Academic success starts from a young age. Image: iStock
Parents play an integral part in a child’s educational journey and the way they do it from the early years, has a huge impact on children’s navigation through their academic years.
According to Desiree Hugo, the Academic Head: Schools Division at ADvTECH, the secret lies in teaching children to associate learning with empowerment.
This will help them grow and thrive throughout their school careers, especially as the workload starts increasing.
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Parents need to start building on the foundations for future academic success from when their children enter Grade 1, with a focus on cultivating a love for learning.
They need to help children navigate the early years with humour and enthusiasm to ensure that the learning and discovery process creates positive associations in the brain, rather than anxiety or despondency.
There may not be much homework in the early school years, but parents need to put tie aside to connect with their children and focus on the day’s activities.
Talking over what was done in school during the day and reading together will guide children into a natural routine of building upon what they have learned.
This positive family reaction can be fun, which will evidently have the child associate learning with empowerment, paying dividends down the line.
In addition to the daily connection routine, parents should also assist children to build skills that may be required from them later in their school careers.
According to Hugo, these include:
When it comes to a child’s diet, sleep and exercise it is a parent’s duty to teach them wrong from right. Unhealthy habits and routines can manifest in a child’s general disposition and academic engagement and therefore instilling good habits (including limiting screen time) is very important not only for now, but also in the long run.
Children need to learn the meaning of ‘practice makes perfect’ from a young age. The sooner the better. Parents need to help their children to put things into context.
For many children – especially the more sensitive ones – small things that go wrong have a big impact. They need to learn that even though they might not have mastered it – yet – it doesn’t mean that they can’t. Use the daily connection routine to talk your child through this and help them understand the concept of ‘not yet, but soon.’
Parents need to keep their competitiveness and comparing nature in check. Children easily pick up on parents’ behaviour when it comes to not measuring up to their peers, which can kickstart a downward spiral in motivation and self-belief.
The early years are part of a developmental stage in which children need to be given space to experiment and explore, discover and hone their skills.
Parents need to give children the time and space to do exactly that without pressurising them. It’s okay to not get a perfect score on every spelling quiz.
The success lies in letting your child focus on mastery rather than performance.
If you find that your child is struggling in class, it might be worth talking to the teacher or a counsellor to determine whether it might be necessary to look into a unique learning style.
There are various different learning approaches and the sooner your child finds the style that works best, the better.
READ: Have your child’s educational needs changed?
Also consider your child’s learning environment – something that should be a determining factor when choosing a school.
Do thorough research, talk to other parents, visit the school, find out what their approach entails and how they will enable your child’s academic (and emotional) success.
Teneo Online School is the largest online primary and high school in Africa and has enrolled 54 Grade R learners this year. This is a whole different learning environment but seems to be working well for many.
For mother, Marelise de Beer the transparency of online schooling was a game-changer with both her Grade R and Grade 8 sons.
“It’s not like regular school where you ask your child how his day was and all he’ll say is that ‘nothing happened’ or they ‘just did schoolwork.’ As parents we now have total clarity on what our chid has been learning in the classroom every day. We know what was discussed in class and what homework was given. I also love that all the lessons are recorded and can be watched again.”
This could assist parents to create an even more empowering connection routine with their children, as they will have better and more informed questions to ask to initiate enjoyable engagement.
Building a child’s educational foundation is a huge parenting responsibility – something which you need to be invested in from the start.
A daily connection routine allows you to connect with your child often, which is probably one of the best things you can do, whether in Grade 1 or Grade 12. Parents need to be present.
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