How to get your child to excel
published:
Monday | August 11, 2008
Recent research shows that many students do poorly on assignments or in group projects because they do not understand what to do or why they should do it.
Psychologist, Dr Yvonnie Bailey-Davidson, has come up with seven strategies parents can use to motivate their children to excel.
Ricardo Valentine, a teacher at St Catherine High School, recom-mended that parents give their children tangible things to reward them when they get a good grade. He believes that encouraging and believing in children is also very important in motivating them to succeed. He says it works better than punishing them, especially after they have failed an exam.
Valentine said parents should ensure that their children enjoy learning: "For learning to be successful, a person has to enjoy it".
Road to success
Encourage reading by buying books and any other appropriate reading material that are age appropriate to the child.
Help the child to develop a liking for reading from an early age. It is also good when parents read to children when they are small, thus developing a parent-child interaction. Parents' enthusiasm to read and study will be transmitted to the children, who will be more likely to become interested.
Quiz children on current affairs and fun facts.
Assist with homework and get help for specific subjects if needed.
POSITIVE Parenting
Make sure that children are involved in extra-curricular activities, such as Key Club, girl guides, etc. A child will not excel if he or she is engaged with schoolwork alone. Balance is important.
Rewards are effective in motivating a child to do well at school. While giving rewards is good, punishment can also be used to make children realise that there are consequences for not excelling, and that it is very important to work hard to get good results if he or she wants to be successful.
Do a monthly check-up of the child's academic progress and his or her social interaction. If there are any problems with the child, seek help from the guidance counsellor early.
