How 9th & 10th-Graders Thrive Under Quarantine

As the estimates for quarantining seem to get longer by the day, what can your 9th and 10th-grader do to thrive at home?

They may not appreciate it, but this downtime gives them unprecedented opportunities to grow as a student, citizen, and person.

I've broken down my ideas into a few buckets. My hope is that your child will take some of these suggestions for action.

PREPWELL ACADEMY (College Prep)

• Get current on all PrepWell videos
  
• Fill out PrepWell Journal
  
• Listen to select podcast episodes
  

Not enrolled in PrepWell Academy yet?

Now might be a good time to get started.

Freshman programs

Sophomore programs

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Set goals (daily, weekly, monthly)
  
• Create daily schedule (see below)
  
• Discover online learning platforms
  
• Watch a new TED Talk every day
• Listen to compelling podcasts
  
• Listen to books on tape
  
• Draw, sketch, paint
• Learn to juggle
• Learn to Code
  
• Learn to Cook
  
• Make stovetop popcorn
• Learn to shoot and edit videos
• Organize computer files
  
• Create a LinkedIn profile
  
• Learn how to Zoom with friends
• Start virtual school club
  
• Solve a Rubik's Cube
  
• Improve at your instrument
• Invest in a ghost stock portfolio
• Start a collection
• Research your ancestry
• Learn how to flip sneakers
• Organize your room
• Decorate your room
• Audit your wardrobe

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Complete outstanding schoolwork
• Get ahead on schoolwork
  
• Communicate with your teachers
• Read a book for fun
  
• Read a Kindle book
• Start a blog
• Keep a "Quarantine" journal
• Write a book review
• Write a movie review
• Maintain foreign language skills
  
• Dig into Khan Academy
  
• Study for the PSAT 10
  
• Take an online class
  

RECREATION

• Watch movies
• Watch documentaries
• Learn to play dominoes
  
• Learn to play cribbage
  
• Learn a magic trick
  
• Learn a card trick
  
• Play board games

WELLNESS

• Go outside
• Walk the dog
• Exercise
• Stretch
• Stare into the sky
• Spend a day without a phone
• Sleep (a lot)
• Drink a lot of water
• Eat real food

SERVICE

• Work on home projects
• Call or Facetime grandparents
• Help elderly neighbors
• Write letters to military personnel
  

GRATITUDE

• Acknowledge your blessings
  
• Be grateful for what you have
  
• Pray
• Reflect
• Meditate

Here's a sample daily schedule that I would like to see:

Ask them what they think? Help them come up with a daily routine.

Don't brow-beat them, but try not to let them waste weeks upon weeks of precious time swiping on their phone. 

Good luck and please share ideas that you've come up with.

If your child is not yet enrolled in PrepWell Academy, they are missing out on weekly guidance and advice on college admissions, career, culture, and life.

Enroll them today.

Keep Prepping,