Nurture your child's scholastic success

Coach your child with these strategies
Be sure to make a commitment to help your child reach his achieved goal. Find out exactly where his problem is and guide him towards strategies which will 'zero in' on solving that particular problem. Make it fun instead of drudgery. If it's a times table memory problem, make up fun exercises to assist memory: sing a rap song every morning on your drive (or walk) to school, sing the rap song every night while setting the table together, or at bedtime.

If your child seems to stumble along in many academic areas and for a prolonged period of time, start problem-solving as early as possible. Don't wait for your child's teacher to tell you about it. Look for clues that may point to the source of your child's academic struggles:

• Could my child have a learning disability? Call your local learning disabilities association or arrange for a psycho-educational test to be done through your local school board or a privately-owned institution.

• Could my child possibly have a visual or auditory problem? Have your child's eyes and ears tested. Hearing and visual problems make it difficult for anyone to learn. Remember that some auditory and visual problems go undetected, but can cause academic problems.

• Is there something else going on that might affect academic achievement? Make a date and talk to your child. Sometimes if we just listen, we can get the answer directly from our children. Maybe it's a bully at school, or a problem with a particular teacher.

• Does my child have unnecessary stress? Review your child's life; review what it's like to be him. Go through his day mentally. What could you change to make his life easier, or less stressful? Maybe he has too much structure or not enough for his particular personality. Maybe he's just too busy.

• Do they need a change? Try to alter the way they're being taught. Some kids are not visual or rote learners, so writing and rewriting their spelling-list words may not work for them. Instead, make up a song, write in the sand, write with finger paint, cut out sandpaper letters, use flash card letters, or try whatever else it takes to change the way the material is presented. This will give stronger parts of the brain a crack at the problem.

Remember that most academic problems are short-term, related to a specific subject or task, and pass without much impact on the child's life. Fortunately, most of us eventually do memorize mundane things like our multiplication tables.

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