While teachers have a huge impact on your child’s school achievements and success, your involvement also helps your child to succeed. Proactive and caring parents give children the necessary personal stimulation to grow further in school.
How can you help your child achieve beyond what they learn in the classroom? These insights could help you encourage your child’s education.
1. Be actively involved
Actively involve yourself in your child’s education. Get to know their school, their teachers, and any strengths, weaknesses or behavioural patterns your child has that could restrict them from reaching their full potential. This will help you to identify with your kid’s schooling and learn how to assist in their success.
Knowing the school and its staff
Introduce yourself to the school principal and your child’s teachers early on, and open a passage to communicate any problems or concerns. Display your interest and willingness to assist in the learning process openly and honestly. Your kid’s teachers are invaluable.
Besides knowing the teachers, consider making an effort to contribute to the successful functioning of the school as a member of the parents and friends’ association. Even volunteering at school events allows you to understand the school better and how it contributes to your child’s success.
Understanding your child
Express your interest in your child’s schooling by asking questions to identify what’s going well and learn any concerns they have about subjects, social interactions and other difficulties at school.
Some parts of school life will be more manageable for them than others. For example, you might have a daughter who is good at maths but struggles with languages or a son who excels at sports but battles with the sciences—both will require differing encouragement for their strengths, and motivation and assistance for their weaknesses.
Through positive and proactive communication, you’ll better understand your kid and recognise where and how best to encourage, motivate and assist. As your efforts take effect, your child will grow in confidence and your input in their schooling success will be more impactful.
2. Regulate after-school activities
While your parental activity doesn’t stop while your child is at school, it really kicks in when they arrive home. Establishing a routine that will breed success is your primary way of contributing.
Building a successful routine relies on knowing your kid well enough to incorporate things that will benefit them. Perhaps your child is extremely active after arriving home from school. In this case, some mindfulness practice could restore some of their focus and concentration before starting with homework.
Does your child suffer from “after-school restraint collapse”, also known as after-school meltdowns? Psychologist Collett Smart has five tips to prevent it.
Homework
At homework time, instead of leaving your kid to work alone for the duration, check in regularly and assess their progress through pertinent questions that require more than single-word answers. Choose your timing, though—if you see your child concentrating intensely on something, leave them to finish before intervening.
When you involve yourself, provide a guideline on how to start and proceed, but never complete your child’s homework for them. Promote their independent work, which encourages responsibility and growth.
Part of establishing an effective homework routine is keeping tabs on your child’s screen time, including TV, gaming and internet use. These days, doing homework could incorporate using the internet, so part of your parental responsibility lies in ensuring your kid is using it constructively.
Suggest your child switch off their phone or leave it in another room while completing homework. Once you’ve checked their homework, allow some screen time, but include boundaries where they have to break for a predetermined time every hour.
Reading and active learning
Start teaching your child to read by reading to them early on. If your child develops a love for reading, especially in the digital age, you’re making a significant contribution to their future success. Reading promotes free thought and imagination—both essential components of growth. Reading also improves language skills and cognitive development.
Reading enhances a child’s thirst for knowledge, making them more responsive to active learning endeavours. Everything from visiting the library to a museum or planetarium encourages more learning, and this learning will encourage their knowledge quest.
Other ways your child learns actively is through extracurricular activities like drama, sports, playing an instrument or helping with DIY projects. These activities all promote learning through socialising or creativity.
A strong bond for success
As a parent, you want to witness your child’s growth and achievements, so you’ll require minimal motivation to contribute in the ways you can. If you’re progressive and proactive, the reward for your efforts will be a more fruitful and honest bond with your child. Their school and life successes will surely follow.
Read next:
