Address Their Difficulties and Make the Necessary Changes
School stress often follows your child home, and thus, quickly turns into a struggle for the entire family. You see, no matter how hard you try, your child might struggle in school at some point in their academic life. If you’re asking yourself, ‘what to do if my child is struggling in school?’,
we hope this can help.
If you want to help your child, you should first work towards identifying the root cause of their struggle. So, what to do if my child is struggling in school? First and foremost, find out why they’re struggling.
Some children, especially when they’re transitioning from play-based learning to more traditional learning, begin to lose interest in their studies altogether. Others might find themselves inclined towards only a particular field of study. Still, some students struggle simply due to a lack of understanding. And since subjects like maths or science usually build upon themselves, your child can find themselves unable to understand if they’ve missed a certain topic early on.
Additionally, some students are just differently-abled and may suffer from a spectrum of learning disorders like autism or dyslexia, which requires that they get additional support. Something as simple as not realizing there is a problem with their eyesight can impact a student’s success. These are some of the main reasons why children struggle academically but your child could still be facing a different problem altogether.
If you think your child is struggling in academics, make sure to act quickly because if you let the matter be for too long, you’re actually turning it into a much bigger issue. Communication is key here. Ensure that you provide a safe space for your child to confide in you. Talk to them about their studies, get them to tell you what’s wrong- but don’t be pushy. Be there to support them, and make them feel at home.
A few tell-tale signs of a struggling child include:
If your child has any of the above symptoms, it’s time for you to take action and help them cope better with the situation. Get to the root cause of the problem and make sure to eliminate hurdles in the way of your child’s academic success.
Okay, so your child is struggling in school but what are you supposed to do? How can you help? How can you make things better?
Here are a few tried-and-tested strategies to help children cope with academic stress and anxiety.
Sometimes when your kids are upset, it’s best to just let them cool off. Rational conversation is not always the answer because when your child is frustrated or in a fit, they won’t be able to absorb rational thoughts. So, it’s best that you wait for them to rant then calm down and normalize before giving advice.
If your child struggles with homework, try and put a time limit on the work. Ask your child’s teachers for a time limit along with the homework tasks and if the work exceeds a limit, write a note explaining how that’s all that could be done. Of course, your child does not deserve to be overworked. They’re children and they can only do so much.
Breaks are important even for adults, so if your child tells you ‘I can’t take it anymore’, make sure they don’t have to. Give them time to relax before coming back to the task. It also gives them a chance to start over with a fresh mind.
Organization is a very valuable skill that can be particularly useful for children in multi-tasking. When your child has to do everything at once, they might find themselves unable to concentrate. Not all children are born organizers, and thus, it may be hard for your kid to make sense of everything at once. But be patient, give them time, and help them learn to organize things in a suitable way.
Everybody makes mistakes. In fact, they say you learn from your mistakes- it’s called experience. And you can only learn so much from other people’s experiences. Children, like everyone else, need to make their own mistakes. Don’t always try to correct your child. Let them run wild with their creativity. Let them be who they want to be. Let them do what they want to, and how they want to do it- unless, of course, it is potentially harmful. Remember, it’s about teaching them how to think and not what to think.
If you’ve tried, but can’t seem to understand what’s wrong, maybe you should try contacting the school. Meet with your child’s teacher and discuss the matter at length. Nobody understands your child’s academic struggle like their teacher does so make sure to talk it out with them to get the full picture. After all, how can you solve a problem when you can’t even identify it?
Encouraging your child is absolutely vital. Your child should know that they can count on you. Celebrate little wins, and make sure they know that they’re doing great. Everybody struggles from time to time, but it is up to you to make your child feel loved. Make sure they never have to question their worth. Support them and encourage them no matter what.
All children are not the same. Hence, all children don’t learn the same way either. If your child has difficulty grasping concepts, maybe it’s time that you tried a different technique like audiovisuals, project-based learning, or printable worksheets.
If all else fails, maybe you should try visiting a doctor because sometimes there might be some underlying medical problem that’s bothering your child. And as a parent, it’s your duty to make sure your child has all the support they need.
If you’re asking, ‘what to do if my child is struggling in school, don’t worry, because you’re not alone. Children struggle, as do adults. But there are ways to help your child cope with the situation. Make sure that you support them. Make them feel appreciated and loved. They just need a little push, so be their friend and help them get through this difficult time.
Go to the Shamrck Dashboard today to get access to more information about resources to help your child succeed academically.
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