School is officially back in session. A new school year can also bring new stressors. New teachers, new classmates, new routines. Change can be hard. We all want our children to succeed in school, and there are some specific things parents can do to set kids up for a successful school year. Here are 7 of them.
BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM
Kids with high self-esteem generally do better in school (and in just about everything else they want to accomplish in life). There are hundreds of ways to build your child’s self-esteem. Here are 10 places to start:
- Spend time with your child.
- Make eye contact with your child when you speak to him or her.
- When your child tells you about something that happened at school, ask how he or she feels about it. Take the time to listen to the answer.
- When you ask a question, don’t interrupt when your child is answering.
- Take your child seriously.
- Give your child a private space where he or she can express himself or herself.
- When there is a problem, focus on the issue, not the child.
- Give your child a hug daily.
- Let your child overhear you saying nice things about them to others.
- Look up and smile when your child walks into the room.
GET TO KNOW YOUR CHILD
Each child has a unique personality, style of learning, talents, interests and abilities. Some children have no trouble succeeding in school, while others have a tougher time. Find out what aspects of the school experience are most difficult for your child and work with them and their teacher to set your child up to do well.
SET GOALS
It is never too early to help your child learn to set and achieve goals. You can set daily, weekly and monthly goals. These can focus on not just grades, but on projects, skills to be learned, assignments to complete, and other school-related challenges. Be sure to check on how your child is progressing toward meeting each goal and reinforce every step toward success.
TURN DISAPPOINTMENTS INTO LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
When your child is not doing especially well in a subject, find out exactly where the problems are. Talk to both your child and the teacher. Use this as an opportunity to teach your child that no one is always perfect and that it’s okay to stumble and make mistakes.
MAKE READING IMPORTANT IN YOUR FAMILY
Reading is such an important component of school success that you should do all you can to encourage your child to develop excellent reading skills. Spend time yourself reading and take your child to the library. Let your child read in bed on occasion. Give books as gifts. Read to your children before bed or while they eat breakfast. Ask your child to read to you.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CHILD’S WORK AND ASK TO SEE IT
Ask to see your child’s homework. Show interest and encourage your children to talk about what they are learning in school. Ask about how they are progressing and what kinds of grades they expect to bring home. When you see that problems might be developing, talk about what is most challenging and ask how you can help.
PROVIDE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
Don’t forget to give your child a pat on the back when he or she does something well or completes a tough assignment. By pointing out what was done and taking the time to give a compliment, you will motivate your child to continue to do good work
Maaliea Wilbur, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, is Founder and CEO of TherapyWorks. For more information, visit mytherapyworks.com.
