Avoiding Teen Brain Drain During Quarantine

Losing academic skills during the weeks or months that school may be closed because of coronavirus quarantine is a serious concern, especially for teens who have complex coursework to complete. While carrying on with school lessons may not be feasible, there are ways to keep your teens from brain drain - and limit their video game time - during the coronavirus quarantine.

Go With Old-Fashioned Fun.

Now is the time to break out any puzzles or board games you may have. Show the kids what the old folks used to do before online streaming or video games consoles. Teach the teens how to play a good game of Texas Hold ‘Em or break out the Uno cards that have been gathering dust for the past year. Don’t have anything? Play a game that just requires paper and pencil or your imagination. Charades may make everyone feel silly at first, but it can be a hilarious family bonding time. Have a dance party or a movie marathon. Think about the fun you had as a child and introduce these ideas to your teens.

Get Outdoors and Active.

The park isn’t an option, but a quarantine does not mean you have to stay within the four walls of your house for weeks. Be sure to get some time outside daily, whether it is a quick walk around the block or kicking a soccer ball around the backyard. An hour of physical activity a day is important for mental health, and it can prevent the “cabin fever” that can set in after weeks indoors.

Pick Up Some Life Skills.

Does your teen know how to make breakfast? Can she change the oil in a car? Is he able to sew a button? Now is the time to learn new life skills while the coronavirus quarantine means everyone is staying in. Avoiding teen brain drain is not only about academic skills. Instead it can be a time to slow down and learn some of those everyday skills that we sometimes do not have time to work on during normal life. Don’t make a list and demand what teens learn. Ask them what they hope to know how to do and figure out a way to teach it to them.

Get A New Hobby.

Now is the time to learn how to use a saw to make something fun or how to improve painting skills. Requiring teens to spend some time daily working learning a new skill or honing a current hobby will help them explore activities they may not have otherwise considered.

Read A Book Together.

Parents often read to babies and toddlers as a way to spend time with them. As children age and can read on their own, however, we generally stop doing it. Now’s the time to pick that habit up again. Read a classic together as a family. Now is the time to pick up 1984 or To Kill a Mockingbird and enjoy it with your children. If reading aloud would elicit too many eyerolls, try having everyone read a set number of pages of a book and then talking about it at dinner. Enjoying a book together, and finding out about how everyone analyzes it, can be a way to engage everyone and open lines of communication.

Teen brain drain is a real concern as many nations around the world head into a coronavirus quarantine that could last for months. These activities are just the tip of the iceberg for ways to help teens survive what is likely the first large-scale disaster they have experienced. Instead of allowing anxiety or idleness to take over, be proactive. And enjoy the time you get to spend together!