While many view their child’s education as the responsibility of the school there are so many families that can be doing outside of school hours to help their child’s educational journey. What is more, this has never been more important than after the recent years following prolonged absences from school and multiple lockdowns. So if you are looking at improving or helping your child throughout their academic life then here are some tips to help you out.
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Help them to understand failure
No matter how hard anybody tries everybody will come up against a certain degree of failure, the important thing is being able to accept it and deal with it in an appropriate manner. It is important that your child can acknowledge failure if it happens and to see it as an opportunity to learn and develop from. Childcare and daycare providers focus on this aspect of learning, encouraging children to keep trying and helping them see how they can learn from mistakes and try a new way. This will help children to be less afraid of failing and in turn trying new things and push themselves. It will also help give them resilience to power through and try again when things don’t quite go to plan.
Homework and additional support
Showing an interest in your child’s homework is a great way to help improve relations with your child, your understanding of their abilities, and to show your child that you are interested in their education. Showing your child that you are interested in their educational pursuits can help go a long way to motivate them to try and achieve their best.
It will also help you to identify areas where they may need additional support. If this is the case you can then take any steps that may be necessary to provide them with additional support. It may be they need the help of a tutor or that putting in a bit of extra work together at home makes all the difference. There are a lot of resources online that can help you when trying to put in a few extra hours, here are some free 4th Grade worksheets that are available by way of example https://studentreasures.com/teachers-lounge/lesson-plans/fourth-grade/.
Help them to follow their passion
If your child shows a particular interest in something it is likely that they will show a natural flair and ability for that topic. What is more, they will be more inclined to work at it and dedicate the time to it if it is something that interests or excites them. Parents often have a tendency to worry about the subjects their children may struggle with and encourage them to dedicate extra time to it. While this approach shouldn’t be viewed as wrong, it is important to remember that not everyone will be good or excel at everything, and finding a passion project may serve your child in the long run.
Encourage breaks and downtime
While hard work and dedication to academia is an undoubted recipe for success it is important to remember that everybody needs to take time out to decamp, relax, and have fun. Be sure to teach your children the importance of rest and relaxation, view it as a reward for all their hard work. It is never too early to encourage a healthy work-life balance.
This post was submitted by Simone Devonshire.
