At a tender age, children are naturally curious to learn about things surrounding them. It’s at that point, at home, that learning starts, necessitating the need for parents to help their kids gain and build a sense of mastery and competence as they grow. Parents contribute significantly to shaping their children’s lives, followed by teachers.
It is no doubt that all parents want to give their children the best, right from childhood. While parents understand that education is one of the best things, most of them don’t know how to pique their kid’s interest to excel in school. In this guide, we explore some of the best ways to help your kids achieve academic excellence.
Contents
- 8 Best Ways to Help Your Children Succeed in School
- 1. Attend School Meetings and Conferences
- 2. Help Your Children do Their Homework
- 3. Help Your Children Prepare for Tests
- 4. Invest in Your Child’s Post-Secondary Education
- 5. Help Your Children Set Goals
- 6. Engage in School Activities and Programs
- 7. Monitor How Your Child Uses the Internet and Gadgets
- 8. Teach Your Children Organizational Skills
- 9. Choose The Right School For Your Child
- Conclusion
8 Best Ways to Help Your Children Succeed in School
As a parent, you should be more concerned about your children’s schooling more than anybody. The parents’ engagement is of crucial relevance to a child’s success in school. Studies show that children get motivated when they get adequate support from parents.
Now, let’s look at some of the best practices to foster your child’s performance at school.
1. Attend School Meetings and Conferences
When the school calls for a parents’ meeting, you shouldn’t hesitate to attend. Attending such meetings reflects how concerned you are about your children’s education and welfare. In such meetings, you get relevant updates regarding schooling.
During such meetings, you also get an opportunity to speak to your children and motivate them to put more effort into subjects that need improvement. However, you should first find out their interests and natural strengths to help you customize your parenting style to best suit their needs.
Besides staying informed, parent-teacher meetings give you the chance to come up with effective strategies that can help your kids succeed in school. Remember to leave your contact information to get more updates about their progress in school.
2. Help Your Children do Their Homework
Kids become more successful in school when their parents show concern about their homework. When your child reports home from school, remind them about homework. Help them realize that completing homework is an essential step to succeeding in school.
Whenever they do their homework, try to be present to help them. But that doesn’t mean you should do their homework. You can contribute significantly by explaining to them tricky problems that can be quite difficult for them to understand.
Here are some tips to help your child do their homework efficiently.
- Set up a study-friendly area where it can do homework without distractions
- Help it to prepare an effective study plan with breaks in between
- Let your kids do their homework. You should only give directions and suggestions
- Check completed homework and assignments and address all the child’s concerns
3. Help Your Children Prepare for Tests
When examinations are getting closer, create time, and sit with your children to help them prepare. Since they get distracted quickly, your involvement will keep them more focused during the study minutes or hours.
Here are some of the best strategies to help your children prepare for tests.
- Read with them regularly to build a reading culture in them. It will not only make them love school but also expand their vocabulary.
- Explain to them what tests are and why they are of crucial relevance to their education. Let them know what to expect from exams to build their confidence.
- Teach your child relaxation techniques, including how they can breathe deeply before tests to stay calm. Don’t seem worried as that may discourage your child.
- Create practice test questions and hand them over to them for revision purposes at home. That will also boost your child’s confidence during tests.
4. Invest in Your Child’s Post-Secondary Education
As you look for ways to make your child succeed in school, also start thinking about how you will finance their post-secondary education. The best way to motivate your kids is by investing in their future higher education through saving in RESP accounts.
The Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is an initiative by the Canadian government to help parents save for their children’s post-secondary education. It’s unique because the government offers incentives to encourage parents to save more.
Some of the incentives that the Canadian government offers to beneficiaries include:
- The Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG)
- The Canada Learning Bond (CLB)
- Provincial education grants in Quebec and British Columbia
Usually, the government offers a 20 percent CESG of every contribution that the parents make towards an RESP account up to CA$2,500 per year. A beneficiary’s maximum grant entitlement in a year is CA$500. Low-income families are eligible for additional grants.
