How can you make your child love school?
While children are a blessing and having them is a privilege, raising them well with all they need to survive is every or most parents’ top priority. And one of the ways parents ensure they get it right (at least at the minimum), is by the type of education their child receives, either within the four walls of a public school or in the comfort of their homes (homeschooling).
Education and the child are quite synonymous for the most part but the foundation for quality education really starts within the home.
I greatly commend parents trying their very best to ensure their kids have a love for learning regardless of the school the child attends.
As parents, there are times we however feel overwhelmed asking ourselves if we are good enough or whether we are doing enough for the success of our children. And some parents who started out with kids who loved to learn somehow find out along the line that the child no longer loves to go to school or now hates school.
Take the quiz with your child to know their love language.
There may be different reasons why that is happening which could be as a result of either internal or external factors (or both) influencing the child negatively. What are some of those things?
Bullying and peer pressure outside of the home, not getting enough encouragement for a job well done or as parents, putting too much pressure on the child to do better than he or she is currently doing (which is not a bad thing in itself but could be, when taken to the extreme) or something that has to do with the child himself not showing any interest in learning at all (even if he used to at a time).
Related: 4 Things To Consider Before Naming Your Child
If you are in this situation, as a parent, you may be trying hard to figure out what is going on and ways to properly navigate the future of your child so that it doesn’t affect him on the long run-because as a parent, you want the very best for your child.
If you are struggling with a child who used to love education but doesn’t want to hear of it anymore, these are a few handy tips for you:
5 Ways To Get Your Child To Love School
1. Don’t neglect your child
Even though you are the parent, you need to realize that your child especially if 18 or older, has the right to make his or her own decisions.
We know these things well enough but sometimes, we still see them as babies. It may have to take looking at things as a by stander (no matter how hard that may seem) for us to realize and acknowledge they are full grown adults who are on their way out to navigate the world themselves.
And even if the child is younger, the child is (take it or leave it) also an individual with his or her own personality who would eventually have to make life decisions without you in it or you being there at some point.
It’s difficult and scary at the same time to see it that way…I know. But remember that at some point you were once their age and you had to break yourself free from your own parents or guardian as well. We need to remember this once in a while for us to put things in the right perspective.
You may be tired or discouraged because you are trying your best and it’s yielding little or no results.
Trying to get the child to conform or see things your way might be tough. Frustration might be an understatement to describe what you are experiencing but you need to keep it going…don’t neglect your child just yet.
Take the quiz with your child to know their love language.
2. Encourage your child
Support your child in harnessing what he is good at.
As a parent, it’s your responsibility to find out whatever that thing is and help develop it. It could be hard especially for a child who has a mind of his own.
A child having a mind of his or her own, however comes from the power of choices that humans are endowed with, so it only comes naturally. In tough situations like this, the most you can do is to help them discover themselves, who they are and put them on the right path to achieving their dreams and purpose in life.
Your child needs all of the support he can get from you. Life is hard enough. You want to provide your child with the basic support he needs.
3. Don’t underestimate your child
Children are particularly good at one thing- at the very least. Don’t underestimate the power that lies within them to be all they want to be.
When given the opportunity and the right environment, including the tools and resources they need to thrive, you see a child begin to blossom. So, see your child as a treasure.
The relationship between you and your child may not be glamorous right now, but believe in the potential your child has and what it could become in the future to change society and the world.
4. Love your child
Nothing makes a child feel more secure than knowing that he or she is loved- particularly by his parents.
Loving your child gives him a sense of security that he is safe with you (even when he doesn’t feel that way with others) and you are there for him no matter what.
Don’t just say it in words, express it by your actions. Your child should know that he has your support and you want the best for him while encouraging him to do the right thing.
5. Pray for your child
This one is very important- if you believe in the power of prayer.
Continue to confess over your child what you want to see. Also give your child the opportunity to see and hear you pray those things you desire.
He may not hear you pray all the time (even though you do) but when he does, it has an impact because you are sowing a seed in his heart- even if you don’t know it.
Seeing and hearing you pray makes him aware of what you want to see in him or who you want to see him become. And the best thing of it all is, when the prayer is answered, he would remember you prayed.
Not only that, you would also have become what a model of prayer looks like to him.
If you are exhausted as a parent and you don’t know what else to do, don’t forget to ask for wisdom for yourself and grace to pull through each phase.
Take Away
As parents, we are not only guides but also teachers. And most of the things a child learns and what his outlook on life is, starts from the home.
As a parent to your child, you are his first teacher by the things you say and do. And though your child may not be able to repay you, be rest assured you have a reward and all you do to ensure his or her success is not in vain.
So whether you are a teacher in a formal school setting or a parent serving as a teacher informally at home (which we all are) your ultimate reward is in heaven.
Hang in there you are doing great!
Never want to miss a post? Subscribe to get new posts delivered right into your inbox. Don’t forget to also share this with a friend you know needs it. Also, for more related posts, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
