How To Help Your Child Retain What He Learned In School

My daughter tends to forget facts pretty quickly, and it is sometimes a struggle to get her to remember what she learned at school and the extra lessons I teach her at home. I don't believe that she has ADHD, but she seems to not get all that excited about academics like most six-year-olds. If you're a parent in this situation, then here are some ways to help your child retain what he learned.

Have Him Write The Words A Few Times

In cases where your child is learning spelling words and learning to use those words in sentences, have him write each spelling word at least five times. Then write out sentences with those words and have him copy the sentences a few times. This is how I learned spelling and basic grammar rules quickly.

Put The Lessons To Music

Another idea would be to use music to help your child remember his lessons. Youtube has lots of fun music videos that teach concepts such as the alphabet, numbers, sight words, and the days of the week. When you incorporate music into his lessons, he builds strong language skills.

Resist The Urge To Go Overboard With Math Worksheets

There is nothing wrong with using worksheets for math practice, but for certain children, it gets boring and ineffective at times. Look for creative ways to teach important math concepts. Bring in colorful manipulatives such as Lego blocks and marbles to teach math to your child. There are also picture books that give visual images of addition and subtraction concepts.

Include Your Child's Interests

It will be difficult to help your child retain information if those topics don't interest him. You can use his interests to your advantage when improving your child's memory. If your child enjoys writing in her journal and you're going over geography, have her write entries where she pretends to live in the countries that her teacher is exploring for the week.

Have Your Child Write Book Reports

When I was in elementary school, my teacher assigned me a certain book to read and once I read it, I had to prepare a book report to present to the class. Give your child the book he has from school and then have him read the required chapters in a quiet area. Encourage him to take notes as he reads, and he will turn those notes into a book report.

Use Visual Aides

Some kids are visual learners, and one of the best ways to help them retain information is by using visual aides. If your child is learning how to tell time, then an analog clock with big colorful numbers on it can help him remember the different times. Or if you're teaching the 50 states, draw a picture of items that each state is known for and have her child connect those drawings to the names of the states.

Review The Lessons Before Bedtime

Right before bedtime, sit with your child and review the homework he completed. Go over key concepts that your child's teacher would think are the most important for your child to learn. Invite your child to ask questions about anything that confuses him. This is a good way for your child to remember the lessons as studies have shown a link between a good night's sleep and the consolidation of memories.

Play Board Games

Board games are neat for improving your child's concentration skills and they're fun too! With the game Scrabble, your child will need to learn to remember how certain words are spelled so that he'll win the game. Pictionary is a game where your child will guess what you drew and if he guesses it right, he gets a point. You can even put your own spin on the game. Draw pictures of the vocabulary words he's learning in class, then ask him to guess the words and give the meanings of them.

With these helpful strategies, your child will find it less difficult to retain the information he's learning in school. It also makes learning more fun for him.