Tips to Help Your Child Get Back on Track This School Year

The school year is underway, and perhaps your child has even gotten their first report card of the year. If it’s clear that your student is struggling in one or more subjects and has fallen far behind, it’s important to get them the help they need. What should you do? Here are a few tips that will help your child get back to where they should be:

1. Stop guessing what is wrong—get an academic evaluation. It’s evident from your child’s grades, attitude and more that they are struggling. But it’s difficult to devise a plan forward without pinpointing exactly what skills your child is missing and what they need to make lasting improvements. A thorough academic evaluation like those offered at Huntington will identify where your child is having trouble so you can develop a customized program to get them back on track.
2. Work on rebuilding academic stamina. If your student has regressed, they are not alone. The pandemic not only caused school closures and major disruptions; it created a great deal of stress on many families. Your child may be having a hard time with focusing, staying on task, getting motivated and persisting through challenging work. Begin working on goal setting to help them prioritize their work, create and stick to better habits, and stay on top of their responsibilities.
3. Reframe your child’s thinking about school. Given the tumultuous nature of the last year, your child’s attitude may have deteriorated when it comes to learning and the purpose of it. Talk with your child about having a growth mindset. Remind them that learning is a continuous endeavor that requires persistence. The more your child thinks of challenges and setbacks as opportunities, the stronger and more resilient they will become as a learner and person.
4. Connect with the school professionals. Your child’s teachers and guidance counselors are your allies. Reach out to them. They can put you in touch with professionals in your district and community that can help your child succeed academically and get any other support they need.
5. Develop a game plan with milestones and goals. The bottom line is that your child needs help, and the only way to go forward is to establish a plan of action. This will look different for every student. So, be sure to work with a professional, such as a tutor at Huntington, to create a personalized learning plan that will help your child rebuild skills, boost confidence, rediscover their motivation and get back to the student you know they can be.

It’s challenging to help your child catch up on lost learning when teachers keep moving forward in the classroom. But there’s so much you can do outside of the classroom to help your child close the skill gaps and keep up with school work. Contact Huntington at 1-800 CAN LEARN for help. Whether your child is struggling with math, reading, writing or several subjects, our programs are proven to help children become better students and raise their grades.