Studying is the great challenge that children face, that your child has a good school development can become a pressure for the whole family since there are many expectations for what he should achieve.
What can you do to really support it? Here are some concrete ideas that you can apply to make your time at school more enjoyable and really prepare you for life.
- Reflect on your expectations for your child’s success. From the moment you knew you were going to have a baby, an image formed in your mind: your child being the best athlete, a doctor or the most social in his classroom. This is totally normal, in fact it is part of the process, but at this moment your child is already here, he is a person with skills, interests and difficulties. The school will help you to get to know him better and to exploit his potential so that he becomes the best version of himself, achieving his own successes and dreams.
- Help him find motivation. School is difficult and the children are not very clear why they have to attend and try hard. From a young age, encourage him to attend daily and reach short-term goals such as achieving a project that interests him or sharing something with friends. As you grow, you can help him understand that his skills and knowledge will help him open many doors.
- Encourage their curiosity. The basis of learning and scientific thinking is cuirosidad because it moves us to look for answers. Get involved in his learning through inquiry questions that lead him to reflect. Why is the moon always in the sky but not seen during the day? How do people live in other countries? And when you have questions, research together to expand your knowledge.
- Lean on their interests and abilities. Sometimes we pay attention to the aspects that are difficult for them because they are the ones that awaken an alert, but it is very likely that in life your child stands out for what is more natural. Take advantage of that skill or interest, for example, if you are not given mathematics but music can find a way to relate them so that, through reading the notes, you understand the fractions.
- Find ways to apply your learning in your day today. Seeing the usefulness of what you learn will lead you to seek more knowledge. If he is learning to add, that he pays by understanding the bills he must give to complete the amount, if he is learning the measurement systems, cook a cake by checking how many grams of each item the recipe has.
- Make him feel safe and confident. It is important that your child feel calm about telling you about his achievements and concerns without feeling pressure or demands. Listen to him, when he has a need, support him, looking for him to find the solutions little by little.
- Be disciplined. To achieve school success requires order, clear work schedules after school, and a lot of effort. When you have an accomplishment celebrate it with him enjoying the joy that comes from hard work. The drive to be better every day comes from there, not from doing things for the reward or punishment you expect at home.
- Maintain healthy communication with the school. You chose that school for a reason and now they are your team. Be careful not to become a lawyer who is going to “fight” the causes of your child, seek to find strategies together.
- Support their friendship. One of the greatest benefits of school is that it allows them to live with other children and create bonds. Playing with your peers is what will allow you to put into practice the social skills that you are achieving. Seeks that they have moments free of interaction. Friends go beyond the time spent at that school and will become unconditional support.
- Help him to rest. Your child needs to have moments of the play, entertainment and recreation to be able to integrate everything he is learning in school to be ready for the next day.