Helping Kids Stay On Track With Learning

Children can easily be sidetracked from their schoolwork, whether they are struggling with homework or simply distracted. As parents and caretakers, we have the power to keep them motivated, confident, on track, and successful in their education.

This week the blog delves into beneficial ways to help you as parents keep your child on track with their learning, exploring tips on how to catch when your child's school is falling behind on homework and the importance of academic success in building emotional resilience and confidence.

Staying on track with education can be challenging for many parents, but it is crucial, as falling behind in one subject can affect a child's confidence and education in all areas. There are subtle signs when a child is lagging, such as changes in behaviour, stress or anxiety, school avoidance, and fear of asking questions in class.

However, regularly assessing their grades and progress with homework, addressing any gaps, setting goals and purposes around their learning, embracing connection, and using technology to create and support more exciting learning can all be helpful tools to keep your child on track with their studies. Read more about these tips and steps to help children stay on track with their studies.

Is your child struggling to keep up with schoolwork? Are they falling behind? Are they bored in class? Or are you looking for extension work for your child? Check out our eBook to learn more about how we help your child improve academically and build confidence through our in-centre after-school tuition.

Set goals

To teach children to be successful in everyday life, setting and defining goals is key. Goals enable children to stay focused, motivated, and on track with their learning and academic development. Teaching children to set goals for themselves builds upon their strengths, addresses their weaknesses, and helps them visualise their aspirations and dreams. For example, setting an end-of-year goal of achieving high grades in school will help build momentum, encourage, and guide your child’s focus towards making conscious choices that align with that goal.

Encourage kids

Encouraging kids is essential for their growth and development. By providing them with positive reinforcement, acknowledging their efforts, and celebrating their achievements, we can foster a sense of self-confidence and resilience in young people.

 Encouragement instils in young people and children the belief that they can overcome challenges and succeed. It is important to create a supportive environment to teach children where they feel safe to explore, take risks, and learn from their mistakes. By offering words of encouragement to your child, we inspire them to believe in themselves, pursue their passions, and, through hard work, reach their full potential.

Promote and instil good habits

Establishing positive habits early in life sets us up for success, especially for our children, who need help staying on track with their learning. Ingraining good habits like planning, organisation, and time management will help remove any distractions children may encounter and shape them into active and motivated learners.

Instilling good habits by creating a routine for your child's teacher and encouraging them to follow it will become second nature. This ensures that the child's teacher has taught them the habit of staying focused and on track to stay involved with their learning.

Purpose and goals

It's essential to consider the purpose and goals of your child's learning and get involved to help them work towards their achievements. Encourage them to think about the purpose of their learning. Do they need a boost in confidence? Are there areas that they aren’t keeping up with, or are there gaps in their knowledge that they need to fill?

For example, math and English are core areas many students need a boost in. Help your child achieve goals using a smart goal process that ensures kids' goals are clear and measurable, lets them track their progress, and makes kids feel a sense of accomplishment as they progress. Getting kids on top of their purpose and goals creates a positive environment that most often encourages kids to achieve their feelings of success and helps with their mindset.

Take breaks

It is important to ensure that our children stay on track with their learning, but heavy workloads and commitments can cause stress and burnout. This can lead to off-task behaviour as children lose their focus and steer their attention away from learning. Scheduling breaks in your child’s study or daily routine is a useful way to keep them on track by increasing their productivity.

Taking a break from school and taking their minds off school work allows parents and children to refresh their minds and focus their attention on other activities related to their school success, their own lives, interests, or tasks. Children are more likely to be productive and stimulated with a fresh mind after rest.

Address weaknesses

Addressing weaknesses to help children stay on track deserves our utmost attention. It can be difficult for children to speak up about their weaknesses and difficulties, which can lead to a lack of motivation and confidence. Supporting children with their struggles or weaknesses and letting them know that we understand can give them the boost of confidence they need to stay on track with their learning.

You may be able to help your child develop and overcome struggles by providing them with a certain amount of extra support, such as enrolling them in tutoring where they are exposed to mentors, homework, or lessons that support their specific goals.

With the recent transitions from classroom to home and online learning and back, many children struggle with confidence and knowledge gaps. It can be tricky to catch up if your child's education is not on track, as they may not be forthcoming about being behind. Signs could be feeling bored in class if they're not keeping up, or subtle behavioural changes or challenges.

If you suspect your child's school work is falling behind, it is crucial to assess where they are with learning and if there are gaps in understanding. Are they on track with their peers? At NumberWorks'nWords, we know how important this is and offer a free assessment in math and English to check your child's level. Evaluating your child's learning gaps clarifies what steps are required, helps plan learning goals with motivation, and creates a clear plan to focus on.

Connection

Many kids sense a loss of connection and spend far more time at home than ever before. So it's crucial to embrace connection in your child's learning process through relatable role models and peers and being a part of a positive learning space. For example, they may relate well to particular school teachers or a parent taking an interest in their learning and quizzing them.

Surrounding your kids with others focused on achievement and celebrating success in a smaller setting can help support their physical and mental health and well-being and cultivate their feelings and a sense of belonging, particularly belonging to a family, school, or learning community. That connection can make a difference emotionally and make children more comfortable asking adults for help.

Encourage their curiosity and exploration.

Foster a sense of wonder and curiosity in children by encouraging them to ask questions, explore new interests, and discover the world around them. Support children's curiosity by providing access to educational resources, engaging in meaningful conversations, and nurturing their own feelings and natural interests. By fostering their curiosity, we empower children to become lifelong learners and develop a genuine love for knowledge.

Recognise and appreciate their unique strengths.

Every child has their own set of strengths and talents. Encouraging kids involves recognising and appreciating their unique abilities and talents. Take the time to identify their strengths, whether they're in academics, sports, the arts, or interpersonal skills, and provide opportunities for them to further develop and showcase these talents. By celebrating their strengths and helping them build upon them, we instil a sense of pride and self-worth, boosting their confidence and motivation to excel in various areas of their lives.

Technology

In this day and age, it's essential to take advantage of technological advancements that offer many ways to support your child's learning, such as online books, apps, and games. 

NumberWorks'nWords is constantly developing the latest technology to bring education to life. With our world-class classroom software programmes customised to your child's individual learning needs and interactive learning games.

NumberWorks'nWords offer individualised math and English tutoring programmes to help students achieve their academic goals. By assessing the student's learning level and developing a unique plan, they help identify and close any learning gaps.

NumberWorks'nWords is equipped with the latest technologies and software, as well as a fully trained, supportive, and approachable team of tutors, teachers, and educators, ensuring that students feel at ease to ask questions and receive the necessary assistance. To see children learn more about their after-school tuition, contact your local centre and book a free assessment today.