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Top Ten Ways to Help Your Child Get A's

by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.
Parental Involvement Is the Answer!

Study after study has shown that parental involvement is the number-one determinant of how well all children--regardless of their background--do in school. Here are ten ways you can help your kids succeed in the classroom and beyond.

Create an environment in your home that encourages learning.
This will be a major influence on how well your children do in school. Provide them with many different opportunities to become excited about learning. Make sure that appropriate materials from puzzles to paints to computers are available to stimulate their curiosity.

Provide your children with a well-balanced life.
A stable home, filled with love, serves as a solid foundation for getting straight A's. Establish routines so your children get enough sleep, eat regular nourishing meals, and receive sufficient exercise. Limit excessive TV-viewing and the playing of video and computer games.

Read to your children everyday.
Most of the learning your children do in school involves reading. Read to your kids to teach them about reading, expand and enrich their vocabularies, and broaden their experiences. Reading aloud exposes them to materials that would be difficult for them to read on their own.

Encourage them to read extensively.
As your children progress through school, as much as 75 percent of what they learn will come from the printed page. The more children read, the better their reading skills become. Make sure there is a wide variety of interesting reading materials in your home to encourage the reading habit.

Show your children how to be organized.
Children who are organized find it much easier to succeed in school. One of the best ways to teach organizational skills is through example. Show your children how to use such organizational tools such as assignment pads, calendars, notebooks, binders, and backpacks.

Teach them effective study skills.

Good study skills are absolutely essential to get A's. Make sure your children know how to read their textbooks, prepare for tests, memorize facts, and use their time efficiently. Encourage them to have a regular time for studying, and provide a study place that is free of distractions.

Urge your children to listen and participate in class.

Listening in class is the easy way for children to learn. Advise your older children to take notes, which will help them concentrate on what is being said. Encourage your children to participate in class--it will greatly increase their interest in what they're learning.

Help your children learn how to tackle homework.
Doing homework reinforces what your children learn in school. Show them how to do it so that homework quickly becomes their responsibility. Help them learn what assignments to do first and how to plan their time. Encourage them not to rush through their homework but to consider every assignment a learning experience.

Talk to your children about school.
Your children spend hours in school everyday. A lot can happen during that time. Show that you are genuinely interested in their day by asking questions about what they did and talking with them about the papers they bring home. When problems occur, work with your kids to find solutions.

Develop a good relationship with your children's teachers.

Good communication between home and school helps children do well in school and makes it easier to address problems. Be sure to attend parent-teacher conferences, visit your kids' classrooms, and volunteer to help their teachers. And don't forget to express your appreciation to teachers for all that they do for your children.

How to Help Your Child
Get Ready for a Test

There are many things that you as parents can do to help your child prepare for tests at school. Most importantly, you can communicate to your child that school is important and you believe their job in school is to learn. You can do this in many ways:

* Encourage Good Study Skills.
* Become aware of what your child is studying in
school and what his/her assignments are.
* Provide a comfortable well-lit place for your child to study.
* Offer to help quiz your child on facts he needs to know.
* Discuss what your child has learned today in school.
* If you notice that your child is having difficulty,
ask his or her teacher for advice.
Don't wait until just before a test to get help.
* Mark your calendar with your school's important test dates.
* Take advantage of opportunities to find out
what is happening at your child's school.

The Night Before a Test:
* Try to plan ahead and keep the normal household routine.
* Consider talking about the test to reassure and encourage your child.
* Let your child know that you know that tests can be hard,
but taking them provides a chance to show how
well he or she can do.
* Avoid bringing up issues you may have with your child
the night before the test, such as
failing to clean his/her room.
* Make sure your child get a good night's sleep.
* Be encouraging!

The Morning of a Test:

* Have your child get up early and eat a well-balanced breakfast.
However, you should not force your child to ear. If he or
she is nervous, too much food could make your child feel ill.
* Have your child dress comfortably, maybe in their favorite outfit.
* Be positive when you send your child to school and let him or her
know that you have confidence in his/her abilities.

After a Test:

* Talk with your child about what he or she learned from the test.
* Praise your child for trying hard on the test.
* When you get the test results for your child, take time to discuss
those results with your child.
* If you have any questions about the test and the results, dont
hesitate to discuss those issues with your child's teacher .

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