An Excerpt from Active Parenting 4th Edition
The 21st-century world in which your child will live and work will place less value on reciting facts and more on thinking, communicating, problem-solving, cooperating in teams, and applying concepts in meaningful ways. Of course knowing factual information will still be important, but with computers and search engines able to sift through vast amounts of information at incredible speeds, the human’s job will be to use that information creatively, think critically, and stay motivated. Schools are adapting to these changes, and parents can help by coaching their kids along these lines.
Although you may not be a teacher, you can help your children in school through positive coaching. Keep these seven principles in mind:
Be available. Don’t do it for them, but offer support and guidance if needed.
Offer encouragement, not criticism. Find something positive to say before pointing out errors. Never, ever, ever attack the child’s personality.
Focus on effort instead of grades. The grades will come.
You don’t have to be an expert to help. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
Don’t expect perfection. The goal is improvement, not perfection. Focus your attention on helping your child improve, step by step, and he will eventually succeed. Focus your attention on perfection, and he will eventually say ugly things about you to a therapist.
Turn the thinking over to the child. Don’t fall into the trap of doing the work for your child. Let her struggle a little bit for the answer and enjoy the success of getting it herself.
Enjoy! Make learning enjoyable by smiling, laughing, and basking in each other’s company. If all else fails, bake cookies.
These principles will help your child develop the skills needed to succeed in school and are only a small portion of the methods you will learn in an Active Parenting course. For more tips and information on Active Parenting programs, join our mailing list below.
Helping your child in school is just one part of being an effective parent. Learn the skills needed to raise happy, successful kids in today's society by taking an Active Parenting Course!