- Establish a positive relationship with your child’s teachers and attend meetings and events to stay informed.
- Participate in school volunteer programs and help with homework to further support academic development.
- Encourage children to learn by creating a supportive learning environment and providing educational activities.
- Set expectations while encouraging creativity and offer breaks to playtime to avoid burnout.
- These strategies will help your child achieve academic success and build confidence for future success.
Parents play a vital role in their children’s academic development. According to the U.S. Department of Education, children with involved parents are likelier to earn higher grades and have better social skills, behavior problems, and overall health than those with less involved parents.
Research shows that when parents are involved in their children’s education, students are more likely to receive better grades, stay in school longer, have higher aspirations for college and career opportunities, become lifelong learners, and develop the necessary skills for later success in life. Furthermore, research from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) reveals that students whose families frequently talk about college show increased motivation to attend college as well as improved problem-solving skills.
However, you might not know how to support your child’s academic development. Here are a few tips:
Being Active with School-Related Activities
Parents’ engagement in school-related activities is integral to helping their children succeed academically. Here are some ways parents can be active with school-related activities:
Establish a Positive Relationship with your Child’s Teachers
Having an open line of communication with teachers is essential to ensure your child meets expectations and stays on track. By having a positive relationship with your child’s teacher, you can get regular updates on their academic progress, any areas of difficulty they may have, and ways to help them succeed.
Attend Meetings and Events
Regularly attending meetings like parent-teacher conferences or other events at school shows your commitment to supporting your child’s academic development. This also allows you to ask questions or offer suggestions about how you can better help your child achieve their educational goals. Additionally, these meetings provide an opportunity to stay informed about changes in the curriculum or new approaches being implemented in the classroom.
Participate in School Volunteers Programs
Volunteering is a great way to support your child’s educational development while contributing to the school community. Volunteering provides an opportunity for involvement beyond just attending meetings or providing essential financial support; it allows you to become more hands-on with assisting teachers and manipulating the environment within which students learn.
Help with Homework
Helping with homework is one of the most important things parents can do to support their child’s academic development. It shows that you are invested in your child’s learning and allows you to teach them how to problem-solve. Additionally, it helps your child practice what they learned in school and reinforces concepts by giving them a chance for hands-on application.
Encourage Children to Learn
Parents can encourage their children to learn at home by creating a supportive learning environment. Doing so helps foster a love of learning and encourages children to take ownership of their education.
Parents can support their child’s academic growth by regularly conversing about school and their learning. This allows children to talk about their day, discuss challenges they may be facing, and gain feedback from parents on how to improve or develop new skills.
Parents should also provide educational activities for their children who build upon topics discussed in the classroom. You can invest in fun math and logic puzzle books to stimulate their minds at a young age. Puzzles, educational games, books, crafts, or science experiments are all fun ways for kids to apply and expand upon what they have learned in class at home. Additionally, having a designated workspace and time for studying reinforces the importance of schoolwork and helps create healthy studying habits that will benefit your child in the long run.
It is also essential for parents to set expectations while encouraging creativity and growth. Having clear boundaries around assignments and tasks helps children stay focused, but being flexible enough to allow them to explore different interests or activities are equally important. Setting clear expectations while providing opportunities for exploration promotes critical thinking skills and problem-solving strategies that will help them succeed academically.
Provide Break for Playtime
Burnout is a common problem among students; parents must ensure their children don’t become overly stressed. Allowing them to take regular breaks from schoolwork can help boost productivity by giving their minds a break from the constant stimulation of studying. Taking time out of each day for fun or recreational activities also allows children to express themselves creatively, which can positively affect academic performance.
Final Thoughts
Parents can help their children succeed academically by being active in school-related activities, having an open line of communication with teachers, attending meetings and events, volunteering at the school, assisting with homework, encouraging learning outside of the classroom, and providing breaks for playtime. These strategies will help your child achieve academic success and build their confidence and self-esteem, essential for future success.