10 Steps To Maximize Your Child’s Learning Potential

In today’s society good grades are an essential key to success.  And although that D in 6th grade math probably won’t make it onto your child’s college application, it is still important for us as parents to do what we can, as early as we can, to help our kids be the best students that they can be.   Here are 10 way to bring out the learner in your child.

1. Encourage your child to read, read, read!  Reading is the foundation of a good education.  Starting them off early with bedtime stories is a great first step, but it is just as important to keep them reading well into high school.  Not only will reading expand their horizons, but it will also expanding their vocabulary helping them to be better writers as well.
2. Have them tell you about their day.  Yes and no questions are fine, but you should try to get your child to expand on the days events as well.  This not only makes them feel closer to you and vice versa, it helps you identify area that you or their teacher may be able to help them improve.
3. Teach them to ask for help.  As the old saying goes, no one is a master at all trades.  Help your child identify their strengths AND their weaknesses.  Teach them that there is no shame in asking for help with things they don’t understand.  After all how are they going to get better at it if they don’t know how to improve?
4. Help them break it down.  Sometimes homework assignments can seem daunting to kids.  Help them break it into smaller, attainable steps building up to the final completion of the project.  Teaching your kids to itemize a challenge is a skill that will serve them well throughout life.
5. Be their cheerleader.  Nothing boosts a kid’s self esteem quite like praise from a parent.  When they know you in it with them and pulling for them, it makes them want to succeed even more.
6. Establish homework rules.  Children crave structure.  They will perform best when they have a homework routine.  Depending on their age, you may want to sit down with them and discuss a routine that will make everyone happy and that they can stick to and respect.



7. Make a study date.  During your child’s homework time, sit beside them doing your “homework”; such as paying bills, finishing work related materials, etc.  This not only shows them that good  skills go beyond college, it also make you available to assist them with any questions they have about their schoolwork.
8. Be active at their school.  This will establish a good relationship between you and their teachers and other faculty members.  It also shows your child that their school is important to you, thus making it more important to them. 
9. Help them set goals.  Going to school day after day, writing paper after paper can seem less tedious if your child is working towards something.  Talk to them about what college they may want to go to or what profession they may want to get into.  Although a fifth grader may not have their future plans nailed down yet, exploring the possibilities can be great motivation to succeed in school.  Other goals may include perfect attendance, a summer camp geared toward their interests or just mastering that times table that they have been working so hard on.
10. Teach them to be life learners.  Help them discover that learning is all around us, not just inside the classroom.  Showing them the wonder in everyday life will help them become more passionate about learning, not only during their school years, but for the rest of their lives.