What To Do If Your Children Are Scoring Poor Grades

However, all these actions are not really going to help your children improve their performance. Most probably, it will add to their tensions and problems.

So exactly, what can you do if your children are not performing well in studies?

Support. Encourage. Motivate. These are the key words to help your children improve their performance. Also, you can do these six things to bring faster improvement in your children:

1. Do Not Attach Negative labels

Do not label your children with degrading titles like: “useless,” “Stupid,” “Lazy,” and other negative names which create poor self-image. Firmly believe that your children are capable of achieving anything they really desire.

2. Identify Your Children’s Problem

Children who do not perform well in studies have some problems. These problems can be solved if identified. To identify problems, observe your children closely and ask them questions. Here are examples of some common problems of children:

• Complaining about classmates/teachers • Coming from school tired and irritated • Good in one subject but not in another • Slow reading and understanding of study material • Avoiding homework until the last minute • Finding it difficult to interact with other children and adults • Spending time on unimportant activities • Learning little or nothing in class • Problems with eyesight or hearing • Not enthusiastic in going to school • Being disobedient and/or sulky

Once you identify your children’s problem, it will become easy for you to think and find solutions for it.

3. Puff up Your Children’s Self-Confidence

This is one of the best ways to improve your children’s performance. Search for some good study habits or skills of your children and talk about it.

No matter how poorly your children are performing right now, there might be some topic or study skill in which they are good. For example, your son might be good in spelling, or reading or drawing diagrams. Your daughter might be good in math or biology or in remembering formulas. Think about it and praise your children for their good skills.

Also, search for some study-related achievements of your children in the past and discuss it with them. For example, perhaps your son had got ‘good’ remarks on his science report. Or perhaps your daughter had scored better grades in some subjects last year, or even year before that.

Discuss such past study related success. Remind your children about their achievements, however small it is. This will shift your children’s mental focus on their good study-skills, on their study-success. They will realize that they do have the ability to learn, the power to win.

Tell your children, “if you can learn one thing, you can also learn many other things. If you can achieve success once, you can achieve it again.” Such talking from you will strongly motivate your children.

4. Speak With Their Teacher

Meet your children’s teachers and discuss your children’s study performance with them. Ask them what is wrong with your children, and what you can do to help them improve. Advice and suggestions of teachers will help you immensely.

5. Set Achievable Goals

When children have clear goals in their mind, they usually make efforts to study better. Hence encourage your children to set small and reasonable goals for their studies.

For example, if your daughter has scored C grade in math test, she can set a goal to score B grade in next math test. If your son has fallen behind in his History class, then he can set a goal to read two or three history lessons each week, depending upon his speed.

6. Keep Your Children Fit

Encourage your children to get some physical exercise. Like, running, jogging, skipping, cycling, swimming, etc. Exercise improves blood circulation, digestion, and provides more oxygen to brain. This leads to better learning and memory. Ask your children to exercise everyday, or at least five days a week.

Finally, remember what Edison’s mother did!

Thomas Edison was labeled as “slow learner” by his teachers. But his mother, Nancy Edison, did not accept her son as ‘dull.’ She motivated, encouraged, and taught Edison to learn at his own speed and style.

We all know what Edison went on to achieve in his life.

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