4 Ways to Help Your Child Excel Academically

In our article on ‘10 Tips on How to Prepare Your Kids for Adulthood’, we discussed how it takes time for teenagers to slowly learn and practice adult life skills, and this should include achieving academic success. This is one thing parents can guide their children in. According to Forbes, grades are a composite measurement of school performance. Rather than just measuring subject knowledge or intelligence, good grades factor in knowledge, skills, and personality traits. After all, a good work ethic, self-discipline, and perseverance contribute a lot more to academic success than IQ.

While grades may not measure a child’s interpersonal skills or emotional intelligence, this aspect of school can prepare children for handling future responsibilities and dealing with failure in adulthood. Here are some ways you can help your child become a better student:

Encourage Your Child To Read

Recently, schools like Zeekoevlei Primary School received a variety of Afrikaans books to promote literacy among their pupils. Many children in South Africa struggle with reading, so instilling a love of reading in your child is one of the most important things you can do for their academic success. Reading can expand their vocabulary, boost their memory, and improve their critical thinking skills.

Studies have also found that young readers tend to develop higher levels of concentration, as well as openness and creativity when they read about diverse people and topics. Experts recommend parents read to their children at least 30 minutes per day from infancy through childhood. Once they’re older and have mastered the basics, they can read more on their own. If you have teens, help them grow their reading lists as well.

Establish A Healthy System At Home

One of the simplest ways to encourage your children in their education is to set up a healthy system at home. Often, children end up feeling stressed or pressured in keeping up at school. It’s good to schedule weekly talks with your child about school, where you can review their work and provide assistance when needed.

When school finishes at the end of the day, they shouldn’t do homework immediately. Children and teens need time to unwind, so give them a snack and let their brains recharge. Homework can be done after dinner, ideally in a quiet workspace with few distractions. And if your child accomplishes a goal, they should be rewarded with simple incentives — like a prize or a fun activity — to reinforce their behaviour.

Set Goals For Your Child

Focusing on one realistic, attainable goal at a time can greatly improve your child’s academic performance. Instead of expecting them to get a perfect score on their next exam, the trick is to aim for gradual progress — like scoring ten points higher for every subject. And if they already have scholastic aptitude, you can set even more ambitious goals. Maybe you can focus on attaining good marks in one of the entrance exams for secondary school, such as the national Common Entrance Examination.

The Common Entrance Examination aims to select the primary school candidates from every State who are qualified to enroll in a Federal Unity secondary school — which are some of the best public schools in major African countries like Nigeria. And as Bridge International Academies notes, the competition can be fierce, because there are only 106 Federal Unity secondary schools in the country. The institution also points out how these entrance examinations seek to select only the best candidates. By giving your child a clear goal to work towards, such as succeeding in qualifying exams, they can exercise better focus on their studies.

Engage With Their Education

To promote a positive attitude towards learning, parents should actively be involved in their children’s education. Instead of asking them what they learned for the day, don’t be afraid to go in-depth and ask for details: What did they enjoy? What was difficult? How did today’s lesson fit into last week’s lessons?

You can also identify any potential issues by keeping lines of communication open with their teachers. Attend events like open houses and parent-teacher conferences, or sign-up to receive classroom updates if there are such programs. If your child sees how much time and energy you invest in their education, they are more likely to work harder as well and remain motivated.

For more tips on raising children, visit the Kaboutjie blog regularly.