Children are like plants in a garden. With the right care and environment, they grow and flourish into fruitful members of society. Each child is unique and have their own colours and personalities just like plants in the garden. As parents, it is important for you to know how to nourish your child in the right way. Figuratively speaking, you have to expose them to the correct amount of sunshine, fertilizer, and rain.

At ASIS, we treat the early years of education as foundational and important. During this time, the way we nurture and shape them is crucial. It is important to give them plenty of guidance and support. We teach them the correct values, skills, and knowledge to shape them into future leaders of tomorrow.

As children spend most of their time in school, it is important for parents to choose a school with a culture which matches their own. Today’s world is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Therefore, parents need to equip their children to thrive and be fruitful in such an environment. The most effective way to accomplish this is by sending them to the right school.

In international schools, children’s progress is closely monitored with a steady stream of homework, quizzes, assignments, projects, tests, etc. which helps in taking the necessary effective steps for the betterment of children. It is important for parents to closely monitor their child’s progress, and have regular meetings with teachers to get their feedback to establish necessary steps together.

We have been educating children for more than 25 years and we have compiled some practical tips to help you equip your child to progress and grow in school:

Positive approach:

Don’t label a child based on academic results, instead with a positive approach find out what is the reason, where the child lags, identify it and work on that. Punishing, and threatening, will not bring out the results, instead, sit with them, have an open conversation, be respectful, and make them understand they are not alone in this journey, encourage and motivate them.

Instill a growth mindset:

It is important to instill a growth mindset in children at an early age. Children have to know that people make mistakes and it should not incapacitate them. Instead, the experience should make them stronger and resilient. Praise children for their effort more than the results and encourage them to try and take calculated risks. Make them realize the power of progress. It is not the result but the effort that determines growth. At an early age, teach your children to appreciate and be inspired by the success of others. All this will help them to break through the challenges they face in learning.

Set rules and incorporate rewards

Rules are necessary for society. Children must realise this. Enforce rules and stick to them, and let children know only when they do certain things perfectly, they will get rewards. The reward is not the result, it is about discipline, perseverance, and delaying gratification they learn in the process is important. Your child must realise that rules at school should be followed. When children follow rules, they tend to be more successful. The energy spent by the teacher to educate will be more than the time they enforce discipline in the classroom.

Be firm and consistent:

It is important to be positive and helpful but also be firm and consistent. Parents must learn how to create routines for children. Being consistent will help your child be firm and disciplined too. The opposite will make them confused and susceptible to negative reinforcement. Parents should cooperate with the teacher especially in the consistency of turning in tasks and assignments. Parents should supervise and help children manage their workload at school and then slowly train them to be independent in managing their school life.

Get involved and be a model:

In this age of distraction, parents need to help children in structuralizing their study time, by eliminating distractions and finding a study spot that works. It is also important for parents to get involved in studies by helping and training children to look for solutions when they meet barriers in learning. Parents must also serve as models to their children. They must establish a family culture wherein knowledge and discovery is celebrated and enjoyed. They can show this by showing children that they also enjoy reading or show amazement at the discoveries they have in their daily life.

Healthy sleep schedule:

A healthy sleep schedule is important for children to be active in school and for their memory consolidation. It is recommended for school-age kids to have a minimum of 9 hours of sleep and for teenage kids a minimum of 8 hours of sleep.

School ready:

Sending kids, school-ready by providing them a nutritious breakfast is important, as breakfast is the important meal for the day, it gives the energy, concentration, and attention span kids need in school. 

To sum up, one thing all parents need to keep in mind is not to overdo things, but to go with the flow of kids. It is important to understand their anxieties and stress and address them in the right way. Focus on the process and not the grades, never ever compare, each child is unique. Speaking to the teachers and school about the child's progress brings out an efficient solution.