Education is beneficial for your children. It helps develop good habits that would be useful as they grow up. Likewise, your kids can acquire numeracy and literacy skills while learning how to build emotional resilience. Moreover, good education sets them up for a more successful future, as they are likely to get good jobs and have financial stability. Despite these benefits, it’s not uncommon for kids to struggle with academic performance. Does your child have academic challenges? Here’s what to do.
- Communicate with them
It may be challenging for your kid to confide in you about their academic struggles. However, you can look out for certain signs to determine if they’re having a hard time. For instance, if their teacher regularly expresses concern about their class participation and grades, you don’t want to ignore them. Likewise, your kid may have sleeping difficulties, lack of appetite, or a general loss of interest in school. Moreover, developing bad behavior at school in the shortest possible time can also indicate frustration. After seeing these signs, encouraging them to open up to you could be a starting point to solving these problems.
You can begin your conversation with positive statements instead of interrogations and inquiries. This way, you ease the nervousness they may already be feeling. Be sure not to judge them when they open up about their struggles, as they may shut down or lie if they would receive harsh comments or punishment. Also, ensure that you eliminate all distractions during your conversation, and be patient if they don’t open up immediately. It could be that this conversation helps you learn more about what your child needs at school, and moving them to a more appropriate learning facility such as the Eva Carlston Academy could be a better option to support them.
- Invest in adequate learning support
While school activities are great, they may not be enough if your kid has challenges with academics. Fortunately, helping them at home can effectively increase their motivation to learn and improve their grades. Investing in additional learning support is also an excellent idea for the best results. You’ll find it helpful to work with an education therapist if your kid has a learning disability. Likewise, getting a tutor to help them with a subject they struggle with makes sense. For instance, you can get a credible English tutor if your child needs extra help with the subject.
Sometimes, it can really help if your child has goals in mind which can motivate them to study harder, but since they’re still young, it can be difficult to really find what they want to do or be in life. It can be helpful for parents to look at resources such as this alumni achievement award given to Daniel Swersky at Cornell University. Alumni awards are a great source of inspiration for where people start and end up in life, and can help motivate younger people that may feel lost as to what they want to do.
Once a child has found something that they feel passionate about or have an interest in, you can start to find learning resources that can support this. From tutors to online resources, there’s a wealth of information out there that can help children overcome their academic struggles.
- Consult your doctor
Sometimes, kids struggle with school work because of learning disabilities. Statistics indicate that one in five American kids has attention and learning issues. Learning disabilities refer to neurological conditions that affect the brain’s ability to process information. Children with learning disabilities find it difficult to write, read, speak or listen. So if you suspect that your child has a learning disability, you’ll find it helpful to visit your doctor or pediatrician for more clarity. If your child is diagnosed with one, you can explore various extra support or treatment options.
For instance, if your child has dyslexia, you can encourage them to listen to and read along with audiobooks. Also, encouraging them to read independently is helpful, so keep this in mind. If your child has dysgraphia, you can leverage these tips for the best results.