3 Ways to Create School Success
Philip L. Newlin, MD
Pediatrics — Wichita Clinic
Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics
818 N. Carriage Parkway – 316-651-2278
Dan Loon
Former Principal Edison Learning,
Director of Enrollment & Student Information
Wichita First Church of the Nazarene, Children’s Pastor
Can I, as a parent, help my elementary aged child enjoy school? A resounding YES! You are the greatest influence on your child’s perception of school. There are many things that you can do to enhance the likelihood of success both academically and socially. Let’s take a look at a few suggestions that you may want to consider:
Create Confidence!
Confident kids simply perform better. So how do you raise the confidence level of your child?
Believe in your kid! You know best how incredible your child is. If your child knows that YOU believe they can do it …THEY believe they can do it! It is so amazing how kids rise to the standards we as parents set for them. Our words should predict a bright future, even on the days they aren’t convinced.
Let your child make mistakes — even fail. If you are that parent who comes in and rescues your child in both social and academic settings, you are doing your child a HUGE disservice. Even though our hearts ache when our child forgets a line in a school play or doesn’t make the team or forgets his lunch for the umpteenth time, your child will stand taller when he creates solutions to avoid failure the next time. Remember, allowing failure now when the cost is low sure beats the high cost of failure in the teen years. Teach them to learn from failures now!
Read with your kid! Any time you read a book to your child, you instill in them a love of “story”, which will become a love of reading. Reading is the best skill for building confidence in the academics of elementary school. Reading with your child each day does two things. First, it allows you to spend 15–20 minutes each day with your child. This time communicates that you want to be with them and that makes them feel valuable. You get to have great discussions about what was read and your child will see that their ideas are important to you. Building a sense of value in your child is irreplaceable. Secondly, studies show that reading and/or listening to someone read increases reading and comprehension skills. When kids feel confident in their reading, this confidence transfers to every other area of their life. Reading should never be portrayed as punishment.
Love your kid! I know this seems obvious to you, but is it obvious to your kid? Every person has an intrinsic need to be accepted, especially by the ones closest to us! When your kid knows without a doubt that mom and dad love them, it sets them on a course of success that will be demonstrated both in their friendships and schoolwork. There is nothing like the confidence and stability that comes from knowing you are loved. Communicate often your love for your child!
Create Excitement!
Choose your words carefully about school. Are you guilty of ever saying, “I bet you can’t wait for summer vacation,” implying that school is a dreaded task to get through? Instead, speak clearly and speak often of the excitement of school. Share interesting and humorous stories of your childhood school experiences (no, not the uphill-both-ways kind of story). If your child finds the academics of school to be extra-challenging, then emphasize the joy of friendships. The key is … keep school in a positive light!
Consider boredom your friend. Often families will have the “last blast of summer” right before school begins, with trips and waterslides and special meals and vacations. Left over-stimulated and over-entertained, some children will find the start of school disappointing. The same is quite true for excessive TV and video game time. Most kids will have spent more time in front of the TV than they have their teacher by the time they graduate from high school. Teachers can’t be expected to compete with Disney® in the entertainment category. So, when your child says he’s bored, rest assured you are making school grow in its appeal.
Create a Healthy Home!
Schedule for success. Kids thrive with a predictable schedule, but will often try to break out of it. One key is to schedule enough sleep, usually 9-10 hours at night. This should be true all summer. Another key is faithfully eating breakfast. Encourage whole grains and protein with limited sugar to avoid the mid-morning crash.
Be an example of healthy living. Are you living out healthy eating and exercise habits? Are you using your best communication skills? Are you demonstrating self-control? How do you treat others? How do you resolve problems? Most kids will grow up to be just like their parents, so it is critical that we live balanced, joyful lives in front of our kids.