When your child is in high school, they might think they know everything already. However, there’s so much more to learn as the year progresses. As their parent, you have the unique perspective of understanding where they’ve been and where they’re headed as they transition into adulthood. With that perspective, consider some of the best ways you can enrich your child’s high school education.
Provide Practical Financial Education
Too often, young adults head off to college with no real understanding of how to manage money, save it, or create income streams. They also don’t know how to properly manage their credit. When they get their first credit card, they max it out, incur high-interest fees and go into credit card debt. Through various practices at home, teach your child how to manage money in a practical manner. With the right practices in place, they’ll never be broke.
Offer Accurate National and Global Perspectives
Once your child is of age, they’ll be able to travel on their own, participate in their civic duties (voting), and interact with people of different cultures. In order to fully understand and appreciate other cultures, political perspectives, and history, it takes more than learning from a history book to grasp the concepts. Traveling is one of the best ways to develop a healthy worldview, empathy for others, and an appreciation for the political rights every citizen has. Enroll your child in study abroad programs that allow them to broaden their perspective to more than just the local community they live in.
Teach Real-World Skills for Independence
Each week, develop your own curriculum around real-world skills your child will need to know in order to be independent. Learning how to do laundry, cook, and clean are some basic domestic skills. Outdoor tasks like changing tires, jumpstarting a car, and yard maintenance are important skills to teach as well. Many children grow up without learning these basic skills and end up relying too heavily on their parents when they become adults, leaving them overwhelmed with the knowledge gap they have to suddenly overcome the moment they move out on their own.
Dig Deeper Into a Personal Interest
As the parent, pay attention to what your child gravitates toward. If they seem to really enjoy a specific hobby, give them the opportunity to explore it more. If they love playing the guitar, pay for a few guitar lessons. If they really enjoy reading, find a great book club they can join. This will help to make learning more fun.
Pay attention to what your child is learning in their classes in school. If you can find ways to enhance what they’re already learning, this will increase their chances of retaining the information their brain is absorbing. Be mindful that you don’t overwhelm them with too much at one time. However, be cognizant of how impactful the information can be on their life. Take your time combing through the information, but don’t waste time. Before you blink, they’ll be packing up for college.
