Sloan Semester

We live in a time of education. You can purchase flash cards for babies and learning games for older children. School-age children are expected to pass standardized tests. The better the school performance has a direct correlation to what college they will go to, what kind of education they will have, what kind of job they will be able to get, how much money they will be able to earn, and what kind of life they will have. Everyone wants what is best for the children. Here are some ways you can help your child realize his dreams of succeeding in school.

An important thing is to show that you care. Children need words of support. Ask them how school was. Listen to what they have to say. Encourage and praise successes. If it seems like they are genuinely having difficulty with something, get involved. Realize too, that sometimes things will get blown out of proportion. Keeping the lines of communication open with your child will help you to get the big picture.

Reading is one of the best things that you can do for your child. Start young and do it often. Read stories out loud together. Have discussions about books you have read. Let your child read to you. Build up a library of books in your home, or visit a local library frequently. Give books as gifts.

Encourage learning at home. If your child has problems in a particular subject, work with them on it. Make family outings to educational places like museums, historical places, or to the zoo. Start a family library and fill it with educational books. Take opportunities to do research together when your child asks questions. For example, when answering why the sky is blue, you could look online for information on prisms, or buy one to use at home. Monitor homework, making sure that your child understands assignments and completes them, but do not do the homework for them.

Good health is essential for everyone, especially children. Make sure your child eats balanced meals and limit the junk food. Encourage outdoor activities and exercise. Enforce bed times so that everyone gets plenty of sleep. No one can focus and learn when they are tired or do not feel well.

Remember that you child learns from you. What are you teaching him? Do you spend all day in front of the TV or do you read books? Did you go to school? Do you have a positive attitude about your child’s school and teacher? Go out and learn something together.

Understand that your child is his own person. He is going to make mistakes. He is not going to succeed at everything he tries. He might not even enjoy learning about the same things that you do. Encourage them to do things on their own. Talk about failures and what they can do for improvement, but do not focus on them. Being different does not mean being unintelligent; discourage negative attitudes. Teach children how to accept their mistakes and the consequences for them – do not always bail them out. Start teaching your child responsibility by giving them chores around the house.

Stick with routines. Most children do better when they know how and when things are going to happen. Whenever possible stay on schedule and do things at the same time every day. For example, do homework at the same time, have dinner the same time, go to bed at the same time.

Help out at the school if you can. Make sure that you know your child’s teacher, and go to parent/teacher conferences. Attend school events that your child participates in and help out when you can. Join the PTO.

Remember that your child will not succeed at every single task. Praise them for good effort and making correct choices even if they fail. This will help build their self-esteem and encourage them to try again.

Do not forget to keep open lines of communication with your child. Ask them how school was, and give them a chance to speak. Discuss concerns that they have about other classmates or schoolwork. If needed, get feedback from your child’s teacher if you think the situation warrants it.

Also remember that school is only going to be as important as you make it. If you get excited about, talk about it, and enforce rules about it, then your child will too.