So far we have talked about the changes that has evolve over the years in our family system and how that has affected parents from home.

We have also looked at the three most important stakeholders of education and how their influence can affect teaching and learning.

You can read more about this from here:

A teacher or a parent who is to be blame?

Who are the stakeholders of education?

A child’s education starts from home and so as a parent you become the child’s first teacher.

This means that you have a key role in shaping up your child’s character.

Research has shown that a balance of education at home and in school moulds a student’s actual learning.

It is therefore important as a parent to extend a helping hand in their academic journey and travel with them with true inspiration.

Parental support had played a crucial role in successful students, which means their role is not limited to the home but involvement in school activities also.

It is important for parent to understand that, a child’s learning scale is highly related to how they are treated at home.

Here you will find few strategies you can adopt as a parent to help you perform your role better:

Free online school – parents, teachers and students.

Be a role model

Kids are easily inspired by what their parents do. So it is good to be a role model in their learning phase.

Parents are a kid’s first teachers and so the first few lessons would be learnt from home.

Show them how exciting and meaningful school life can be if they give out their best.

Inspire them to learn novel elements in and out of school with friendly reminders and guidance.

Covering the basics

There are some very basic steps you can take to help your child learn best.

They may seem like obvious suggestions but often the easiest, little things are the most important.

For children to be receptive to learning and concentrate, they need to:

•        Have had enough sleep: you need to make sure they don’t have late night after late nigh especially on school days!

•        Eat properly: they need a good breakfast before they go to school and have a good healthy lunch to take to school.

•        Have a water bottle to take to school and check that they’re drinking from it!

•        Get to school on time. Being rushed in the morning can disrupt a child’s behaviour first thing and ‘throw them’ which is not what you want happening before they start to learn for the day

.Talking to your child about school

Talking with your child about school is probably the best way to understand what’s going on during their school day.

If you pick them up from school you can have a conversation, in the car or as you walk, about what they did during the day.

You can ask questions like…

•        Who did you play with at morning tea and lunch time?

•        What did you play?

•        What’s one thing you learned today that you didn’t know this morning when you went to school?

•        What did you write a story about today?

•        Who did you sit with?

•        What was your favourite / most enjoyable thing that happened today?

You can turn this into a game and your child will then be expecting this in the afternoons and may even pre-empt it.

Ask also about any notices that may have been handed out. Often these can lurk in the depths of a school bag covered in yoghurt or banana skin if you don’t ask or look for them yourself!

Discus School Report

Talk to your child about their school report. Get them to have a read of any comments the teacher may have made and ask what they think about it.

It’s important to let them know you are proud of them and also check that they are proud of themselves.

Tell them it’s great that they are making an effort. Note any positive changes that have been noticed by the teacher since the last report.

Can there be anyone to whom they might like to send a photocopy of the report, to show them how well they are doing? Grandfather and grandmother love this!

If the report is not so great ask them why they think that may be.

Ask if there is any way you might help, or if they think there is any way they can change their behaviour or improve their practice.

Parents must talk gently to their kids about what the teacher has noticed.

Have regular contact with your child’s teacher
Keeping in touch with your child’s teacher is easy to do and will pay huge dividends.

It helps to present a united front from time to time too!!

Every now and then pop your head into the class as you drop off or pick up the kids. Just see how things are going; is ‘Emmanuel’ behaving? Any issues?

It’s also nice to have a glance around the classroom from time to time.

There’s often wonderful work displayed on the walls and your child would probably love to show you around; point out where his or her work is and what it’s all about.

Keeping in touch with the teacher will also give you a handle on class routines, what occurs on which days and when these change.

If you, as a parent, know when library day, news day, sports day and so on are, then you can help your child prepare and be organised for these events.

It will also give the teacher the opportunity to ask for help during these times.

If your child is not so good at being organised, help them to create a weekly plan that outlines on which days things happen.

They could use this for quick reference the night before, and morning of, school.
 

Read together
Doing things together with mother and father give kids a sense of support and confidence.

Reading through the lessons together is one of the best ways to be close with the child’s learning at school.

This not only improves their vocabulary but invokes interest in them to read more.

It is also recommended that as parents you visit the library together and share quality books to help them get additional knowledge than classroom lessons.
 

Assist with home assignments
Giving good support to kids in their studies would really lift their spirit for learning.

Parents should show it with small gestures such as assisting them to with home assignments or projects.

However, it is not encouraged to do every lesson for them and let them play.

Do it together and help them with a few tips and guidance in doing the assignments better.

Prepare them for tests
When it is their exam time, don’t leave them alone with their lessons.

Parents must help prepare kids for tests with good guidance and support.

You may even conduct mini tests at home before the actual test to lessen their exam worries and tensions.

You may also give additional help with the course areas in which they are weak.

Go for educational trips
It is a good idea to go for educational trips during the holidays.

Include destinations that have some relevance with what they are studying to help them have a better understanding of the lessons.

Occasional trips to museums and zoos would also help them to interact with the nature and learn new things.

Give constructive criticism
If you notice that your kid is not performing well or giving less importance to studies, correct them at the beginning itself.

However, it is not beneficial to spoil their peace of mind with ill words.

Have some tolerance and give only constructive criticism if you notice any downsides.

Make them understand what is right and wrong rather than simply blaming them.

Share your personal experience
It is good to share some of your school life experiences with your kid in your free time.

This can include positive and negative stories to help them understand the importance of learning.

Also inspire them with your success stories to teach them about the value of hard work and how it pays you back.
 

Be a good friend
Last but not the least, it is important to be a good friend of your kid.

Give them a space to share anything that comes to their mind and express their true feelings.

Provide them with assurance that you would offer a helping hand despite what all comes their way.

This would boost their confidence level and help them to excel and perform better in learning and other school activities.
 

Provide pleasant atmosphere
Parents should make sure that the kids are provided with a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere at home.

It is good to avoid discussing family problems in kid’s presence and don’t create a mess at home with useless quarrels.

Both father and mother should consider the importance of their study life and give them adequate moral support.

Help them relax
In addition to the busy study schedule and play time, ensure that they are getting proper rest at the end of the day.

Help them to relax with a good night’s sleep and proper food.

Take effort to know your child’s spots with interests and include them in the holiday time to give them a good relief from the stress of studies.