J. B. Pennington High School

Here are some fun activities/tips/tricks that make learning engaging, as well as, informative.

1. Set aside time to write and read together.
2. Find a board game that the whole family can play and have some fun (board games usually involve problem solving, math, writing, and many other transferable skills).
3. Read from a variety of sources – expose your teen to different ways of writing and thinking
4. Take attendance seriously
5. Read together – dedicate time to read separate stories in the same room or the same story
6. Encourage them to explore art, music, sports – different activities can go simultaneously with higher-level skills. All activities that your teen will participate in will help grow their interpersonal skills and prepare them for college as well as the work force.
7. Talk to your kids. Discuss what they did that day in school, what they liked, what they didn’t.
8. Make every day activities educational – engage your teen to skim the paper for things, help you make shopping lists, or dictate recipes. Little things like this build transferable skills that help in a collection of different areas.
9. Encourage their curiosity.
10. Motivate with reward, applause, or recognition.
11. Routines are good for all ages– they set boundaries, time limits, schedules, and things to look forward to.
12. Look up words – don’t let your teen remain confused. If they come across words they don’t understand, help them look it up and work through them. It helps to learn that even adults don't understand everything immediately.
13. Share family stories and talk regularly.
14. Go on adventures. Going camping, to museums, or sporting events exposes them to a completely new world of excite to experience.
15. Encourage organization.  Learning organizational skills that will help your teen stay focused and see their work through to the end will help them in just about everything they do in life.