7 Ways To Help Your Child Succeed in School

Every parent wants their kids to succeed in school, whether they’re 8 or 18. I tell my sons on a regular basis, the habits and behaviors they are establishing now will impact their lives for years to come. The only issue is that kids don’t realize this while they are young. Many think that they have all of the time in the world to learn, and some don’t want to learn at all. This can mean they don’t fulfill their potential while they’re in school.

[Tweet “#NowReading: 7 Ways To Help Your Child Succeed in School”]

While I am no expert, between my college freshman and 2nd grader we have had our fair share of school successes and obstacles over the past 15 years.

Help Your Child Succeed In School

1 – Get To Know The School And Teachers

By getting to know the school and teachers of younger children, you can stay in touch and liaise with them if you feel your kids need anymore help or if they are struggling in any way. You can also get feedback and find out how your child is doing in class. By knowing your child’s strength and weaknesses like this, you’ll better be able to help when you’re at home. Always attend conferences that will provide you with feedback too!

Volunteer when possible and become a part of your school’s Parent Teacher Organization. This allows you to see first hand the strengths and areas for opportunity in your school and become better acquainted with the teachers and administrators.

2 – Allot Time Just For Homework And Revision

If they are going to get into the habit of doing their homework, you’re going to need to allot time just for homework and revision. Some parents leave their kids to their own devices. While this can work, in some cases homework and revision don’t get done at all. It can help if you provide them with structure. For example, a snack when they arrive home from school, and hour of homework and then outside play and family time.

[Tweet “The structure of an after school routine will help your child balance their responsibilities as a student.”]

3 – Make Sure They Take Regular Breaks

It’s a good idea to encourage your child to take regular breaks if they have a large piece of work to complete. Working for more than an hour at a time could mean they become less focused. They might even experience brain fog or something else that hinders them while they’re trying to work. Keep an eye on the clock while they are working and encourage them to get up and away from their work for a bit, maybe go for a walk. This is especially important if your child is a perfectionist, as they can get really stressed about making their work amazing. While this is a good trait, it can also exhaust them. In cases like this, you might need to give them a time limit to ensure they get their work done to a good standard in a reasonable amount of time.

4 – Help Prepare For Tests

If your child has a test coming up, help them to prepare. Give them a pop quiz. Offer to read them questions and then mark their answers. Do what you can to put them under exam conditions so they are prepared for what is to come. If you know the differences between major essay types, you can put them under exam conditions more effectively.

5 – Know When To Get Extra Help

Keep an eye on your child and know when to get extra help. Some kids struggle more than others in certain areas, so you may need to speak to their teacher to make sure they are getting the extra attention they need. Helping them at home is great, but they may need more help at school too.

6 – Help Less

In some cases, it might be a good idea to control yourself and try to help them less. If you’re constantly helping them, they might depend on you to help them learn important things. They might lose confidence in their own abilities. Only help them when they really need it and make sure you let them work some things out for themselves.

7 – Try Not To Hover

Hovering over your children while they have important work to do won’t help at all. It might be a good idea to check on them occasionally, but you don’t want to watch over them like an examiner while they try to get things done. This will put them off and make them hate doing work at home. Let them get on with it unless they specifically ask you for help. You need to show kids you trust them too!

[Tweet “Our role as parents is to encourage them and fill them with confidence to help them succeed in school.”]

When your kids have important work to do, you naturally want them to give it their all so they can do their best. You need to remember that ultimately the hard work is down to them to do. Our role is to encourage them and fill them with confidence to help them succeed in school. Help them where possible but don’t hover or pressure them. Making them feel pressured will put them off doing this kind of thing completely!