It’s only natural when you see a pattern of academic underperformance to want to act. Parents want to do something, anything to help! This is your child after all, and you want nothing more than their success! We all know that academic success and giving our children tools they need now helps them with lifelong achievement and happiness! Sometimes in our drive to “get it right and fix it,” parents instead inadvertently send the wrong messages. The tools we often want to use to discipline a struggling child can actually backfire.

Generally, students will not respond to having certain privileges taken away, for instance. Instead, they become more resistant to improvement, angry and unhappy. None of which leads to an attitude favorable to learning!

One of the most difficult aspects of parenting is how to effectively motivative young minds to do better in school. More importantly, knowing how to make them want to improve themselves instead of the outside “expectation” of a parent driving them.

Saying “try harder” or “you can do better” rarely helps turn things around. Your child may already think they are doing that. If it was that easy, they would not be where they are. Platitudes may not work, but there are good options to put in your parental and toolkit to help! As you’ll read below, there could be multiple issues at play.

Helping your child starts by helping yourself!

Let’s start with you. The Parent. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa or whomever is the loving, kind supporter who right now is frankly angry, disappointed, frustrated and worried! You are entitled to all these emotions, but don’t let them color your child’s chance at success! You feel this way because you love your child. So, start there, and help them build a firm ground for success!

Here are some great ways you can help your kids bring an end to their classroom funk.

Breathe

Yes, it can be stressful and disheartening to learn about your child’s classroom struggles.

Step back and remember that you’re not alone. An entire community supports your child’s academic journey.

Take a deep breath and ask: How can I do my part better, giving my child a greater chance at success?

Don’t get upset

Bad grades are upsetting to your child too. You can compound the pressure with a negative reaction.

Instead, respond with kindness and complete understanding of your child’s situation and acknowledge that there are ways to put the train back on track.

A negative reaction can decrease your child’s motivation. But if you stay upbeat, then your child will no longer feel alone and is more likely to lean on your support.

Reach out to educators (wherever they are) and find additional support.

If your child is in a traditional brick and mortar school, an online school or a boarding school, a parent-teacher meeting is a logical first step toward a productive conversation about your concerns. So, seek one out.

Your conversation should focus on the positives and be nonconfrontational. Start by expressing why you’re worried and then ask the teacher for their thoughts. That is the perfect segue to the more important question about what you can do at home to help your child succeed.

If you are the teacher as a homeschool parent, consider reaching out to friends, co-ops or Anything Academic to get help and advice on the subject they are struggling in. Consider getting back-up support for the troublesome subject in the form of a tutor, online program or even a fellow parent!

If they are struggling with an online or co-op class, reach out to those teachers as well.

Shower them with praise

Positive reinforcement should focus on the hard work your child puts in. It should not be centered on comments like “you’re the greatest.” That simply won’t cut it and can be more stressful to your child who tries to live up (and perhaps fails) to your expectations.

Research shows that your praise is more impactful if it centers on your child’s perseverance and gumption to tackle their deficiencies. This is the type of praise that will lead to more results because it focuses on what your child can control.

Feed positivity into your relationship

No matter what, feed in as much positive energy and love into your relationship with your child as you can. The fact is that children who experience unconditional love and backing are more likely to excel in their studies once again.

The last thing parents want to do is tie how they feel about their kids based on their report cards.

If managing their school time is a challenge, focus on setting aside time to hang out. That’s the real true step toward renewed success.

Acknowledge that they are not alone

It’s been a difficult two years for parents, students and teachers. Many students feel behind and have struggled amidst a national disarray of schools and learning.

Acknowledge that learning may have been hard in that environment. That they may not have the grasp of prior basics that would have come easily in a different year.

If necessary, don’t be afraid to get them tested

Moving on to the next grade or promoting to middle school can be a very challenging period. Children will fall behind their peers even with the smallest of learning difficulties. Any change of scenery can exasperate their weaker areas.

Putting them through a standardized test can pinpoint areas of improvement, smoothing out any bumps they may face during times of change.

There can be other reasons students fall behind including dyslexia and other reading disorders, dyscalculia, health problem, ADHD, and even social issues in the school, including bullying. Make sure you talk about these and where relevant get your child tested and intervene. The earlier you detect a learning issue, the easier it is to treat!

Find new ways to learn a difficult subject

If what you are doing is simply not working for your child, consider new ways to learn/teach. Search Anything Academic for countless ways to learn. Consider Games that teach, online learning platforms, supplemental curriculum and learning resources. You can create a custom search for your child’s needs to find exactly what they need.

Investigate your child’s learning style and figure out what curriculum, resources or even learning environment is best for your child.  You can even take our learning style quiz here to find out what is best for your child!