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Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in School

Helpful Tips for Creating the Best Learning Experience at Home

By Chrissy PPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
Top Story - January 2018
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Parents have a decision in their child's education. While it is true, some parents have fewer choices but there are always decisions that will guide your child to success. Here are a few ideas to boost this success. You do not have to do them all to see success and the idea can be changed as it will work for your family unit.

Getting Involved

Even if you are partially involved, the teacher will be happy with the fact that they know you are there. My son is cyber-schooled for various reasons. In his school, they recommend that a learning coach is with the student for their classes until they are in at least third grade. Since many parents are busy with other children who are either not in school or also in school, this poses several problems.

Being involved does not have to mean you are there all the time, and it certainly does not mean the primary parent is the one supporting them, either. My husband and I share responsibility for our son's schooling. At any time during his lessons, he could be with his father or me. He has had a few occasions that his grandmother has been there as well to help him. This will depend on family schedule and always your child's preference.

Being in constant contact with their teacher is another key in your child's schooling. The teacher will be able to give you as many tips on how to increase their potential. They will also be able to tell you where your child needs the most help. Parent-teacher conferences are a great way to approach this but sometimes can be too late for your child.

If you notice your child struggling somewhere, reach out. There is a chance the teacher has noticed as well. Making this contact tells the teacher you are in this to help your child succeed. It is their job to teach your student and your job to support these teachings.

Be a resource.

A child can learn many different ways, and this is key to their learning. They have already spent all of their life learning from you, so why not continue this structure? What helped you in school may help your child in school. Approaching course topics a different way than the teacher can help your child immensely.

Since you as a parent have already taken their basic classes, you are a great resource. Use your knowledge to help them and think of yourself as a keeper of knowledge. If you noticed, the teacher showed them one way and you know a better way, then take the time to show them. Adapt the lesson to the child, not the child to the lesson. Children rarely learn if they do not understand what they are doing.

Get outside resources.

Teachers will send out letters with ideas to help your students succeed. This letter is a resource to give your child the upper hand in learning. It is your job to be creative with these lists. If flash cards are the recommendation and you do not have the money to buy them, then making some is the next best way. If you have internet access, use this to expand the ideas to tailor to your child. Use the internet as a learning tool as well. There are plenty of websites out there designed to teach your child. If you are struggling, try one of the various sites out there.

Now that you are prepared, it is time to discuss resources that can help you become a better pillar of knowledge in your child's education.

1. Flashcards

In my experience, the flashcard system works well. Which ones work the best will depend on your child's preference. I first started with handmade flashcards until I had the money to get better ones. I found he did not really like the ones I made because they lacked the fun he wanted. I started at the Dollar Tree in our area; they have a small selection of schooling needs for people on a budget. The only downfall was they did not have the alphabet. I was able to get Mickey Mouse up to 20 flashcards and shapes. They also had multiplication and division cards there as well, but my student just needed basics. I was finally able to find alphabet cards in the form of Go Fish animals at Wal-Mart. I also found 1-100 cards, multiplication, division, and sight words.

2. Practice Booklets

We do not use these much but they are nice to have. We have a toddler brainteaser book that focuses on letters, numbers, and shapes. My son did not really like it so we just keep it for our next child or anyone else who may want it. We also found some booklets at a yard sale that are dry erase for letters and numbers. Again, the Dollar Tree has booklets based on grade level. Sam's Club has a larger range of grade level and state level practice books. This is not the only place to find these books. I have seen them at Wal-Mart and even Toys R Us.

3. Level Reader Books

For those who have children who love to read, I recommend the level readers that most stores have. They usually have the numbers on the top corners indicating they are designed for practice reading. I bought the ones that have character stories in them. There are Disney, Paw Patrol, Lego, and several other selections and at different levels. Some even come with stickers in them so you can work to reward your child.

4. Reward System

I found that a reward system is very encouraging for study. We use a Lego buck system that I created myself. We have different levels of bucks that equal a dollar amount for buying Legos. Since my son is a huge fan of the entire Lego series, this works to our advantage for everything in our house. This strategy can also be used for behavioral and task-related elements as well. This system works if you have a stubborn child who refuses to do things for you. We do not use the chart anymore, but the chart kept him on task for certain chores.

5. Websites

There are tons of websites for practice. Our child loves abcmouse.com. This website is a pay-to-subscribe, but it is very fun to play. It rewards and teaches at the same time. There is also safe YouTube, which has many videos on teaching children. Our teacher gives us the links in class and others we find on our own. One of my son's other favorite websites is ABCya.com; this website has connect-the-dot counting, monster letter match, and much more.

Being a parent is not easy; I know this, and getting your child to enjoy school is sometimes a hassle, but with some of these tips, you can start taking the right steps towards helping your children become the best they can be. Remember to modify these ideas into what works best for your child as every child is different. They learn at different paces and absorb knowledge differently. Some need distractions in the background while others need silence. Children can blossom and it is our job as parents to guide them down the right path.

Cheers on your own journey!

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About the Creator

Chrissy P

I am a stay at home mom with little experience writing. When I say this I mean I only have written in college which I was a B-C student. I have some work and hope to get the practice in.

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