HOMESCHOOLING

TEENS

Printables for
parents and their teens

www.thathomeschoollife.com.au
 Thanks for joining me.
I'm Lusi.

My 3 homeschooled (now graduated) teens are all working and

studying. They are active members of their community and most
importantly to us, are kind and caring individuals.
They each have passions and enjoy learning new things.

They tell me how grateful they are that they had the opportunity
to be homeschooled, to have the time and space to discover their
passions and interests, and that we helped them engage with
learning that mattered to them.
HOMESCHOOLING

I hope these printables will help YOU and YOUR teen as you
navigate TEENS
the older years of learning.

For more printables like these (including access to our entire

Resource Library for all homeschool ages and seasons including
homeschooling through chronic illness and templates to help
engage your reluctant writer) please visit us HERE or stop past my
BLOG or FACEBOOK page.

lusi xo

www.thathomeschoollife.com.au
 welcome

Hi there!
Chances are you are here because you have homeschooled teens or are curious
about what it's like to have them ;)

I'm including templates and pages here that I hope might help you and your teen.
Your teen can record their own reflections of their learning experiences.

I hope you'll use the 'Discovering my Teen's passions' sheet to unlock some
areas of interest and give insight into the heart and mind of your teen.

Use the 'Project-based learning' template and 'Community Involvement'

sheets to encourage them in their quest for passion and independence.
Consider ways you can encourage them to be productive and industrious by
starting with their passions.
lusi x o
 LEARNING
CHEAT SHEET
for parents of teens

Discover your teen's PASSIONS: Go through the following pages and reflections
to really discover what lights up the eyes of your teens! Encourage project-based
learning if they are keen to keep working on something over time.

Honour their NEEDS: If they need quiet, find ways to honour that. If they need to
have their cup filled in social spaces, find ways to honour that. Meet their needs the
best way you can so that in the long term they can learn to ask for and even
advocate for those things themselves.

Seek to be a COLLABORATIVE ALLY: Let them know you are there to help them
when they need it. They need to know we are cheering them on and are willing to
support them as best you can.

CELEBRATE your teens: Find ways to celebrate your teen that are meaningful to
THEM. Set short term celebration goals too. Find ways to have some fun together.

Give them CONTROL over their schedule and let them plan out their own week.
This leads to greater independence and time management skills.

Think about LIFE SKILLS and suggest some skills they could practice and master
before leaving home. Brainstorm together.

Encourage them to record their own REFLECTIONS using the templates

provided which will help them monitor their own progress.

Have fun learning and living

www.thathomeschoollife.com.au
 DISCOVERING
YOUR TEEN'S
PASSIONS
Some kids seem to be born with passions
and interests. Some seem to really know
from the earliest of times what they'd like to
spend their time doing.

We have one child like this.

Another wasn't too sure but had a good idea.
But whenever we'd chat with the third child,
he was quite adamant that he didn't have
any interests or passions.

And I think he was right. And wrong.

He definitely had passions and interests - he
just didn't know how to communicate that
to us.

So we began observing our son and working

out what he wanted to do by looking at the
things he was investing in, what brought
him joy and what he spent his 'spare' time
doing.

We then encouraged him to find

information and resources about those
things that had already sparked interest for
him. We also encouraged him to develop
skills through further learning that
challenged and stimulated him using his
interest as the base platform.

Included here are some reflection and

observation sheets and tips to help you
uncover your teen's passions. Even if they
know what they want to do, this activity can
help you find more ways to relate to your
teen.
 IDEN TIFY IN G MY TEEN 'S

PA SSI O N S
Uncovering your child's passions is a little like becoming a
detective. Observe your child over time and answer the
following prompts to see if there is a picture painted about the
kinds of interests your teen may have.
1. If your child has 'spare time' (ie not doing chores, paid
work or when anything is required of them externally)
what do they spend their time doing?
Really look at what they are doing and try to break the
activity down.

Top tip: Avoid writing 'just playing on the computer'. Really

look at the games they are playing and list them. Are they
strategy based? Building? Are they puzzle solving? Is time
spent coding?
 IDEN TIFY IN G MY TEEN 'S

PA SSI O N S
2. Pay attention to what your teen is watching on Netflix or
other platforms, the books or magazines they are reading
and the music genres and lyrics they are listening to. Often
these give us an indication as to the interests our children
have or are drawn to.

Top tip: If you are unsure, ask your teen what they've been
watching. If they open up and talk openly about something,
that could be an indication that they feel passionate about
something. Of course, it could just be a passing interest and
that is fine too. It certainly doesn't hurt to show your teen
that they are worthy of time and conversation.
 IDEN TIFY IN G MY TEEN 'S

PA SSI O N S
3. What lights up your teen's face? When was the last time
they had a smile that beamed from ear to ear? What were
they doing? What really brings them joy?
Who brings them joy (that can be a clue too - it can be that
they are drawn to someone who 'speaks their language'!)

