Parenting

How to Help Your Child Succeed at School

Hania Syed 5/09/2018

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Kids have more on their plates than ever before, juggling school, extracurricular activities and more. With the huge amount of stuff they cover in class and how much homework they have, how can you help them stay on top of it all?

 

Ensure a good night’s sleep

Due to increased access to technology and lenient bedtimes, up to 7 out of 10 kids don’t get enough sleep. Inadequate sleep is known to cause concentration and behavioural problems, which can lead your child to falling behind in class. Set your little one up for the best night’s sleep possible by investing in a quality mattress and choosing a MyDeal kids’ bed frame.

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Understand them

Kids Yoga Therapy founder Jessica Mcilveen suggests parents should begin by understanding their children:

“Children are operating from the emotional centre of their brain which often means trying to reason with them to complete a task leaves you feeling frustrated and exhausted. If we consider a task such as completing homework, one which is rarely enjoyed, then this is important to understand. A helpful approach in supporting your child to complete their homework with ease is to firstly acknowledge and understand the emotion behind their resistance to completing it. Once the child feels understood you then can provide them with two options which both result in your child having completed their homework.”

If your child is struggling with their homework, try to first understand what the roadblock is in order to get over it.

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Make learning fun

When kids are mind-numbingly bored, they just won’t be able to tune into their schoolwork. Education specialist Julian Lee from BrainChild Academy says,

“The best way to keep children switched on at school is to make learning fun. A sure-fire way to do this is to create a game like scenario that children find interesting and relevant and where applying new knowledge is required in order to complete the game. For example we created a scenario where the children needed to build themselves a robotic hand to replace a lost limb. In order to do this well, they needed to learn anatomy and concepts like ‘form’ and function’. We’ve even used this technique to make learning nuclear physics interesting to Year 4 students!”

Make sure to follow BrainChild Academy’s Instagram for more great tips.

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Brain training

If you want your child to excel at school, consider brain training to really get them ahead. Sheryl Batchelor from Executive Brains elaborates:

“Research has clearly demonstrated that children with stronger working memories and attention skills perform better at school. We now know that we can train these important cognitive skills in children.

Parents can help their kids succeed at school by enrolling them in a brain training program that is tailored to the child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

At Executive Brains we test children’s cognitive skills online then design a Personalised Brain Training program for them. Children can engage in the program at home with coaching from one of our brain coaches. We also offer a school holiday Brain Boot Camp program.”

Visit the Executive Brains Facebook for more of the team’s insights.

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Be involved

Be as involved in your child’s education as you can to monitor their progress and let them know that you value their education. Check the school’s website regularly to stay abreast of activities and speak to your child’s teacher to see how well they are doing in class. You can also be involved by setting up a space in the home that is conducive to study and being there for them if they need help. This includes a quality desk, ergonomic chair and good lighting. Finally, carefully review their report cards every semester and make sure to be encouraging and understanding if the results aren’t quite what your child was working towards.  By being supportive and putting the right measures into place, you can set your child up for a lifetime of success!

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see Mydeals for more information https://www.mydeal.com.au/blog/post/how-to-help-your-child-succeed-at-school