School is Cool!

 

Many times our children struggle with the discrepancy between being a good student or being viewed by their friends as “cool.”  How can we as parents send our children the message that “school is cool?”  Here are some tips to spark excitement for your child to get engaged in learning.

Make learning personal for your child.  Look for ways to tie school lessons to your youngster’s life.  For example, if he is learning about verbs, ask him to name his favorite actions: eating, skateboarding or playing basketball.  If he is working on division with decimals, look at the price of a case of pop versus on can, or the price or a loaf of bread versus one piece of bread.  Relating subjects to his interests will help to build his enthusiasm.

Reward your child’s effort in completing his or her school work.  When your child works hard on an assignment, let her know you noticed.  For example, “you solved that tough math problem.  Way to go!”  Focusing on progress, not just on grades, encourages hard work and discourages the urge to give up.

Be an educational tour guide.  Invite your child on a fun learning journey.  For example, tackle a craft project together using a how-to-book.  If you want to order a pizza let her help you find information in the phone book or on the internet.  If you are going on a trip, have her help you use an atlas.  Use a trip to a museum, the zoo, or an arboretum to be a spring board for learning about a science fact, animal or an artist.  The desire to learn can be contagious.  Let’s get our children excited to learn! If you want to learn more about Columbia School District, call me at 5175926641 or email Pamela.Campbell@myeagles.org .