Help Your Child End the School Year Strong: Tips for Parents

As the days get warmer and spring fever takes hold, it can be difficult to keep children focused on schoolwork through the end of the academic year. From elementary to high school, and even at the college level, it’s common for students to begin to ease back on their efforts as the end of the school year nears. We recommend implementing the following tips to keep your child engaged in learning so they can end the school year strong.

Set Reachable Goals

Spend some time setting challenging yet reachable goals with your child. Having goals in place will give your child something specific and measurable to work toward. These goals will look different for each child, and should be based on the progress they have made throughout the school year so far.

Make sure the goals you set are realistic, and don’t go overboard on your goal-setting. Work with your child to choose one or two goals to accomplish by the end of the school year. Then, once you have goals in place, come up with a plan to reach those goals so your child has tangible steps to take.

Establish Consistent Routines

To help keep your child on a steady path to reaching their goals, establish and keep consistent routines for schoolwork and bedtime. Choose a time and place for your child to do their homework and stick to it. Maintaining a consistent study schedule will help your child form good work habits and focus on the task at hand.

In the same vein, stick to your child’s regular bedtime. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that school-aged children get between 9 and 11 hours of sleep per night. If your child receives less than that, they may have trouble focusing on their schoolwork and might even struggle to stay awake during class. Lack of sleep also affects a child’s ability to retain information, making learning more difficult.

Lead By Example With a Positive, Encouraging Attitude

The attitude you have toward school will affect how your child perceives it. This is true all year long, but as the promise of summer freedom nears, it can be easy to shift focus to all of the fun plans your family has in the works. But if your child hears you regularly mentioning how you wish it was summer or how you can’t wait for school to be over for the year, they are likely to adopt the same mindset. Actively work to make school a priority and to encourage your child to continue trying their best through the end of the school year. A positive attitude toward school will help both you and your child end the school year strong.

Communicate With Your Child’s Teachers

Keep the lines of communication open by regularly checking in with your child’s teachers. That way, if a problem arises you can more easily have a productive conversation about it. The ideal parent-teacher relationship is a collaborative one, where both parties feel comfortable sharing their concerns. Having a good relationship with your child’s teachers will only serve to improve their learning experience.

End the School Year Strong by Enrolling Your Student in a LearningRx Program

The brain training programs we offer at LearningRx can help your child finish strong this year and give them a jumpstart on overcoming what we call the “summer slide”. These programs target your child’s cognitive skills, the building blocks of successful learning. From improving reading and math aptitude to strengthening study skills, LearningRx has a program to suit every student.

If you’d like to learn more about how our brain training programs can help your child, contact us today!