Children and teenagers spend more time in school and learning settings than in any other structured activity. It’s easy to assume that educating our kids is the sole responsibility of schools. But education is most successful when parents and schools work together. The mention of school brings different memories and thoughts to mind for each of us. For some, our school day memories are filled with happy times with friends and supportive teachers. For others of us, we remember struggling to get good grades and make friends. Regardless of our own personal experiences in school, make the effort to become a partner in your child’s education.
Here are ways you can jumpstart your child’s academic success on the home front and at school:
- Birth to 5 years: Read to your child everyday and turn learning into “play” by creating games to learn numbers, shapes, letters and colors.
- 5 to 9 years: Attend the open house at your child’s school. Schedule a parent teacher conference. Support the interests of you child from sports to music to reading.
- 9 to 15 years: Learn something new together. Limit solo time on the computer and at video games. Review your family homework set up to make sure kids can complete work without distractions.
- Set a curfew for texting and internet access on school nights.
- 15 to 18 years: Don’t let the computer or video games replace friendships in your teen’s life. Talk about what they want to do after high school. Explore options together.
According to the Attitudes and Behavior survey, only 28% of Washington County youth feel their parents show involvement in their schooling. Are you one of those parents? Let’s raise the percentage and work together to let our kids know we care about their education.