Some Creative Ways Parents Push Their Kids Through School

One of the most important jobs a parent has is to ensure that their child completes their education to the very best of their abilities. During the elementary school years, kids need plenty of encouragement and for their parents to set them up for success. As junior high and high school approaches, the focus shifts to curbing rebellious urges to abandon homework or even dropping out altogether. Here are ten ways to keep your kids focused and motivated throughout their academic careers.

1. Music Lessons – Children with a musical training background consistently out-perform their peers in classroom work, standardized testing and are much less likely to drop out of high school. Being involved with school music programs also fosters a sense of social belonging and teamwork; investing in musical lessons at a young age might be a great way to motivate a youngster with musical aptitude and interest in the subject.
2. Fostering Visual Arts Interests – Most kids like to draw or paint, but there are some who seem to have a natural aptitude for visual arts. All too often, when these leanings are discouraged, that child becomes the teenager angrily sketching in a notebook instead of doing schoolwork. Celebrating an artistic aptitude while also stressing the importance of academic performance for admissions to art programs later in life can help your child harness their creative energy.
3. Encouraging a Love of Reading and Writing – Reading to children from a very young age and instilling a love of books is another way to encourage their academic performance. Once a child realizes the grand adventures that a book can hold, they’ll be more likely to keep an open mind about reading assignments in upper grades.
4. Don’t Overload Their Schedule – Kids that are consistently over-scheduled can easily suffer from burnout, which leads to diminished academic performance and apathy about schoolwork. While being involved in extra-curricular activities has been shown to boost performance, it’s important to take a balanced approach, allowing for plenty of downtime to simply enjoy being a kid.
5. Lead By Example – Sharing your excitement about acquiring a new skill or learning a new method of accomplishing something you’re interested in is a great way to lead your children to a love of learning by example.
6. Talk About Lessons, Not Scores – Save the discussions about test scores and grades for report card time; at the dinner table or during family time, ask your child what they learned at school that day. Explaining their lessons to you in their own words helps kids to process and retain the information.
7. Focus on Strengths, Work on Weaknesses – Some children are math whizzes, but can’t seem to grasp the method for diagramming a sentence. While it’s important to work on your child’s weaker areas, it’s equally important to recognize their strengths and praise them for a good performance in these areas.
8. Be Prepared For Stumbles Along the Way – Even kids who are dedicated and motivated to do their very best will have their fumbles. Be prepared to accept them with grace and to coach your disappointed youngsters through them; berating them will only discourage them from making another attempt.
9. Think Cheerleader, Not Drill Sergeant – Encouraged kids tend to accomplish more and enjoy those accomplishments more than their intimidated peers. When you coach your child through their academic lives, try to emulate a cheerleader more than a drill sergeant. Knowing that you’re in their corner is much more motivating than worrying that you’ll be on their backs.
10. Celebrate Achievements in a Personalized Way – Instead of offering impersonal cash rewards, tailor your positive reinforcement rewards to your childs interests and personality. Treating a horse-crazy little girl to a trail ride after making the honor roll, or taking in a sporting event with a budding jock is much more encouraging and exciting than throwing money at them.