The school year has only just begun, but the homework is pouring in and the after school activities are firing up. It may seem overwhelming and hard to manage it all and you may be wondering how to work it all out while still managing to help your child succeed in his or her classroom. Here are some easy tips that will help make sure your child is getting the most out of this school year.
1. Ask your children about school and encourage them to talk about their day. We do this over dinner (when we have the chance to sit down together.) Everyone in the family will tell their “Awesome” for the day and their “Awful.” I don’t get much from my kids when I ask “How was your day..” but asking for their “Awesome – Awful” has been a great way to break the ice and get the ball rolling. If we aren’t able to have a sit down dinner, we do this in the car on our way to activities.
2. Read with your child EVERY night! A student who reads 20 minutes per day will read 1,800,000 words by the end of the sixth grade, compared with a student who reads one minute per day, who will read only 8,000 words. The student who reads one minute per day will only read .004% of what the 20 minute reader will read. That’s a huge difference!
3. Help your child with his or her homework every night. This is a great way to gauge how well your children are participating in class and will help you identify any problems they might be having, early on.
4. Stay involved and feel free to contact your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns.
5. Do not talk negatively about your child’s teacher or school.
6. Teach your children to be responsible for their actions and their schoolwork.
7. Make sure your child is getting plenty of sleep and is ready for school each day. Sleep is very important to kids’ well-being. The link between a lack of sleep and a child’s behavior isn’t always obvious. When adults are tired, they can be grumpy or have low energy, but kids can become hyper, disagreeable, and have extremes in behavior.
According to Kidshealth.com “School-age kids need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Bedtime difficulties can arise at this age for a variety of reasons. Homework, sports and after-school activities, TVs, computers, and video games, as well as hectic family schedules might contribute to kids not getting enough sleep.”
What tips do you use to help your child get the most out of their school day?
