Research says, that parental involvement and interactions early in a child’s learning activities, has a significant positive effect well into the child’s adulthood. As parents you must understand that it is easy for your child to forget that learning can actually be enjoyable. Your positive attitude, gentle encouragement and motivation can go a long way in benefiting your child. You could also follow other tips like:
- ENSURE HEALTHY EATING AND SNACKING: Studying takes up a lot of mental energy, and children are often hungry. Ensure they reach out to healthier snack options rich in Omega 3 that help boost memory. Almonds, Walnuts, flax seeds support concentration and cognitive function. Foods high in antioxidants such as fruits – especially berries and tomatoes – and moderate amounts of caffeine can help concentration. Green tea and dark chocolate, are rich in specific antioxidants called polyphenols, can also support brain function. Ripe bananas, sunflower seeds, chickpeas are great to snack on because they naturally increase dopamine – a brain chemical involved in increasing concentration.
- UNDERSTAND YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING PATTERNS: Understand what works for your child and use it that to their advantage. Start by understanding their learning styles, their attention span abilities, find out what motivates them etc. Don’t bribe or build pressure. This would only result in negative outcomes. Work along with them.
E.g. Observe whether your child learns better using his Visual, Auditory or Kinaesthetic memory. Means, your child can best recall facts when they are presented in visual or sound or if they remember a fact by associating ‘feelings’ with a fact or an event. Understanding your child’s learning type could greatly help you to help your child academically. You can understand your child’s learning patterns in my article
‘UNDERSTAND YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING PATTERNS’
- MIND HOW YOU SOUND TO YOUR CHILD: Refrain from sharing all your thoughts with your child. Mind how you put across your concerns to your child. Thoughts like, “I think you are better in English than in Math” or “I am worried you may fail again or bring low grades in statistics again”. Sharing such negative thoughts could manifest in adverse outcomes. The child may begin to believe their parents, and chances are that it could also reflect on the results. Instead be encouraging and subtly work with your child to help them overcome their weaknesses.
- ORGANIZE: Help them keep their desks organised. Sometimes children can forget to keep tidy. Remind them to declutter.
- SLEEP PATTERNS: Encourage a sleep pattern. Ensure your child has a regular sleep time. Ensure they sleep at least 8 hours a day. Ensure they get their power naps during the day as they help the child remain focused. Irregular sleep patterns not only disrupt the normal sleep pattern, but also plays havoc to their memory, mood and concentration levels throughout the day.
- BALANCE: Most children love to play a sport, or another activity over academics. Help them achieve a balance between the activities they love, with their study and revision times.
E.g. Your child loves to play outdoor games and spends considerable amount of his time and energy playing. You must sit him down and find a time that he agrees to dedicate only to studying, without him having to forego his playtime. Generally, when children are given the opportunity to decide, they generally stick to their promise of dedicating a particular time to study and play. Your job is to gently remind them of their promise every time they deviate.