How Can I Help My Child Be Successful?

Set up an at home schedule (with your child). It's great to have a plan everyone is on board with and will follow! 

We all benefit from having predictable routines and procedures to help us be successful. Knowing your expectations for everything from the morning routine, to who packs their snack and lunch, to where they should keep their backpack will help everyone have a smoother and calmer start to the day! In the evenings, think about creating schedules that will help your child manage time for any schoolwork, extracurriculars like sports and activities, as well as time to rest, relax, recharge, and PLAY!

Now is also a great time to start giving your kiddo more responsibility and independence around the house. Weekly and/or daily chores are a great way to build these skills and more!

For more tips, tricks, suggestions, or examples feel free to ask your child's classroom teacher or counselor!

You are your child's best advocate and cheerleader! When you show them that you genuinely believe that they can accomplish hard tasks, they believe more in themselves. 

This does not mean doing things FOR THEM, making things easier, or offering hollow praise. They don't need a "Good Job" after every action. This means being positive about allowing them to embrace the struggle!

This might look like: 

Your child comes to you and is struggling or asking for help. Ask them what strategies they have already tried in order to solve their problem and what they will try next. Listen to their answers.

Helping them with scheduling and pacing their work. Help them set up a schedule to accomplish tasks in smaller chunks or in a reasonable time frame. Allow them to work independently. Set up a schedule that includes time for physical and mental breaks. Check in from time to time to see if they are keeping on track. 

Genuinely celebrate clear demonstrations of EFFORT and accomplishments with verbal praise and encouragement. Be sure that you are being both positive and SPECIFIC! ("Thank you for helping your sister with cleaning up the living room, that was very responsible!" "Great job finishing all of your reading! What are you going to tackle next?")

Be supportive of your CHILD, your child's TEACHER, and the SCHOOL.

Every family is unique and will have unique needs and challenges, especially during difficult times. You are always welcome to reach out if you ever need help and please keep us in the loop if you can. Your honesty and transparency really help us to best support your child. We are here because we care. 

We are all doing the best we can with the time and resources we have. If you ever have questions or concerns, please reach out politely to your child's teacher and ask for clarification, help, support, or additional resources! We are so excited to be a collaborative TEAM in helping your child be SUCCESSFUL! We welcome and encourage feedback and working together to support your child. We are working towards growth and success in ALL areas, academic, social, and emotional.

If the past few years have shown us anything, it is that we need to be prepared for ANYTHING!

The more you are able to stay positive and go with the flow, the better time your child will have adjusting to changes and challenges.

If you need help or ever have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out - WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

We can help children feel capable and safe when we focus on the things we can control and the small positive changes we can make in our lives to help and respect others. This will give us purpose and agency. 

It helps our kids to see adults positively tackle problem solving, ways to cope with stress, and good citizenship, and it helps us when we model these as well!  We all come out stronger on the other side, ready to tackle the next challenge!

If you'd like ideas or strategies to share with your child on any of these topics, reach out to your child's teacher and/or counselor. We are ALL learning and growing together!