How to Motivate Your Child Whose Grades Have Dropped

Have an open conversation. Without judgment or frustration, talk with your child about what they’re feeling. When did problems start? What subjects have been especially difficult? Let your child know that you want them to find success in school, but more importantly, you want them to feel good about themselves.

Discuss the importance of effort. Each year, school only becomes more challenging—and sometimes, your child might struggle. Remind your child that hard things require hard work. Not every subject will come easily and your child might not always like what they learn. Your child needs to hear that their effort matters most, and they should take pride when their diligence and persistence leads to success.

Make sure your child is challenged. If class material isn’t moving fast enough, under-challenged students lose motivation to pay attention or put effort into their work. If your child has a strong understanding of concepts that are taught in class, they will likely perform well on tests. However, decreased motivation to do work outside the classroom often results in poor grades on assignments. Explore enrichment programs designed for students who need advanced academic instruction beyond what they are getting in the classroom. Huntington can help your student with accelerated learning. Our programs are individualized to each student’s needs and goals.

Work to close the skill gaps. One of the most common reasons that kids lack motivation is trouble with academic skills. When a child who has unidentified learning loss or skill gaps encounters difficult homework or concepts, their first instinct is often to give up. The child feels frustrated and embarrassed by their lack of understanding and would rather give up than continue to try and fail. Left uncorrected, skill gaps tend to get worse over time. Huntington can identify skill gaps through an academic evaluation. We identify areas where a child is missing essential knowledge and develop a customized program of instruction to help them rebuild weak skills, learn new ones and get back to grade-level learning. This effective approach boosts the child’s confidence and motivation too.

Focus on time management. For many students, new bad habits get picked up every school year. Make sure your child embraces a few best practices. They should use a planner to keep track of homework, tests, projects and due dates. When starting homework each day, they should spend a few minutes planning out the session and prioritizing their to-dos. Your child must stick to a reliable homework routine. And when working, suggest that they use timers and reminders to deter procrastination.

If your child seems increasingly unmotivated and their grades aren’t where they should be, call Huntington. We’ll investigate the problem and identify exactly what is going on, then develop a customized program of instruction. Our approach is effective and will help your student turn things around quickly! Call 1-800 CAN LEARN today.