5 Ways to Help Your Child Overcome Academic Challenges

Is your child currently struggling in school? Here’s what you can do as a parent to help them overcome these challenges!

Finding out that your child is struggling in school can be frustrating and scary for any parent. With all the pressure and stress students face in school and outside of it, some will eventually get into trouble with their schoolwork. 

As a parent, remember that you are your child’s first and most important teacher!

Here are several things that you can do as a parent to support your child and help them overcome challenges in school!

Finding out that your child is struggling in school can be frustrating and scary for any parent. With all the pressure and stress students face in school and outside of it, some will eventually get into trouble with their schoolwork. 

As a parent, remember that you are your child’s first and most important teacher!

Here are several things that you can do as a parent to support your child and help them overcome challenges in school!

1. Talk to your child

Stress in children is a real problem and shouldn’t be neglected by parents.

The only way to know how your child is doing in school is by checking in on them. It’s one of the easiest ways to show your concern for how they’re getting on with their school life. 

Ask them if there are any subjects or papers they’re struggling with and what you can do to help. Let them know they can talk to you about anything and that you’re there to support them through what they may be facing in school. 

If your child does come to you and reveals that they’re having a hard time in school, take some time to hear them out and offer your support or advice. Sometimes, children just need to air their frustrations without judgement to someone who’s willing to listen. 

Keep an open mind and listen to what your child has to say. Initiating conversations lets them know that when the going gets tough, they can always come to you for anything, even if it’s just to talk about how things are in school. 

A word of encouragement or two would mean the world to someone struggling in school, so it's important to set aside time from your busy schedule and take time off for your kids.

2. Help them in setting priorities

Students often have a determining their priorities in school. 

As CCAs, enrichment classes, and after-school commitments fill up their daily schedules, students these days barely have any time to study at home, let alone rest. 

If this is the case for your child, then have a sit down with them and discuss on cutting back on some non-academic pursuits for the time being. Talk about which activities are indispensable and which ones can be held off until a better time. 

Together, create a study plan to map out their daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. Remember to also include time for breaks or fun activities with the family!

3. Provide them with resources

As a parent, one of the best things you can do to help your child excel academically is to provide them with essential learning resources. 

These can include anything that will help them study better, from a faster computer, additional books, enrichment classes, or even simply a positive and conducive learning environment at home. 

For example, before major exams, you might want to sign them up for a few after-school programmes to help them catch up on topics they might be weaker in. Targeted tuition lessons can be a huge help to students struggling in school!

Likewise, consider limiting potential distractions as much as possible by negotiating a shorter time spent on video game consoles or computer games.

4. Encourage positive study habits

Each student may have their preferred study methods and techniques, but adopting certain study habits is proven to help them succeed in school.

Some good study habits that always work for students are taking practice tests, allocating time each day for studying, writing down their notes, of course, asking for help when needed. Find out what works best for them and ask them to stick to it!

As a parent, you can set a good example by doing some of these yourself! It can be your own way of showing that you value education and success by making time for your studies. 

If your child sees you doing these study habits, then it’s likely that they will follow in your footsteps!

Following good study habits enable students to stay organised and develop better self-discipline, which are skills that will come in handy in university and adulthood.

 5. Reward effort rather than outcome

Instead of giving rewards based on the outcome of their tests, why not reward your child for putting in the effort to study? It sends the message that you respect and appreciate their hard work, no matter what their test scores are. 

Praising your child for pushing through even if things get difficult and for making a sustained effort teaches them the value of persevering and working towards their goals. 

At the end of the day, hearing you say that you’re proud of them regardless of the outcome is enough motivation for them!

Supporting your child’s academic journey

As a parent, you play a crucial role in your child’s success in school. 

By following these tips, you can help lead your child toward academic excellence. Provide them with the resources they need, reward their hard work, or sign them up for an enrichment class at Aspire Hub!

We have small class sizes of 6 to 8 students, facilitated by experienced and passionate tutors who can help with your child’s academic journey. Learn more about our tuition and enrichment classes now!