Parents play a vital role in their children’s academic learning. Class time is important; it is where students discover, learn, interact, and practice.
1. Give your children a sense of control
Don’t do things for your children, give them autonomy, let them try things out, and discuss with them the expectations, consequences, and implications of their experiences. The feeling of greater autonomy will give them a sense of control that will motivate them to acquire knowledge and experiment, making them more responsible for their schooling.
2. Don’t get into conflict with your children
One of the keys to motivating your children to work hard is to try to avoid having power relationships with them (for example, by avoiding repeatedly saying “You could
This way, they will be more receptive to your advice, they will be more likely to confide in you, and they will not be afraid of being devalued. To encourage your child to do their homework, it is better to openly offer your help (for example, by asking them what they need or how you can help them) than to threaten them (“ do your homework or else… ”).
3. Develop a stable routine for schoolwork
Establishing routines in family life helps avoid conflicts. For example, it may be agreed that homework is done between 5 pm and 7 pm, and the established habit is thus not challenged. To encourage this time, you can set up a place as a distraction-free study zone. Established routines are not fixed, and sometimes need to be reinforced or modified.
4. Teach your children planning and organizational skills
Tweens and teens can feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and stressed by the demands they face at school. Pass on your planning and organization skills! We often take these skills for granted, but they are learned through experience and experimentation. For example, you can show them how to break down complex tasks into smaller (and therefore more manageable) ones.
Planning is an organizational skill that will reduce your children’s stress related to school and exams. Planning involves creating lists of tasks that need to be completed within a set time frame. This way, your children will avoid procrastinating and will learn to complete tasks one at a time instead of leaving them until it’s so late that they feel overwhelmed!
5. Read regularly with your children
Reading is an important factor in learning in all areas. Reading not only helps children develop their imagination and enrich their syntax and vocabulary but also helps them learn to process new concepts and improve formal communication. You can read our article on reading difficulties in primary school on this subject.
Read to your child frequently, ask him to read aloud, and let him choose the book he wants By filling your home with reading materials (novels, comics, posters, newspapers, magazines, etc.), you will create a reading atmosphere that will show children how important reading is.
6. Encourage open and honest communication
Encourage your child to express his or her opinion about what is happening in his or her education. Ask him or her about what he or she is learning in school, rather than about his or her test scores. Ask him or her to teach you what he or she has learned in school: putting the lesson into his or her own words will greatly help him orher.
When he shares his opinion, be sure to validate his feelings—even if you disagree. When children feel like their opinions don’t matter or that they’re being blocked, they’re likely to disengage from the learning process. Good learners know that their opinions matter and feel secure in being able to be open about their educational experience without being judged, put down, discouraged, or ignored. Listen to your child, and craft constructive feedback instead of criticism!
7. Consider your child’s interests
When learning engages children in areas that interest them, learning becomes fun. If you want to help your child be motivated in their learning, encourage them to explore topics that they are passionate about. If they love dinosaurs, help them find books about them. Then, challenge them to identify their five favorite dinosaurs and explain why they chose each one! You’ll be amazed at how quickly they can learn!
8. Encourage different learning styles
Every child has preferences and learning styles that best match their learning style: some are more visually oriented, others are auditory, and others are kinesthetic. Therefore, some children will prefer to reread the lesson several times, recite it out loud, make diagrams, make flashcards, learn by playing with the teacher, do exercises, work alone or in groups, walk while studying, or use mnemonics, etc.
Some children have one dominant learning style, while others prefer to learn using a mix of learning styles. One learning style is not right or wrong, better or worse. You can help your child discover his or her preferred learning styles, and use various techniques to improve the pace and quality of his or her learning.