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How to Help Your Kids Get
Much, Much More Out of School
Busy parents want their children to do well in school. Unfortunately many
parents run out of energy. Here are strategies for today’s parents to help their
children get more out of school…
1. Get to know your child’s teachers. Meet with teachers at least
twice a semester, even if there are no problems to discuss. Only showing up when there are
problems may cause the teacher to focus just on these issues and reflect only on the
difficulties.
Helpful: Talk about the child’s strengths, and share information about his/her
behavior at home.
Example: If your eight-year-old writes stories at home, tell the teacher about it.
2. Let homework time be social. Every parent has been told that kids need
to study at clean desks in quite, closed rooms with no disturbances, but this is not
always ideal. Banishing children to their rooms to complete assignments can feel like
punishment. They then attempt to rush through homework so that they can return to
civilization and human companionship.
Better: Let young children work at the kitchen table or in a room with others
around – as long as there are no major distractions. Refer to this period as study
time, not homework time. If children finish their homework early, encourage
them to read for the remaining time.
3. Combat frustration by talking about your own struggles. When children
become frustrated with schoolwork, they get upset. Then they are inclined to quit what
they’re working on and move on to something else.
Spot the signs of frustrations – an adamant refusal to continue working
on something… an unwillingness to talk about why… and statements of disgust with
their own performance or skills.
Helpful: Coax the child back to the difficult project/assignment by sharing a story
of how you struggled when you were young. Explain how you worked through it. Gently
encourage him to try again, providing hints to help him reach the solution. His sense of
accomplishment will help build self-confidence necessary to succeed the next time.
4. Ask the children to teach you what they are learning. By having a
child show a math trick or a science fact, you encourage two important developmental
skills at once.
You are becoming a participant in the homework, which makes the child more
exited about it… and you are helping him demonstrate important information, which
means the information is more likely to be remembered.
5. Ask specific questions. The more you know about your child’s
daily life, the more involved you can be and the more help you’ll be able to offer.
Unfortunately, children rarely fill you in on the important events in their days.
Mistake: Asking, How was your day? can confuse children, especially young
ones. They don’t know how to begin or how to organize their answers.
Better: Ask, Did you play kickball again today?… What did you
learn in math today?… or What funny thing happened today?
Questions like these require specific answers and are easier for children to consider.
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