All kids have different academic needs. Some love to sit and read while their PE grades drop, and some love to get up and run a mile while their reading age struggles to progress past the first or second grade. And depending on the way your child learns, it’s a guarantee that there’s a subject or two that they struggle with.
But how can you help them? How can you boost their academic ability to ensure they keep up with their peers? Let’s go through some of the best ways to help your child manage in school below.
Remove the Need to Be Brilliant
When you put a bit too much emphasis on getting good grades, kids tend to believe that’s all that matters. As a result, if they’re not reaching these grade levels, they push themselves too hard and get stressed out, and feel like nothing they do matters. And that’s simply not an attitude you ever want to instil in your kids!
Instead, it’s a good idea to focus on what your child is able to do. A good grade is one thing, but making sure they’re always willing to put effort in and enjoy it at the same time is another entirely. Always congratulate your child on a result, no matter what it is, and ask questions about what they liked about the task, or what they’d do differently if they had to do it again.
Make Time for One on Ones
Your child may need specialized help from their teachers, and it’s often on you as the parent to make time and room for that. But making addressing this need easier doesn’t itself have to be hard!
After all, you can download some software that allows high school instructors to teach at school or at home and your child can access educational resources outside of school hours.
A one on one once or twice a week could make all the difference for your child’s skills. It allows them their teacher’s sole attention and focus, and without many of the typical classroom distractions around (like noise, other students, etc.,), these hours will really count. And ultimately, you won’t need to ferry your child around and cut down time for the other responsibilities in your life.
Add in Some Fun
The more fun your child has, the more likely they are to remember and learn from the experience! So take those typically ‘boring’ subjects that require a lot of sitting and listening and turn them into games and experiences.
A science lesson where you read a textbook will rarely go down well, but taking your child to see models of the stars and plants at the science museum will certainly pique their interest! Play math and english games, listen to history podcasts, and bake cookies and cakes when it’s time to learn about food groups.
Your child’s academic ability often just needs encouragement. Make it fun, make it approachable, and make it less scary!
