Helping Your Child Re-Engage in School
Acclimating to back-to-school is a transition, whether your child is new to or familiar with a classroom environment. Here are some strategies to help re-engage your child in school and help them stay motivated and excited about learning!
Celebrate small wins! Remember, every step forward is a victory.
Praise for effort, not grades! Remember, finally mastering a tricky subject can do more to build confidence than acing a test.
Set realistic goals: help your child set achievable goals, both short-term and long-term.
Show interest! Ask about their day, their challenges, and their interests. Genuine curiosity shows them that you are there to support them and cheer them on!
Encourage curiosity: Help explore things they are curious about outside of the curriculum.
Provide hurdle help! Remind your child you are there to help, but avoid doing their work for them.
Embrace mistakes: Teach your child that mistakes are stepping stones to success.
Encourage a “learn from failures” approach to reduce fear of trying new things.
Encourage your child to break up their work with small breaks. Use break times to bring in occasional reinforcers (a high five, for example) to highlight your child’s effort and dedication.
Back-to-School Conversation Starters:
With kids going back to school, it can be tough to get your child engaging in conversations about their school day. A tip for parents is to avoid asking, "How was your day?" which is usually met with "good" or "fine" or "okay." Check out these conversation starters that will produce engaging conversations with your kids.
If you could change one thing about school, what would it be?
What’s one thing you learned today that you think I might not know?
Tell me about one person you talked to today.
What questions did you ask today?
If you could take a class in anything, what would it be?
If you could make the rules at school, what rules would you change? What rules would you create?
What motivates you at school?
What made you laugh/feel the happiest today?
What challenged you today?
What can I help you work on?
What goals do you have for yourself?
What games did you play at recess?
Sources:
https://childmind.org/article/how-to-help-your-child-get-motivated-in-school/
https://www.wssd.k12.pa.us
https://thefamilydinnerproject.org/blog/conversation-of-the-week/best-back-school-quesitons/
https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/school-age/20-after-school-questions-that-will-actually-get-your-kids-talking/