Tina often complains that her kids never manage to complete their homework. And her 7 year old son often gets a bad report in the school tests. Recently her 9 year old daughter has flunked the Mathematics test in her first trimester exam. Tina is at a loss! She has tried everything from coaxing to yelling. But nothing seems to work.
So how can you help your child do well at studies? First of all, you yourself have to realize the importance of studies. Only then can you expect real results from your child. It is very important to lay the foundation early on. If you think that serious education starts after Class V or VI or any other, you are making a mistake. Serious education should start the day your child starts going to school. In fact, it can start even before your child goes to school. Here are a few tips on how to encourage your child to enjoy and do well at studies.
Encourage Curiosity: The day when your child starts asking you silly childish questions, you get the opportunity to shape his/her future. You can either brush the questions off with irritation, or you can carefully choose an answer that satisfies them and they can understand. If you do the latter, you are encouraging a creative and curious bend of mind in your child. And this is very important if you want your child to ENJOY studies.
Be Interested And Involved: Even if your child is going to kindergarten, he/she is learning many new things. Wouldnt it be a great idea to share all the new experiences and be a part of the day at school? Most moms ask their kids about their day at the kindergarten, but soon they fall out of the habit. That is wrong. No matter how old your child is, try to stay involved in studies and all other school activities.
Encourage Punctuality: Never allow your children to be late for school. And never give in to those non existent tummy aches. Many children learn that a lot of wailing and screaming can get the desired results from their parents. Dont give that impression to your children. They should know that rules are not meant to be broken. They should not be allowed to bunk school for reasons other than real sickness.
Encourage Self Study: Most moms teach their children at home in early years. But after a few years, the tuition culture takes on. It is much better than you encourage self study in kids right from an early age. They should neither depend on you and nor on the tutor for their homework or for learning lessons etc. This can be done by giving assignments everyday and asking for results in a specified time. It is important to do this at an early age.
If you find these tips useful, do wait and watch out for our next in the series.
