by Virginia L. Allen

Created on: December 12, 2008   Last Updated: June 17, 2009

Your kids hear it on a daily basis; "Johnny you need to pull your grades up!" If they're not hearing it from their teacher, they're hearing it from you. Whether they believe it or not, you are not trying to give them a hard time, you just want them to reach their full potential. So, are there any keys or special tools we as parents can use to help our kids achieve higher grades in school? Absolutely!

1.) Help them to develop a healthy attitude toward learning.- If your child has a negative view of learning, it can be extremely hard to motivate them to do well in school. Therefore, try showing your child the value of everything he/she learns at school. Although some subjects may not seem relevant to them right now, an education in a variety of subjects will enrich their understanding of the world around them.

2.) Help them keep a positive view of their abilities.- Believe it or not, school can reveal your child's hidden talents; talents that are unique to them. School can help them to discover and build on the abilities that they may have never realized they had before. Encourage them to leave negative thoughts and feelings about what they cannot do behind, and focus on positive ways to nurture their abilities. Setting themselves up for failure by thinking that they are not capable of improving, should never be allowed. Help them to identify their strengths, and help them make the most of them.

3.) Help them develop good study habits.- Unpleasant as it may sound to them, sooner or later your child is going to have to study. Studying is extremely vital to achieving success in school. Here's what you can do to make studying bearable for your youngsters:

* Find a study area- Make sure it's free of distractions. (Sorry kids, no music, no T.V.) Use a desk if possible.

* Set priorities.- Make the resolve that no T.V. will be watched, no music will be listened to, no going outside, until all homework is finished first.

* Don't encourage procrastination.- Set a definite schedule and stick to it.

* Have a plan.- Help your child list which homework projects need to be done and in what order. Set a time limit for each one. Cross out each assignment as they are completed.

* Allow breaks.- Let your child stop for a brief rest now and then, but make sure they get back to their homework ASAP!

* Help them be confident.- The difference between a good student and a poor one has more to do with diligence than intelligence.

As parents we have the privilege and the duty to help our children achieve sucess in school. Be persistent, put forth the effort, work hard and you will see good results.

Reference work: "Questions Young People Ask, Answers That Work".

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