CESG Distribution Chart Based On Net Family Income
Income Adjustments as of 2017
(Annual) |
$45,916 and less | $45,917 – $91,831 | $91,832 and above |
CESG on first $500 | 40% = $200 | 30% = $150 | 20% = $100 |
CESG on $501 – $2,500 | 20% = $400 | 20% = $400 | 20% = $400 |
Maximum Annual CESG | $600 | $550 | $500 |
Maximum lifetime CESG | $7,200 | $7,200 | $7,200 |
All the parents’ investments grow tax-free, including grants plus the interests gained from the savings.
5. Help Your Children Set Goals
Another way to help your child succeed in school is to assist them in setting their academic goals at the beginning of every school year. You can do that individually or as a family. However, setting goals as a family encourages children to learn faster.
When you set goals as a family, ensure that everyone gives at least three short-term goals they plan to achieve. That includes tasks and improvements they must accomplish. Use that opportunity to set your kids life and academic goals for that school year.
Encourage your children to set specific goals like “I will consult my Mathematics teacher every day to help me improve on the subject” rather than a broad goal like “I will get grade A in Mathematics.” At the end of each school year, check if they achieved their goals.
6. Engage in School Activities and Programs
Studies show that parents’ involvement at home has significant impacts on children’s school success. It becomes even better when parents participate in school activities like sports, plays, and award ceremonies. It helps them know their kids better.
If possible, you can also volunteer in the school to develop a long-running relationship with the school. It enables you to understand how the school runs and where you can contribute to making it better for studies to benefit your children in the long run.
Most schools have volunteer programs where parents can participate. They include:
- Tutoring or mentoring children
- Going on field trips with the students
- Nurturing talents and hobbies
- Planning and organizing school events
- Donating resources for school projects
You can also join a parent organization in the school to help in decision making. Such groups hold regular meetings to devise strategies that can help children improve.
7. Monitor How Your Child Uses the Internet and Gadgets
Today, most children are exposed to video games, television, and the internet. They end up misusing the platforms without close supervision. They cannot distinguish between good and bad, necessitating monitoring from parents.
It is no doubt that the internet is full of useful information that can advance your child’s knowledge. Research shows that children who are regularly exposed to the internet and not excessively are more knowledgeable than those who are not.
However, excessive exposure to bad content on the internet may negatively affect your child’s thinking and performance in school. Spend time on the internet with your children to avoid such cases. Visit websites with useful resources that can educate your child.
8. Teach Your Children Organizational Skills
Being organized means keeping everything on track, including projects, homework, and assignments. Organized children perform best at school. They focus on things that can leverage their schoolwork. You should buy folders for them to keep all their work.
As a responsible parent, check your child’s folder every evening to ensure that their work is well-organized. Set up folders for each task, including one for undone assignments, one for completed projects, and another for papers and books no longer needed.
Remind them to arrange their school desk in an orderly manner to avoid mix-ups. Teach them personal planning techniques, including how to prepare to-do-lists.
9. Choose The Right School For Your Child
If the school that you have chosen encourages children to take part in many extracurricular activities they will be able to become strong leaders one day. Give your child the chance to experiment with new things and learn new ways of dealing with people. Don’t shield your child from the disappointments of the world. This will give your child to become a true leader in the world.
Needless to say, most parents consider education above everything else when choosing a school for their children. Of course, everyone knows the importance of education. If your child performs well academically, he/ she will become a little more confident as well.
You not only benefit from classroom learning but also discussions with experienced and other aspiring entrepreneurs. While anyone can start and run a business without any formal education, the skills and knowledge you get from school can give you greater advantages. For example, at TheChristSchool, they continuously teach wise money management classes to our students for real-life preparation. Not that all learning happens at grad school. As you take your course, remember to keep checking tips from successful entrepreneurs and attending networking events. When you start your business, keep learning from your successes and failures and also from the experiences of others.
Conclusion
While the eight tips mentioned can help your kids become successful in school, you should set a good example for them as their first and closest mentor. Most kids learn many things from their parents, including organization skills, planning skills, and studying skills. Remember to talk to your kids about the positive impacts of schooling in their lives.