Being a parent is a blessing because you play a major part in molding your children to become the best version of themselves.
One huge role that you can do to help your children achieve success is to maximize your parental involvement in their academic journey.
Here are 10 ways to support your children in their studies:
1. Be a positive role model
You are your child’s first teacher and everything that children see from their parents can greatly influence their behavior.
Your children are observing everything you say, act, and react.
Showing them respect, kindness, humility, patience, and love would help them become better individuals in the future.
There are no perfect parents but becoming mindful of your actions is already one great step in educating your kids.
Teaching your kids by good example would open their minds to value of education and humanity which they would inculcate for the rest of their lives.
2. Impose healthy habits at home
One predictor of child success is having a well-nourished and healthy body.
It is important to let your children follow healthy habits for them to perform better in school.
Studies have shown that good academic performance and healthy habits are positively correlated so as parents, you need to provide your children nutritious meals every day.
Develop a sleeping routine and discipline them to go to bed early to get plenty of sleep.
Minimize unproductive screen time because this can disrupt their social, mental, and physical activities.
3. Provide a conducive learning environment
Learning does not only happen in school. The home is also an important space where your children can experience engaging learning activities.
Children need time and place to study their lessons and work on their assignments.
Parents can help by finding a space at home for their children to study without being interrupted so that they can concentrate well and understand their lessons fast.
A learning environment is also not limited to the physical space and resources such as books, study table and chair, computers. This includes the people around the learner.
How people at home interact, converse, encourage, and inspire has great impact to the child’s development and learning.
4. Create a daily routine for study and recreation
To help your child develop a love for education, start a study routine at an early age.
Expose them to books by reading stories together.
You can also include fun activities while reading stories such as playing riddles, crossword puzzles, and many more.
You can also plot a schedule for them which they will follow every day.
However, don’t overdo things. Find time to relax with your children.
Make the recreation time as family time because this is something that your children would always look forward to after studying for days.
By creating this routine, your children would consider studying as a rewarding activity rather than a mandatory task.
5. Teach the children how to be systematic and organized
Being organized and systematic is a life skill that children need to have.
Parents may provide guidance at first in managing and tracking the school works of their kids.
Helping them to manage their time well would develop their independence and confidence in prioritizing and finishing important school-related tasks.
Having a routine would also ensure that no time is wasted and that each learning opportunity is carried out efficiently.
Having a system at home would create a better study habit that they would practice until they grow old.
This would make the children more efficient not only in their studies but also in making important decisions in life.
6. Monitor children’s progress in school
Be visible to your children. Discuss with them their lessons and requirements in school.
Be aware of their academic performance and ask them what areas they need assistance on.
Set expectations but do not pressure them for the things have no control of.
Find time to go through their schools reports and establish a place to check on their academic progress.
Let them understand the value of education by noticing their progress and effort they exert in their studies.
7. Communicate with the teachers
Reaching out to the teachers is one way to show support to your child’s education.
Communicate with your child’s teachers how you can help improve your child’s learning development.
Discuss with them the best ways to communicate with you. Be honest, clear, and courteous with your expectations.
On the other hand, be open-minded, supportive, and committed in accepting the roles that you would take for your child’s education.
Building partnership with the teacher leads to a healthy parent-teacher relationship which would greatly impact your child’s learning success.
8. Attend school events
No matter how busy you are at work, always find time to attend important events of your kids in school such as parents’ meeting, family day, sports and arts competitions.
Your presence in school is an indication that you care for your child’s learning development.
Being in school would also give you a chance to see the learning environment of your child and be able to meet and thank the administrators, teachers, and staff who also play a major role in your child’s education.
9. Involve the community
There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. This also applies in educating your child.
Your community has so many resources that could help your child learn and become aware of the world.
Bring your child to the museums, zoos, and libraries. Let them participate in community activities such as sports competitions and art exhibits.
These can develop not only their mental abilities but also their emotional and social skills.
10. Show appreciation
Continue to motivate your child by regularly appreciating their small successes and milestones.
Appreciate what they are doing to motivate them to study and work harder.
As parents, be creative in giving rewards such as a trip to the park, a movie treat, a brand-new shirt, extra screen time, an ice cream party, and a lot more.
Just make it clear that what you give them is an act of appreciation of their excellent performance in school.
Being involved in your child’s education is a wonderful journey that each family should go through.
Parental involvement is priceless.
If we want our children to succeed not only in school but in life, show them your 100% support in achieving their academic goals and dreams.