4 Ways of Helping Your Kid Start Loving School
Is your kid becoming a pupil soon? Congratulations! It is a serious and responsible event both in his/her and your life. It is the event that will test all the nerve cells in your body. However, we need to find pros in this period, as well. They are clearly more numerous than the cons, including the usual lack of sleep, the hours spent on persuading the kid to do homework and leave home to go to school in the morning. The parents are faced with going to school again, and the child faces the period of “oh my God, I will not get enough sleep anymore.”
The troublesome mission “of doing the impossible” burdens the shoulders of mothers and fathers. The fact is that the parents themselves often dislike school, while they have to explain to the little first-grader that school and all the joy connected with it is a bright period of his/her life.
How can we help you? Perhaps you just need to look at another side of school life. Find several options how to turn school years into a vivid reminiscence and hilarious adventure. Well, you may need these tips:
1. Preparation process with attractive prospects
Start telling the young princes and princesses about the new friends they will meet at school, the beautiful new school uniform and the most fashionable schoolbag with superheroes. It is only at school that the first-grader will be able to use magic pens that will help answer all the questions in snow-white notebooks. The image of the teacher should initially be bright and kind. Only a smart princess will become a wise queen. Only a clever prince will become a strong king. Only at school the child will receive the first clues to great victories. It is necessary to instill love for school long before the start of it. Your child should be explained that every adult has to find his/her way, and this way starts at school.
2. A reward system
Bribery is a bad trend. However, a clear explanation of the game rules is a great start. You need to dwell in detail on all the benefits of a creative approach to homework. The kid gets tired at school. There are too many new things, and it is difficult to concentrate. Heavy loads always produce negative thoughts. School should not be associated with hard work. School is a source of new knowledge, a huge library to explore. The kid needs to be properly explained why doing homework is an indispensable part of the revision process. After school one should have a rest. However, late evening is not the best time for young researchers to do their homework.
Doing the task without mistakes and without any persuasion should be encouraged with bonuses – stickers on the fridge, stars on a magnetic board in a prominent place, or any other location. At the end of the week, the family council should count the points and plan a day-off at the child’s request. It is desirable to turn it into a family day. The first-grader selects a place to go to because he/she has deserved it for the effort during the week. Different places can be good for a family weekend: an amusement park, an ice skating rink, carting, entertainment centers, circus, zoo, etc.
3. Setting a goal
The child needs a well-chosen goal. And parents need to help the child find his/her own goal, which will serve as the compass during school education. The main thing is to explain that everything else that seems unrelated to achieving the goal is still important and essential. For example, you are telling your child that school will teach him/her to speak beautifully, write competently, subtract and multiply, so the little one may think that drawing lessons or physical education are not so important. However, these classes help first graders develop creativity, imagination and aspiration to victories.
Lessons are a fun way to learn. However, knowledge does not always have to be exact. Knowledge is an important tool to understand the world, and sometimes acquiring knowledge is the goal in itself, beyond the usual restrictions like writing, counting and reading. Do not kill the child’s creativity in his/her perception of the world. Listen to your child to find out why he or she finds this or that subject boring, and find the reason to change this attitude together. The main thing is to do everything together and without coercion.
4. Planning is the key to success
A child must sleep 8 hours on average. Therefore, he/she needs to go to bed earlier than he/she wants. You should not impose your point of view and make the kid do something. It is enough to explain why he or she should stop doing some things and start doing other things instead. If the young researcher disagrees with you, then listen to his/her point of view. Then make a common decision. It is important to take into account the opinion of each family member, it leads to a dialogue, which in the long-term perspective will be a peacemaker in your conflicts. The kid needs to know that he/she can speak frankly, that his or her opinion will be listened to and taken into account. The kid decides what is good and what is bad; it is just that parents’ tips help him/her make the right decision.
It is necessary to understand what your child wants to do in his/her spare time. Create a joint schedule, which will indicate the time when the kid should go to bed and the time allotted for homework. This is the requirement on your part, but be sure to schedule meetings with friends, workouts in the gym and computer games that will be planned according to his/her wishes. Each item should be discussed concerning the start and the duration of an activity. All parties should feel involved in establishing a timetable for the near future.
The world lives according to new modern rules. What was acceptable 10 years ago is now considered old-fashioned and silly. However, the happy memories of school years and the understanding that they haven’t been wasted will always be important.
Parents’ task is to make each stage of the child’s growing up saturated with positive and bright moments. Your kid must love what he/she does. There are so many beautiful things, so teach your kid to see bright and joyful moments around.
