Checking in regularly is essential

With another school year behind us, summer months are a great time to help prepare your child for a successful upcoming school year. Doing so is especially important if your child is starting a new school or is coming off a school year that wasn’t so great. The following suggestions may help set your child up for another successful or perhaps a more successful year ahead.

Attend Back-To-School Night and Parent/Teacher Conferences

Research indicates that kids do better academically when their parents take an active role in their school lives. It is important to be familiar with your child’s school policies and their teacher’s expectations. Conferences are an opportunity to discuss any concerns you have about your child’s learning and explore strategies to help them perform their best in class. Meeting with the teacher also lets your child know that what goes on in school will be shared at home. It is important to work together as a “team” to support your child.

Visit the School and Its Website

Knowing the physical layout of the school and playground can help you connect with your child when they talk about their school day. On the school website, you can find information about:

1. Calendar, which often provides testing and holidays.

2. Staff contact information.

3. Upcoming events like class trips.

4. Testing dates. It’s a good idea to post such dates on the family calendar and help your child keep these dates in mind.

Support Homework Expectations

Homework is designed to reinforce what students have learned during the school day. It can also help children develop time management skills and important study skills techniques. It promotes a sense of responsibility and work ethic that will benefit them in the future.

As parents, you can support this process by letting them know that homework is a priority. One way to do this is to create an effective study environment. It should be well-lit, free of distractions (such as a television in the background), and should have the necessary supplies, e.g., pens and paper.

A good rule of thumb for an effective homework and/or study period is 10 minutes per elementary grade level. Fourth graders should expect to have about 40 minutes of homework or studying each school night. If it is often taking significantly longer than this guideline, you may want to discuss the issue with your child’s teacher.

Send Your Child to School Ready to Learn

Being “ready to learn” includes having a nutritious breakfast. Children who eat breakfast tend to have more energy, focus better and perform better in school. You can boost your child’s attention span, concentration and memory by providing breakfast foods that are rich in whole grains, fiber and protein while also being low in sugar.

Children also need the right amount of sleep to be alert and ready to learn throughout the day. Most school-age children need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night.

Bedtime difficulties can arise at this age for several reasons. Homework, sports, after-school activities, TVs, computers and video games, as well as hectic family schedules, can contribute to kids not getting enough sleep.

Teach Organization Skills

When kids are organized, they can stay focused instead of spending time searching for things and getting sidetracked.

Check your child’s backpack every night. Look in the assignment book and review homework every night so you are familiar with the assignments and can help ensure your child doesn’t fall behind. Re-pack the backpack nightly before going to bed and leave it in the same spot so it will be easy to find in the morning. No last-minute racing around looking for things in the morning — this can be a stressful start to the day. Remember, no one is born with great organizational skills; they need to be learned and practiced.

Teach Study Skills

Be sure to know when your child is going to have a test so you can help them study in advance, rather than the night before, when anxiety is highest. Teach your child how to break down the overall tasks into smaller, manageable chunks so that preparing for a test isn’t overwhelming. Also, the more memory tracks you can lay down in the brain, the easier it will be to recall the information. For example, having your child practice their spelling words in the bathtub while writing the words in colored, scented markers on the wall will help them recall the words more easily than just looking at the words on the page and trying to memorize them.

Know the Disciplinary Policies

Schools usually cite their disciplinary policies (sometimes called the student code of conduct) in student handbooks. The rules outline expectations and consequences for failing to meet these expectations, including matters such as student behavior, dress codes, the use of electronic devices and acceptable language.

Get Involved.

Children tend to perform better when their parents take an active role in their school life. Getting involved at your child’s school is one way to do this. While many grade-schoolers enjoy seeing their parents at school events, it’s best to follow your child’s cues to determine how much interaction works for both of you. If your child seems uncomfortable with your presence at the school, consider taking a more behind-the-scenes approach. Parents can get involved by:

1. Being a classroom helper or homeroom parent.

2. Organizing and/or working at fundraising activities and other special events, e.g., bake sales, book fairs.

3. Chaperoning field trips.

4. Planning class parties.

5. Attending school board meetings.

6. Joining the school PTA.

7. Working as a library assistant.

8. Reading a story to the class or listening to new readers.

9. Giving a talk for career day.

10. Attending school concerts or plays.

Take Attendance Seriously

Children who are sick should stay home from school. Otherwise, it is important to go to school. If your child misses school, plan with your child’s teacher on how they can catch up on missed work. If your child is missing school due to anxiety, you may want to talk to someone like a psychologist.

Make Time To Talk About School

Parents get busy, and it’s easy to forget to ask your child about their school activities. Dinnertime is a great time to “check in” with your child and find out what was the best part of the day and what they wish they could change. Establishing good lines of communication in the elementary school years is critical because you want to maintain that open communication during the adolescent years. Try to make time every day to talk about school.

If you have concerns about your child’s development or learning, you can seek out evaluation services at LSU Health Shreveport Children’s Center.

Michelle Yetman, PhD, is an associate clinical professor and clinical psychologist at the LSU Health Shreveport School of Allied Health Professions.