If you want your child to do well at school then there are a few things that you can do to try and give them the edge that they need. It’s not just about helping them to learn their timetables or even about helping them to do spelling tests. Sometimes it’s about supporting their emotional wellbeing too. If you want to help your child to become more resilient and independent as a thinker then the only thing that you have to do is take a look below.
Read with Them
Reading with your children is one of the best things you can do for them. If you want to support your child’s learning then you need to encourage reading for pleasure rather than just reading to them to get them through their homework. Be a good role model and also make sure that you are encouraging them to be independent where possible. If you can do this and if you can give them a genuine love of reading then this will help them more than you realize. Talk about the stories in the books that they are reading and ask them to elaborate on the characters too. If you can take the time to analyze them and you can encourage your child to do the same then you will find that it is easier for you to engage them in learning.
Homework Routine
When it comes to homework, you need to make sure that you are putting a focus on the process rather than the outcome. The best thing you can do here is to try and set good habits rather than putting a focus on one piece of work. Set aside study time and make sure that this is when all other distractions are not present. If no homework can be done then you need to use this time to research with them or even read with them. Just make sure that you do not let homework build up into a marathon or you will soon find that you end up struggling when you just don’t need to.
Be Encouraging
The best way for you to motivate your child when it comes to their learning is to try and focus on all of the things that they might be doing well. You need to make sure that you show interest in what they are doing and that you also show interest in all of the things that they have achieved. Take the time to avoid pointing out their
mistakes and instead, ask them to evaluate their work. If you can do this then they may see for themselves the areas in which they can improve and this can help them in more ways than one.
Incidental Learning
Learning isn’t about schoolwork. Believe it or not, one of the best ways that you can support your children at school is to try and encourage them to make the most out of every learning opportunity that they have. Make use of games that you may have lying around and also practice key skills. These may include math or even literacy. If you know that your child has a keen interest in baking then another thing you can do is try and help them to choose ingredients and to follow recipes. Measuring ingredients will also help them, not to mention that you can also teach them about number knowledge and problem-solving tricks when they are out shopping. If your
kids have an interest in tech, show them things like how to update a PC, how to update a graphics card, or even
how to change IP on iphone. If you can do this then you will soon find that you teach them things without them even realizing it. Tech is a great way for you to teach your kids about science and electricity too, so keep that in mind.
Interesting Conversations
Being able to articulate thoughts while engaging in dialogue is one of the best things you could hope for when it comes to your child. Good skills build in young children more than you realize so try and keep that in mind. Don’t be tempted to ask your child what they did at school today as they may just blow you off. Instead, sit down with them and ask them what would happen if a concept was different. For example, what would happen if rain was a milkshake, and lakes were made out of chocolate? Little questions like this can help your child to have a natural curiosity about them and believe it or not, this is one of the best ways for you to spark their learning.
Foster Passion
Children learn their best when they are motivated and when they are engaged. Encourage your child to explore their top subjects in various projects and help them to expand their skills. It may be that you try to involve them in more practical projects and that you also try to reflect their interests quite a lot as well. It may be that you help them to make a bird box or that you try and help them to redecorate their room. It may be that they have a passion for football and if this is the case then try and read about some famous players. When you do this then you will find that you can engage them with their learning experience.
Visit an Interesting Place
You also need to try and visit interesting places if you can. History comes to life when you can touch real artifacts from the past or when you can visit a medieval castle that you might have only heard about in the past. Watching insects as they clamber all over your hands is one of the best experiences you could hope for, so get your kids out and about. Encourage them to be involved and try to make sure that you let them get up close and personal. If you can encourage them to do this with their learning then you will be giving them something that they can’t get from school.
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