Parent Education: How to Help Your Child Succeed in School

Help Your Child Attain Academic Success

Parents who model their own curiosity about life may inspire their children to become engaged at school. To help your child develop enthusiasm for what he's learning, ask him to share something that he's learned at school. Then, ask more questions about the topic or help him find related information on the Internet or in an encyclopedia.

If your child tells you something he learned that can't be looked up, such as how interesting it is to watch a plant grow in his science class, consider beginning a home activity that relates to what's excited him at school. In this case, you might get a plant that he can water and feed at home. Finding creative ways to apply what your child learns in school can nurture his excitement for what he's learning and his overall academic engagement.

Monitoring your child's homework assignments is another helpful way to become directly involved in the work she's doing in school. This kind of support may show her that you care about what she's learning and that you value what's being taught at school. If your child struggles with her work, remind her challenges help develop new skills. If she tends to be hard on herself, tell her that no one is perfect the first time and that everyone in school must practice new skills before they reach a level of mastery. Reassuring your child that experiencing homework challenges doesn't reflect anything negative about her intelligence and can help her develop the confidence she needs to succeed in school.

Create a Supportive Learning Environment

Create a designated learning space in your child's room or in a clean corner of the house. Hang homework and essay assignments on the wall that display his mastery in a school subject. Seeing his success visually each time he sits down to study can support his confidence in the classroom. It's also useful to consider what type of supplies he will need. Keeping his study area well-stocked may help him avoid distractions that can arise from getting up to look for supplies.

Tips to Support Visual Learners

Visual learners are most successful if they're able to see new information. If your child is still too young to be taking exams at school, you might support her development by having her create a daily drawing that relates to something she's learned, or by allowing her to do extra practice problems in varied ink colors.

If your child is old enough to study for exams, encourage her to make study notes with different colored pens and to note especially important facts with highlighters. Some visual learners also like to put test information on note cards, which can be color coded to reflect the different subjects she is currently studying.

Tips to Support Auditory Learners

Auditory learners do best when they hear new information spoken aloud. Thus, if your child is an auditory learner, consider scheduling group study sessions with other auditory learners in his class. If your child is young, an adult may need to supervise; still, this can be a fun way to let your child review concepts aloud with peers his own age.

These children also tend to do well with creating mnemonic devices or musical phrases to memorize new information. You can help your child invent a few lyrics to help remember information for tests and practice these songs at dinner or on the way to school. Finally, ask your auditory learner to recite what he's done during his homework session aloud. Auditory learners retrieve information more readily when they practice explaining what they are learning aloud.

Tips to Support Kinesthetic Learners

Children who are unusually active may learn with the greatest efficiency when they are physically moving. This is more common for boys, though it can be the case with girls too. For these children, physical activities, such as leaping and running, helps their brains to develop in ways that promote learning. These types of students are supported with physical learning activities, such as playing sports, participating in theater games or using puzzles, Legos and blocks.

These children may also be more likely to fidget when you read stories aloud to them. This does not always mean this child isn't listening. Consider allowing him to fidget as he needs to and continually pausing to ask him questions about the story. Allow your child frequent study breaks to move around and incorporate the information he's just been studying by moving around.