Is your teen making bad grades? You need to encourage your teen to work on their grades, but there’s no easy fix to get a kid to care about their schoolwork. When teenagers start making bad grades and falling behind in school, it puts their parents in a bind too. Teens are at an age where they might not work on things that don’t interest them, and schoolwork typically doesn’t interest them very much.  Fortunately, you’re not alone. A lot of parents find themselves asking, “Why is my teenager making bad grades?” or “How can I help my teen improve their grades?” There are several potential strategies that you can try. Read through the following list to see what might work for your family and give it a shot!

How to encourage your teen to work on their grades

Kids have problems in school for a variety of reasons, especially once they reach high school. The classwork is harder than when they were younger, and there are a lot more distractions. Teenagers start developing a real social life, and they want to exert independence. Add changing hormones on top of all that, and studying can fall by the wayside.  Don’t nag them This might seem counterintuitive, but nagging only makes the problem worse. Your teen already knows what they should be doing, but they don’t want to do it. When you nag them, it drops their desire to do the work even lower. This doesn’t mean that you should never bring it up, but you need to develop a system that puts more control in their hands so that you don't have to nag them.  Help them create a schedule If your teen tends to procrastinate, you might need to help them make a schedule and stick to it. Some teens don’t mean to forget about their homework, but they get distracted by things that are more fun. Then when it comes down to it, the homework remains incomplete. Having a schedule can help busy teens work on their grades.  Link consequences to their grades Teens are more likely to care about their grades if you tie their grades to something they already care about. Your teenager may never think that math or history are truly relevant to their life, but they’re more likely to care if they know their social life depends on it.  Set a daily check in time Rather than constantly hovering over them and nagging them about their grades, set a daily check in time. Maybe you check in with them about their homework 15 minutes after they get home from school. That way they have a few minutes to unwind and eat a snack before they dive back into work. You could even set a time when they get home from school and another time before they go to bed.  Review their homework with them The goal is for your teen to be able to do their homework on their own, but they might need your help until they get to that point. While you’re still encouraging them to work on their grades, they might need more hands-on attention. 

Does my teen need outside help?

Not all scholastic issues are due to procrastination. Some teens genuinely have trouble with the material or lack the focus necessary to succeed in high school. Lots of teens with ADD or ADHD find it to be difficult -if not impossible- to bring their grades up on their own. They have a hard time with the work in class, and they have a hard time with the homework too. Overall, it’s just more than they know how to handle.  Similarly, teenagers who struggle with mental health issues like anxiety or depression can stop caring about their grades while they battle those bigger issues. They might know that their grades matter, but they can’t do anything about it. If your teen is struggling with depression, they might feel like school is irrelevant and like nothing really matters. If this is the case for your teen, no amount of prodding or cajoling will help. Teens who struggle with learning disabilities and mental health issues tend to have a hard time in school. If you have tried to get your teen to work on grades but can’t seem to make it happen, try getting outside help. Types of outside help:

• Tutor. Great for teens who want to learn the material but are having a hard time with it. 
• School guidance counselor. If your teen has ADD or ADHD, their school guidance counselor could set them up with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) to make sure they get the accommodations necessary to focus in school. 
• Therapy. Whether your teen is struggling with ADD, ADHD, depression, anxiety, or anything else that’s getting in the way of their education, therapy could help them learn how to manage their symptoms to work on their grades. 
• Therapeutic boarding school. If your teen’s mental health issues are jeopardizing their chances of graduating, they might benefit from a therapeutic boarding school where they can address their mental health issues while pulling up their grades.