Every child can get the occasional disappointing grade. Even though school grades are a significant part of education, it’s important to help your child deal with poor results in a way that helps them rebuild their confidence and sets them back up on the right path. For kids who receive bad grades regularly, especially if it’s in a subject they’re struggling with, it can be very damaging to their motivation levels, self-confidence and learning abilities. That’s why it’s so vital for parents to help them deal with poor results in a positive and supportive way, rather than focusing on the negative. Here’s some ways to help your child when their academic results aren’t going as well as they’d hoped.
Remind Your Child That Bad Grades Aren’t Everything
Firstly, it’s important to reassure your child that no one is perfect and that bad grades don’t make them a failure in any way. In fact, remind them bad grades aren’t everything and are just one measure of success- some people are intelligent in other ways. Instead, try to acknowledge the other areas that your child is excelling in and praise them for that. Switching the discussion to something they’re good at can really help your child focus on the positives in their academic progress rather than the negatives.
Ask Questions And Be Supportive
Being upset with your child for receiving bad results can really lower their self-esteem and motivation to study. Instead, approach your child from a more positive and constructive perspective by asking questions and being supportive. Start by asking what they think has caused them to get a lower grade, what they can do to improve their school grades in the future, as well as if there is anything you can do to help. This way you’re trying to uncover the root of the poor performance and tackling any issues together as a team. Come up with a plan for the next few months, taking into consideration their strengths and weaknesses and finding some realistic solutions.
Recognise Effort Rather Than Outcome
Disappointing results can be very disheartening and upsetting for children. Instead of reacting with disappointment, try to send the message that you really respect the hard work they’ve put in and for trying things they’re not sure if they can do successfully. Recognising effort over outcome is showing your child that you have noticed all the time and energy they’ve put in, even if the results aren’t what they’d hoped. Tell them they did a good job, and perhaps think of some alternative strategies for them to try out next time, whether that’s with homework or exam revision tips. This way rather than discouraging your child, you’re trying to help them regain confidence and improve in a positive way.
Talk To Your Child
One of the factors that can affect children’s academic performance is their motivation to learn. If your child has lost the motivation to study, it can make tasks such as completing homework, and preparing for tests really difficult, resulting in poor grades. One of the best ways parents can help with this is by talking to them in a kind and caring way to try and determine what is causing their lack of interest to study. Just having someone to chat through all their worries and concerns without judgement can really help them feel ready to tackle the issues head on. Sometimes all kids need is a supportive ear to listen to them over someone lecturing them on why it’s important to get good grades.
Praise Regularly
Praise is so important for kids that aren’t doing as well as they could be in school. Take time to acknowledge the B in art, the good attendance and their positive attitude. When kids feel recognised in the areas they’re doing well in, it can really inspire them to want to do better in the subjects they need to improve on.
Get Your Child Some Extra Help
Getting your child some extra help with a tutor can be really valuable if they’ve been suffering with poor results at school. In fact, a one-to-one tutor can help fill in any gaps in your child’s learning, revisit material they’re struggling with, as well as help them build up their confidence in their own learning abilities. Even though being a supportive parent can go a long way when helping your child come to terms with their bad grades, a little bit of additional one-to-one learning time can go a long way and benefit your child long-term. For more information regarding Tutor Doctor’s tutoring services, please check out this informative page.
