There is one question every parent always asks themselves: how can I help my child to succeed in school?

            All children have two wonderful resources for learning–imagination and curiosity. As a parent, you can awaken your children to the joy of learning by encouraging their imagination and curiosity. You should also remember that teaching and learning do not only happen in school. They also happen when parents and children do simple things together.

 

            For instance, you and your child can: sort the socks on laundry day–sorting is a major function in math and science; cook a meal together–cooking involves not only math and science but good health as well; tell and read each other stories–storytelling is the basis for reading and; or play a game like hopscotch together–playing physical games will help your child learn to count and start on a road to lifelong fitness. 

 

            Also, here are some things you can do when your child is young which can be of great help when he goes to school:

 

• Let them see you read, and read to them and with them. Keep books, magazines, and newspapers around the house.
• Keep pencils and paper, crayons, and washable markers handy for notes, grocery lists, and schoolwork. Writing takes practice, and it starts at home.
• Teach children to do things for themselves rather than do the work for them. Patience when children are young pays off later.
• Help children, when needed, to break a job down into small pieces, then do the job one step at a time. This works for everything–getting dressed, a job around the house, or a big homework assignment.
• Develop, with your child, a reasonable, consistent schedule of jobs around the house. List them on a calendar, day by day.
• Watch television with your children and talk about what you see.

Sometimes we think that all our children need to know to be ready to start school are the ABCs and how to count. The reality is that most children can learn these things pretty fast once they get to school. What they do need–and what you can give–is the message that education is valuable: through education, people can shape their own future.

        So, talk about learning, share the fun and excitement of new skills. Show your children that you are always learning, too. Read aloud, play games, and talk about events

around the block and around the world.

        Children tend to follow the examples set for them. When we say one thing and do another, children watch and learn. When we practice what we preach, children watch andlearn.

        The bottom line is that when we give our children the support and information they need, and expect them to do well, they do better in school and in life.

            Remember, there are three messages our children need to be successful in school which can be sent by:

1. Sharing our own experiences and goals with our children, because children tend to adopt our ideals. They need to know how we feel about making an effort, working hard, and planning ahead.

2. Establishing realistic, consistent family rules for work around the house so our children can develop schedules and stable routines. Children need limits set even though they will test these limits over and over again. Children need to know what they can depend on–and they need to be able to depend on the rules we make.

3. Encouraging our children to think about the future. Our children need realistic, reasonable expectations, and they need the satisfaction of having some of these expectations met. They need to take part in making decisions (and to learn that sometimes this means sacrificing fun now for benefits later) and they need to find out what happens as a result of decisions they have made.

 

            By remembering and doing these things together, you can show your child that learning is fun and important.

By: MARK ANTHONY C. BAUTISTA | Teacher III | Sabatan Elementary School | Orion District | Orion, Bataan