When it comes to the time for your teenage child to make their subject choices of which high-school classes to take it can be a difficult decision for them to make as it’s really the first time they’ve had to make a decision that can affect their future life in an actual and real-world way. They may well look for, and really need, some parental guidance and advice, it’s even known for some parents to hire experts to help. So how is it best to help them? This quick and simple guide will give you a good outline of the type of things that can really make a difference. 
Talk To Them
Talking things through can be the most beneficial thing in aiding a decision in any aspect of life so make sure you offer a friendly ear at this time. It may be that your child just needs a sounding board to confirm their ideas or they may genuinely have no idea what direction to go in. Either way, it’s good to be there for them, even as a reassuring presence. It’s a process, after all, and some kids will have known ever since they are little exactly what they want to do and choosing subjects is easy then, but others will chop and change and then this makes subject choice a little more difficult and this is the time that advice is key.
Give Examples Of Your Experiences
Although school was a long time ago for yourself and as odd as it may seem to a teenager, you will have a lot of school and life experience that can really help. You can give examples of what taking certain subjects did for you as an advantage and maybe one you wished you had taken but didn’t. Some things won’t have changed as in non-technology based subjects you can let them know what sort of things will be learned. So don’t try and tell them about the computing you learned on the now antique BBC Micro or the typing courses you may have taken in business studies, but everything else can still be relevant.
Have Them Think About The Future
Some kids have a really firm idea of what they want to do in the future and they should make subject choices, even early on, with this in mind. If they are unsure of what subjects are required to take certain courses later on at university then they should look at these courses up through a guide, such as which university finder. Even if they don’t know what they might do, looking at university courses could help them decide which course sounds interesting, even things that they have never heard of or considered before. It may even tell them that they are not wanting to go to university just yet and might want to take a gap year or work for a while.
What Do They Enjoy
Thinking about what subjects your child enjoys is as important as considering which ones will do well for them in the future academically and professionally. As, if they hate a subject then they are less likely to do as well and a good grade in any subject is much better than a poor grade, even in a really good subject. They should be considering a career that matches their interests anyway and this will mean that they will be much more likely to have an enjoyable and fulfilling life, there’s no reason to try and convince them to struggle through a subject they will hate just because you feel it’s what’s best for them.
Which Subject Areas Are They Naturally Good At
Everyone has their areas that they are naturally good at and ones that, for whatever reason, and it’s a good idea to keep this in mind when choosing what to study at school. They may not always be the child’s favorite subjects but there has to be a choice made to have a good mix of subjects they can get a good grade in amongst ones that they consider to be fun and enjoyable. Also if they study things they enjoy then surely in the long-run they will find a career more suited to them and one that they can excel in, which may not be the same idea of success as you would have picked for them, but they are now getting older and will start making their own decisions whether you like it or not.
