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A major part of your child succeeding educationally is your ability to assess your child’s development. Over the years, parents have become accustomed to the school system doing this; however, we can see how displaced the system is becoming. It is important for parents to be their child’s number one advocate so they can help guide, steer and motivate them along their academic journey. Here are five strategies to help you do just that.
5 Ways to Assess Your Child’s Development & Help Them Succeed
Observe your child.
Take a week or two to observe your child without intervention. In other words, watch them as they play, interact with siblings and friends, and so on. Look for patterns and tendencies that may indicate both strengths and weaknesses. If you can, try to discern the root of any academic issues you know your child is dealing with at the present moment. Now is the perfect time to document any patterns that you discover.
Keep track of them over a matter of time and note if any have increased, decreased, or are completely new.
Communicate your own struggles with your child.
The goal of being open about your own struggles is to help your child build trust for them to talk about their weaknesses with you. Oftentimes children are not comfortable or confident to speak about their weaknesses especially academically. Look for ways to create a safe environment in your home where strengths are celebrated and challenges can be discussed and addressed openly. The more open you are, the more your children will begin to see areas in their own lives that can be improved and even look to you for guidance.
I believe we are not open enough with our children, which causes us to see their weaknesses as something they need to “get over” or “work through” without our help. This step is important to gain and nurture the relationship.
Create an educational plan for your child.
Again, you don’t have to wait for the school system to do this for you, and if you’re a homeschooling parent, I recommend doing this every year. Take your observations and begin to formulate a plan catered specifically to the educational goals you and your child set together. Involving them in this process will show them that they have a voice and that it is heard and important. You’ll also find them to be less resistant toward academic-related things when they have a say in the process.
Also, don’t hesitate to include other areas that may not seem like some of the most commonly taught subject areas. For example, if your child could be better at communicating, write that down also.
See yourself as your child’s advocate.
As you begin to identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as create an educational plan, now it’s time to be your child’s top advocate. Ask yourself what you can do to start providing them with the level of support they possibly need. This can be a variety of things from hiring a tutor, enrolling them in extracurricular programs, seeking out supplemental programs or products and checking with local services. Most communities have a variety of programs and services that are free for children. Find out all you can and write these points of contact down for future reference.
Provide opportunities for your child to explore their strengths, talents, and abilities.
Brainstorm all the possible resources that you and your family have access to. Use them to create opportunities for your child’s academic development to flourish. If they show a specific interest in animals, consider letting them volunteer at the local animal shelter for a summer. If they show an interest in cars, take them to a car dealership and have them speak to a salesman, manager, or a mechanic to ask questions and learn more. If baking is their thing, enroll them in cooking classes or set-up time to bake at home. Create and utilize fun learning activities like a simple “Word Hunt” where your child/children look through magazines to find words from the Think Tank Scholar Sight Words flash cards deck. The overall goal is to help your child become comfortable and responsible for their own academic successes.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to see children through their academic struggles because it’s the part of them that gets the most focus. Instead, we should help them see how their strengths can often help their weaknesses while teaching them skills and strategies to overcome academic struggles. While we may not know all the answers, as parents we can be intentional about helping our children identify the gifts that indicate their future path.
Instead of trying to squash their quality-strengthening tendencies, we should identify how they can be developed and nurtured throughout childhood. Learning how to assess your child’s development will help you do that and more.