Helping Your Child Succeed in Elementary School

If your child has started elementary school this year, you will naturally be feeling some anxiety. You love your child more than anything in the world and you want her to succeed. If this is your first child, you will be even more worried than many parents. You have never raised a child before, and you are not sure how to handle homework or tests. What do you need to do to make sure your child does well?

The best way to help your child succeed at school, is to foster a joy of learning, and confidence in his abilities. School should become a place that enhances his self-esteem. He needs to learn that you are solidly behind him, love him unconditionally and that you will help him whenever there is a problem. These are the essentials that will help him to succeed. Here's how you can achieve these important goals.

Demonstrate a positive attitude towards school. If you show excitement about reading, writing and math, she will. If you convey anxiety, she will be fearful. Show an interest in her learning experiences by helping her with school projects or taking her to museums and libraries to research a topic.

Help him set up a study space and a routine for doing homework. Some parents have their child do their homework right after school and only then allow them to play with friends. If your child keeps to a specific routine, it will cut down on battles about getting the homework done.

Set a limit on the amount of television and electronics use during school days. Some parents make school work the primary focus, and will not allow TV or iPad use during the week. Others permit an hour or two of television or computer use a day. On the weekend, many parents have a rule that the child must complete all school projects before playing computer games or going out to play.

Avoid pressuring your child. If you tell your child, “You only got a 99% on your math test, what happened to the other point?”, your child will feel he has to be perfect to be loved. He may worry that no matter how well he does, he will never measure up. Some children might even give up trying. It is better to encourage your child to work hard, and to do the best he can.

Praise her for her achievements, and she will feel self-confident, motivated, and achieve more.

Avoid reacting in a negative way if he gets a poor grade. If you find a paper marked “F” in his backpack, do not fly off the handle.There may be many explanations for the grade, and you want to help him to do better the next time. Ask your child's opinion about what he thinks went wrong. For example, you might ask “Do you think you studied enough? Do you understand the material? Do you think it might help you to get a tutor?” As you explore the situation, give your child tools to overcome the problems in the future.

Always be supportive of your child. If she comes home upset because the teacher yelled at her, tell her, “I'm sure it didn't feel good to have the teacher yell at you. Let's understand what happened and see what we can do to fix it.” Avoid immediately siding with the teacher or yelling at her.

Self-analysis is crucial. If you examine your own feelings about school, you will be able to monitor your reactions more effectively. For instance, if your parents punished you for failing a subject, step back and think about how you felt. What would you have liked your parents to do? You probably wanted their support. Then, if your child fails, try to choose a more supportive way to respond.

Provide your child with optimism. Reassure him that every child has trouble in school at times. Communicate to your child that you believe in his ability to turn things around.

It is very important to convey the following messages to your child: You do not have to be perfect. I love you unconditionally. If you have a problem you can always come to me. I will always be there to help you. As you convey this solid backing, you will find that your child enjoys school and will do well.