10 Strategies to Get Your Child Excited About Learning

Each fall most students return to school and are excited about their new grade level and teacher assignments. Some become anxious because school is challenging for them. Others may have a history of struggling to learn or functioning successfully in a classroom setting. These students need added intervention support to ensure that they will succeed in school.

Here are ten proven strategies that parents can reinforce at home:

1. Identify a response for your child that motivates them to respond positively when encountering a challenging situation or difficult task.
2. Consistently reinforce each positive behavior with this motivating response.
3. Many children become overwhelmed when they must rush through life with too many scheduled activities. Pace their lives with balanced times for eating, sleeping, family activities, exercise, chores, and screen time.
4. Give your child time to chill. Some children need to find a quiet place to decompress when they are overstimulated or agitated about a situation. Give them the space they need away from too much stimulation or annoying situations.
5. Respect your child’s individual differences. Children need to feel valued and supported by their parents. Encourage them to reflect on the value of their many strengths and how they can effectively overcome various challenges.
6. Give your child the gift of your personal attention. Today’s parents are busy. Their children are busy. Slow down and find time to talk with your child daily. Hug them and love them for who they are.
7. Schedule time for your child to socialize with other children. Today’s families are overly scheduled with work, planned activities, and life’s responsibilities. Ensure your child has opportunities to play with other children and make friends. These experiences will help them learn how to plan and work more effectively with classmates and lifelong friends.
8. Limit screen time. Ongoing research indicates that children are more anxious, depressed, and challenged with too much screen time. Some children stay up late at night monitoring electronic devices. Others become addicted to online games and texting instead of building personal relationships.
9. Walk your talk. Apply what you say to what you do. For example, do you balance your daily life and allow time for eating, sleeping, family activities, exercise, and limit screen time?
10. Finally, express gratitude for all that is good in your life, your children’s lives, and in your community

Happy new school year of many successes!