The Importance of Learning With Your Children

Even though you have made it through school, your child may be struggling without you. Help your child learn daily, and they will never forget it.

Teaching your children how to love learning, through play and direction

Some children truly excell at academics. Others may struggle all their lives. In order to know what your child is good at or bad at, you have to be involved in their homework and school activities, daily. Even their aptitude varies year to year while they are in the growing elementary school years. One year thay may struggle in Math, and the next year it may be English. Here are some tips to help students learn all they can while they are in school.

1. Have a study area with no distractions. Most people can not study, listen to music, and watch TV at the same time, so you need to know if this is a problem for your child. Most of them will NOT turn off the TV or the radio unless you ask specifically. Kids think they can study with lots of distractions and think they can take it all in at the same time! The brain simply doesn't work that way. You will need to intevene and keep those distractions to a minimum.

2. Try to do the homework around the same time every day, and make a routine out of it. Letting them get home and grab a snack and then get started after an hour, may work better than making them do it right away when they come in. Kids have to have time to relax too. However, waiting too late increases everyone's stress level, so make sure that they get started when you ask. You may need to walk in the room and turn off the tv for them.

3. Read with them (the younger kids), or help them paraphrase the material (older kids). With young children, just having a parent by their side helps them focus and read better. Sit down with your young child and read together. It helps their comprehension and it's a bonding experience!

With the older kids, asking questions about the assignment or asking study questions may help them clarify it in their mind. Just being there for support is a great asset! Helping them understand things that are on a higher level of thinking is great for high school students, and it even helps us stay sharp too.

4. Play outside with your (young) children, or bond (with your teenagers) through conversation. Taking a young child out to play is great exercise for the mind and body! Take a football, soccer ball or frisbee out to the park, or just play outside on your swing set or playground. Bonding through play is important for younger kids! It helps develop their motor skills, and keeps them active.

For teenagers, keeping conversation flowing is a must! A teen will easily shut out a parent gradually if you don't make an effort to involve yourself in their daily life. Make the effort every day! Have conversation points ready to talk about, don't just ask "yes or no" questions. That will get you no where. Stay positive and keep the communication lines open.

5. Set goals together, for them and for you. Talk about their dreams for the future and how you plan to get there. Even for a young child, it's not too early to plant seeds in their mind of big aspirations! Reach high for goals and encourage them along the way. For the teenager, help them during middle school and high school and encourage their path. Ensure that they take the right steps to making the best decisions for their future. Their future is their choice, but it is up to you to direct their path to get there. If you don't give up, they won't give up on you either.