As a parent, it’s difficult to watch your kid struggle with school; problems like rude classmates, bad grades and the feeling of missing home can negatively impact him. On top of that, your attitude towards their studies can bring them up after a bad grade or make them doubt themselves. So, the best way to support your kid is by taking an active role in their education. You can do that by finding more about their school experience: if they have friends, what are their favourite teachers or what subjects they like.
What you should avoid in this process is being intrusive and correcting mistakes aggressively. If your child is struggling, that doesn’t mean they’re not capable of doing great things and becoming a responsible adult. Helping might sometimes mean only listening to their problems or encouraging talking about their opinions and feelings.
If you feel like you’re struggling with the responsibility of being a good parent, here’s what you can do to help them in the journey to having a good scholar experience.
Help them organise their time
Time management is an essential skill for your kid to learn. Even if, at this moment, they don’t have to worry too much about life, you might find out that they’re not fully taking advantage of their free time. And because you know how important it is to spend your days in a valuable way, you can help them implement an organised schedule with these tips:
- Teach them to write a to-do list. Start by creating a template (or using a printable version from the internet). Then help them figure out what’s more important to do throughout the day.
- Create a daily routine. It’s easier for your kid to get things done when they know what to expect in a day. School, homework and playing (involving physical activities) should be prioritised.
- Help them have an organised workspace. It would be better to have a special spot with all the school supplies they need. You can help them clean and organise their desk a few times. After that, let them be responsible about cleaning the space.
Enrol your kid in tuition classes
There’s always one difficult subject to get through, no matter how hard your kid tries to understand it. Fortunately, now you have the option to hire affordable online tuition in order to deepen your child’s studies. Online tuition has many benefits: you can choose a tutor that can establish a friendly relationship with your kid and schedule the classes anytime you want. It’s money-saving if you’re on a budget and time-saving if you’re busy with work.
A tutor will be more interested in helping your kid overcome obstacles rather than only teaching them a subject. This could develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills because your kid will progressively trust themselves to be open to new challenges. And because in tutoring classes, it’s more comfortable to ask questions, the whole learning experience might be fun and interactive.
Pay attention to their meals
With so many colourful advertised snacks and sweets, your kid can be tempted to skip meals or consume other unhealthy alternatives. A diet based only on fats and sugar is harmful to the kids’ brain development. Therefore, try to include in their meals more vegetables (greens have more nutrients like Vitamin E), nuts (instead of processed snacks) and fish (known to have Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids).
To have a balanced diet, you need to explore the alternatives to your usual meals. For example:
- For breakfast, instead of cereals with sugar, try oatmeal with fruits;
- At lunch, instead of a sandwich, try broiled chicken;
- For dinner, instead of ordering food, an easy idea to do is one-pot soup.
By having more meal alternatives and exploring recipes, you can encourage your kid to try cooking by themselves. Being open to experimenting might develop a creative and innovative mindset.
Encourage your kid to exercise
If you’re worried your kid is not active enough, know that physical activity benefits both the mind and body. Regular exercise builds strong bones and muscles, improves sleep quality (which is crucial for the healthy development of the brain) and reduces health risks for the future.
Studies showed that being active helps with concentration improvement and memory when it comes to the academic area. Exercising doesn’t have to be intense to show results; moderate activities are recommended for kids, such as running, dancing, or bike riding.
You can make exercising fun for your kid by incorporating it into their daily activities without forcing them. If you’re going to let them enjoy it, the only thing you have to do is provide them with protective gear and teach them some basic rules, like how to run so they won’t get injured or how to ride their bike safely in traffic.
Be a supportive parent
Lastly, try not to pressure them about grades. Sure, good grades indicate that they are doing their best and learning, but don’t push them to consider school a place only for testing their knowledge. These are their best years when they should be able to make friends and develop their personality. Your kid can have a great academic path and fun at the same time.
If you’re too strict , you might induce fear and anxiety when talking about school. This will lead them to being reticent to talk to you about their feelings. Being a supportive parent means providing a safe and healthy place to live, love and respect. As for the academic track, you should acknowledge their efforts and achievements. After all, everyone struggles with grades and difficult subjects at some point, but the goal is to overcome every impediment.
To conclude, you can do many things to help your kid have good grades and become successful. Even if you feel pressured to be a good parent, you can learn how to behave and act around your kid when you’re both faced with difficulties. Remember that your child has a certain temperament type and personality, and while you think you know what’s best for them, sometimes it’s better to observe and subtly give guidance.
Also read: The Go in Golden Years: 9 Ways Seniors Can Stay Physically Active