Keys to academic success

What does it take for your child to have academic success? There are five basic skills that your child needs to achieve academic success. These skills are concentration, motivation, organization, prioritization, and time management. To instill these skills and get your child on the right track to not only succeed in school but in their every day life will take your guidance. We will look at each one of these skills separately and help you with tips that can help your child have the keys needed for academic success.

The first tip is to know your child; each child is an individual and diverse in their personality and learning skills. Be involved in their studies. The easiest way to do this is by talking. Ask how their day was in school; look over all their papers that were completed. If you notice a poor grade, do not ask why they received such a poor grade. This may make them shut down. They want to have your approval and acceptance. You also have to learn to phrase your discussions to help motivate instead of kill of the excitement for learning. A good way to approach your child is to say statements that really have nothing at all to do with them. As for an example “When I was in school, I had a hard time learning my multiplication tables.” Then think of something humorous about your school days to do with that subject. Now, you can ask, “Do you need my help with math or which ever subject it was?” Let them understand that it is okay to need help, learning new things takes time even for you.

Learning concentrations skills will be another key to their success. Concentration is an important aspect in every day life and when your child learns how to concentrate he will achieve better grades. Most people believe that children need a quiet place without interrupts to in fact finish their homework in a timely manner and to remember what they are studying. But, once again, you must know your child. How do you concentrate at work? Do you have music playing in the background? Music in the background can help some children concentrate. The television should not be on, though, because that gives them something to look at, no telephone calls, or playing games on their computer or in their room. When they are finished with their assignment, take a few minutes and ask them a couple of questions pertaining to the homework. Take them right of the pages they were reading or the paper that the answers were recorded on. This way you will know if they are remembering and concentrating on the subject at hand.

Motivations skills can begin long before you child starts pre-school. Encouragement on a job well done is behind instilling motivational skills in your child. You can start motivating your child as soon as they begin to walk. Praise them when they put up their toys. As they get older and start school, place their school papers on the refrigerator for all to see. This shows how proud you are of their achievements and gives them the motivation to achieve. Let your child use his school lessons at home. If he is learning about measurements such as teaspoons, cups and quarts; let him help you cook. Get down your recipe book and let him do the measuring. You both will enjoy making your famous chocolate chip cookies and he is learning all about measuring first hand. Use as many life situations as you can at home so he understands that the lessons he is learning in school are a necessary part of life. If history, seems to be a hard subject, show him photos of your ancestors or the family tree. Tell him stories about your Great grandfather during the Civil War. This will let him know that history is important and is also a part of his life. Always let him know you are proud of him, no matter what the grade and congratulate him every time he does well.

Organization skills will be fun to learn. You can teach them even by the way in which you organize your own items around the house. Let them put their own items in the order in which they want in their room. Teach them how to organize by putting the toys, books, and other items they use the most down in their reach, while other items can be put up on a higher shelf. A good way to help your child learn organization skills is to help them make a checklist of the items they need to take to school with them each day and what they need to bring home. Make sure he has a copy of this checklist posted in plain site in his room and one in his backpack. In his homework area, have enough paper, pencils and other items he may need to complete his homework without having to get up every few minutes and search around for these items. A pencil sharpener is a great item to have at his work station.

Prioritization is sometimes a hard concept for children. When he comes home from school and has a backpack full of assignments it would be best to sit down with him and help prioritize. He may be overwhelmed and not know where to start. Ask him when each assignment is due and help him to understand which assignments he should do first. If an assignment is not due until the latter part of the week, then he could place this assignment farther down the list. Make a list of the assignments in the order that they should be completed. It is also better if he does the harder ones first as they will take longer. If the work is not due until the latter part of the week, but it is one of his weaker subjects he could do a little of it every night to ensure that the assignment is turned in on time.

Time management can be a trying skill for many of us not just children. Learning to use our time wisely, even as adults; can be difficult. Help your child work out a schedule where he still has time to enjoy his time away from school. He should not have to jump right on his homework the minute he gets home from school. If there is not enough time in the evening to complete assignments help him find the best time to work on these assignments. Does he have time in the morning prior to school, how does he use his free time at school such as study hall? Help him to make a planned schedule where he has time to enjoy his friends, his other activities and study for school.

With these tips and your involvement in your child’s school, studies and family time you child will achieve the keys to academic success.

Although the Long Island School and other educational information on this site is believed to be correct, the information is provided on an "As Is" basis, and accuracy and/or completeness cannot be guaranteed. No warranty of any kind is given with respect to the contents of this website. Most data is sourced from New York State Department of Education.