5 Ways To Help Your Child Love School Again

Remember when school was new, fun, and exciting for your child? Supporting your child's school life came naturally when things were going well and your son or daughter was looking forward to each school day.

When children are excited about school and looking forward to learning, each day is an adventure!

Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, a child's love of school can diminish. Your child's school life is an ongoing family adventure, not just a solo journey. Consider these proven ways you can help your child turn things around when their love for school has diminished:

1. Remember the basics in home life! Don't fall into a rut and forget the time-tested ways to provide a nurturing, supportive environment within the family. See to it that your child gets a good night's sleep, eats healthy meals, and continually enjoys reassurance of love and security from you and other family members. Home should remain a place where your child can refresh and recharge.
2. Nurture the home-school connection and ease home-to-school transitions in ways that work well for you. Promote on-time arrival at school. Foster open communication between teachers and yourself. Encourage and facilitate trusting bonds between teachers and your child. Be involved in your child's school world by volunteering, attending, and celebrating performances, and building relationships with other parents.
3. Beware the risk of burnout through too many extracurricular activities. It's important to keep a healthy balance of activities - these can help nurture your child's strengths and reinforce his or her talents and interests. Provide support through music lessons, community theater, scouting, fun educational familiy outings, or faith community activities. By doing so, you can help your child better enjoy orchestra, musical auditions, sports team tryouts, or art class, to name a few. Stay focused on the most important areas so as not to overextend your and your child's energy and resources.
4. Remain optimistic, while simultaneously staying attuned to any signs of trouble that need to be addressed. Is it time to meet with the school counselor or principal to discuss specific problems? Your child may benefit from tutoring, counseling, therapy, or medical advice if a problematic situation or an underlying condition is affecting performance and enjoyment of school life.
5. Think outside the box. Is your child ripe for a fundamental change such as a change of classrooms, a new musical instrument or sport, or even a new school? Do not ignore the possibility that your child's diminished enjoyment of school is a sign that the particular school is not a good fit for his or her temperament and interests.

Helping your child love school again may mean exploring alternatives. Admission counselors at Minnehaha Academy will gladly share how your child may thrive here. Minnehaha Academy is a private Christian school with small class sizes, innovative teaching methods, and strong extracurricular offerings. We welcome transfers anytime during the school year.

Schedule your visit to Minnehaha Academy to learn more!