Schools and educators have a great impact on students. However, in the end, they only have limited control over them. Ultimately, parents’ support beyond school hours is a crucial component behind students’ success!
In fact, research has shown that regular parental involvement has been helpful for 57.5% of senior high students’ academic performance.
So, help your students excel by guiding the parents with these tips!
1. Encourage open communication
Guide parents to communicate with their children openly but with kindness. They must regularly ask children about their daily school assignments and studies. Some strategies to ensure clear communication are:
- Ask open-ended questions, such as “What did you learn at school?” “Which parts did you find interesting?” and “Which parts did you struggle to understand?”
- Avoid asking close-ended questions like “Did you have fun at school?” Such questions don’t let children express themselves properly and end with a Yes/No answer.
- Be attentive and show interest when children respond without interruption. If they feel a certain way, validate their feelings.
- If children are wrong, convey that without yelling or hitting them. Otherwise, they will avoid sharing their thoughts with their parents.
2. Stay connected with parents
Educators must regularly update parents about students’ progress, struggles, and other issues, such as absenteeism or behavioral issues.
However, it’s definitely not convenient to call or mail every parent about student updates. After all, that will take away precious teaching hours and only complicate the system.
So, the school must implement a robust student management information system that takes care of it all. It offers a smooth line of communication where teachers can instantly update scores and grades, attendance, behavior, and any other important facts.
Teachers can also share resources and mass notifications through the system. Parents can check the system for updates through an iOS or Android app.
The updates will keep parents well-informed so they can make the right decisions for their children’s academic progress.
See also: Navigating OCAS Login and OUAC Guidance for Prospective Students
3. Ask them to follow a routine
Whether for classwork revision or homework completion, children must follow a consistent routine regarding studies. This helps them understand that studies are a priority even if they dislike certain subjects.
So, conduct workshops to teach parents different strategies on how to support their studies and homework, like the following:
- Set a specific time to help their child study. Share the importance of a consistent routine.
- Ensure they have a specific study area without distractions like TV or smartphones. Share how parents’ being on the phone affects them.
- Set aside time every day for reading, revising, and working on projects and assignments. Make a chart or use timers to help them follow the routine.
- Add breaks in between so the child feels motivated and energized.
- If parents can’t be physically present to make their child follow the routine (for work or health concerns), seek support from family or professionals. Never ignore a child’s daily studies.
4. Set homework that needs parental involvement
Another way to ensure parents actively support children’s studies even beyond school hours is homework! Here are some fun ideas:
- Ask them to write an essay about a day studying specific subjects in the library, learning about a museum to learn history, or hiking to learn geography. The content must cover when they set off, things they learned from their parents and the venue, and a parent-child picture at the venue.
- Tell them to watch educational content with parents and summarize the key pointers in the form of an essay.
- Explore finger painting art and craft where both students and their parents must partake.
5. Recommend unique study resources
Gather valuable external study materials beyond the books referred to by the school. These can include books, workbooks, magazines, YouTube videos, educational sites, apps, and online blogs.
Tell parents to teach using those materials at home. This will help children gain a deeper knowledge of subjects. If you know of any open-source resources that offer materials for free or at a discount or provide photocopies, that’ll also help them out!
6. Promote a growth mindset
Whether in the form of meetings, newsletters, handouts, workshops, or mass notifications, share the importance of a growth mindset among parents. Ask them to follow these strategies:
- Praise effort and not just the grades
- Encourage children to learn from mistakes and take them as opportunities to improve.
- Parents must embrace a growth mindset in daily life.
Conclusion
Parents will be better equipped to help their children in academics with clear guidance and support from school. So, embrace these tips and make a difference now!
