The right education resources for parents can empower you to actively support your child’s education. You play a vital role in their academic journey and finding the right tools and strategies can make a significant difference in their learning and success. Your engagement in your child’s school helps to create a nurturing environment, foster a love of learning, and pave the best path for your child’s success. Whether you are looking for educational materials or effective techniques, I have you covered!
What Supports Learning?
When it comes to student learning and academic success, there are a lot of factors at play. A good teacher and a motivated student are only small pieces of what ultimately contribute to a student’s success. There are 5 key factors that have a significant impact on academic achievement, and you can engage to actively support all of them. The factors for academic achievement are:
- Quality teaching
- Student engagement
- Supportive learning environment
- Effective study habits and self-regulation
- Parental engagement and support
The tips and resources you will find below will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to support each one of the factors for student success.
Helpful Resources
The development of executive functioning skills and social-emotional learning skills is a greater predictor of success than simply how smart a person is. Skills like communication, perspective-taking, how to manage time, organization, goal-setting, task initiation, and thinking metacognitively are needed to tackle any challenging situation. The first step to supporting your child’s educational success is to help them develop these lifelong skills. They lead to higher student engagement, effective study habits, and self-regulation. There are many ways you can model and practice these skills at home. Below are some resources and tools to get started.
- Helping Kids Who Struggle with Executive Functions– by Child Mind Institute
- Social Challenges of Kids with Learning Problems- by Child Mind Institute
- Supporting the Emotional Needs of Kids with Learning Disabilities– by Child Mind Institute
- Metacognition: How Thinking About Thinking Can Help Kids– by Child Mind Institute
- List of the best planner apps for students
School Resources for Parents
Imagine this, your child comes to you asking for help with his or her homework. You take one look at it and realize you are stumped. Physics! You know you passed the class yourself…a long time ago, but you have absolutely no idea how to do it now.
Even though you are stumped, there are still some ways you can help. First and foremost, always teach your child to plan ahead so that he or she isn’t working on things at the last minute and to communicate effectively with the teacher. This is especially helpful for middle and high school students to build their independent learning skills. If students properly plan ahead then they will have plenty of time to seek the help they may need.
There are also some great websites that may help with content-specific questions.
Otherwise, to help with content-specific questions, let Google and YouTube be your friend. While it may take some time to sift through the results, both of these search engines can lead you straight to the answer you are looking for. Be as specific as possible with what you type in the search bar. Often times you can even type in the actual question you are working on and it will lead you straight to step-by-step explanations of how to solve it. The key is to work together to find the explanation and answer to keep your child engaged and use it as an opportunity to build problem-solving skills.
How Parents Can Support Teachers
Supporting your child’s teachers has a significant impact on their ability to deliver quality lessons and create a supportive learning environment. Talk with the teachers often. Share insights into your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Work closely with the teachers to develop plans for academic and behavioral improvement. Ask questions when anything is unclear. Giving teachers tidbits of information helps them to meet the needs of their students leading them to create better lessons.
Ask teachers how else you can support them. Provide whatever resources you are able. Let them know you value and appreciate the work they do. As a teacher myself, I can attest to the fact that a simple feeling of support and value goes a long way in keeping up the motivation needed to do the best job possible.
By actively engaging in your child’s education, fostering a positive learning environment, utilizing technology wisely, and seeking additional assistance when needed you can become an invaluable partner in their academic journey. With the right resources and a nurturing approach, parents can help their children thrive and become lifelong learners.