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Having your child start school is an exciting time, but as a parent, it can also be a confusing one. The routines and challenges of school life are a big change from life at home, and it’s often difficult to know how best to support your child through this transition and to help them succeed at school over the long-term. That said, there are plenty of things you can do as a parent to help your child thrive in their school environment and grow into an engaged, passionate lifelong learner.
Perhaps one of the best ways to help a child in school is by starting their learning activities before they ever step foot in the classroom. Activities as simple as reading with your child, doing at-home learning activities and exercises, and even watching informative movies are great for helping your child develop the attention and critical thinking skills so necessary to success in school, and starting early is the best way to lay that foundation.
One of the best ways to understand what your child needs at school is simply to talk to them about it! As your child journeys through their school years, keep an open line of communication between the two of you and encourage them to talk about how they feel they’re doing at school, what’s going well, and what isn’t going well. If they are having trouble with something, dive into that to find out what the underlying problem is. Keep in mind that your child may not have the introspective abilities to fully communicate what the issue, so ask lots of open-ended questions to create a dialogue of discovery with your child.
As your child gets older and moves into higher grades, they’ll start getting more homework and assignments outside of school. This may seem like a drag, but it’s still an important part of learning – and providing them support is critical to helping them succeed. Make homework into a nightly ritual, and provide your child a set time that they can work on homework without distractions or interruptions. Clearing out space or setting up a desk that they use only for homework is another great technique, and having a space solely for homework will help them get into the right mentality for completing it.
School is an exciting time for you and your child, and with care, preparation, and continuing support, you can helping them succeed in academic life and grow into an intelligent, engaged learner. As always, if you have any questions about how to support your child or any other aspect of parenting, The Blue Elephant is here to help. Feel free to call us at 469.287.0332 with any questions, reach out to us at our contact page, or join the TBE family. We hope to hear from you soon, and we hope you and your child enjoy the process of school and all it entails!