Raising a child is challenging. Raising a happy and confident child is even more challenging! Each child is different and will require a unique approach.

Answer these questions to gain a better perspective of your situation.

1. How do I define success? What traits and skills does my child need to be happy, confident, and successful?

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2. What are my child’s strengths and weaknesses?

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3. What experiences from my own childhood are relevant? What did my parents do well?

What could they have done better?

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4. How can I help my child to be more successful in school?

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5. How can I help my child develop better social skills?

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6. What are five goals that would be appropriate for my child to achieve?

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7. What are my child’s greatest fears? How can I help?

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©Barbara Ann Mojica 2023

Many people place value on educational success. Whether you feel it’s important to
attain socioeconomic status, increase earning power, or simply be more of a
well-rounded person, there are many arguments for pro-school attitudes.

From the start of a child’s beginning in school, when they are in preschool or
kindergarten, we can cultivate an attitude of success, growth, and eagerness in
them.

As they grow, their own success will depend more and more on themselves as they
make their own choices. However, there are some things you can do to make it more
likely they’ll succeed.

Routines and Daily Habits

For example:

• Bodybuilders’ routines involve going to the gym each day.
  
  
• A firefighter’s routine involves putting on gear and getting into the truck as quickly and safely as possible.

• Police officers have routines when clearing a crime scene.

• Garbage men have routines to pick up trash in the most methodical order as possible.

A routine for a child in school is no different. Explaining to your child that everyday professionals and jobs use routines is also important so they will understand the value in it.

The routine you choose for your child depends on your individual child, but basically involves setting aside a specific time of day and place for something related to their education.

What do successful school routines look like?

Consider these routines:

• Completing homework everyday after school at the kitchen table
  
  
• Writing down each subject’s homework in a daily journal or planner
  
  
• Eating a healthy breakfast each morning with your student and discussing school
  
  
• Asking your child about one or two important lessons they learned in school that day

Educational Check-In

While the singular job of a student is to go to school each day, the job of that student’s parent or caretaker is to help the student cultivate an attitude of learning. Despite the fact that we, as parents and guardians, have our own busy lives to deal with, it’s important to keep in mind that our children also are growing and learning.

There are many conversation starters revolving around school, and it is critical that parents set aside time each day to ask about school.

For example, you can ask:

• What happened in school
  
  
• How the school day went
  
  
• What they learned
  
  
• Whether anything was surprising
  
  
• Or even what grades they got on tests

For older students, having a more in-depth conversation related to the transfer of educational knowledge to the real world is important.

Value of Report Card Grades

Some parents choose to motivate their children with rewards for good grades. While there are arguments for and against giving a child money for earning an “A” or a “B” on a report card, this can be done in a responsible way.

The basic idea is to motivate them with external rewards, but then phase it out as they grow older and the motivation comes from within themselves.

Overall, there are certainly many things you can do to jumpstart the excitement and energy that students have for school. With parenting, there are no right or wrong answers and you can even devise your own system for motivating your student for success.
 

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