Teen Driving Log: Teaching your kid to drive

A free teen driving log template for parents and teens to learn how to drive.

Simon Skaria

Want to get started right away?

Copy this template

⁠

and go to

Teen Driving Log⁠

Welcome to teen driving!

Teaching your teen to drive can be a rewarding experience for you and your kid. This document provides a list of skills your teen should master and provide you an action plan to gain that mastery.

This is not an official driving lesson. These are collective thoughts of amateur parents who are in the shotgun seats for the first time. The authors strongly advise you to follow a local driving school’s courses. Use the below material as additive to professional lessons. The quants and methods below are not scientifically or statistically proven.

How to use this template

⁠

Copy this template

⁠

Go to

Teen Driving Log⁠

and click Add to log to start logging days you are practicing driving

To customize the different skills assessed in each log entry, go to

Driving Skills List⁠

(skills are taken from the

CA.gov⁠

parent-teen driving handbook). You can also see the days you practiced a skill in the Driving Skills Log column.

⁠

Screen Shot 2022-06-01 at 1.22.39 PM.png

⁠

A few things before you get started

Your teen is not the only one who needs to be prepared. You need to reorient yourself as you take that responsible seat next to your teen. Here are a few tips as you get ready for the instructor role:

Get professional lessons: Get professional help both for the theory and practice. Ask whether you can ride on the car while your teen is trained by a professional to see how they handle instruction.

Enjoy the process of learning: Driving is one of the last things you teach your kid. They have a year to become self-sufficient. Slow down the learning curve, and enjoy the ride.

Stop, Coach, Continue: It’s best to pull the car over safely, park, and ask reflective questions vs. continuously coach them while they are actively trying to navigate the present.

Do not teach when in a hurry or stressed: Running late to the school? Coming back from a tough loss in their games? Ask them if driving would be helpful or additive to the stress.

No last minute decisions or directions: Know your plan ahead. Do not make last minute decisions or dribble in last minute directions.

Plan and communicate before each lesson: Discuss with your teen the plan for the next day and next step. Know the new thing you will be trying out. Watch some videos together.

Every other issue must wait: Don’t bring up other issues. If those issues are more important, skip the driving lesson for the day.

Start with you and your teen: Avoid having others in the car when you start. When other passengers are gradually introduced, set rules to avoid distractions.

Familiarize the route and plan: Once the route is planned, familiarize it on Google Maps (aerial view) and time permitting, let the adult drive a loop for your teen to familiarize.

Habit of Seat-belt: All the safety systems in your car is programmed to trigger ONLY WHEN the seat belt is on [in most cars].

Recognizing 360 view: Brake lights, Stop signs, merging traffic, what is behind, what is on the side. Train your teen to continuously form a 360 view and practice defensive driving.

Use the same car: Until you and your teen are comfortable use the same car for instruction. When the vehicle is changed, take time to familiarize the new vehicle and controls.

⁠

Start with:

Teen Driving Log⁠

⁠

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.

Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (

CtrlP

) instead.