We all want our children to live successful, fruitful, and happy lives. That’s no surprise. However, there are different levels to which parents involve themselves in helping to set that up for their children. More and more, we’re learning that the earlier you start to help your child in the arenas of education, productivity, and emotional health, the better they tend to do. If you want to give them the best start in life, then you really have to start from the start.
Never too early to learn
Learning is a lot more multifaceted than many parents think. It’s not just about how they do in school, it’s also about how they approach new concepts, challenges, and thoughts for the first time. Well before school, educational toys as shown by Early Childhood Education Zone can help them improve cognitive and problem-solving skills from an early age. Ask any teacher that’s really engaged in the classroom with younger pupils and you will find they all agree that you can tell the difference between a child who reads at home and one who doesn’t with a very minor margin of error. Even the TV shows they watch matter. Shows about superheroes and adventurers can be a lot of fun for a break, but educational classics like Sesame Street and the shows that have followed in its footsteps do make major improvements.
Understand how they are coping
Getting into education for the first time is pretty daunting and, by the time we are parents, we can forget the emotional impact of the school environment. Children can get anxious about going to school. Parents can too. Even when you’re worried for them, however, instilling them with a sense of confidence can help them get more active and engaged not just in the learning but with the other kids. Let them know that you expect the best from them and the best from their school. This doesn’t mean demanding grades. It means not letting your fears show, and exhibiting a positive attitude that they can use as an example to follow from.
Wrestle those hours of sleep in
The importance of high-quality sleep to a child cannot be overstated. If they’re tired at school, they won’t be able to concentrate or properly engage with either the teacher or the other children. But it can go a lot further than having “one bad day.” According to Mattress Advisor, the “consequences of childhood sleep deprivation last far longer than grade school.” When they start falling behind, they can keep falling further and further as they get older. What’s more, if they have trouble sleeping, they are much more likely to develop serious issues with anxiety and stress as they get older. Nothing is more important than forming a daily routine for them that ensures they are getting the hours of sleep they need depending on their age.
Help them organize their school life
As they get older, school will get more demanding. They will have more homework and independent learning to do, as well as projects with longer-term deadlines. Help them organize their school life. Create a space they can study and work undistracted with ideas from This Old House. As well as establishing a routine that sets aside time to do homework when they won’t be interrupted, help them start using a calendar when they are beginning to receive longer projects. By helping them understand how to count the dates and work out how much time they have until a deadline, it’s much easier to ensure they manage their time more effectively.
Show your interest
There are two ingredients that are crucial to success at school no matter what: engaged parents and engaged teachers. Talk to them about how they are doing at school, but do it wisely. Ask specific questions like “what’s one new thing you learned today?” or “what part of class was the most fun?” You can get involved with teachers without becoming a helicopter parent, too. You can organize a homework club and ask them for more information on what they are trying to teach. You can volunteer with the schools and spend more time around them, too. Schools and teachers should teach all children equally, but there’s no denying that getting involved as a parent and showing a commitment to your child’s education can elicit the same response from their teacher.
Every child is different and helping them discover the best ways to learn, communicate, and engage with the world is best considered on a case-to-case basis. However, helping them live more healthily, communicate more clearly, and sparking their curiosity will help every child, no matter their personality.