Top tip: Give your teens time to be bored. Don't try and fill
the spaces for them. Free up space in the family timetable if
you need to. When we are bored, we natually want to fill our
time with activities that interest us.
 Weekly Planner
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY FRIDAY NOTES

GOALS/APPOINTMENTS
teen stuff
.teen.
- a ball of love [and hormones]
 MONDAY TUESDAY

my
weekly
planner

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

SATURDAY SUNDAY NOTES

 MONDAY TUESDAY

my
weekly
planner

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

SATURDAY SUNDAY NOTES

www.thathomeschoollife.com.au

my reflections
 www.thathomeschoollife.com.au

my reflections
 www.thathomeschoollife.com.au

my reflections
 P R O JEC T B ASED LEAR N IN G

T EM PLA TES
The following pages are to help you to work on a project.
There are so many great things about Project based learning (PBL)
including working independently, a sense of discovery, investigation,
analysis, following procedures, brainstorming ideas, implementing steps,
trial and error, collaborating with others and so much more!

what it all means:

The PROJECT DESCRIPTION can be written last. It is an overview of the project.

The BIG QUESTION is the thing you want to solve. Always work this out by asking "How can..." and think about
WHO your project will likely benefit. It's important to take into account your audience and their needs. The big
question looks to solve a problem.

Set the TIME FRAME AND GOALS with a parent, mentor or collaborator (a person who will work alongside you if
needed on your project). Make bite-sized time goals too.

Think about all the TOOLS REQUIRED OR NEEDED to get this project off the ground. Consider traditional tools
you may already have access to (and list them anyway) as well as tools that you don't have yet (like a 3D printer)
that perhaps your collaborator can help you gain access to.

Under COLLABORATION AND LOCATION write down WHO you'd like to collaborate with. For example if you
are working on building a gaming PC, reach out to your local computer store or a friend you may have who is
competent with computers and ask them if they'd be willing to support you in your project. The worst they can
say is no! Also consider where you will be working on your project and list all the different spaces and places.

The RECORDING PLAN is noting down HOW you will track your progress. Using an art journal to stick down
receipts, sketch up ideas, keep colour samples, etc is a fantastic way to see your idea evolve over time. Also
consider photos, videos, PowerPoint presentations, creating posters, work samples, etc.

Now write down some INITIAL STEPS you'd like to take to kick start work on your project. Don't worry this will
change over time (it's supposed to!) This will just help you to begin.
Lastly, think about how you'll PRESENT YOUR PROJECT (and who to!)
Will you have a launch event? Think BIG! Your friends and family want to see what you've been working on so why
not make a night of it?!

Get cracking on your project! You've got this!

MY
PROJECT
Prepared by:____________________________

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

THE BIG QUESTION:

TIME FRAME & GOALS:

MY
PROJECT
Prepared by:____________________________

TOOLS REQUIRED OR NEEDED:

COLLABORATION AND LOCATION:

RECORDING PLAN:
MY
PROJECT
Prepared by:____________________________

INITIAL STEPS TO TAKE TO BEGIN THE

PROJECT:

PRESENTATION PLAN [THINK BIG!]:

NOTES
Prepared by:____________________________

sketch space
community
involvement
Getting involved in a local community
project or organisation is a great way to
give back, make friends and help others.

Some places or groups to consider joining:

a local environmental or land care group

the local youth council, YMCA or youth
club
volunteering to read at the local library
dedicating some time to serve meals on
wheels or visit the elderly in an aged
care home
consider heading up a fundraiser like
'Share the Dignity' or '40 Hour Famine',
etc.
join the local band, Scouts or Guides
group
knitting beanies or gloves for the
homeless
serve at your local Food Bank
see your local Neighbourhood Centre
who may have more ideas

Share your love.

Share your time.
 LEARNING
CHEAT SHEET
for keen teens

Check out ONLINE COURSES that give a taste of working with others,
access to an online classroom and a certificate when completed (which
can be useful to add to a resume for a teen if applying for casual or part
time work).
SPRINGBOARD OFF YOUR PASSIONS. Learning anything about
whatever you are interested in will always be more satisfying than
spending time learning about something you have zero interest in!
VIDEO LEARNING through Khan Academy, John Green's Crash Course or
other platforms are great ways to find new and interesting content.
WORKING ON A PROJECT over a long period of time can give an
opportunity for focussed, interested, passion-based learning.
Take CONTROL OVER YOUR SCHEDULE and plan out your own week.
Think about LIFE SKILLS and spend some time scrubbing up on those if
needed. This leads towards greater independence and feelings of
achievement.
Record your OWN REFLECTIONS about the things you've found
interesting to learn about in your week. Use the templates provided and
keep them so you can see your progress.

Have fun learning and loving

www.thathomeschoollife.com.au