Help Your Child Succeed in School

Is your child excited about school?

Does she eagerly share with you daily about her day at school?

Does he look forward to the challenges each day brings?

Does she work hard to stay on top of assignments and homework?

Children spend a good part of their day, in fact, much of their childhood at school. While most kids embrace the challenges and camaraderie of school life, our enthusiasm, interest and most of all, our involvement, allows them to feel happy about school.

So, what can we do to ensure that they are happy and succeed in school? Here are a few strategies:

1. Learning is fun

Our children do better at school when we make learning more enjoyable for them. So, mums, use books, the Internet, holidays… even a trip to the supermarket to help bring to life whatever subject they are learning about.

2. Hands up, who likes reading?

According to teachers, reading at home is one of the most important ways that we can help our child at school.Even if our child can read, we should still try to read to them as often as possible. This will help to teach them new words and help them improve their reading.

When we read to our child, we could try making the experience interactive – example: by asking questions about the story, the pictures, and what they think of the characters. Ask them to describe the story in their own words.

3. Homework first, screen time later

We don’t have to become boring parents who only go on about studies. But we do need to prioritize homework over recreation. We also might need to set time limits on TV, computer and phone. Ideally, we need to instill the right habits early on and consistently, so that our children become self-motivated and dedicated to their studies.

4. Come together for family time

Carve time out of everyone’s busy schedule to spend time together as a family. During this time, we could encourage the children to talk about their day at school. This not only allows us to become aware of what’s going on in everyone’s life, but it also fosters good communication in the family.

5. School activities can be fun

We should make it a point to volunteer or attend school plays, sports events, cultural events, even if our child isn’t participating. These events are not only fun but also a great opportunity to know other children, their parents and the teachers outside of a formal setting.

By showing interest in our children’s education, we can spark enthusiasm in our children and help them discover that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding.