A parent’s support is crucial for a child’s growth. You need to be involved so your child will improve their behavior and academic performance. Hence, if you have a kid who’s having a hard time in school, one of the first things you should do is to motivate and support them. Here are some tips on how you can do that.
See What’s Stopping Your Child
Your child’s performance and behavior in school can be affected by many things. It could be because of their anxiety about school, learning deficiency, unsuitable work to their learning style, or low self-confidence, to name a few.
And knowing which of these is stopping your child from doing their best is important because it could eventually affect them even when they grow older.
That said, if your child is starting to show some signs of lack of motivation at school, the first thing you should do is to find out the root cause of it. This way, you’ll know how you can approach the situation better and find the right solution for it.
Find a Tutor
Learning shouldn’t stop after your child has come home from school. Apparently, for them to be able to retain what they learned, you need to find a good tutor like a math tutor for test preparation. Through this, your child will learn more and understand their lessons better as they will be given more attention. You can give quality tuition for your child too. You may also consider transferring your child to a reputable child care facility.
And when they start to catch up on their lesson, they will feel more confident. Which, in turn, will make them feel more motivated to work more for their goals.
Create a Reward System
Just like adults, kids too are encouraged more when they’re rewarded. This helps them become more responsible and capable of working their way towards success.
However, to make it an effective tool for supporting your child to regain their motivation in school, you can’t just give them the rewards you solely want. Rather, it should be the things they are also interested in. You also need to determine how often your child earns a reward, as well as how they will earn it.
Don’t worry, you won’t need to break the bank. While you can also reward them with material things, a simple acknowledgment for a job well done will already do. You may also give them more responsibilities, as kids usually want to feel more like an adult and more responsible.
Limit Stress
As an adult, you’ve probably experienced being stressed over something and losing your focus even once in your life. Apparently, even kids feel it too when put in a certain situation that troubles them, making it difficult to study or even get started.
Unfortunately, stress is inevitable. But, the good news is that it’s manageable. And you can also help your child to manage it.
One of the ways to do that is by ensuring that they have enough time to shake their stress off every evening. You can either go for a walk, listen to music, draw, etc. Make sure to discuss the activities they’d like to do to help them manage their stress.
Try Different Techniques
Lack of motivation can be caused by different factors. Hence, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Apparently, you have to try different techniques to see which one works for your child. Besides, every child has different learning abilities too.
If you can, try to list down your techniques and progress. This will help you determine what kind of strategy you’ve already tried and how it worked for your child. It will make you see which technique is effective or not. Plus, it will allow you to see how you can strategize better to help encourage and motivate your child, as well as help them improve their academic performance.
Communicate
Just like in any relationship, communication is important as you’re helping your child improve their academic performance. Therefore, make sure to have a conversation with your child from time to time to know if there’s anything that’s bothering them that’s stopping them from doing better at school
Constantly communicating with your child will also help you get to know them better, which will also strengthen your bond.
Let them Make Mistakes
There’s no perfect parent. And there’s no perfect child, either. So, it’s unfair if you pressure your child to become perfect, especially in academics, if you’re not too.
Mistakes are actually a part of life. It’s a part of the learning experience. So even if it’s healthy to push your child to do their best, don’t forget that they’re normal humans like you too and setbacks are natural.
If your child fails, it’s crucial to empathize with them. It would be invalidating if you’ll brush off your kid’s frustrations and disappointment. Then, grab the opportunity to teach them acceptance and improve their problem-solving kids.
Get Support for Yourself
It’s sometimes hard to know how else can you help your child who’s losing interest in school, even after you’ve already tried all the possible techniques you can do to help. When you find yourself lost in this kind of situation, it’s probably time to seek help from professionals.
One of the first people you should go to for help is your child’s teacher. They are like your child’s second parents, and they probably have an idea why your child isn’t performing well in school. They may help you find solutions and give you more techniques to encourage your child better.
You can also find an older student who can help your child out with school. This will keep the tension from your relationship with your child at bay.
You may also check with a health care professional, as there may be underlying medical conditions involved, such as depression and learning deficiency. Aside from guidance, they may prescribe medication or treatment that addresses any medical concerns that are stopping your child from doing their best.
A parent’s support plays a huge part in their child’s development. So make sure to provide them all the support that they need to motivate and encourage them.
