot after every costume is complete and observe how your child learns to design, create, and problem-solve through the art of cosplay!
Learning should be fun! And, there are many great ways to help your teens learn and expand their knowledge and skills. Get creative and find ways to help them develop new interests or explore beloved pastimes!