Time to Evaluate

Now is a great time to evaluate your children’s school year. Did they meet the goals you hoped for? If not, don’t panic – there’s plenty of time to prepare for the coming school year. Your job is to provide coaching, encouragement, and some discipline.

Schoolwork can easily seem like meaningless drudgery when it’s not connected to real-world outcomes. What does your child most enjoy? Try to tune in to your child’s emotional triggers and find areas of interest that you can use to make learning more enjoyable.

This term’s grades are a done deal. Overcome discouraging grades and get on with developing better study habits over the Summer. Set a few short-term goals that your child can easily reach. Like reading one book each week. Offer rewards for each goal and up the ante if they exceed their goals!

Demonstrate the usefulness of schoolwork by showing how skills learned in school apply to your child’s hobbies or career interests, and help your child to recognize opportunity within adversity.

Build good work habits by scheduling study time in brief, 10 or 20 minute blocks. Staying on top of daily or weekly goals will help your child avoid stress. Encourage them to read or learn about things they are interested in. It won’t seem like schoolwork if they’re learning about stuff they like! Make sure your child has a designated work area away from any distractions like video games, the television, and cell phones.

Work with your child’s teachers and see what areas need improvement. If materials have a way of getting lost, spend an evening creating an efficient and organized place to study. The way to better grades comes much easier with an organized approach!

Help them develop a lifelong love for reading. Let your child see you reading. If they are still young enough – read with them as frequently as you can. You’ll both cherish the time together! Lead by example – your actions speak far more effectively than any words. Learning to read will benefit them for a lifetime!

Step in if your child is spending too much time playing video games or hanging out on Facebook. Encourage balance. Make it easy for them to develop and strengthen their growing bodies! Take them outside and play with them! Your Child's health plays a big role in their success in school and life!