What dream future has your child set their sights on? Maybe they want to be a scientist, a teacher, travel the world, be a doctor…
Whatever the dream, education will help them move towards achieving those goals. Except, while that sounds fantastic, life can sometimes get in the way.
For instance, many enquiries we receive from worried parents stem from a mix of the following:
- My child is struggling at school and seems to be going backwards
- My child has lost confidence after switching classes/schools/teachers
- A terrible report/exam failure has knocked my child’s self-esteem
- My child just can’t keep up/is behind/gets little support in class
- My clever child is overwhelmed by the thought of sitting an entrance exam
Often that dream can disappear altogether while you battle your child’s everyday problems… The good news is, those dreams are still there. What matters now is how to help your child handle feeling down.
Here are some useful pieces of advice our fantastic tutors across the Manchester and Cheshire area have shared:
Be a role model
If you hit a problem, get something wrong or forget something, admit it out loud and then suggest what you could do next time rather than getting angry or berating yourself.
Inspire with success
If your son is struggling with being dyslexic or dyspraxic, for instance, remind him that he has plenty of talent and that this learning issue is only one part of him. Mention how many famous people there are who haven’t let Dyslexia or Dyspraxia stop them: Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Daniel Radcliffe…
Keep it in perspective
Encourage your child to take up extracurricular activities such as sport, drama, singing, ballet – whatever your child is interested in. This way, it will keep everything in balance and help your child to realise that a special need isn’t a life sentence!
Encourage positive talk, not negative
If your child comes back from school saying,’ I’m so stupid at Maths’ or ‘I’m useless at reading’ try to steer them towards more positive thinking:
‘Reading can be tough sometimes. Show me what was tricky today and let’s work on it together.‘ Or, ‘It might feel that you are stupid, but you’re still learning. It’s hard to get everything right first time. I never did. Let’s look at one of the sums etc you struggled with..’
As we approach a new term, your child’s negativity might be triggered by previous experiences. Always try and nip it in the bud by doing something positive rather than giving into negative thinking.
Before long your child will see those dreams reappear… If you are still struggling, give us a call. We’re specialists at turning children’s fortunes around…
Tags: Dyslexia, dyspraxia, positive thinking, struggling at school