How Can I Help My Child Succeed In School?
Five Strategies to Help Your Child Succeed in School
Are you wondering how can I help my child succeed in school?
Kids are a full-time job! But among the seemingly never-ending list of important tasks, one of the best things you can do for your child is to ensure their schooling experience is successful and worthwhile. Given these unusual times, this is a task is even more demanding. COVID 19 has certainly changed the face of what school will look like come September.
The following strategies have been proven to help many parents turn their children into victorious scholars! Read on to discover these successful techniques:
- Spend time discussing school. Kids are generally happy-go-lucky people and it’s sometimes hard for parents to figure out that something isn’t going right at school. Their classes will look much different this year than last September. They may have concerns, even safety issues regarding going back to the classroom. This is why having casual discussions about school with your child is very important. Asking the following questions can help ensure there’s nothing affecting your child negatively at school:
- Do you have any questions about going back to school?
- Do you have any concerns about school?
- What do you think school will look like when you return?
- Are you excited to see your classmates again?
Once they are back in the classroom
- Are you getting along well with other kids?
- Are there things that bother you about the way school is this year?
- Do you enjoy answering questions in class?
- What’s your favorite subject?
- Do you want to participate in any extra-curricular activities? (Should there be any.)
- Check regularly for homework. In most cases, kids get homework every day, even if the assignments are small. The likelihood of homework with a new hybrid school year is high as teachers try to make up for lost “in-class” time. However, students don’t always remember to do the assignments and end up losing marks. To help that situation, you can:
- Ask your child every day what was done in class and whether the teachers asked students to bring in any assignments the next day.
- Do an occasional scan through your child’s school notebooks and agendas looking for assignments and upcoming tests.
- Check your child’s agenda (or electronic boards if your school uses one) for homework and due dates.
- Make periodic calls or visits to the schools if you notice your child hasn’t been doing any homework assignments. A quick phone call or email can solve a lot of problems before they become overwhelming. Communication is one of the best ways on how can I help my child succeed in school.
- Keep an open relationship with teachers. Many kids don’t feel comfortable telling their parents when school isn’t going well. Perhaps it’s out of fear, embarrassment, or shame. Developing a close relationship with the teachers can help you keep track of what’s happening at school.
- Provide them with your contact numbers and let them know you’re available anytime.
- Make sporadic visits (or during COVID likely and email to the teacher) to keep communication open.
- Make random “gifts” of appreciation to the teachers for the help they’re giving your child; even verbally expressed gratitude can go a long way!
- Ensure proper nutrition. If your child isn’t getting the grades you hoped, maybe something is affecting his or her ability to adapt, concentrate, and grasp what’s being taught. Proper nutrition plays a big part in enabling your child to succeed. As a parent, you could:
- Pack their lunch box with healthy snacks like fruit and veggies, instead of chips and cookies.
- Investigate the lunch options at school to ensure they’re nutritious. (During COVID this may not be an option.)
- Take your child to the doctor for a check-up to be sure they’re not being affected by any vitamin deficiencies.
- Balance work and playtime. If you leave it up to kids, they’ll want to play all the time and work very little or none at all! Help your child learn to balance work and playtime. Overdoing playtime could be contributing to those not-so-good grades at schools. Always endeavor to:
- Check for homework and make sure it’s done before the TV gets turned on.
- Restrict playtime to earlier evening hours so your child’s rest isn’t affected.
- Check with teachers to find out if your child plays around a lot in class.
While you may feel overwhelmed at times when it comes to raising your child, you can help them succeed if you focus on these simple strategies.
If you are looking for help with homeschooling check out our other articles on homeschooling and on private school
