Helping Children Gain Academic Success

Be interested Find out what is going on at school. Ask your child questions about what they did at school. Was there something they really liked? What is the latest book they read? What are they learning about in math? My mother always discussed my day when I came home with school and I do the same with my children.

Discuss your expectations Talk to your child about what you expect. Is your child going to be required to do their homework before playing? Do you expect certain grades on his report card? Does she have to put studies before extracurricular activities? Will he be expected to attend all of his classes? Realize that as a parent your expectations need to be realistic. If your child studies really hard and still doesn’t receive a high grade it is okay. As long as your child is trying that is what is important.

Praise your child’s efforts Not all children are going to be straight A students. It is the effort that matters not necessarily the grade. Praise your child for their efforts recognizing that they did their best. On the flip side if your child is not expending much effort and his grades suffer then there should be consequences.

Stress good attendance If your child is not in school they will not learn the material covered. Their grades will suffer as a result. Don’t take your child out of school for unimportant events. Stress the importance of being at school. One of my friends attended school with her son because he kept sluffing a particular class. The sluffing quickly stopped.

Establish good health habits Research has shown that students who get enough sleep and eat breakfast do better than their hungry sleep-deprived peers. Make sure that your child is eating breakfast every morning. Many kids have a hard time making the time to eat so have quick breakfast items like yogurt smoothies or breakfast bars on hand.

Develop a rapport with your child’s teacher Most teachers are more than happy to talk to a parent about their child’s progress or needs. They want students to succeed. Students whose parent’s are involved are more likely to be successful than those that aren’t. I remember my mother saying that when she attended back to school night a teacher complained that it was always the parents of the students who were doing great that attended and the parents of the students who needed help that never appeared.

Monitor your child’s homework Many students do poorly because they fail to complete or turn in their homework. Plus if your child does not complete the assignments they will not know the information at test time. Set aside a certain time each day when your child is required to work on their homework. My son is in second grade and is required to read 15 minutes each day. He does this while I am preparing dinner. Because we have a set time it gets done. If your child is easily distracted establish an area where they can work without distractions like T.V. If your child is using the computer check periodically to make sure they are doing their assignment.

Teach management skills Many children cannot successfully manage their time. Teach your child to start working on large projects early. Then complete a small amount every day. This way there won’t be a big rush to finish the night before. Children will also neglect their homework in favor of time spent watching television or playing with friends. So helping them learn to prioritize is important.

Organization is also key. One teacher I had made the comment that he could tell how successful a student would be by looking at how organized their desk or locker was. If the student’s desk or locker was neat and clean then they were more likely to be successful. My husband did poorly in junior high and has told me that he often found completed assignments in his locker weeks after they were due. If he had been better organized he could have turned them in and gotten better grades. Provide a notebook for your child to write down all of their assignments. Then if needed help them clean out their locker once a week.

Another valuable skill is note taking. Practice giving lectures to your child using their textbook and have them take notes. Work on writing the things that are important in a condensed version.

Doing all of these things won’t guarantee that your child will be top of their class, but it will help your child to achieve their maximum potential.