When you send your children off to school, your hope as a parent is that they will succeed, thrive, and flourish. You want them to make friends, to try hard, behave well, and above all grow into a well-rounded young person. However, sometimes there are bumps in the road; your child might encounter social problems or be struggling to keep up with the academic side of things.
As a parent, it can be so frustrating to see your child suffering at school. Here are some parenting tips for kids who are struggling at school.
Invest in extra academic support for kids falling behind.
It isn’t ideal to have to hire a tutor or work with your child’s school to get them the support they need, but your child has to come first. If your child is struggling with a specific subject such as Maths or English, hiring a tutor who can give them some one-on-one support is a great idea. You might find that even that one-on-one confidence boost is enough to give your child the self-esteem they need to press on.
There are local tutoring companies in every city that you can ask for structured academic support, or alternatively, you could take on this role yourself. Sites like Studentreasures.com contain awesome resources that can help you, as a parent, support your child’s academic development.
Visit with a psychologist to discuss behavioral problems.
If your child is exhibiting disruptive or bullying behavior towards other kids at school, it’s time to step in. While all kids go through rebellious phases, inflicting emotional or physical harm on others needs to be dealt with. Similarly, if your child’s teachers report that they are constantly disrupting the class or ignoring the teacher’s commands, this is something that should be tackled.
A pediatric psychologist might be able to help you come to a solution for this behavior. Usually, children exhibit outbursts or disruptive behavior because of something happening within; perhaps they are upset by something at home, or feel they need to show off to get respect from their peers.
Meet with your child’s teachers to discuss your concerns.
If your child is experiencing a period of low confidence, or you suspect they are being bullied, you should immediately book a meeting with your child’s teacher. It is easy to downplay these things as just a phase, but if you sense your child isn’t doing well at school, it is better to prevent further upset than to let it pan out.
Your child’s teacher can provide insights on how your child comes across in the classroom; the social groups they have formed; and whether they share your concerns. By working together, you can come up with a good solution that benefits your child.
Final thoughts…
Your child’s development is so important to you, so you should make sure to be involved and pay attention to their progress at school. While it is sometimes better to hang back and let your child figure things out for themselves, at other times, you should step in and give them extra support.
